Melissa Farman – Strange Empire

Q) What is it about this version of a Western that is so fascinating?

A) I think in terms of “Strange Empire” as a Western, we are definitely deconstructing the genre. We all feel a great responsibility in the sense that Westerns are kind of our mix of origin. They are our creation as North Americans. Because of that, you have these huge archetype characters. Laurie [Finstad-Knizhnik], our incredible writer, was very involved in deconstructing that and turning those archetypes on their heads and showing in terms of representation politics the typically unrepresented who are very much part of our history that we sometimes forget. It is important to represent them in that sense because Westerns are kind of like our creation stories.

Q) The show seems to give realism to the Wild West with the various types of characters it portrays.

A) The reality is some women had to be docile and some women had to be in brothels. I think there is no shame in that. I think in terms of showing people, we are showing people trying to survive. I think that in a storytelling genre we are varying that up. There are more ways to survive in the West. I think it is interesting, especially in turning archetypes on their heads, that we are encouraging and challenging those. We are all archetypes because you have Cara Gee who is kind of the John Wayne character and then you have Tattiawna’s (Jones) character Isabelle who is kind of like the Madonna of the brother. Then, you have got Rebecca who is the Frontier Medicine Woman. It sounds like stereotypical characters that we have heard of, but nevermind because none of that is anything to do with the show. We are all kind of reinvigorating and reinventing those roles because people had to reinvent themselves when they were on the frontier. Here they were from scattered backgrounds coming to this no-man’s land where they thought they had this paradise promised. They realized it was paradise lost. I think people had to very much settle, change and adapt in many, many ways in order to survive.

Q) The setting seems to feel like a character in itself. Talk about how the setting plays a role on the show.

A) I think that Laurie was very intent on saying the irony of Strange Empire is kind of strange because it is like all these broken toys in a playground of John Slotter (Aaron Poole) who is kind of the reinvention of the Prodigal Son. He is kind of like an archetype, but at the same time the archetype gets blown up with him. I think that we think this setting is going to be a land of riches and it is going to be this empire when it is really this farm town, this shanty town because people are just very uncomfortable. I think in terms of setting, we have cinematographer. We have an incredible cinematographer named Bruce Worrall who pretty much crystallizes that moral grayness that comes with the creation of us. In order to develop mainstream morality you kind of start with immoral and morally questionable ways. It’s interesting because when we go to set we are wearing quite bright colors and when we shoot the show none of that comes through. I think that is interesting because you have these individuals with very vivid senses of themselves trying to make a mark. Here they are in a land of washed out color diluted morality where they are going to try and find their ways. I find that very interesting. I think it is isolation and claustrophobia as well. It is this nothing little town that is very much a sense that we’re in the barracks. There is not much there and we’re trying to build something and will we get there?

Q) There was a scene where Rebecca says, “A proper life seems not to suit me.” What did she mean by that? Is she not interested in continuing her relationship with Morgan or will a proper life not come her way because of it?

A) I think the context of that line is that proper society has never accepted her. She has been marginalized and she was raised in an asylum and then in a laboratory prodded as an experiment. I think she is very much aware that in the eyes of others she is a freak. Here she is in this Wild West where society is reinventing itself and she can find out what society means to her. I think what she means by that is she is kind of reinvigorating that line because “a proper life seems not to suit me” is what people have told her her whole life as a bad thing. I think there is a very kind of liberating way to say it, which is, “I’m going to have to figure out what life suits me.” Her morality is very much going to be about exploring. She is an explorer and she is going to have to figure out who she is because when we first meet her she is a character who is not herself yet. She has never been raised as an individual and she doesn’t know what it means to have desires and to have autonomy.

Q) She also has this directness. Do you feel it is important to have characters who are comfortable with their sexuality and can be that direct without coming off in a poor light?

A) I think that one of the exciting things about playing Rebecca is she is completely unburdened by any kind of dogma, whether it is religious, Victorian or even Scientific. We see with Thomas (Bill Marchant) and Rebecca because he says, “This is kind of the way we do things,” and she says, “Well, let’s think outside of the box.” She is somebody who is completely a blank slate in terms of human interactions. It’s really exciting to play a person who has such a scientific neutral focal point, especially when she has her sexual awakening which is where we meet her. She is experiencing sexual desire for the first time in her life and she has no sense of a gender cage. She has no sense of, “What could possibly be wrong with it?” It’s an experiment for her, like any other. I think it is very interesting to play a character like that, but it is also very exciting to play a character who is completely unburdened by prejudice and just sees desire and attraction as a positive thing no matter what way you look at it.

Q) Rebecca continues to refer to Morgan as “Ms. Finn.” Why do you think there is a reluctance there?

A) She sees people or things in a certain way. I think she is saying that out of complete love for Morgan (Joanne Boland). In episode eight, I think what is so heartbreaking about that scene for me is that it is kind of lost in translation. She is someone who is so literal. There is that moment where she tries to put her hand on Morgan and reassure her because that is what Morgan does for her. Then, Morgan backs off and Rebecca is like, “Did I do the wrong thing?” Even when she says, “I’ve seen specimens like this before,” she is trying to really normalize this. She is trying to say, “I’ve seen this before. Here is my world of categories.” Unfortunately, that’s not what people want to hear. With Rebecca what is so sad is that often times what she was trained to be, as literal as she is, her whole world gets in the way of what she wants, which is a connection. I think that’s what we see in that scene with Morgan. Her inability not to be literal in a very scientific way really gets in the way of what she wants, which is love.

Q) Everybody wants love and acceptance. But will people do what they have to in order to get that? I don’t know.

A) I think that with Rebecca, as I said, who we meet in the beginning is someone who is not herself yet. She is going to explore what that self is. We’re going to figure out what her priorities are by the end of the season. We’ll see where she is going and I can guarantee it is a whole lot different than anything we are expecting. She is very unpredictable especially because she doesn’t tick in the same way most people tick. She is her own person. She is different. She is her own kind of freak. In Victorian terms, she is called a “freak” and she even calls Morgan a freak. In Victorian terms, in anatomy, these are freaks. We are tainted by societal diagnostics. When someone is outside of the norm they are, therefore, wrong. When she says that, she means it in a completely neutral way of looking at things. That’s the beauty of Rebecca, but unfortunately she doesn’t get that. It gets in her way of her ability to connect with people.

Q) The show has had this profound effect on fans. What do you think it is that has drawn so many people in?

A) It’s very much a show about outsiders with the hope of building a new type of community. It’s a land where they are completely lost, but they also have the opportunity to be insiders for the very first time. I think that is something that anybody can rally around. It’s very much a show about all types of scattered backgrounds coming together in this middle ground between paradise promised and paradise lost. I think that a lot of people find themselves in that no-man’s land where we’re like, “These are our expectations. Who are we going to be because this is the reality we face? How do we define ourselves in a way that we never thought possible? How do we build bridges with others and build a community?” I think that is something that anyone can rally around and relate to. Western genres are what people usually love and what is fun about this is that it is definitely a Western, but it is turning these archetypes on their heads. It also in terms of representational politics representing people that are usually forgotten or not represented. I think that is very exciting and groundbreaking.

Q) Is there anything else you can tease or share that we will get to see in regards to Rebecca?

A) Right now we are on hiatus so I hope that the audience is going to binge watch over the holidays. I think it is a show that needs to be watched together and again in order to understand and appreciate all the nuances that Laurie and her incredible team of writers put in there. The scripts very much read like cinematic literature. Laurie really brings down a sense of the epic and visceral infused realism. I find that when we are analyzing the scripts I am always just blown away by the level of metaphor and thematic dynamics. I just hope the audience gets to tune in and binge watch the show. I think a lot of clues of what is to come in the future will be from really paying attention to what is going on. You are really seeing the little hints we get throughout the season. In terms of Rebecca, the only clues I can give is that I think we leave her off in episode eight at a standstill trying to figure out what she is going to be. She goes from Thomas just passing away and Slotter has just given her this home. She is definitely going to have to figure out what autonomy means to her again in a new way. That will very much be a part of her in her journey with the next few episodes.

Q) You are a part of social media. How is it receiving the instant fan feedback when episodes premiere?

A) It’s funny because I was not on social media before. I’m very primitive in terms of how to use it. I’m figuring it out slowly, but it is really amazing because we get to see how moved people are by it and how they relate it to their own lives. I think in  terms of playing Rebecca, I never expected how many people could relate to her because she always feels no one can relate to her. It’s rewarding as an actor that people could because she feels like such an outsider. To see she does have a community is something I wish she could see. She is starting to get that in the show.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and the show?

A) I want to say that our audience for watching the show and for being a staunch supporters and rallying behind our characters. I really just want to encourage them to tune in and binge watch our episodes over the holidays because you get a greater sense of the strained lines storylines. Tune in and watch! Happy, happy holidays!