NOS4A2 – SDCC 2019

By starrymag | July 28, 2019

By: Nicole Rodenbaugh

 

 

Q) Is there a character that’s more of a breakout character than you expected it to be?

Joe: Wow. Way To hit me with a really tough question. I mean, I don’t want to. I wouldn’t want to play favorites with the performances because I think everyone really poured heart and soul into it and it shows on the screen. We have a complete newcomer in Jahkara Smith who plays Maggie Leigh and Maggie Leigh is a little bit of a fan favorite from the book. And I think Jahkara brought so much fun to the role and she so exciting and, and fizzy and her scenes with Ashleigh play like watching the sun dance. And so, I mean, that’s kind of feels like, because it’s her first thing. That kind of feels a little bit like a breakout sort of.

Q) I was fascinated by the relationship between Charlie and [inaudible]. I’m curious about Charlie establishing this connection.

Zachary: If we get a chance to tell them more stories, I think that the relationship between Charlie and [inaudible] is a great source of really interesting narrative possibilities. Joe, in addition to writing, strikes to the novel also wrote a graphic novel called The Rave, which is really all about Charlie’s relationship with the car and the backstory. You learn a lot about Charlie and in that book in particular, so the two pieces were really companions for me as I was getting ready to shoot. Um, and sort of diving into who the character is in the car is an inextricable part of who Charlie is in Charlie’s a good struggle part of who the car is. And so I joke but it actually is a kind of character in its own right. So, yeah, I mean I think a lot of the answer your question depends on whether or not we get to do more seasons.

Q) Do we have word on season two?

Joe: Well, I hope we hear something soon.

Jami: We’ve got our fingers and toes. We should hear some soon.

Q) Did you get to do any of like your actual stonework? Or did you let somebody else?

Joe: Yep, because that’s not true. Episode nine and ten run real hard. And Ashleigh actually took a beating filming those last two episodes. She got burnt and busted before it was over. I mean, she was half blinded it herself and pulled her arm out of her socket.

Zachary: It’s exciting things to be working with Ashleigh right now is like, she’s at this moment in her career here in the states where like, she’s really emerging in such an incredible way. And to watch her passion for what she does and to see just like…I’ve been around the block and like to see somebody so young and fresh and stepping into themselves in such a powerful way is such a great part of this experience, you know? And, uh, she has The Goldfinch coming out in October and just has a lot of really exciting and interesting things happening right now and is so committed to her work and to her life as an actress. To enter her life is just like a person in the balance, in someone so young as she is, is really impressive. She’s been remarkable to work with and to watch work. And I know she really, really wanted to ride that thereby throughout the first season. And there were some insurance hurdles that we couldn’t quite clear, but she’s a really the kind of young actress who will literally throw herself at or into anything that allowed to and it’s really cool to be a part of that with her.

Q) Zachary, you’ve played a lot of really great characters. What was your favorite part about playing this one?

Zachary: I haven’t done an adaptation like this before and so I really love the process of working on the character from the perspective of the book and, as I said, not just Nosferatu but also The Rave then. And then seeing how that was filtered through Jami’s point of view and the scripts were all really complex and compelling and interesting. And I was a little resistant at first. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to kind of go down this road again playing this sort of archetypal supernatural villain. I have done it a couple of times in the past and I think this will probably be the last time for me to do it for a while after I’m done with this run on Nosferatu. But it was an interesting kind of bookend, right? Starting with [inaudible] and going through threads in and now kind of coming…They’re each very different, but also there’s echoes and anyway. So, all of that stuff was interesting to me. I felt like it was part of a continuum and the transformation of the character, the physical and vocal transformation was a way that I was able to really explore a whole other dimension of a character that I’ve never explored no matter where they fall on an ethical spectrum. So, those were the hallmarks of what made this really appealing to me and the people. It’s such a great group of people really. Like we all, everybody is incentivized to do their best work and with a really good attitude. And we have a great crew and like great cast and good, you know, it’s just a good vibe or on the show.

Q) Is there anything in particular that you’ve latched on to a personality that you really just enjoyed delving into?

Zachary: Yeah, great question. We kind of get to a point where she starts to climb to the boy and she knows how to. And whilst I had don’t to feel that I become combative my boyfriends disagree. I do feel that I have found my voice. And it did the way I try to do the show and some of the things always I’ve been raised to engage my head. I write and I think sometimes what I didn’t do and hold it accountable is that always look towards that [inaudible] and how you blame someone they do if it’s all just comes down to on top of wounding of whatnot. And that plays into what we do with that is finding cause of why people do the things they do, why they are. But what I learned you say you can be empathetic and can love someone and appreciate where it come from us. So, hold them accountable. And that’s something that has been an enormous lesson for me throughout the show. And I do feel like I’ve gained a strike through my [inaudible] really. You do grow and evolve through your character forcing, you know, you’re forcing space into cavities yourself that you haven’t explored before.

Q) Joe and Jami in particular, what was one of the things that you were really excited to see come to life for the show? From the books?

Jami: Christmas land. Um, the bridge I was really excited about. Um, I thought it was so vividly drawn in the book. And I thought that our production designer Andrew Jackness did a phenomenal job building it -designing it and building it. And then he got some help from the VFX team on it as well, the static inside the bridge. And I just couldn’t be proud of really of how it turned out. Um, all of the kind of fantastical worlds I think were really fun for us. The dark tunnels Jolene’s world was really fun. Um, I loved the car. The bar is really fun.

Joe: I liked that big crazy Charlie moon. He throws the big wink and that was cool. I always wanted to see that scrabble bag.

Jami: Yeah, the scrabble bag is cool. Cool. Um, we had a really great, uh, VFX supervisor named John Bruno, who has a very long and storied career. Uh, he worked on poltergeist and he worked on Ghostbusters, Alien, Terminator Two…We were really lucky to have him and he really helped us out a lot.

Ashleigh: Yeah. Seeing the transformation from young minds to old, young, extraordinary [inaudible]. What do you have onset? Just John is incredible because he has such a specificity and what’s so odd is it the movement coach, I believe was energetic. Yup. Yeah.

Jami: And in the editing room. Zach’s performance is so specific. The movie magic of it is that he doesn’t want us [inaudible] the old guy and he doesn’t want it as the young guy and then you have to kind of meld them together. And that process was made so much easier by the fact that he matched his movements almost. Exactly. It was kind of like…It was shocking to us when we watched it for the first side in the editing bay. It was so specific and thoughtful that I think you’ve probably saved us some money in [inaudible]. It’s all about economy.

Q) The show is very dark and creepy and intense. So, I want to know how do you deal with them?

Zachary: I was waiting for that because I felt like I had a lot of respect. First of all, because I deal with the kids a lot in the creepy, in like a creepy kind of setting and scenario. It was super important to me that the kids were well tended to taking care of it. I have to say as a real testament to our producers. And to the production in general, the wellbeing of those kids was like number one priority. And so I think making sure that they were very clear about the differences between reality and imagination, that they knew they had the opportunity to come buy the makeup trailer while I was getting ready and they got to feel like they were a part of the process. And kids are really excited by that stuff. So, when they know it’s fake and then for some of the more intense sort of gruesome stuff that happens later in the season there was a child psychologist that was brought in to like work with all the kids, talked to all the kids and I had a lot of respect for the way that was handled on our show. And I feel like it’s a real testament to the integrity of our producers and to the nature of AMC to make sure that the environment is safe and that the most vulnerable participants in any aspect of the season of a show are taken care of. And they feel engaged and like just looked out for. So, it was good. Really good.

Ashleigh: I was provided a psychologist on site.

Zachary: You were fun.

Q) Zachary, what has been your favorite episode to fill so far this season, whether it’s one recent or one coming up?

Zachary: I feel like we all hit a real stride as we got into it. I mean, the whole season was like pretty fun. Uh, yeah, like the last two episodes. I think aside from the fact that it was a little bit, literally like 17 degrees below zero, it was so cold in Providence. And there was this kind of weird bonding thing that happened amongst all of us in the crew. And like I’ve, I’ve honestly never been so cold in my life. Like it was like truly, like there was a scene where I think it’s aired already. I don’t know. Oh no, it’s not aired already. In episode nine there’s like this moment where Manx is like coming after Vic and I’m sort of stocking her and like screaming and like when I tell you my face was literally frozen. My mouth was literally not working and the wind was blowing, but it was like fun. I don’t know. I say that now that if we’re lucky enough to do more seasons… But cut to me like next December and Providence being like, “Oh God,” because it’s so fucking cold though because it’s so cold. Yeah. Numb face. Literally. I’m basically like, yeah, you like can’t control it.

Ashleigh: I won’t spoil it, but if there is one, if I have to do something very specific with my thing is, which sounds strange, but it kind of leaves the climax point. That’s fine. [inaudible] and it’s totally too [inaudible] when you’re watching episodes nine and 10, keep in mind that it was below zero one four out there without gloves on. I really enjoy it. Uh, the winter. I really like the family dynamic stuff and then my mom I really found those to be quite enriching as a person, as an actor. And then also episode six I think is really interesting. It’s kind of a full episode that takes place takes place in a psychiatric clinic, mental lockdown ward, that one. Yep. That was fine.