Olli Haaskivi – Manifest

By starrymag | October 25, 2019

By: Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

 

 

Q) You’ll be seen in the upcoming film Motherless Brooklyn. Talk about your audition process.

 

A) The audition process for Motherless Brooklyn was fairly by the book. I remember getting sent the scene to prepare the evening before I was supposed to go in – I was out to dinner with one of my best friends and I made him run the scene with me a bunch of times and then I went in first thing the next morning. The legendary Avy Kaufman cast the film and she has cast me in a few other projects over the years – you always know it’s a great project when Avy’s working on it. Plus, Ed Norton has been a hero of mine forever, so I was quite excited to go audition. I remember finding out fairly quickly that I had gotten the job – it’s always such a relief when you don’t have a million hoops to jump through. I’m incredibly thankful to Avy and to Ed not only for the straightforward and stress-free audition process, but for the very, very wonderful experience I had shooting the film itself. If you can finagle a situation that involves Ed Norton simultaneously being your acting partner and your director, I highly recommend it. You won’t find anyone better at either job.

 

Q) You’ve also got the movie The MisEducation of Bindu out now. What do you hope viewers take away from watching it?

 

A) I hope audiences see that there’s room for everyone at the table. Just because someone is different or comes from a background other than yours does not mean that there’s cause for any kind of concern or bullying or anything of the sort. I hope that audiences really enjoy it. It’s a bright and colorful and unique adventure. But I also hope that they walk away perhaps a little more empathetic than when they came in.

 

Q) Your character on “Manifest,” Isaiah, briefly appeared at the end of the first season and there are still a lot of questions about what he knows. What can you tell us about Isaiah?

 

A) I don’t think I’ll be telling you that much, I’m sorry to say! I definitely like to keep some of Isaiah’s secrets. I will say, though, that I imagine Isaiah comes from a rough childhood. I don’t know that he has a particularly solid foundation underneath him. He has a line in the first season, “I’m not afraid of prison. I’ve been here before,” and I hung a lot of my ideas on that one line. I think he’s had a tough go of things so far in his life – perhaps in and out of foster homes, clearly in and out of prison. I think he’s barely been scraping by for a long time. So, then when this miraculous event happens with the survivors of Flight 828, I think it’s the first time in his whole life that he’s ever felt anything resembling hope and a belief in a greater plan. I imagine it’s really mind blowing to Isaiah just how beautiful and powerful those feelings are.

 

Q) Your character was only briefly introduced and still remains very mysterious, which I’m sure we will get to learn more about in season 2. How much did you know about Isaiah in the initial breakdown and when you began the role?

 

A) I really didn’t know that much! My audition scene was the jail scene from my first episode and so that’s all I had to go on. I did connect with the character and with the writing immediately, though I felt an immediate click. And my audition with Julie Schubert, “Manifest’s” amazing casting director, was really wonderful. I think I also saw right off the bat that Isaiah had somewhat limitless possibilities. This was a character that could go in a thousand different directions and I was excited to dig into that, even just for the purposes of the audition.

 

Q) What have you found challenging about portraying Isaiah?

 

A) I think one really interesting thing about network television is that every episode has a different director and every different director comes with different strengths and a different style. It’s not necessarily a challenge in any negative way, but it is an interesting variable in the process. At the start of each episode you have to quickly assess this new director’s way of working and it can be drastically different from the person who directed the previous episode. They’ve all been wonderful, but having that hugely important element change so often definitely keeps you on your toes.

 

Q) Going into season two, how does Isaiah play into the season and what can we expect from him?

 

A) The less I say, the better, I’m afraid! But I will happily volunteer that I absolutely love what Jeff Rake the showrunner and his wonderful team of writers have constructed for Isaiah this coming season. It’s a big roller coaster ride for him and I’ve really had a blast. I’m incredibly flattered that Jeff entrusted me with so many twists and turns.

 

Q) Were you looking forward to sharing a scene with someone(s) in particular?

 

A) I loved acting with Melissa Roxburgh so much in Season One. We were fast friends off-screen too and I really do think the world of her. I’m very happy anytime I get a script with an Isaiah and Michaela scene.

 

Q) Is there any specific scene that was exciting to shoot that you’re able to share?

 

A) Honestly, they were all exciting in different ways. Plotting out Isaiah’s journey through Season Two was really fun for me. The scripts have given me so much to work with and I want so badly to make it a satisfying and surprising ride for the audience…It might sound a little cheesy, but truly every scene had something exciting for me to sink my teeth into. I feel very lucky.

 

Q) What can you tease about Season Two of “Manifest” overall?

 

A) Probably very little! I’m worried that as soon as I say anything NBC and Warner Brothers will lock me up and throw away the key. They did just release a fantastic trailer for Season Two, though, so I can happily point you in that direction… watching this is much more satisfying and exciting than anything I could possibly say.

 

Q) How do you shake off a long day of filming?

 

A) There’s a 24-hour drugstore close to my apartment and I’ve gotten in a very bad habit of getting a giant bag of Swedish Fish on my way home pretty much every night regardless of what time I wrap. It can take time to come down from the adrenaline of shooting, so even if it’s 3am my body’s not always ready to go to sleep immediately. It’s not uncommon to find me at very odd hours with a ton of Swedish Fish streaming old episodes of “Ally McBeal” on Hulu. A good shower helps, too.

 

Q) What do you think it is about this show that made it such a fan favorite series?

 

A) I think there’s something for everyone on “Manifest.” There’s a giant mystery at the center of it, there’s compelling domestic drama, there’s a terrific cast playing characters with complicated and intriguing and surprising histories, there are sci-fi elements to it… They cover a lot of bases and I think they do it very gracefully. I’m so excited to hear the reactions to season two.

 

Q) Do you have any other projects you’ve been working on that you could share with us?

 

A) I’m in this short form series called Oh Jerome, No that Alex Karpovsky and Teddy Blanks wrote and directed for FXX. You can watch it as part of FXX’s compilation series Cake,which is airing on Wednesday nights or you can watch it individually on the FX website. I really just love everything about it. It’s exactly the kind of project I love being a part of, playing exactly the kind of role that I love to play with collaborators that are incredibly smart and hilarious and creative… I’m over the moon for it and Alex and Teddy are probably tired of me telling them, so I’m happy that I get to tell you. I’m in two episodes of the series and I really do hope it’s only the beginning for Jerome and for my character Pete.

 

Social Media:

Instagram @olliahaaskivi