Richard Young – MsLabelled

By starrymag | November 25, 2015

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) What repercussions will Percy’s “Mirror Mirror” admissions have?

 

A) The truth shall set you free. For Percy, his admission that he’s Mirror/Mirror also comes with him finally letting go and telling people exactly what he thinks of them. Percy has been bottling up a lot of emotions under that “nice guy” exterior and he’ll finally get the opportunity to let it all out. Now, will he let it out in a healthy or unhealthy way? That’s up to the fans to decide.

 

Q) Will Percy’s thirst for power turn into his Achilles heel?

 

A) I think that Percy generally bites off more than he can chew: trying to manage a pack of designers, trying to impress Bee (Marni Van Dyk) and trying not to swoon over handsome photographers. So, even as a “villain” thirsting for power, he’s not exactly the most capable villain in the world…

 

Q) Is there anything that you have added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted?

 

A) Creator and writer Alexandra Clarke carved out fully formed characters that were enjoyable to inhabit so I can’t pick out one attribute that I may have added. But I’m naturally neurotic and do stress out just a tad when things don’t go according to plan so I was able to bring that to Percy while he tried to wrangle all the designers. And when things fall apart for Percy and he has to sit there, completely humiliated with egg all over his face? Well, that’s a regular Tuesday for me.

 

Q) As the season progresses, how will dynamics and interpersonal relationships shift?

 

A) What I can say is that there are a ton of twists with the characters that will surprise fans, but when you look back at older episodes you’ll see that Alex (the writer) planted those seeds a while ago and they’re now bearing fruit. Did I say fruit? I meant “bombshells.” I think I ruined this metaphor.

 

Q) You’re a part of social media, how is it getting instant fan feedback after the episode?

 

A) So fun! The fans are so smart and so clever. They pick up on all the little clues or innuendos being dropped and they comment on it all while dropping some pretty sweet burns. When Percy revealed himself as Mirror/Mirror, my all-time favorite fan comment was “Percy is the camp evil queen we never knew we needed.” I literally spat out my drink while I read that.

 

Q) Percy seems to be on a power trip, what length is he willing to go for his revenge?

 

A)Percy doesn’t think of it as a power trip; he thinks he’s finally getting what he’s owed for all his hard work and his obvious expertise. As for how far he’s willing to go, he still thinks of himself of good ole’ “Papa Percy.” It’s just that now, he’s an old-school parent that has to do some serious disciplining.

 

Q) What will the challenges be for Labelz now that it is trying to capitalize on the live stream?

 

A) Ella (Rebecca Liddiard) recorded the designers to protect herself. Drew recorded them to keep them in check. But Reggie and Labelz want complete entertainment and drama, which could mean turning the designers against each other, humiliating them or turning them into something that they’re not.

 

Q) What has been your favorite behind-the-scenes moment from filming?

 

A) The pace of the shoot is nuts. Usually film or television shoots five script pages in a day and MsLabelled shoots close to fifty pages a day. That’s right, 50. But the cast and crew were so on their game that with the added rush of adrenaline of shooting so much so fast, this ended up being one of the most enjoyable shoots I’ve done. Oh, and they dress Percy up great so I’ve learned a bunch of fashion tips that I now apply to my regular slovenly self.

 

Q) What do you hope that people take away from watching MsLabelled this season?

 

A) I really enjoyed working on both seasons of MsLabelled, but in this season the story and characters really come into their own. The writers and producers saw what worked in the first season and what the actors brought to the table then amped all that up to give each character a great arc while also having a crazy story. MsLabelled season two ramps up the drama, the comedy and the romance so I think the fans will go through a rollercoaster of emotions before getting a satisfying finish.