Sharon Belle – Carmilla

By starrymag | December 11, 2014

Q) Was the chemistry with you and your fellow costars instant or did you spend some time to bond?

A) For me, I have to say that it was pretty instant. I’m so lucky to be working with such a group of lovely people. They are just genuinely great people. The relationship evolved from there because I’m sure as everyone noticed on social media that it is kind of an ongoing project. I feel like we are still working together as a cast at this even though we already finished filming. The relationship is constantly growing and I feel so lucky!

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

A) One thing that I kind of gave to Danny that I think that I didn’t really see in the script was that I made her a little more goofy and silly when she first meets Laura (Elise Bauman). That’s something I just can’t help. If it is a role like Danny where she is a regular girl, I like to put a lot of myself into the character because it makes them individual and unique. That’s just part of who I am, I’m just kind of a big goofball. I feel like Danny came off like that. There is the gift of my hands flying all over the place when I talk and that is not scripted. It’s just something I kind of do.

Q) Everyone is curious what made Danny throw a tomato?

A) It was a ripe tomato. It was a little soft. I kind of feel like she deserved it, just a little. When I first read it, I thought it was a little much, but in a relationship, tough time or break up almost any emotion can be justified. We’re only human. The bottom line is that you knew she threw that tomato is because you know she likes her.

Q) Danny has gone through quite an evolution in Season One. How do you see that evolution throughout the season?

A) At first, I think Danny is a very lighthearted kind of person. At  the beginning, she meets Laura and they just hit it off. Things are fun and she doesn’t want to make things too serious. Later on, because of certain circumstances, I feel her character really comes out and she has to step up. She has to stand up for her feelings and stand up for her friends. I think she really finds her inner warrior that I think maybe she didn’t know that she had.

Q) Eventually, they are forced to band together. Talk about how Laura is the commonality and force for bringing them together in that situation.

A) I really like that scene. It really shows the great character that Carmilla (Natasha Negovanlis) and Danny would have in order to team up, considering they are not each other’s biggest fan. But they had to put their differences aside to help a common goal. I feel that was another big step for Danny. It also makes you see another side of Carmilla, too. I thought it was really cool because I don’t really get a scene with Natasha besides our usual, “Bye! See you later! Come back never!” It was nice to team up with an equal, great force.

Q) What do you hope that fans take away from watching the series?

A) For Danny and Carmilla, the way I see them at their ugliest is when they are competing with each other. Laura makes them do and feel stupid things. When they are around each other there is that dumb competition that you can’t help, but act on it. It’s really cool to see them set that aside. I love that scene!

Q) There are a lot of great parallels that occur in the show like when Danny says, “Bye, never come back!” and Carmilla says, “See you never!” Do you think that was added consciously?

A) I feel like it was very conscious. The writers are so brilliant. When I first read the series, I honestly had no idea how it would sound coming off the page to other people. It wasn’t until I saw it on YouTube that I feel I fully understood all of the jokes and every little thing. I think we get a lot of help from the fans with dissecting every episode. I definitely think it was intentional. Natasha and I definitely played into it a lot. In fact, a couple of the improvised lines that I have were written “Never come back” or something like that, but they were the lines that I ended up improvising. Danny and Carmilla had hit that point where it was like, “I can’t even be in a room with you!” It just kind of came up naturally.

Q) If you look closely, maybe you can see another motivation. At some point, maybe Danny has underlying feelings for Carmilla.

A) I have thought of that. You see those relationships on TV where all they do is bicker and fight. One person slaps the other person and then all of a sudden they are making out. That abusive, angry relationship you see people create. I thought that would be funny that some fans would like to see. I don’t really see it happening in the show, but it is fun to think about.

Q) What do you think it is about the show that has made it strike a chord so quickly with so many people?

A) I think that it has an instant appeal to so many people because it is a cast of 90% women and also 90% gay women. You don’t see that a lot. There are shows on TV with a couple gay characters, maybe. What is so special about “Carmilla” is that it is not talked about, which I think is a really big issue in the way media approaches gay characters on TV and in movies. It’s always their coming out story or stereotypes. I think what people love about the series is that it is just these strong women who are who they are, gay or not. Nothing is ever actually brought up, but they are normal people and they are strong. They are brave and sometimes they are scared, but they overcome all these hurdles that are thrown in their way. It’s just a really great story!

Q) In “Carmilla,” yes they have strong females, but that is not the focus or agenda.

A) I feel like the show is about friendship and about doing what is right. Laura is trying to save her roommate and doing that she ends up trying to save a bunch of other people. It’s about  misadventure. It’s a real story!

Q) The dorm room feels almost like an extension to the great cast. Talk about how it plays almost as a character on the show.

A) I think the set plays a character in that you really have to work with what you have. It was not that big, but they still managed to give it a lot of character. Fans are picking up when Laura’s pillow is on Carmilla’s bed. It really does tell a story in itself, I find. It was definitely a challenge working in there, especially for me. With my height, I had to stand in the front or in the back. It is definitely a character and one I had to learn to work with.

Q) You feel like you are one of the university students and among the group of friends, not an outside person or perspective.

A) That’s another reason why I think so many people latch on to it so quickly. You are a character in it. It’s almost interactive! She is talking to you; it’s so personal. I don’t think you could have this kind of connection with fans if this was, say, a TV show. The blog style makes it so that Laura could be another person on YouTube just talking to the people. It’s like we are directly interacting with them. I think that’s so cool and so new. We got the format from Lizzie Bennett Diaries and I think it’s really smart. I think that’s why we are so successful.

Q) What would you like to see happen for Danny in Season Two?

A) For the second season, I would like to see a little more of who Danny is. I feel like the different layers of Danny that we saw have been revealed through Laura and through emotions towards Laura. I would like to see her develop on her own. I would like to see what else she has got going on. All the fans have so many questions and I want them answered, too!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of the series?

A) I just want to thank the fans so much because of how big “Carmilla” has become. It wouldn’t have happened without everyone watching, tweeting about it and posting pictures. We probably wouldn’t have done the Canadian International Television Festival event if it wasn’t for all the fans. They made it what it is and I am just so thankful!