Tina Majorino – Veronica Mars

Q.  What are some of the recent projects that you’ve been working on?

A.  Most recently is the third season of “Veronica Mars” and the second season of “Big Love.”  Then, we’re still working on the film What We Do Is Secret and the band that I formed with my brother, we’re working on our debut album right now.

Q.  On “Veronica Mars,” what are some of the changes that viewers can expect to see this season?

A.  They’re going to have three mysteries within the season instead of one on-going mystery, which will be fun.  I think it will keep things new and interesting.  The setting is different, obviously because we’re going to be in college this year.  So, there is all sorts of new characters that will be involved in the show; which will be nice as well.  With the three mysteries instead of the one on-going I think it allows for a lot more excitement and we can touch on a lot more that way.  It will be fun, it will be a good season.  It will be a little bit faster pace, I think.

Q.  How about changes with your character?

A.  Mac is going through a little bit of a hard time because of what happened in the season finale last year.  I think she is a little bit gun shy when it comes to boys.  Of course college is like boy city when you go onto the campus.  There is going to be a little bit of change in her personality but not too much, not something that she’s not going to recover from.  I think she’s just a little bit more private and reserved in the beginning of the season.  I think she’s going to pull through which will make for a great character arc.  I think there are going to be a lot of different nuances that you see because there are all sorts of new anxieties for all of the characters seeing as they have just moved out of their homes, they’re starting college, it’s a whole new world for them.  It will be different for everybody, but different in a good way.

Q.  Why do you think the writers choose to begin the season in the fall and gloss over the summer’s events?

A.  I think because there will probably be flashbacks within different episodes that will go back and touch on it.  I think it was important that we started with the beginning of the semester, just because it was congruent with actual school schedules.  I think it’s easier for the audience to relate when kids are starting now to have Veronica be in college as well.  That’s something that’s great about the show, they try to keep it as true to life as possible.  I think that it would be better for everybody to start watching them immediately starting college and then kind of touch back on those other things through flashbacks and other means.

Q.  What is it about Mac that you think viewers find so relatable?

A.  There are a lot of different reasons, I think a lot of people like the character because she’s a smart girl just like Veronica.  I think that there are a lot of girls out there who want to see more characters in that light.  That they don’t just want to see girls as pieces of meat or “Oh, she’s the hot chick on the show.”  It’s good to see someone like Kristen on the show who is beautiful and smart.  She gets what she wants done, I think it’s a good influence on people.  So, for Mac’s character it’s nice to see somebody who is smart and funny and who has a good relationship with another girl.  Because that’s another thing, on a lot of shows all they show really are girls fighting.  It’s nice to see a camaraderie between two women so I think it’s what a lot of girls strive to have with relationships with other women as friends.  So, I think it’s nice for people to see that and I think it’s easy to relate to.  It’s something we all want, somebody we can count on, and I think that’s what Mac and Veronica have together. 

Q.  What is it about the role of Mac that continues to challenge you?

A.  I think that they’re constantly throwing stuff at me that challenges me as an actor.  I think this season is especially challenging because I want to be able to show that she’s going through some trauma.  But, I don’t want to change the heart of her because I love the character and I think she’s really smart and funny.  I don’t want to stray too far from that so it’s hard to balance it out.  I think that’s one of the great joys of being on the show, they’re always throwing something at you that’s going to keep you challenged.  I love that, so it’s always something but this season it is definitely trying to balance out her being a little traumatized after what happened with Beaver.  But, still keeping the heart of it and being able to connect with Veronica on different levels.  I think one of the best parts of this season as well is that you see Veronica and Mac getting closer.  Just respecting each other more and learning more about each other and just coming to a whole different level of friendship.  I think that after going through everything with Beaver that they did at the end of last season that they just got even closer.  They trust each other more and they know that they have got each other’s backs now for sure.  So, it’s nice to see that on the show.

Q.  How do you think Rob Thomas and the writers keep the show so fresh?

A.  They have a very large crew of writers and Rob is a very, very intelligent man and really funny and innovative.  I think that they are all so creative and smart that it’s just kind of the inevitable when you put them all in a room together.  So, I think that they try to just go against the mold.  I think that they just try to stick to the heart of the show the way that it started out.  They came out with a great idea, everyone is loving the characters, so there is no need to really change anything.  I think they just stick to that and try to keep the heart where it started out beating from the beginning.  They make it seem really easy because they’re really smart and funny.  I think it’s just an inevitable outcome with them. 

Q.  Why should listeners take the time to check out your band The AM Project?

A.  Because I think that there is a real lack of bands that aren’t writing their own stuff.  I think there is really no point in being in a band if you’re not going to write your own stuff.  So, I think the reason they should take the time is because we do sit down and write our own music.  It’s really fun, it’s fun music, we’ve worked really hard to put what we have out there.  All of us put our heart and soul into it so I think it would be an interesting listen.  But, I think that just that general idea that we actually write our own stuff would be a big draw.  It’s a really personal thing when you sit down and write your own music because it’s giving people the chance to look into your head and your soul.  It’s interesting, it’s a cool way to express yourself.  We have a Myspace right now but we’re working on getting an actual website that’s just ours.

Q.  Where do you draw inspiration from for your music?

A.  We definitely draw inspiration from real life experiences.  We’re all different ages, my brother is twenty-six, he’s the drummer.  The other guitarist is twenty-nine, the other guitarist is twenty-five or twenty-six and I’m twenty-one.  We’ve all been through different things, we’ve all lived different lives.  We just try to draw on our own experiences that we’ve been through.  We write about what we know because that’s the rule that you’re supposed to follow.  You don’t write about things you don’t know so we just try to come together and make stuff that’s fun to listen to with lyrics that you can relate to.

Q.  What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  Thank you for being so loyal and sticking with me.  I hope I am doing things that are entertaining and that mean something to everybody.  I’m really happy that I actually have fans and supporters.  I am very lucky and blessed that I get to get up everyday and do this as my job.  So, I’m very thankful for that and I’m thankful to them.