Conference Call with Nichelle Nichols and Dana Davis
Nichelle Nichols (Nana) and Dana Davis (Monica Dawson) sat down last week and had conference call with various media and press. Here are a few highlights from this Q and A session.
Q: Many of the characters on Heroes, they accept their powers begrudgingly, like they’re cursed instead of blessed. Monica seems to enjoy her powers so far. I think that’s kind of refreshing. What do you think about that? And also, if you were in a position like that in your real life, are you the type of person who would view it as a blessing or as a curse?
NN: I don’t think anything God given is a curse. It’s a matter of how we, but some things that happen to us that we, powers if you have, it’s startling when you discover you have it and it’s a little disconcerting when you realize that you’re different from other people or other people view you as differently. But I think that Monica did a wonderful job in being amazed by hers...
DD: Yea absolutely. I think in the beginning the producer sat down with me and they said just what you said, they said Dana, all the heroes, you know, most of the heroes on the show are burdened by their powers and we want to bring, you know, back the excitement of like when Masi in the beginning was so, you know, yatta! and so excited about his powers they wanted to bring that back ... a little bit with Monica and so it is refreshing, it’s fun because I’ve done a lot of drama in my career and I’ve played a lot of burdened sad characters, so it’s, it’s fun for me to play Monica.
Q: Heroes has a rather interesting way of working in that they’re shooting sometimes three episodes at once, meaning that you can work with three different directors in one day. How is that for you?
DD: When I first came into the show, I started on Episode 4 on like a Tuesday. And then Wednesday I was on Episode 5. Thursday I was back on Episode 4. It was crazy. I’d never done that before and really it’s very, very stressful for the actor. But you kind of get used to it. Like right now we’re on Episode 11 and I’ve gotten used to it. At first it was really hard, but now I kind of enjoy it. It’s fun. There’s never a dull moment on the set.
NN: I can attest to that. And I’m really delighted to hear that Dana did have that difficulty because when I first came in and we were shooting one scene. And then it’s four months earlier and I’m not sure what took place and where. And I’m one, you know - I immediately ask questions. And I think they thought I knew more than I did about the series, and I should be adjusting. But it was very stressful. I learned to adjust - make that adjustment and now it’s fun.
Here is a continuation of questions answered last week during a conference call with Tim Kring and Kristen Bell. All the Kristen Bell/Elle questions were covered in Part 1.
WARNING some spoilers follow.
Q: A question regarding the photo of the 12. Will we be seeing more of the five that we aren’t aware of yet? Have we already met some of them? And will you be using the same actors from the photograph for those roles if they show up? Can you confirm whether or not Joanna Cassidy was one of the actors that was standing there?
TK: Yes on almost all of those accounts. We will be seeing the people who - in the photo. I think all of them will be playing - will be the same one which I just have to tell you, the photo has got a life of its own. Because logistically it was so difficult to actually come up with this photograph that’s used now and refers to things that are shot well in the future here, it was very difficult to get that all lined up. But yes, the photo is as accurate as we can make it. And it did look an awful lot like Joanna Cassidy in there.
Q: The storyline about Micah’s new family unit focused more on him and Monica than on Nichelle Nichol’s character. Does she get more play as the story progresses? And has the cast now become jaded to meeting StarTrek cast members?
TK: Nichelle Nichol’s character will be in the sort of support of Dana Davis character for a while. But I think we can look for around mid-season for that character to start to emerge in its own right.
As for the jaded to the StarTrek, you know, it’s not really our intention to bring characters on from that show. It in a strange way has been an odd coincidence. The best people who walked in to read for both the character of Kaito Nakamura and for the character of Monica’s grandmother just happened to be former cast members of that show. And it’s been a lot of fun for a certain segment of the audience to see that.
Q: A question on the reconstruction that you’ve done with Matt Parkman’s character, especially with the change now and his family dynamic and his wife --will she ever come back into the story?
TK: We will see the wife again shortly. But there is clearly a mystery as of now -- there won’t be in the next couple episodes -- to what happened in these intervening four months of the end of the season, season one to the beginning of season two.
But clearly he went from a man who was - who’s wife was pregnant and expecting a baby to - and living in LA to a man who’s living in New York and no longer with his wife. So something happened in those - that intervening time. And we will find out about it. But yes, we will see the wife again.
Q: At what point in the season can we expect the foray to Canada that you’ve spoken of before?
TK: The show takes that turn in I think two episodes from now.
I recently had the chance to participate in a teleconference interview with Kristen Bell and Tim Kring. Here are some questions and answers from Kristen and Tim on her addition to the cast of Heroes and some information on the character she plays.
Q: How did it work out that you’re doing this wonderful show to begin with? Did you reach out to Tim Kring? Did the show reach out to you?
KB: I think it was - I’ve certainly put feelers out there during Comic-Con and let them know what a fan I was of the show I think with the secret hopes that one day I could be a part of it. It was ultimate flattery when they (came forward) and said we might have something for you to do.
Q: Was the character of Elle written with Kristen Bell in mind, or did you create the character and then go, you know who’d be good for this...?
TK: The character was created before we cast Kristen. And we had been talking about the character for a while and thinking about the character for a while.
But when you do cast an actor, especially one that you’re familiar with their work and has as much personality as Kristen has, you try to tailor the character a little closer to who the actor is. So it’s hard to know when one starts to influence the other.
Q: Was it difficult or maybe intimidating for you to join a cast that had already been working together since the show’s beginning and kind of had already gelled and kind of had their dynamic? Was that hard to jump into that and be a part of it?
KB: There was anxiety and nerves certainly, but nothing about it has been hard. They are some of the nicest people I’ve really ever worked with.
Q: Has it been fun playing this new mysterious character?
KB: Oh it’s been so much fun. I have been, I think crossing my fingers in hopes that I’d get a job soon where I could play someone who was as Tim likes to call it, a little off or perhaps didn’t have the brightest and shiniest of intentions.
And I think the depth at which they’ve written Elle, this character, she’s so conflicted and sort of comes across as such as vixen, it’s so much fun to play with.
Q: Do you have any idea how many episodes will be on this season?
KB: Right now I think that I am signed on for 13 which, you know, certainly to the discretion as how it fits into the major plot lines they could use me or I could just sit on the sidelines.
Q: Can you tell us is - do you have any connection to Peter Petrelli and whether or not your character works for the company on the show?
KB: I have a lot of information about Peter’s past.
TK: We introduced the character and she is looking for Peter Petrelli. And I think one can assume that she finds him.
Greg Beeman is an Executive Producer and Director for Heroes. He was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions I had regarding his job, his blog, and the upcoming Heroes season.
9thWonders: According to your biography, you are one of several executive producers as well as a director for Heroes. What's it like "wearing two hats"? Can you tell me a little bit about your role as a producer? What does it entail, or what are you responsible for?
GB: Wearing two hats is great, because, usually just when directing gets overwhelming I can transition into producing and visa versa. Sometimes it's hard though when I have to "pull the plug" on myself when I'm irresponsibly going into overtime.
The rest of my job I consider to be overall quality control of the show. I bounce around between every department and aspect of the show, using my instincts to guide me, and try to influence it for the better.
There's a lot of us doing this and we each have different interests and specialties - but luckily HEROES is a big show and there's enough for us all to do.
9thWonders: I know you guys started filming the second season sometime in mid-June. What's your summer been like? What have you been doing the last little while?
GB: I had only a week or two off. Season 1 posted until May and by then we were already well into booking directors, hiring new crew and scheduling Season 2. it's cool tho' because I love my job.
NBC's Sunday Night Football Opening for this Sunday Night's Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears game will feature Cowboy's wide receiver Terrell Owens and "Heroes" star Masi Oka. -- Heroes was the No. 1 first-year series of the 2006-07 television season in all key ratings categories.
