ComicsOnline interview with BSG Allum Kandyse McClure talking about her new show, Netflix Origonal Series “Hemlock Grove“, based on Brian McGreevy’s novel of the same title.

Ms. McClure took some time out of her schedule to speak to Mab:

Mab:  I love how nice it is to let us know it’s being recorded.

Kandyse:  It’s so nice, you know.  It must be Canadian. *laughs*

Mab:  Exactly, but it doesn’t say “EH”!

Kandyse:  *laughs*  Well you know, we don’t ALL say “eh”.  It’s a never north eastern Canadian thing.  like the way Minnesotans….well you know.

Mab:  I one time heard someone ask Aaron Douglas to say it at DragonCon.  He’s always so nice, I give people mad props for taking the time to say hi to people at cons.

Kandyse:  Yeah, he’s hilarious.  I nicked named him “Don” Dougglas, because he kind of runs the show at conventions.  Well the first time I ever saw him at a con he showed up in this purple velvet smoking jacket with a cigar, and I was like ok, this is a whole new level, and I’m not up to speed.  I want to say it was in London, ages ago.

Mab:  I’ve been reading up on Helmock grove, I’ve been seeing all the trailers for it, and lots of mentions of it in various places.  and after reading the three chapters that are up on CriminalElement.com-

Kandyse:  OOOOOOH!

Mab:  Yeah, it’s criminalelement.com, this section that has Hemlock Grove and “excerpts”, and it’s got three small chapters.

Kandyse:  I think Brian McGreevy would secretly love that his book is out on a website called criminal element!  *laughs*  I think he would get a kick out of that.

Mab:  It’s WAY awesome!  It’s making me even more excited and giving me a basic idea as to what I can expect from this project.  Already, the trailer has me so interested.

Kandyse: Absolutely.  I mean the writers Brian McGreevy, Lee Shipman, Mark Verheiden, the staff really took advantage of that.  It was a shooting experience trying to push the boundaries of language and visuals and all the fun exciting things people want to see on tv and what we can get away with, but of course still trying to be respectful of the actors and actresses.

Mab:  I mean that’s always fun, normally we can only get away with this, but now we can get away with THIS, so that can be fun I bet.

Kandyse:  We’re not tied down by the idea of having cliffhangers, these tail ends on scenes that come before commercial breaks, where each act has to have this tantalizing bit to bring you back after the break, but we don’t have that issue here.  we can tell the story any way we want, we can break things up anyway we want.  its more cinematic, and we want to bring you in, to get you stuck in so you hopefully watch all 13 episodes.

Mab:  Heck yeah, I’m totally going to sit and watch them all right then on April 19th.

Kandyse:  I love it, I’m sort of imaging it as being really quiet that day, because everyone is watching it.  At home, watchin’ Hemlock Grove.

Mab:  I know I’m gonna!

Kandyse:  I feel as though what we shot was true to the book, and Brian’s style in the book.  When I first read it, I had to sort of wrap my head around the way he writes.  The way the narrative was, the way people were speaking, and as the daughter of an English teacher I was like, hey, hold on a second…. grammatically.  A whole lotta license there.  But having spoken to him before helped, it’s very much the way he speaks, and i find his language quite sensual, very cheeky, definitely there’s an element of deviance there.  We love deviants on the show, we’re all deviants on the show!

Mab:  I can’t wait to see how the language comes across, because that’s such an interesting part of reading these excerpts, is just the style that’s there, its a specific telling of it.

Kandyse:  He describes having endless conversations with his publisher about it, about his use of language and sticking to his guns.  I think it’s a unique voice, and that you find the same voice in the script and the show.

Mab:  I absolutely love how just in these chapters, there are at least three mentions of something being “metal”.  As in reading through it, and there’s mentions of Peter talking about the pentagram he’s carved into the tree and he’s describing it to the young girl Christina and he says “Yeah, YEAH, cause it’s METAL!”

Kandyse:  *laughs*  Yeah, cause it’s Metal!!!

Mab:  I totally picture him turning to her and flashing the rock fist.

Kandyse:  RIGHT?!  It’s a very youthful show for all its heavy subject matter and all it’s psychological thrills.  There is a lot of youthful energy, that young crazy romantic sexual curious, young men on quests, invincible.

Mab:  I saw in one of your interviews you referred to the two main characters as sort of star crossed lovers, without the lover part.

Kandyse:  Peter and Roman, yeah, they’re from these opposite sides of town, sort of like the Capulets and Montagues   Where they’re not supposed to be friends, but they are.  And really, they are the only other people in this town who understands them.  That other person who would understand that alone-ness, even though they are either popular or notorious.

Mab:  I can’t wait to see how they play this.  How do you think the two actors did bringing these characters to life?

Kandyse:  Oh I think they did brilliantly.  I didn’t often get to see them, I was on set a few times, they were just so free and open with eachother.  They got along like a house on fire when they were off set, and I don’t think I ever saw one without the other.  They spend a lot of time together, and they in their personal lives, they really embody their characters.  Landon is just, he’s all heart.  Such a good guy, so whole and free with himself and he can be so thoughtful.  And Bill is charismatic  he has this gravitas about him, he holds his own, and carries himself like royalty.  And I guess in many ways he is, in this industry, he is a young prince.

Mab:  I see you are playing a doctor on this show?

Kandyse:  Oh yeah, back to me.  But talking about me is boring!!  Chasseur, on the other hand, she is a doctor of predator anthology.  Basically shes an animal behaviorist, she has this deep fascination with the psychology of predation, the idea that animals hunt and stock their pray. and she’s brought in because they think there is a wild animal on the loose, to hunt the beast.

Mab:  That’s going to be so much fun for you!  I’ve been looking at the cast list, and I bet this has been something different for you in general to work on from what you’ve done in the past

Kandyse:  It was so much fun.  Such a sense of collaboration, and weirdness but in a great way.  we were encouraged to try different ways, quirky and out of the box,  They put the cameras in places to catch this stuff, and there was this sense of freedom.  And I mean Famke…so brilliant.  Self possessed, but i mean that in a really great way.  She holds her own, so statuesque and beautiful first of all.  She comes into a room and just sort of rules the air, but she’s actually really funny, and kind of silly.  really sweet.  I had a wonderful time filming with her.  And there are SOOOO many handsome men on the set, really, it’s kind of a head turner for me.  Dougary Scott, is just sooo debonair and it was great working with Aaron.  We actually had scenes together where we talked, we had to really work to not digress into our normal naughty banter.  We love giving each other a hard time.

Mab:  Yay naughty banter!

Kandyse:  *laughs*  Well, think of him at conventions-

Mab:  So two drinks in his hands?

Kandyse:  *laughs*  Well you know, on set he is a consummate professional.  He knows the set, he knows the demands, he is very conscientious in terms of really making it the best environment for the actors.  He definitely champions the process, but does it in his own way with great ease, scenes with him are just having a conversation.  You walk into the scene and you have a conversation.  And I really appreciate that.

Mab:  Are you thinking/hoping there might be another season?

Kandyse:  I can’t imagine why there wouldn’t be another season.  We all asked Bryan, he’s very coy about it, he doesn’t know, feels great about it, but doesn’t know.  You know how executive producers are about this stuff.  I would LOVE there to be a second season of it, I feel the story has the potential, to gosh, go really anywhere.  To the limits of the minds of Bryan and Lee, and there aren’t really any limitations there.

Mab:  Wonderful!  So what are your plans since this is all wrapped up?  Are you working on anything else right now?

Kandyse:  I’m down here during pilot season, because, you know, you can never count on their being another season of something, you’re thinking about your next job during your current.  I’m here in LA for that, we’ll see what happens.  I’ve got some really amazing things in my personal life going on, I have some traveling coming up I’m really excited about, going to Bali for a yoga and music festival, that’s really the other side of myself, I used to be a Yoga teacher, and I’m kind of a hippy.   I know I kinda keep it under wraps, but there are really some really amazing acts playing at this festival, Afronesia, Nahko, so I’m just excited to go for a few days over my birthday.  And eventually join my honey, wherever he manages to see me.  We’re both such jet setters these days, I look forward to seeing him again after many months apart.

Mab:  Isn’t wonderful to have a traveling companion?

Kandyse:  I can’t believe how lucky I got!!  He’s just about the best thing that ever happened to me, and he tolerates my schedule!  he’s really understanding of it, and makes allowance for it, and stays connected   And i’m REALLY blessed for that.

Mab:  Well congratulations, it’s nice to hear you so happy!

Kandyse:  Well thank you, thank you, yeah it’s taken me long enough to find him!  10 years to find him.  And I’m glad I did.

Mab:  Best things to those who wait?

Kandyse:  Not to those who wait too late!!!

Mab:  Thank you so much for your time Kandyse, and I hope I get to run into at a con!

Kandyse:  Oh thank you, I know!  I have to come to some of the big ones.  Um, I’ll be at Mobil-Con in Alabama, Galacticon in Texas

Mab:  Yay GalctiCon!  We’re going to that, it’s one our big ones for this year.

Kandyse:  Its going to be amazing, almost all of us are going to be there, and I can’t wait to see everyone, I miss them.  Thank you, it’s been awesome talking to you Mary Anne.

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