Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2014, we got to chat with the cast of Falling Skies (this was just after Mind Wars had aired and just before Door Number Three). In two separate rounds we had interviews with Will Patton (Dan Weaver) and Noah Wyle (Tom Mason), and then with Scarlett Byrne (Lexi Mason) and Moon Bloodgood (Anne Glass) and winding up with the incomparable Doug Jones (Cochise).
Our first round was with Will and Noah:
Q: Noah, your character has been internalizing a lot more this season. We’ve been watching him deal with the internal struggles, and fewer monologues.
Noah: Yea that’s true. Tom was never that comfortable with being the President or the Leader. He did what he thought needed to be done in the way he thought people expected. But this season he’s been cut off from being the leader of the group and been able to dig in and do so soul searching.
Noah: It’s been a lot about his trying to give others a chance to be their own leaders as well, and I think the series has been giving a wider range of individuals opportunities to step out front.
Q: Will, Weaver has experienced a tragedy recently, what kind of mindset has he needed to be able to keep on going and not get bogged down with his loss.
Will: I think he’s been fighting for 2nd Mass for so long, that it’s really become a part of him. Having the Mass to focus on and take care of, it’s that distraction along with the way that Jeannie behaved in the end. He’s still fighting even through everything else that’s happened.
Will: I just try to be the support to help lead the story and the action along.
Noah (about Will): This guy really gives pearls before swine often that often doesn’t make it to the final cut, that the editors trip out. His interaction and performances with the screen is what helps set the tone for many of the others of the cast. We’ve had full scenes before where Will gives an amazing performance and the rest of us are just blown away.
Will: *blushes*
Our next round brought us to the always-lovely pair of ladies Moon and Scarlett.
Q: Moon, so it seems that your character has been written as far more angry and vicious this season. How do you handling that?
Moon: Oh, I love it. I got tired of just being the doctor, and I wanted to get into the action. This season I get to be a lot more physical and I think it’s great.
Q: So your relationship with your mother has taken a turn for the worse recently
Moon: *laughs* yea, it’s a real Mommy Dearest, but without the coat hangers. That movie still terrifies me.
Scarlett: It’s…
Moon: You don’t know, you get upset.
Scarlett: It’s like teenage tantrums. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, or her mom, but at the same time she gets so angry.
Q: Well she’s only a year or so old.
Scarlett: Right! She wants to connect with those around her, but they’re afraid of her, and as a result she lashes out in frustration.
Moon: Also, my observation. Lexi wants to love her mom, because she knows she’s supposed to. But she’s not sure if she can love Nancy.
Scarlett: She’s grown up in the span of four months, and she doesn’t really have a relationship with anyone. But for everyone else, it’s how can you trust her.
Q: Given that Lexi has only had limited life experience, she’s probably not going to be getting into relationships quite yet.
Scarlett: Totally, she’s only one year old, and she’s not interested in anything romantic. She just wants to bond with her family and friends and to spread her message of love and peace.
Q: To you both, if you could pick, what would you like out of your character by the end of the season as far as storylines go?
Moon: Answers, really. I would hate to have gotten that far but then not have answers that have been tagging along with the character for seasons.
Scarlett: Exactly, tying up loose ends. So much has been alluded to; I’d love to know about the aliens, why they picked Earth, and their own backstories.
Before we were ushered out at the end of the press room, we got to catch up with some of the conversation with Doug Jones who plays the alien military leader Cochise.
Q: When playing a character that is encased in makeup and prosthetics, does the mannerisms for the role happen after putting it on, or is it something that you map out beforehand?
Doug: I’ve played so many characters over the years I do try to do my best to make sure that they’re all different so I’ll try work work out some of it ahead of time. However the makeup and costume will inform a good deal of that, so will the script, the story, and the direction. Actually the only direction I’ve received over the entire series was “hands down!” because I wanted to keep emoting with my hands up by my face. Cochise’s dialog is so smart and so technical, that it sometimes helps to use my hands to help bring the words out.
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