Do you think shtako will become the new frak?
I reckon so. I think we should all have T-shirts printed with “shtako” on them.
What work have you done with the video game?
Lots of voice work, ADR. We also did some movement stuff in front of the green screen, just taking photos of Irisa and her movements. But that’s been about it so I’m kind of interested to see how it all looks.
So if I play the game and I meet Irisa in the game, what am I going to get to talk to her about?
Well, Irisa won’t talk much. I warn everybody now, Irisa doesn’t talk too much, but she’s very good with her weapons and she’s intelligent. She may not talk much but she knows what she’s doing.
When you got pitched this idea of a show that’s also a game, does any prospect of that scare you in any way?
No, not scare me. More excite me. I feel like for us, as well as anybody else, it’s such a new concept. It’s such a new thing that’s happening here and I feel really excited by it and I can’t wait to play the game myself and see how the game and the series interlink. I think we’re more excited and curious ourselves.
Will Irisa have a love interest? Or if she’s not interested, maybe people who are interested in her?
Yeah, I think people are curious about Irisa. She’s an oddball. People don’t quite understand. She says things that people wonder where they come from and people are curious, and she’s curious about them too, but she doesn’t want to give too much away.
What else are you working on besides “Defiance?”
I have a film called Luna coming out. It’s a film with Dave McKean who I worked with on MirrorMask a few years ago. That’s coming out this year. Also a small part in uwantme2killhim?, another film, so I’ve been busy with bits and pieces. So yes, it’s been great. I’m just kind of looking forward to chilling out now and seeing how “Defiance” goes.
What is Luna about?
It’s based on four characters and their relationships. It’s all based around a couple of days of them meeting up again and the problems that they go through, but it’s a fantasy, very much like MirrorMask. You go and you’re absorbed into another world, and it’s kind of more of a dark fantasy than MirrorMask was.
You’ve had lead roles in movies, but how big a deal is it in your career to be the lead in this TV series?
It’s huge. For me, I haven’t really thought about it in that way, but I have loved playing Irisa. It’s great to be given such amazing storylines to work with and working with Grant [Bowler], Julie [Benz], Jaime [Murray], Tony [Curran], Mia [Kirshner], they’ve all been great. It’s just been a great overall experience. Yeah, I feel like I’m learning a lot along the way too.
Can you tease anything about upcoming episodes?
I wish I could. They haven’t given me anything that I’m allowed to say, but I think there’s a lot in store for all the characters, much more than is even given in the pilot. The characters go down roads that you’d never expect. So there’s a lot for the characters that lies ahead.
Will we get to see more of the day to day life in the town of Defiance?
Definitely. It’s never a simple day in Defiance. There’s always going to be something to deal with but I like the fact that you equally just get an insight into what it is like day to day for these characters and sometimes Irisa’s just bored and she wants to leave. You see that and she tells Nolan and everybody how she feels. Sometimes she just will sit there quietly. So there’s a lot.
Where does Irisa live in Defiance?
Without giving too much away, she’s not happy about where she is. Irisa’s happily sleeping on the floor.
