30 June 2013

Tony Curran: June updates



Character Swap
The Defiance cast tells you what cast member they would like to play besides their own.
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2650431

Defiance (Syfy) Episode 7 “Goodbye Blue Sky”
Episode Synopsis: Defiance (Syfy) Episode 7 “Goodbye Blue Sky”- Interesting relationships develop when the residents of Defiance are forced to stay indoors as a threatening Razor Rain storm approaches. Meanwhile, visions lead Irisa to the Spirit Riders and Sukar, who has fallen under the influence of a strange and mysterious force.
http://www.tvequals.com/2013/06/03/defiance-syfy-episode-7-goodbye-blue-sky/

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'Episode 7 Recap'
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-episode.html
A Well Respected Man, Dude Datak Definitely Does! 
http://wormholeriders.net/defiance/?p=125

Defiance “Datak Tarr” Tony Curran
http://www.sliceofscifi.tv/slice-of-scifi-611/
http://www.frequency.com/video/defiance-datak-tar-tony-curran/98445774/-/5-6759732

Green Tips from Tony Curran of Syfy's "Defiance"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9-qA7WQ7OM

Photos!

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The Point Radio: Check Into BATES MOTEL With Nestor Carbonell
After a fast paced (and successful) first season, Bates Motel has wrapped and we talk to series regular Nestor Carbonell about his role now and in the upcoming 2nd run of episodes, plus we examine the unique alien life on SyFy‘s Defiance with Jamie Murray and Tony Curran.
http://www.getthepointradio.com/wp/2013/05/the-point-broadcast-check-into-bates-motel-with-nestor-carbonell/
http://www.comicmix.com/news/podcasts/2013/05/21/the-point-radio-check-into-bates-motel-wh-nestor-carbonell/

Tony Curran and Jaime Murray Talk With SciFiMafia.com About the Tarrs of DEFIANCE
If there’s a power couple in Defiance, it is the Tarrs, Datak and Stahma. Will we be seeing them continue to gain advantages or will we be seeing a shakeup? Tony Curran and Jaime Murray took some time to speak with the media recently, including SciFiMafia.com, giving us some insight into their characters, and a few hints of what’s to come.

They were clearly enjoying chatting with each other as much as with all of us. Now make sure to imagine them saying these things in their native accents – Tony Curran is Scottish, Jaime Murray is English – to get the true sense of it:

SciFiMafia.com: Hi, thanks so much for being on the call today. I was already a big fan of the work of each of you so I’m so glad you’ve been given such great parts in Defiance. And I’ve got to say the subtlety that each of you bring to your parts are what I really, really enjoy about watching your performances overall.

Tony Curran: Thank you. Jaime’s very subtle as Stahma. I’m trying to be a little more subtle.

SciFiMafia.com: Well, you know, it’s those couple of times that you kind of make us like him that I really appreciate because, you know, it’s one thing to be kind of big and loud and mean but then every once in a while you’ll pop in something I like, then I really kind of like him but I don’t want to…

Jaime Murray: Yes and I think that I – whether the audience sees it – but when I’m in scenes with Tony… there’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak but there’s so much vulnerability. You know, I would be in a scene with Tony – with Datak, you know, and just see this little boy or this little alien.

Tony Curran: Yes, no it’s true. It’s true.

Jaime Murray: And I often, you know, there were real moments as Stahma that I just wanted to take care of him. I just wanted to save him from himself. And I loved him. I love him.

Tony Curran: Now going down that straight through… I think that those big characters like Datak are a lot of men who have got a volatile temper and it’s probably from their unfortunate past that they’ve had. So then Stahma’s obviously had more of a, you know, silver spoon in her mouth – if you will – upbringing. I don’t think she’s as vulnerable as Datak can be. He is like a – yes, he can be like a spoiled child. Yes, that’s a good point. Which makes people interesting to play I guess. It makes them interesting to play, yes.

SciFiMafia.com: And that’s kind of what I wanted to ask – do you have a greatest joy about your part and maybe your biggest challenge?

Tony Curran: Yes I think what you mentioned there, that I think is fun because, you know, there’s a lot of roles out there that anger plays and… I always look to movies like Angels with Dirty Faces or White Heat. I was always a big fan of Jimmy Cagney.

And when people say “you are playing an alien and you’re watching Cagney movies?” I’m like yes because he was a kid from the street as well. And at the end of the day he was as hard as a shell that he perceived to have. He was damaged. He was damaged goods. He had issues and the reason that he behaved the way he behaved was because of his upbringing because obviously like we all – our past shapes our future. And definitely Datak’s past is shaping his present and his future.

But just to be all about sort of blowing hot air and behaving in an aggressive manner would be very dull. I think it’s interesting to see that, and you’ll see in episodes to come, how Stahma takes care of Datak. Because he is like a big kid in many ways and he is a vulnerable individual … Yes, I think that there are huge vulnerabilities in him.

Anyway, a lot of the characters in Defiance – they have many skeletons in the closet and they’re almost trying to separate themselves from their past instead of facing the past and dealing with it. And I think as you see the next few episodes come up, there are some back-stories coming up which will reveal things about many characters in Defiance that you don’t know about now.

SciFiMafia.com: And Jaime? What’s your biggest joy about your part, that you really get the most out of?

Tony Curran: Apart from working with me obviously.

Jaime Murray: No, no way. I really lucked out there.

Tony Curran: I thought you fell asleep there while I was talking. I thought Murray – she’s fallen asleep again. She’s buying a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. Sorry.

Jaime Murray: The unexpected delight in playing this alien is it forced me to look at what it means to be human. And when we’re talking and trying to look like these characters, you’re constantly talking about what human beings do. So that was really fun.

But also I just feel as though there’s so much scope for this character. I feel as though, and it will start happening in this season, but I feel as though Stahma doesn’t really know who she is. I don’t really think she has any real idea of who she is. I think she only knows who she is in terms of other people, and I think that’s going to be really exciting for it to suddenly dawn on her that she’s not on planet Casti anymore, that she’s surrounded by free and emancipated women.

And although she has power and although she is intelligent, she is so defined by the men in her life, and I think it will be interesting to see it dawn on her that there might be other ways of existing in this new world.

SciFiMafia.com: Wow. I think she’s just going to be a force in nature. I can’t wait.

Tony Curran: She’s going to become more of a force than me.

Jaime Murray: I’m an existing mix of – she’s incredibly powerful and almost …

Tony Curran: Machiavellian.

Jaime Murray: Machiavellian in the way that she behaves. But … I often felt very vulnerable playing her. I felt very isolated. I felt very lonely because she doesn’t really let that mask slip with anyone. So if you’re constantly hiding behind your mask, you’re not really truly connected. And I think that she might actually kind of realize how disconnected she is and she might kind of try and be brave and connect with somebody and that might be quite of a profound feeling for her. And let’s see how that turns out.

Tony Curran: Yes, that’s interesting. If you’re held up in that sort of, you know, in that castle all the time. I mean there’s not many…

Jaime Murray: She’s a bird in a gilded cage.

Tony Curran: Yes, exactly…

Jaime Murray: The way you behave in that moment – I mean there’s a raw immediacy about who he is which, you know, I bet he sleeps quite good at night whereas I bet Stahma doesn’t sleep so good.

Tony Curran: Yes.

SciFiMafia.com: Well I can’t wait to see any of it. Your performances have been absolutely outstanding and I really appreciate the work. Thank you both so much for your lovely responses.

Thanks again to Tony Curran and Jaime Murray for taking the time to talk with us.

Defiance, starring Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, and Jesse Rath, airs Mondays at 9/8c on Syfy.
http://scifimafia.com/2013/05/tony-curran-and-jaime-murray-talk-with-scifimafia-com-about-the-tarrs-of-defiance/
Defiance, If I Ever Leave This World Alive
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm169976832/nm0192889
 Yea! @juliebenz & @tonycurran69 are in the @GeekNation studios! Love them both! #defiance @Syfy
https://twitter.com/ClareKramer/status/344977917924737024/photo/1

Who has the BEST job? I DO! @TonyCurran69 & @juliebenz fr @syfy's @DefianceWorld ONLY on @GeekNation.com
https://twitter.com/LuluLovesBeauty/status/344976919198052352/photo/1
Defiance - Syfy Video Sneak Peek: 1st 3 Mins 'If I Ever Leave This World Alive' - Airs Jun 17 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-sneak-peek-1st-3.html

Defiance - Syfy Video: 'If I Ever Leave This World Alive' Episode Trailer - Airs Jun 17 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-if-i-ever-leave.html?spref=tw
Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'Character Swap'
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-featurette.html?spref=tw

The official Tumblr profile for Syfy’s Defiance
http://defianceworld.tumblr.com/

Defiance: Goodbye Blue Sky Review
http://www.mania.com/defiance-goodbye-blue-sky-review_article_137700.html

Bear McCreary Featured on Soundtrack for Syfy's DEFIANCE
http://tv.broadwayworld.com/article/Bear-McCreary-Featured-on-Soundtrack-for-Syfys-DEFIANCE-Out-617-20130613
The Best is Yet to Come: Interview with Defiance's Tony Curran
One story element in most, not all, Sci-Fi TV shows is that of an extraterrestrial presence. That is certainly true of the new hit Syfy series Defiance, and in more ways than one. Although its aliens are collectively known as Votans, that group is made up of seven very different species, including the Castithans. Theirs is a pale-skinned race that highly values physical appearance as well as social status, where females are subservient to males, or so it sometimes appears, and sex is used as a means to an end.

Veteran stage and screen actor Tony Curran plays Datak Tarr, the most influential Castithan living in the Defiance settlement. He is a family man as well as businessman and a sore loser who does not take kindly to being crossed or looked down upon, especially by humans. Being such a rich and layered character, it is no surprise that the casting process for the Datak role was equally complex.

“I initially auditioned for Scott Stewart, who directed the Defiance pilot, and [series co-creator/executive producer] Kevin Murphy,” says Curran. “When I walked into the room, Grant Bowler [who plays Defiance’s chief lawkeeper Joshua Nolan], was also there. Everything seemed to go well, and then I received a callback. From there, it was a matter of trying to find the right man and the right woman for not one but two roles, because the chemistry between Datak and his wife Stahma had to be right for them.

“So I would go back in the audition room with a number of actresses and we’d play out quite a few scenes. Obviously there was more than one Datak there and more than one Stahma, and they [the producers] were just looking to find out who suited each other and was there a sparkle between the two actors. They really took their time and put the actors through the 'wringer' in some cases.
Read more at   http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2013/06/the-best-is-yet-to-come-interview-with-defiances-tony-curran.html
Exclusive Interview: DEFIANCE executive producer Michael Taylor speakAX: Do you have a favorite alien race on your show?
TAYLOR: I guess I like the Irathients and the Castithans. More specifically, I like our characters – Stephanie Leonidas’ character [Irisa, who is Irathient] and Tony Curran’s character [Datak Tarr, who is Castithan], the way they embody them. Tony Curran’s Datak Tarr is our putative villain, but he’s just such a fascinating character, and same with Stephanie’s character. She’s a wild child, the girl with the dragon tattoo – the alien girl with the dragon tattoo.
Read more at  http://www.assignmentx.com/2013/exclusive-interview-michael-taylor-on-defiance/

TV REVIEW Defiance 1.09 “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/06/19/tv-review-defiance-1-09-if-i-ever-leave-this-world-alive/

Defiance Season 1 Review “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”
http://www.tvequals.com/2013/06/18/defiance-season-1-review-if-i-ever-leave-this-world-alive/
Defiance - Syfy: Marathon Schedule Jun 30 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-marathon-schedule-jun-30.html?spref=tw
Defiance - Syfy Video: 'The Bride Wore Black' Sneak Peek - Airs Jun 24 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-bride-wore-black_19.html?spref=tw
Exclusive: Tony Curran on Playing Datak
Exclusive Interview with Tony Curran of Defiance on May 23, 2013
Interview by Jamie Ruby
Written by Jamie Ruby

Syfy's Defiance is home to a diverse group of alien races, including the Castithans. One of the Castithan families living in the town is the Tarrs – Datak, played by Tony Curran, and Stahma (Jaime Murray), and their son Alak (Jesse Rath).

Curran recently talked to Jamie Ruby of SciFi Vision in an exclusive interview about what it's like playing Datak.

Fans may not get to learn exactly why Datak can be so cruel this season, but as an actor, Curran has to come up with his own ideas. "It's something I've asked them and I've asked myself. I don't think it goes into it specifically; I think that's something that could be in the next season or in seasons to come, hopefully. I think what we know about his past has been sort of a sordid upbringing. He's been sort of downtrodden all of his life. He was a lower working class boy from the ghetto, if you will, and he's always been trying to get on the ladder to some sort of respect and wealth. I think he's very much a social climber. But I think a lot of that backstory has been created in own mind's eye, if you will, because there's what's written on the page, in the script, and an actor's imagination which can fill in the gaps. You perform what's written down, but at the same time it's good to get your imagination running down certain avenues as well."

According to Curran, certain parts of Datak's backstory may not even be decided yet, but that makes it exciting. "How did this creature, this man, this disgruntled individual become the way he is? I don't think it goes into it as much as it will go into it in the future. I'm sure as the seasons hopefully continue there will be input, because a lot of what me and Jaime, Stephanie [Leonidas], Grant [Bowler], and Julie [Benz], what everybody does on screen, the writers react to that and go, "Oh, that's interesting what they did there." They've obviously got their ideas for the season or for the episode, but I guess there're certain scenes that just have that little bit extra, which is what you want. You've got what's written on the page, but then you come to the poker table, if you will, and you've been given your hand and you go, "Okay, this is my hand; let's see how we can make this hand better," and are we going to go all in?

"But I think that's what makes a lot of the scenes exciting in Defiance. You come on set and you go, "Right, this is what we have on the page here, but how can we ignite it and make it more unpredictable and more dangerous, more sensual?" Get back in the bath again, you know?"

Curran thinks that Datak is not just a victimizer, but also a victim, which he likes. "My nephew was in a history class and I think they were talking about Shakespeare, and he wasn't concentrating, and the teacher goes, "Barry!" And he goes, "Yes, Mr. Murphy?" And he goes, "Shylock," - he has talking about The Merchant of Venice, obviously – "Shylock, Barry. Victim or victimizer?" And Barry said, "Oh, I think he's a little bit of both, sir." And Mr. Murphy said, "Very good, Barry. Sit down."

Read more at http://scifivision.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1627

PR: Defiance TV soundtrack
Original Music by Bear McCreary
Featuring Performances by Brendan McCreary,
Raya Yarbrough, and Young Beautiful in a Hurry

(June 12, 2013 – Culver City, CA) Sparks & Shadows, a new boutique record label founded by composer Bear McCreary, announces the release of the Defiance Original Television Soundtrack. The album, containing 22 tracks of original score, original songs and cover songs as heard in the first season of Defiance, will be available through all digital providers on June 17th.

Defiance gave McCreary the opportunity to write not only the underscore for the show but also songs for the multiple alien races. “Scoring a project like Defiance is a rare situation for a composer,” said McCreary. “I was asked to help bring the alien cultures to life by developing a distinct musical heritage for each. I fashioned Votan instrumentation and lyrics into a variety of popular songs and ceremonial pieces. I wrote pieces for street musicians that float through open-air marketplaces. I produced alien classical music, jingles, jazz, rock-anthems and torch songs.”

To perform these songs, McCreary called on collaborators that Syfy fans are sure to remember, vocalists Raya Yarbrough and Brendan McCreary, both of whom have worked with Bear on a number of series dating back to the Battlestar Galactica years. Bear also teamed with the band Young Beautiful in a Hurry (fronted by Brendan McCreary), for whom he directed the video “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

In the year 2046, it’s a new Earth – with new rules. Over thirty years after various alien races arrived on Earth, the landscape is completely altered, terraformed nearly beyond recognition. To the town of Defiance, on what used to be St. Louis, comes the mysterious Nolan (Grant Bowler) and his charge, Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas). As they settle into town – overseen by the mayor, Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz) and filled with residents like the powerful Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene), enterprising lounge owner Kenya (Mia Kirshner) and the ambitious, alien Tarrs (Tony Curran and Jaime Murray) - events begin to unfold that threaten the fragile peace this border town has fought for. The series is executive produced by Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica, Hellcats), who also serves as showrunner, Michael Taylor (Battlestar Galactica) and Rockne O’Bannon (Farscape). Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest) directed the pilot; Michael Nankin serves as supervising producer/director on the series. Defiance is produced by Universal Cable Productions.
http://cinemediapromotions.tumblr.com/post/52856700973/pr-defiance-tv-soundtrack

Defiance Soundtrack Album
http://www.bearmccreary.com/#blog/albums/defiance-soundtrack-albums/

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'Episode 9 Recap'
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-episode_20.html?spref=tw

Review: Seuchenalarm (1.09)
http://www.myfanbase.de/defiance/episodenreviews/?eid=7283
SyFy Announces Comic-Con Panels
Events include showings of Defiance, Helix, Being Human and Warehouse 13.
Syfy has revealed its slate of panels at San Diego Comic-Con this year, including presentations for Defiance, Helix, Being Human and Warehouse 13. Here's the official lineup and details:
FRIDAY, JULY 19:
Defiance (10:30am-11:30am, Room 6A): Earth has changed, and entertainment will never be the same. Join Grant Bowler (Nolan), Julie Benz (Amanda Rosewater), Stephanie Leonidas (Irisa), Tony Curran (Datak Tarr), Jaime Murray (Stahma Tarr), Jesse Rath (Alak Tarr), Executive Producer Kevin Murphy and more from Syfy's groundbreaking multi-platform series as they discuss the overwhelming success of Defiance (the show and game) and share exclusive details from the second season. Moderated by Maureen Ryan, TV Critic for Huffington Post.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/28/syfy-announces-comic-con-panels?abthid=51ce19f2b8b6a79613000027

Comic Con 2013: July 17-21 San Diego, CA
SyFy has announced the cadre of TV shows and guests that they’re bringing to Comic-Con this year. It includes the folks from DEFIANCE, including Julie Benz and Jaime Murray (who I somehow thought was Bill Murray’s daughter until recently), HELIX and Ronald D. Moore (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) discusses what to expect with his new series, the cast of BEING HUMAN will tease next season, while WAREHOUSE 13′s crew will bid farewell and pimp what’s in store for its highly anticipated final season. Read on for dates, times and places, and more of the stars!
FRIDAY, JULY 19:
DEFIANCE

PANEL: 10:30AM-11:30AM ROOM 6A
Earth has changed, and entertainment will never be the same. Join Grant Bowler (Nolan), Julie Benz (Amanda Rosewater), Stephanie Leonidas (Irisa), Tony Curran (Datak Tarr), Jaime Murray (Stahma Tarr), Jesse Rath (Alak Tarr), Executive Producer Kevin Murphy and more from Syfy‘s groundbreaking multi-platform series as they discuss the overwhelming success of Defiance (the show and game) and share exclusive details from the second season. Moderated by Maureen Ryan, TV Critic for Huffington Post.
Read more at http://famousmonsters.com/comic-con-ronald-d-moores-helix-being-human-and-warehouse-13-join-the-fun/ 
EXCLUSIVE: Interview With ‘Defiance’ Stars Julie Benz and Tony Curran 
http://www.geeknation.com/blog/exclusive-interview-with-defiances-julie-benz-and-tony-curran/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Five By Five: Ep. 57: Julie Benz and Tony Curran
Give a warm GeekNation welcome to episode 1 guest Julie Benz and her costar on SyFy’s “Defiance,” Mr. Tony Curran. Get the behind the scenes scoop on the show, their upcoming season finale, and what to expect from Season 2. Plus, find out what the heck Tony is doing in this pub photo!
http://www.geeknation.com/podcasts/five-by-five-ep-57-julie-benz-and-tony-curran/
Tweet Out: Ep. 63: Julie Benz and Tony Curran, Part One
“Defiance” stars Julie Benz and Tony Curran answer your Twitter questions in part one of their Tweet Out, tackling topics like which scenes on the show were the most fun to shoot, how long it takes to have their makeup applied every day, what they’d bring from “Defiance” into the real world, and much more!
http://www.geeknation.com/videos/tweet-out-ep-63-julie-benz-and-tony-curran-part-one/

Tweet Out: Ep. 64: Julie Benz and Tony Curran, Part Two
“Defiance” stars Julie Benz and Tony Curran are back to answer even more of your Twitter questions in part two of their Tweet Out, tackling topics like Tony working with Steven Soderbergh, what it was like for Julie to playing Darla, if Darla and Glory would have gotten along, their biggest challenges during the filming of “Defiance,” their wardrobe, and much more!
http://www.geeknation.com/videos/tweet-out-ep-64-julie-benz-and-tony-curran-part-two/

Defiance 1.10 "The Bride Wore Black" Review: Bridges
http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/06/defiance-110-bride-wore-black-review.html

Episode Trailer - Airs Jul 1 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-past-is-prologue.html?spref=tw

Defiance - Geek Nation Five by Five: Julie Benz & Tony Curran Audio Interview
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-geek-nation-five-by-five-julie.html

Doctor Who: Vincent and the Doctor (Review)
Posted on June 19, 2013 by Darren
... The character work with Van Gogh is great. Tony Curran does a great job, despite obviously not being Dutch. Curran is one of those character actors who tends to pop up in the strangest places, and I have a growing fondness for him....
Read more at http://them0vieblog.com/2013/06/19/doctor-who-vincent-and-the-doctor-review/

Featurettes, Clip and TV Spot Help Prep for Tonight’s Must-See DEFIANCE
http://scifimafia.com/2013/06/featurettes-clip-and-tv-spot-help-prep-for-tonights-must-see-defiance/

Defiance - Syfy Video: 'Past Is Prologue' Episode Trailer - Airs Jul 1 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/06/defiance-syfy-video-past-is-prologue.html?spref=tw

Defiance comes alive on television and online
http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/television/defiance-comes-alive-on-television-and-online



03 June 2013

Tony Curran: May updates

Defiance - Syfy Video: Tony Curran Red Carpet Interview
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-syfy-video-tony-curran-red.html?spref=tw

Tony Curran from the Red Carpet
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2641659

Tony Curran's Favorite Scene from the Pilot
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2639863

Tony Curran Reveals What Really Happens in the Bath
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2639860

Green Tips from Tony Curran of Syfy’s “Defiance”
http://www.nbcunimediainsider.com/green-tips-from-tony-curran-of-syfys-defiance/

Defiance - Syfy: May 2013 Schedule
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-syfy-may-2013-schedule.html?spref=tw
Defiance - Monday at 9/8c - Next Episode: The Devil in the Dark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU4RTfHTvXg

Defiance - Monday at 9/8c - Episode 103: First Four Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HgEi4DA6Y6Q

Defiance 1.03 “Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go” REVIEW
THE ONE WHERE In the wake of the Second Battle of Defiance, the town gets ready to bury its dead. However, Datak and Nolan clash when the lawkeeper breaks up a ritual concerning the one Castithan to have fled. Datak, and Elah Bandik, the deserter, are adamant that it’s a ritual meant to return honour to the Castithan. Nolan and Irisa are adamant it’s torture. Mayor Rosewater is caught in the middle.

Meanwhile, Mr Birch, Nicolette’s distinctly odd assistant, breaks Ben out of the infirmary and tells him to finish the job. Not long after, there’s an explosion at the mine…

VERDICT It’s so traditional for a second episode to see a show relax into its most basic plotting, that when the synopsis for this episode was released, several other sites began describing Defiance as just a “sci fi cop show”. Based on this script, there’s a lot more going on than that description leads you to believe.

Let’s take the cop plot first. Ben, the Indogene who blew up the shield wall last episode to try and drive everyone out of the town, is broken out by Mr Birch and told to “complete the job.” He breaks into Rafe’s mine and holes up in old St Louis with some Votan explosives. Rafe and Nolan lead a party in after him.

Written down, that looks pretty coptastic but it plays out very differently. For a start, the insights we get into Rafe and Nolan on the journey down cast both men in a different light. Nolan now openly remembers that he used to live in St Louis, and the moment where he and Rafe sit in the same park Nolan used to play in (and presumably where he also witnessed the arrival of the Arks) is sweet and oddly paternal. Nolan’s complete lack of front is clearly starting to charm Rafe a little bit, as evidenced by him backing the lawkeeper up in the final confrontation. Whether or not Nolan has picked a side in the McCawley/Tarr war, it’s starting to look like one’s been picked for him.

However, it’s Rafe who really comes into his own this episode. Graham Greene is one of the best actors in the cast and here he’s given a chance to show it. The twin revelations that Rafe’s family used to run a popular dog food supplier and that he always wanted to be a photographer don’t just round him out, they make him seem much more human. The gruff, stereotypical mine boss is nothing of the sort, he’s just a survivor making the best of what he has. That, combined with the short, pivotal confrontation with his surviving son gives Rafe a lot to think about, and the closing montage shows he’s acting on that.

Secondly, the reveal on Old St Louis still being largely intact is a really interesting touch that simultaneously nods to Futurama and strengthens something only hinted at in the pilot; when terra-forming was used as a weapon during the Pale Wars, the planet sculpted with ruthless abandon by groups with wildly differing agendas. Not only does this go a long way towards explaining why the terrain around St Louis looks so different, it also hints at the conflicting agendas behind the wars and, by extension, the founding of Defiance. After all, what better place to hide something than in a city buried beneath hundreds of feet of rock? It at least seems likely that the artefact Nicolette and Mr Birch are seeking was hidden by the same people who terraformed the area.

And speaking of everyone’s favourite Lost alumni and her sidekick, their presence in the episode is small, but pivotal. Mr Birch clearly has some military experience, especially given the Doc’s comment about Ben being revived using a military drug. However, where last week Mr Birch seemed to be the Man Behind The Curtain, this week Nicolette looks to be pretty definitively in charge. She’s also deeply troubled by what they’re doing, which is no surprise given the plan she’s signed off on (detonate the gulanite explosive against one of the old St Louis reactors, use that radiation to drive everyone out of town so they can search it). Nicolette is being set up as something approximating the Ben Linus of the show, a character prepared to do horrible things for the greater good. She’s not quite a bad guy yet, and I can’t help but feel she’s working for someone else as a result. Regardless, for now, the old Mayor is troubled by what she’s doing, but not so troubled she won’t send an Indogene to his death.

Then there’s the Elah Bandik plot which does a good job of not only showing us a lot more about the Castithan, but also providing some insight into Datak Tarr, Amanda, Irisa and Tommy. For Datak, Elah is a liability, a man who not only stole the honour of every Castithan but who made him look bad. After all, none of Rafe’s men ran. For Amanda, Elah is a symbol of the town’s worst past failure, and a sign that there are some things that, she’s been told, the mayor should take no part in. What’s really interesting is how much that bothers her, and how much she’s subconsciously already trying to push away from the decisions made during Nicolette’s term as mayor. Meanwhile, for Irisa, Elah is a victim, a man being subjected to horrible torture as, it seems, was she. Finally, for Tommy, Elah is an opportunity to not only back a fellow lawkeeper’s play but also to get closer to Irisa. A single character does four separate things in the plot, whilst also being a symbol of an alien race’s laws and beliefs. That’s pretty nuanced plotting, and a thousand miles away from Law and Order: Defiance, as the show is starting to be dismissed as.

Finally, there’s evidence of what seems to be the writer’s identifying the weakest element of their arc plot and actively working to strengthen it. The scene between Stahma and Christie in the diner is sweet, and genuine and completely chilling. Datak murdered a man to ensure he and Stahma could be together and she finds that as admirable as she does romantic. Christie’s clearly shocked, but she’s a million miles from horrified, and the seed of dissent Stahma sews here very clearly takes root. Datak fights his wars on the streets, Stahama fights her wars in hearts and minds. At this stage, I honestly think she’s the more dangerous of the two.

The ending ties all of this together, as Defiance buries its dead, Elah allows Datak to kill him, Datak drops the body on the steps of the lawkeeper’s office and Rafe searches Luke’s room and finds much more than he was expecting. It feels less like a sci-fi cop show and more like a full-blown science fiction version, not of Firefly, but of Deadwood. Defiance’s inhabitants may all live in the same place but they don’t want the same things and, with Datak, the Tarr/McCawley feud and Nicolette’s ongoing plans to deal with, Nolan, Tommy and Irisa clearly have their work cut out for them. A strong second episode, all around.
Read more at http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/04/23/defiance-1-03-down-in-the-ground-where-the-dead-men-go-review-c/
'A Salute To Old Hollywood' Red Carpet. Tony Curran
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NBCUniversal Summer Press Day
Tony Curran attends the 2013 NBCUniversal Summer Press Day held at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on April 22, 2013 in Pasadena, California.
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Tony+Curran/NBCUniversal+Summer+Press+Day/7AmroEwLJ5n
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April 22, 2013
Jamie Murray, left, and Tony Curran, co-stars of "Defiance," arrive at the 2013 NBC Universal Summer Press Day at the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, Calif.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2013/04/23/Style/Images/2013-04-23T015749Z_01_LOA040_RTRIDSP_3_USA.jpg
Tony Curran on ‘Defiance’
We talk to the alien gangster of “Defiance” about hot tubbing with Jaime Murray and the human sides of the show’s otherworldly characters.
http://www.craveonline.com/tv/interviews/487487-tony-curran-on-defiance

Syfy's New Hit Series "Defiance" Continues to Deliver in Week Two with 2.4 Million Total Viewers
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2013/04/23/syfys-new-hit-series-defiance-continues-to-deliver-in-week-two-with-24-million-total-viewers-851313/20130423syfy01/

Defiance - SciFi Talk: Cast Audio Interview - Part 2
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-scifi-talk-cast-audio.html?spref=tw
Defiance - Monday at 9/8c - Shooting the Shtako: Episode102
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6214XVX8Nc

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'Shooting the Shtako' Episode 2 with Tony Curran
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-shooting_24.html?spref=tw
Defiance - Syfy Video: ' 'Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go' - Complete Episode
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-syfy-video-down-in-ground_23.html?spref=tw
Defiance - Syfy: Julie Benz Video Interview
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-syfy-julie-benz-video-interview.html?spref=tw

Hope you enjoy tonights episode
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/326499194955251712/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/326913234848337920/photo/1

Talking 2 @TVGuideMagazine about #Defiance with TV husband @TonyCurran69 ... Can't wait 4 tonight's episode
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You reap what you sow in
https://twitter.com/DatakTarr/status/326453140398428162/photo/1

Syfy's #Defiance continues tonight
http://instagram.com/p/Yakv3ONmAd/#

Conversation with Tony Curran of #Defiance from
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Conclusion of this special on this breakthrough SyFy series with this edition Tony Curran, Jaime Murray and show runner, executive producer Kevin Murphy.
http://www.scifitalk.com/podcasts/

Jaime Murray is out of this world
YOU won’t recognise Jaime Murray in her latest role in the new SyFy drama Defiance. She’s an albino alien. Mind you, even an ardent Jaime Murray fan would struggle to understand her as she speaks “alien” in a very rich dialect.
The Hustle actress plays a Castithan and speaks very convincing Castithan, too. Confusingly, this alien tribe is only one of seven in the show who are generally know as Votans.

The back story is that their home was destroyed in a galaxy, far, far away and now they have taken root on dystopian Earth, in a town called Defiance.

Flying into London to promote the big-budget series Murray says: “David Peterson, a linguist, actually created the language. There are seven different alien races. He said the Castithan are star people so this reference is to do with the stars and sky and so on.

“As he was talking I got the fear, ‘I’m never going to be able to do this!’ I worked by repetition so he sent me mp3s and I learned it off that. As I got used to it, I realised there was a real musicality to it.”

Murray then provides me with a sample of Castithan expletives. We can take her word for it. You will be relieved to learn that there are subtitles in the drama.

She plays opposite Scottish actor Tony Curran, her on-screen husband, who is a nasty piece of work. “I probably married beneath myself,” she jokes, “but everything changes when you’re a refugee. He was a real survivor and real scrapper. He ends up running the underbelly of Defiance.”

Murray, who has also starred in the popular American series Dexter and Spartacus, agrees her character has Lady Macbeth tendencies, especially during one rather risqué bathroom scene with Curran. “I actually designed an outfit,” she tells me, “because it was written that we were in the bath and obviously it’s not Spartacus or an HBO show, it’s more mainstream, so it wasn’t appropriate to show anything, but equally why would a female from an alien planet have the same inhibitions as a human? I ended up wearing the ceremonial jewellery to hide the things that needed to be hidden.”

Her reaction to the whole Defiance project was not unexpected. “I didn’t understand it! In fact, I didn’t fully understand it until afterwards.
Read more at http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/393584/Jaime-Murray-is-out-of-this-world

Watch the First Four Minutes of Defiance Episode 1.03 - The Devil in the Dark
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/66014/watch-first-four-minutes-defiance-episode-103-devil-dark

Image Gallery for Defiance Episode 1.03 - The Devil in the Dark
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/65984/image-gallery-defiance-episode-103-devil-dark

Jeff Korbelik: 'Defiance' off to great start for SyFy
“Defiance” has a chance to be as good as “Battlestar.” The early episodes reveal quality acting, better-than-decent visual effects and, not surprisingly, outstanding makeup.
Read more at http://journalstar.com/entertainment/tv-radio/jeff-korbelik-defiance-off-to-great-start-for-syfy/article_90b77da7-abd0-53c7-bb90-8cda669d878f.html

"Defiance" Cast of Characters Quick Guide
http://tvnewsreviews.blogspot.ru/
“Defiance” Is Politically Challenging
http://mindschmootz.net/2013/05/defiance-is-politically-challenging/

Defiance - Monday at 9/8c - Episode 104: First Four Minutes
Defiance - Monday at 9/8c - First Four Minutes: A Well Respected Man
Amanda's caught between a rock and a hard place as she tries to appease both Nolan and Datak's interests in this exclusive look at the first four minutes of next week's brand-new Defiance
Mondays at 9/8c on Syfy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVDfZlKR9zM
Defiance Interview with Jaime Murray and Tony Curran.
Defiance interview with Tony Curran and Jaime Murray.

I had the very great pleasure of taking part in a conference call with Tony Curran and Jaime Murray. They gave wonderful, thoughtful, in-depth answers about their characters and the themes of the show. They hinted a little bit about where their characters might be going this season and hopefully beyond. Both were very generous with their time and enthusiastic about the show. It was also fun to hear both of them using their actual real-life accents in answering the questions! (Tony is from Scotland and Jaime from England) What follows is a quick synopsis of my notes of some of the highlights of the conversation. Do come back when the full transcript will be posted.

Q: Can you talk about how the dynamic is shifting between Stahma and Datak?

JM: I feel like it’s a period piece even though it’s 35 years in the future. It’s a very patriarchal society. Stahma is repressed. It’s a society in which “her role is as a breeder and a bleeder.” It’s complicated by coming from a strict caste system. Datak would almost have been an untouchable and Stahma is almost royalty. They would never have been together on their home world. It’s a bit of a power struggle. She is more highly educated and she sees the longer game. He’s shrewd and sharp. He’s had to live on his wits. She has to suggest ways of dealing with things. He’s sometimes more at the whim of his emotions. She has to avoid hurting his pride.

TC: As the season progresses, you see interesting dynamics develop. Stahma and Datak are coming from a different planet and very different ends of a cultural spectrum. They’re trying to re-invent themselves. Stahma wouldn’t have had as much power in their home world. She keeps his temper in check. Datak begins to wisen up to Stahma’s cunning. She’s a refined tool while he’s a blunt instrument.

JM: We all wear masks, but Stahma wears the mask all of the time. She loves him but she never takes it off. It just “slips” slightly at times.

TC: The makeup was important. You can still see the eyes and facial expressions. We wanted the audience to be able to relate to the characters. The patriarchal society is still seen all over the world today. Women in Defiance are strong role models.

Q: What initially attracted you to the role? What were the initial acting challenges?

TC: The size and scale of it all. Playing an alien and what that would entail. It’s important to break it down to the characters. You can have an amazing backdrop, but you have to have interesting, relatable characters. We have an interesting dynamic. Someone from the gutter marrying someone in the upper echelons. It’s very much like Sense and Sensibility.

JM: The Stahma/Datak relationship was very interesting to me. It’s a very complex relationship. Just playing another species skews things enough off their axis to give you a fresh perspective on what it means to be human. You want to play something that is human enough but different enough. It still needs to be relatable and needs to be able to allow the audience to invest in the family.
The scene in the bath where I’m almost naked and hugging my adult son. It’s very creepy. And the shaming ritual.

TC: I spoke to Kevin Murphy and that moment when she looks at me in the bath and then I give her a look like oh go on. Exactly what people should be reacting to. It almost didn’t make it into the episode. The Tarrs are weird and wonderful. They aren’t human. The Tarrs are relatable but still have to be different.

JM: I didn’t want to move like a human woman. My technique is to react to the other actor and let my own impulses come up, but in playing an alien I look for the opposite impulses. So if as a human I might do one thing, I choose to do the exact opposite as an alien. Getting in the bath – I would be self-conscious and hold my body in a certain way, but an alien would be erect and proud, like a cat or a snake. Our DP through the lighting of the Tarr house really raised our performance.

TC: We’re alien but have been on earth for 33 years. I have an American accent. Stahma is very deliberate when she speaks and looks for the words. We chose to sound different from each other.

JM: Tony – Datak – learned to speak in the streets. Christie is one of the first humans Stahma’s had contact with.

TC: Many back stories to come. We’ll find out lots of interesting things about the Tarrs.

Q: She manipulates him. Does he know it and would he do anything about it?

JM: In my life I know when people are doing it. Sometimes, I’ll just go with it. Tony is an organic actor. The scenes are so charged they are almost like a love scene. He knew it and appreciated it, but went with it.

TC: If someone gives you an idea that’s a great idea or they’re more informed than you are, you will take it. He admires Stahma. He knows she’s smart. It’s unsaid. She does it in a manipulative way but it’s for the better of the two of them. He knows what she’s doing but she still has to watch her step.

JM: At the beginning, Datak listens more. As the season progresses he enjoys some success and her control over him lessens. He becomes confident in his own abilities.

TC: Her ideology and philosophy is calming him down. Stahma is moulding him. He has the blunt instrument you need in the frontier, but she is educating him.

JM: Datak has the short term win, while Stahma has the long term goal in mind. She can satisfy his ego because she never needs to be right or seen as the victor. There is a shift in power. They need to find a new way or relating to each other.

TC: Jaime is the unsung heroine. She is the silent, stoic. She’s like a silent snake who takes down her prey and then leaves before anyone notices. Stahma does thing maybe Datak doesn’t know about. It’s going to stir the pot.

JM: There’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak, the there’s a vulnerability. I just want to take care of him.

TC: Lots of men with a volatile temper end up that way because of their hard upbringing. Stahma isn’t as vulnerable as Datak can be. It makes him fun to play.

Q: What is the joy/challenge of playing your characters?

TC: There was a lot of aggressiveness in the Pilot. I’m a big fan of James Cagney – a kid from the street. He was perceived to have a hard shell but he was damaged. His upbringing shaped his behavior. In episodes to come you’ll see how Stahma takes care of Datak. He’s like a big kid. A lot of characters on the show have skeletons in their pasts. They try not to face them.

JM: The unexpected delight in playing an alien forces me to question being human. So much scope for this character. Stahma doesn’t really know who she is. She only knows who she is in terms of other people. She’s surrounded by free and emancipated women. Even though she’s smart and powerful, she is defined by the men in her life. I felt isolated and lonely playing her because she’s constantly hiding behind her mask. She may figure out how disconnected she is and try to connect with someone. She’s a bird in a gilded cage. There’s a raw immediacy about who Datak is.

Q: Alak’s radio station – what would you add to his playlist?

TC: Old Earth vinyl. I’m a big fan of Motown, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross. Maybe Public Enemy.

JM: Pearl Jam, Jeremy, or quirky like the Cure, TC, Adam and the Ants. Some of those 80s singers like Soundgarden, Nirvana.

Jesse’s having a blast. He’s been tweeting as Alak, doing re-caps. He does a little video.

Q: Do you see a possibility that Datak will act for the town and Stahma will act for her family and this will put them at odds?

TC: Maybe Stahma gets what she wants and doesn’t need him. I don’t know how far he’d get without her. The Need/Want is a good symbol for how much do they need each other and how much do they want each other. To get to where they’ve got, they need each other. I’ve heard through the grapevine where things might happen in the future that will be tough for both. It’s an interesting road.

JM: They are so much a part of each other, who they are as individuals.

TC: You’d really see who Stahma is or who she thinks she is.

JM: Who would fare better on their own?

TC: Kevin is a writer/producer, but he’s a good director. He’ll whisper something in my ear about the scene, and not tell the others, so you don’t know what’s coming. He’ll come and tell you something that’s coming in a future episode.

JM: I think she’d put the family first, but she might get distracted but she might take her eye off the ball and then Datak may react to his own ego and act out a rash decision without her council.

TC: He might relate back to where he was before her.

JM: She might discover a new way of being while Datak will revert back to his old ways.

TC: She’s trying to educate him. Stahma could start soaring without him.

Q: I like picking out the political undertones. Assimilation is a topic that’s come up. Is assimilation possible?

TC: I think it’s inevitable. With the way terrorism is sweeping across the nation, it could be on the verge of turning really bad if we can’t integrate societies.

JM: All societies need to evolve. Stahma is uncomfortable with the old traditions, but Datak is holding on to the society that never helped him. It’s generally the disenfranchised who carry on the damaging behavior. There is a universal desire for people to have connection. Assimiliating has a strong connotation. We need to look at different cultures connecting so that we don’t have disenfranchised.

TC: You’re going to find some very human stories with people being alienated within the society. Like any good drama, it’s holding a mirror up to society. The question is what are we going to do? Do something about it, or let it go on?

This is not the entirety of the conversation, so please come back and scroll through the official transcript for even more!
http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/05/defiance-interview-with-jaime-murray.html

Defiance 1.02 "Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go" Review: Everyone Has a Past
http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/04/defiance-102-down-in-ground-where-dead.html

Defiance 1.01 "Pilot" Review: Welcome to the Neighbourhood
http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/04/defiance-101-pilot-review-welcome-to.html
Defiance Anticipates A Second Season On SyFy
Action and intrigue are promised every time you tune in to SyFy’s Defiance. We hope you’re enjoying Rockne S. O’Bannon’s series, which he executive produces with Kevin Murphy
and Michael Taylor because we hear a second season is very likely.

“New Earth. New Rules.” That’s the tagline for this fresh series. Will you join the fight? Here’s the set up. The year is 2046, just thirty years after a whole slew of different alien races arrived on Earth. The landscape of the planet we once knew has completely changed, thanks to terraforming efforts.

This takes us to the town of Defiance, sitting where St. Louis used to be. Enter Nolan, acted by Grant Bowler, and his associate, Irisa, acted by Stephanie Leonidas. They settle in Defiance and meet the residents, Julie Benze acting as the mayor, Amanda Rosewater , the powerful Rafe McCawley. acted by Graham Greene, lounge owner Kenya, played by Mia Kirshner and a pair of alien Tarrs, played by Tony Curran and Jaime Murray. There is a fragile peace in place, but it may not last much longer.

Ratings have been okay thus far and there has been enough interest in the video game, that the drama is very likely to get a second season, according to our good friends over at Deadline.
Read more at http://www.boomtron.com/2013/04/defiance-anticipates-a-second-season-on-syfy/

Tony Curran - "A Salute to Old Hollywood Party" to Celebrate the Launch of BritWeek 2013 - Los Angeles, California, United States - Tuesday 23rd April 2013
http://www.contactmusic.com/photo/tony-curran-old-hollywood-celebrates-britweek-2013_3624912
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Tony Curran - Celebrities attend 2013 NBCUniversal Summer Press Day at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa. - Los Angeles, CA, United States - Monday 22nd April 2013
http://www.contactmusic.com/photo/tony-curran-2013-nbcuniversal-summer-press-day_3621827
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'Defiance': Acting with the visual effects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL6a4U43jvE4IXHm-1W5O1Mzeswd0nl75t&v=dima-8IFf3g&feature=player_embedded

'Defiance': On set with the cast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PLRTPADxj0&list=PL6a4U43jvE4IXHm-1W5O1Mzeswd0nl75t
Doctor Who - BBC America: Season 5 Weekday Schedule - Apr 29 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/doctor-who-bbc-america-season-5-weekday_27.html?spref=tw

Defiance: Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go Review
http://www.mania.com/defiance-down-ground-dead-men-review_article_137366.html

Defiance (Syfy) Episode 3 “The Devil in the Dark”
http://www.tvequals.com/2013/04/29/defiance-syfy-episode-3-the-devil-in-the-dark/

Defiance - Syfy Video: 'The Devil in the Dark' Sneak Peek - Airs Apr 29 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/04/defiance-syfy-video-devil-in-dark-sneak.html?spref=tw

Defiance 1x03 The Devil in the Dark Promo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbZ9TX7FB8A

Defiance Review: Must-see science fiction television
Syfy’s new series Defiance was one of the most-watched scripted series premiere for adults since 2006. So, obviously, there’s something good about it. But was it all hype and marketing? Because, let’s face it, Syfy has thrown a lot of money its way. Was it due to the ground-breaking MMO game integration? Or was it something much simpler – is it just a really good show?

You’ll be happy to know that the answer is the latter (although the marketing and game integration don’t hurt). Defiance is one of those shows that, when you first watch it, gives you goosebumps because you know you’re in for something special. No, Julie Benz was not lying when she said that Defiance was epic and unlike anything on t.v. It’s all of that and more.

First up, if you’ve played the accompanying Defiance MMO game at all, you’ll have a much better feel for the pilot episode of the series. The first episode of Defiance, which serves to present us this new world and all of its wonderful characters, begins with two Ark Hunters: Jeb Nolan (Grant Bowler) and his adopted daughter, Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas). Irisa is an Irathient, one of a dozen of different alien species that now calls Earth home. The two find themselves in a town that was once St. Louis, a place now known as Defiance. Earth itself is unrecognizable as the alien invaders have terraformed the planet to meet their own needs (for example, Antarctica is now a beach destination).

In Defiance, Nolan and Irisa meet the mayor, Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz), along with the rest of the town, which includes a variety of characters, including Datak Tarr (Tony Curran) and his wife Stahma (Jaime Murray), the alien Doc Ywll (Trenna Keating) and the Hatfield to Tarr’s McCoys, Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene). In the end, Nolan and Irisa have to decide if they’re just passing through the town or are planning on staying, especially after Nolan is offered the badge of Lawmaker. Hint – they stay.

The first thing I noticed about the series was its scope. Epic is such a small word to describe the massive scale of this television series. From the opening scenes when we see massive space ships with alien invaders coming into view to the vision of the Arks (which were supposed to be mankind’s escape pods – but somehow most didn’t make it) still floating in space. The town of Defiance itself is so fully realized that no detail has been left unturned. Everything is perfectly rendered and it is easy to believe that this is the Earth of the near-future. The special effects are brilliant and very reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica.

The races of aliens are also so varied that no two are alike. They might all be humanoid, but each has their own specific characteristics. From the motorcycle gangs of Irathients to the wonderful Doc Ywll, each alien is infused with its own species’ personalities. Each species, too, has its own language, which could not have been easy for actors to tackle. It’s exactly the sort of detail I like to see.

The acting, as expected, is some of the best on television. Julie Benz shines as the compassionate (but bad-ass, to quote Benz) mayor – doing her best to keep the city going, in spite of odds against her. Bowler as Nolan is a new sort of Han Solo – the kind of rough-and-tumble guy who seems to be selfish, but turns out to have a heart of gold. Leonidas (who I loved in Mirror Mask), has an unpredictability about her that makes Irinis one of the more compelling characters of the series. Curran and Murray are nearly scary in their mafia-like makings, with Murray being the Lady MacBeth to Curran’s Richard III – I was also impressed by how beautifully they both handled the made-up language their characters speak. I was delighted to see Greene in the series, as he’s one of those character actors I have always loved to watch. Finally, Trenna Keating is the no-nonsense Doc Ywll – she also delivers some of the funniest lines in the pilot episode.

In fact, it’s the female characters that really stand out in Defiance. Only in science fiction do we get these sort of strong women figures that are so wonderfully thought out and acted. I wish other non-genre television series would figure that out.

Defiance is one-of-a-kind television, the sort of thing you absolutely must-see. So go run to Hulu or Syfy or Amazon Video On Demand and get this one now. Trust me – this is the series you do not want to miss.
http://www.fangirlconfessions.com/syfy-defiance-review/

Defiance Dissected: The Ongoing Review – Week 1
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/05/02/defiance-dissected-the-ongoing-review-week-1/

Syfy's ‘Defiance’ Packed With Adventure, Intrigue and Aliens
http://makeupmag.com/featured/id/1105/

SyFy Renews Defiance, Season 2 Aims for 2014 Premiere
Defiance fans can breath a sigh of relief, the series is officially moving on past its first season. SyFy has renewed the program for a 13 episode Season 2, which is currently aiming for a 2014 premiere.

Production on the upcoming episode cycle will begin this August in Toronto.

"Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been an incredible team effort. We couldn't ask for better partners than [showrunner] Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds," SyFy head Mark Stern said in a statement. "We can't wait to see where they take us in the second season."

Kevin Murphy will return as the executive producer and showrunner alongside executive producers Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin. Michael Taylor will serve as a consulting producer.

Defiance stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, and Mia Kirshner. There is no word on who is returning, as the initial season is only half over and we may see some character deaths/departures in coming episodes.

Defiance's April 15 premiere was the second largest in SyFy history in the 18-49 demographic. Throughout the season, it has performed surprisingly well, often beating its scripted competition, in its Monday time slot; and has quickly become " SyFy's highest-rated original series this year."

The show takes place in the aftermath of a alien attempt to colonize Earth. After a massive war, the humans and various alien races live in an uneasy peace. One city in particular, Defiance, is built in the ruins of St. Louis and is home to a wide variety of aliens, cultures, and factions.

It airs on Mondays at 9PM on the SyFy channel.

Its videogame counterpart has so far amassed over 1 million registered accounts across three platforms. The game takes place in the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area.
http://www.latinospost.com/articles/18836/20130510/syfy-renews-defiance-season-2-aims-2014-premiere.htm

Cast Thoughts on Fan Reactions
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2645673
Defiance - NBCUMV Syfy Press Release: 2nd Season Renewal
DEFIANCE - NBCUMV SYFY PRESS RELEASE: SECOND SEASON RENEWAL
May 10, 2013
SYFY RENEWS HIT SERIES DEFIANCE, PROMISING MORE ACTION AND INTRIGUE IN SEASON TWO
April 15 Premiere Second Largest Series in Network History

Syfy has renewed its groundbreaking series Defiance, giving a 13-episode second season order to the critically acclaimed hit that has catapulted Syfy to the top cable drama spot in the time period among adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and total viewers for three consecutive Mondays. Season two of Defiance, produced by Universal Cable Productions, will begin production in Toronto in August for a 2014 premiere, returning as the anchor of Syfy’s Powerful Monday’s block of primetime original series...

"Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been an incredible team effort. We couldn't ask for better partners than Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds," said Mark Stern, President of Original Content for Syfy and Co-Head of Original Content for UCP. "We can't wait to see where they take us in the second season..."

... The audience for its April 15 premiere was the second largest series premiere in the network’s history among adults 18-49, making it the biggest in nearly nine years in that coveted demographic, based on Live +7 Data. The premiere also delivered almost 4 million viewers (3,834,000) and has quickly become Syfy’s highest-rated original series this year in adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and total viewers. It has also received unprecedented attention as a transmedia event in partnership with Trion Worlds’ MMO game. Airing Mondays at 9pm, Defiance stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene and Mia Kirshner.
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-nbcumv-syfy-press-release-2nd.html?spref=tw
Syfy Renews 'Defiance' for Second Season
UPDATED: The pricy original series, which saw a solid debut in April, is part of a larger initiative that includes a video game.
Syfy is going back to Defiance. The cable network has renewed its freshman drama for a second season after solid premiere ratings and strong retention.
A 13-episode sophomore season of the dystopian alien drama has been ordered, with a production start eyed for August and a 2014 return to the network.

STORY: NBCU's $100 Million Gamble on Syfy's 'Defiance'

Currently in the middle of its initial order, Defiance marked the second largest series premiere in network history and has regularly won cable's scripted offerings in its Monday time slot among adults 18-49. It opened on April 15 to 2.7 million viewers and 1.3 million in the demo.

Solid as those numbers might be, Defiance has been a massive investment for Syfy and Universal Cable Productions. Billed as a "transmedia experience," the series is tied to a massively multiplayer online video game. The combined price tag of the freshman season and the video game is a cool $100 million. The Trion Worlds game, as of early May, has north of 1 million registered users.

"Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been an incredible team effort," said Syfy president of original content Mark Stern. "We couldn't ask for better partners than [showrunner] Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds. We can't wait to see where they take us in the second season."

Murphy will stay on as ep and showrunner, with Smallville’s Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin returning as eps for season two and Michael Taylor serves as consulting producer.

Defiance stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene and Mia Kirshner.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/syfy-renews-defiance-second-season-520713

Defiance renewed for second season!
Hot off the presses: Syfy has Renewed Defiance for a second season!
From the press release:
SYFY RENEWS HIT SERIES DEFIANCE, PROMISING MORE ACTION AND INTRIGUE IN SEASON TWO
New York, NY – May 10, 2013 – Syfy has renewed its groundbreaking series Defiance, giving a 13-episode second season order to the critically acclaimed hit that has catapulted Syfy to the top cable drama spot in the time period among adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and total viewers for three consecutive Mondays. Season two of Defiance, produced by Universal Cable Productions, will begin production in Toronto in August for a 2014 premiere, returning as the anchor of Syfy’s Powerful Monday’s block of primetime original series.
Redefining the transmedia experience, Defiance has distinguished itself with an unprecedented partnership between Syfy and Trion Worlds, by creating the first-ever true convergence of television and online gaming. To date, the game has garnered more than 1 million registered accounts while making gaming history as the first online open world shooter to launch on three platforms simultaneously. As the collaboration between show and game continue into a second season, players will have the opportunity to further influence the world of Defiance.

Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives, Caprica, Hellcats) resumes his role as executive producer and showrunner. Smallville’s Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin return as executive producers for season two and Michael Taylor serves as consulting producer.

“Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been in incredible team effort. We couldn’t ask for better partners than Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds,” said Mark Stern, President of Original Content for Syfy and Co-Head of Original Content for UCP. “We can’t wait to see where they take us in the second season.”

Set in the near future, Defiance features an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden – and tumultuous – arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully. Each week, viewers follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, Missouri, while in the game, players will experience the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area.

The audience for its April 15 premiere was the second largest series premiere in the network’s history among adults 18-49, making it the biggest in nearly nine years in that coveted demographic, based on Live +7 Data. The premiere also delivered almost 4 million viewers (3,834,000) and has quickly become Syfy’s highest-rated original series this year in adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and total viewers. It has also received unprecedented attention as a transmedia event in partnership with Trion Worlds’ MMO game. Airing Mondays at 9pm, Defiance stars Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene and Mia Kirshner.
http://scifistorm.org/2013/05/10/defiance-renewed-for-second-season/
Tony Curran at Beverly Hills
http://www.contactmusic.com/photo/tony-curran-tony-curran-out-in-beverly-hills_3643835
Tony Curran To Appear At London Comic Con
From aliens to invisible men, vampires to Dutch post-Impressionist painters, Tony Curran has appeared in many guises on both the big and small screen. Now MCM London Comic Con visitors will have chance to meet the man himself, as the Glasgow-born actor becomes the latest special guest to be confirmed for Europe’s biggest comic con.

Curran’s roles include Vincent Van Gogh in Doctor Who, Marcus Corvinus in Underworld: Evolution and Datak Tarr in ongoing Syfy series Defiance. He has also appeared in Guillermo del Toro’s Blade II, Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, superhero comic adaptation The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and BBC drama This Life.

Other credits encompass feature films such as Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, Shallow Grave and X-Men: First Class, as well as television series like Boardwalk Empire, CSI, Ultimate Force and 24. Meanwhile, gamers will know him as the voice of Captain MacMillan in best-selling first person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Tony joins a host of special guests at May’s MCM London Comic Con, including cast and crew from Once Upon a Time, Teen Wolf, NCIS: Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg’s Fallen Skies, anime director Shinichiro Watanabe, Lara Croft star Camilla Luddington and Mass Effect voice actor Mark Meer. Meanwhile, games publishers confirmed include Capcom, Nintendo, Activision, Square Enix, NIS America, Namco Bandai, Tecmo Koei and Koch Media.
http://scifipulse.net/2013/05/tony-curran-to-appear-at-london-comic-con/

Event News: MCM Expo Announces New Guest For London Comic Con
MCM Expo have today announced a new guest for this month's London Comic Con, DEFIANCE's Tony Curran...

The Scot, currently portraying Datak Tarr in SyFy's Defiance, is a stalwart of genre Film and TV having appeared in Doctor Who, Underworld: Evolution, Blade II, The Adventures of Tintin, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and X-Men: First Class to name a few.

Tony joins a host of special guests at May's MCM London Comic Con, including cast and crew from Once Upon a Time, Teen Wolf, NCIS: Los Angeles and Steven Spielberg's Fallen Skies, anime director Shinichiro Watanabe, Tomb Raider star Camilla Luddington and Mass Effect voice actor Mark Meer. Meanwhile, games publishers confirmed include Capcom, Nintendo, Activision, Square Enix, NIS America, Namco Bandai, Tecmo Koei and Koch Media.
MCM London Comic Con takes place at EXCEL London from 24th-26th of May. Tickets are available at: www.mcmcomiccon.com/london/tickets
http://www.starburstmagazine.com/events-news/5246-event-news-mcm-expo-announces-new-guest-for-london-comic-con

Defiance - Syfy Video: 'The Serpent's Egg' Sneak Peek - Airs May 13 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-serpents-egg-sneak.html?spref=tw

Tweeted by Tony Curran. Photos:
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/331972396825325568/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/331971056334172160/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/331972396825325568/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/331555514020421632/photo/1
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/331517169605148673/photo/1
SyFy's Definace starring Jaime Murray and Tony Curran airs Mondays at 9PM/8CThttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SouWgp5qEa0Jamie Murray And Tony Curran On ‘Defiance’
http://globalnews.ca/video/540175/jamie-murray-and-tony-curran-on-defiance


Defiance 1.04"A Well-Respected Man" Review: Knowledge is Power
This week’s episode of Defiance, “A Well Respected Man,” was written by Craig Gore and Tim Walsh and directed by Michael Nankin, who also directed the second episode. Gore and Walsh are relative newcomers, whose only other credits on IMDb are for the short-lived CW show Cult. The script for the most part was tightly written and well-paced. There were some excellent scenes with some powerful moments. There were also a few instances of clunky dialogue. However, there were a few potentially clichéd scenes that were turned on their head, and I’m enjoying getting deeper into the dynamics of the community. The episode featured little in the way of special effects – not what you would expect of a sci-fi series, perhaps. However, the production seems to be spending its budget wisely. The CGI backgrounds are seamless. The drama is grounded in the actors’ performances and realistic sets. The money saved is put to good use on music such as one of Bob Dylan’s latest releases over the final scenes with Amanda revealing their mother’s death to Kenya, Rafe and Quentin in the mine, Datak joining the Council, and Nolan’s chat with Stahma. Once again, the performance of the week has to go to Jaime Murray as Stahma with Tony Curran’s Datak running a close second.

This week’s episode did see a number of themes running through a few storylines with the primary one being about knowledge and perception. In one of my favorite scenes in the episode, Datak is explaining to Nolan (Grant Bowler) that knowledge is power. Datak is also demonstrating to Nolan that he knows everyone in the Hollows, including all their dirty secrets – it’s how he stays in power. He does use a lovely analogy in describing the threads between people being like the threads in a rug. When they get to Datak’s informant, Nolan sees right through Datak’s subterfuge, proving that he’s not nearly as stupid as Datak thinks he is. The banter between Curran and Bowler is excellent, and sets up yet another pair of actors with amazing chemistry on the show.

A number of characters are being kept in the dark. Flashbacks reveal that what Kenya (Mia Kirshner) had believed about the death of her mother was a story that Amanda (Julie Benz) had made up to protect her. For her part, Amanda is being kept in the dark about Datak’s illegal gunrunning. Rafe (Graham Greene) explains it was a need to know basis and she didn’t need to know. I’m enjoying watching Amanda slowly simmer towards boiling as people discount her authority. The flashbacks showing how she went bravely back for her sister when her mother abandoned them has me thinking this is not a woman that people want to back up into a corner.

Amanda isn’t perfect, however, and carries mis-perceptions and shame about her sister. When she’s accosted in the street by a woman whose husband frequents the Need/Want and calls Kenya a slut, Amanda slaps her and declares her sister runs a legitimate business. Yet, Amanda is completely unaware that Kenya calls her prostitutes Night Porters. Stahma is completely comfortable with Datak frequenting the Need/Want and knows more about Kenya than Amanda does. Stahma tells Amanda that Kenya has a rare gift for knowing exactly what people need.

Rafe has been keeping Quentin (Justin Rain) in the dark about what is at the bottom of the L7 shaft. Quentin misinterprets Rafe’s decision in shutting down the mine as Rafe’s lack of faith in him. The scene in which Greene tells Quentin that he’ll never be Luke but he loves, respects, and admires him and holds a special place in his heart just for him is arguably Greene’s best work to date on the show. The scene is further enhanced by a beautiful shot of Quentin framed by a single pane of the stained glass in the house. As the two become closer emotionally, the scene mirrors this physically as Quentin moves from the doorway to Rafe’s side.

Rafe ultimately takes Quentin into his confidence about the object he found in Luke’s room that he is convinced got him killed. They travel to the bottom of L7 and find bones, artifacts, and cave paintings – knowledge that will no doubt prove to be important.

Nolan also recognizes Stahma’s importance in the Tarr family. The scene between Murray and Bowler at the end is terrific. Nolan tells Stahma that he’s had his eye on the wrong snake and identifies her as the dangerous one. For her part, Stahma graciously takes the compliment and tells him he is sweet. After interviewing both Murray and Curran last week, I was paying more attention to their performances. One thing that Murray commented on was her choices on how to play an alien. It’s slightly uncomfortable watching her because her movements and inflections are not quite what you would expect from a human and these were choices that Murray consciously made. She is also very deliberate in her speech, often pausing to think of the right word. This is because she hasn’t had the same experience as Datak in walking about the Hollows, working and interacting with its inhabitants. Stahma will have learned her common tongue through her servants and will have had to use it less often. She is somewhat of an anomaly in a very patriarch society, but she does all of her negotiating behind the scenes. She is like Kenya in her ability to determine what people need, and she has the ability to use that knowledge to her own advantage.

The title, of course, refers primarily to Datak’s quest for power, standing, and respect. However, Amanda, Nolan, Quentin, and Stahma are also looking for those things. In trying to convince Datak to help look for Kenya, Amanda appeals to his desire for status. She points to his recent actions and how they’ve elevated him in the town’s eyes. She points out that the Bioman, Ulysses, is his and everyone knows it, so if he doesn’t help, everyone will think he’s been a part of the kidnapping. Tony Curran is fabulous in this scene. Datak talks about his hubris in always taking credit for his work. He says it is a personal flaw, but his wife seems to like it. Ultimately, Datak refuses to help in the search for Kenya because they lack respect for him and think they are better than he is. He tells them, they only see him as a wild dog to be kept on a short leash. Datak’s desire for respect and standing is shared by Stahma because the Castithans society is built upon it. When she goes to Amanda, Stahma appeals to the similarities between them. She tells Amanda that both Nolan and Datak are hotheads. She tells Amanda that she can offer Datak respect by appointing him to the vacant Council seat. Stahma is always soft-spoken and makes her requests in a roundabout way.

The final four scenes are tied together by the overlay of the Dylan song. Kenya and Amanda come to a new understanding and mutual respect. Rafe discovers what’s at the bottom of the L7 shaft, but not its significance. Meanwhile, Datak is taking his seat at Council for the first time. He notices Rafe’s empty chair and looks disappointed. No doubt Datak was looking forward to gloating over his nemesis. Certainly, he takes great pleasure in closing the door in Nolan’s face, thus demonstrating his superiority over the other blunt instrument in town. Stahma is patiently waiting for her husband to finish her business, working on some kind of weaving craft. It reminded me very much of a spider, spinning a web. Nolan demonstrates that he is much more of a blunt instrument by seeing through Stahma’s facade, and realizing that Datak’s quest for respect and standing is very much her own.
I enjoyed seeing the Bioman again, and I hope that they will “reprogram” him so that we’ll see him again. I found the Blue Devil storyline a bit simplistic and derivative, even down to the kidnapping and draining victims while putting them in a dream world – see any episode about Djinn in Supernatural, but particularly “What Is and What Should Never Be.” It did, however, serve its purpose as a backdrop to the main character-driven plots.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Is the show starting to find its stride? I remain convinced that the strongest element of the show is its examination of relationships. Let me know your thought in the comments below.
http://www.spoilertv.com/2013/05/defiance-104-well-respected-man-review.html

"Defiance": "A Well-Respected Man" episode airs May 6
http://newsok.com/defiance-a-well-respected-man-episode-airs-may-6/article/3805660

TONY CURRAN AND JAIME MURRAY
DEFIANCE
Q) Especially in this next episode coming up, we’re learning more and more that Stahma seems to be the one in charge of the whole council thing and everything. Can you guys talk just kind of in the general sense about how that dynamic is shifting and how we’ll continue to see more of that through the season?

Jaime: Well, it’s really an interesting role to me because although I’m playing this woman who I see five years in the future, really I sometimes felt like I was in a period piece because there are two things about the Castithans which are very similar to, you know, where we came from, you know, hundreds of years ago. And that is that they come from very patriarchal society. So based on gender, Stahma is quite repressed and her job would really be what historians might think well, you know, a breeder and a bleeder.And she could have been expected to be a good mother. However this is actually complicated by the fact that Stahma and Datak come from a society with a really strict cloth system and that they have very strict cost. And Datak would almost have been an untouchable. He would have been on the very lowest end of that kind of cloth system. And Stahma would have been at the very top almost like aristocracy or royalty. So they would never on their own planet have been together. But when it’s a whole new world that they’re on now and in many ways, the qualities that Datak had to employ to survive back on Caspi made him very powerful and strong in the new world of Defiance because - and she’s now with this very powerful man. But there’s this interesting dynamic in their relationship and it’s almost like there’s an interesting power struggle because she’s more highly educated than him and she’s - I mean they’re both intelligent but she has, you know, she’s probably been to more schools than him and maybe seen at the lumber game where he’s very shroud and sharp and he has lived on his instincts all his life. And so together they’re an awesome combination but because of the fact that she’s a woman, she can’t really - she can’t tell him what to do - not outright. So she has to be very cunning and shroud and go sideways about how she communicates ideas to him and suggests, you know, ways of dealing with situations to him and I think that he is sometimes at the whim of his emotions more than Stahma. Stahma is very controlled and so sometimes she’s often counseling him to be more patient, to take more time, think of the long term and try to do it without injuring his pride.

Tony: As you see the season progress and each episode unfolding, as Jaime says, you see so many interesting dynamics with a lot of the characters but one of - they’re all compelling but one of the one’s we thinks’ quite interesting is the fact of Jamie as of Stahma and Datak coming from another planet but also coming from very different ends of the spectrum within a very sort of social sort of society, culturally very different. They’re trying to reinvent themselves basically which they have been doing like Stahma would have had - wouldn’t have had as much power like she has now the way she’s able to will it in her very subtle manner what she has to do with Datak and giving him the feeling that he’s holding all the cards or he’s got the ideas when actually she doesn’t want to upset him because he gives such a volatile character. But back on their own planet she was obviously - as Jaime said - it’s a very clear patriarchal society. She would not be able to wield her cunning sort of ways as she’s doing in Defiance. And then Datak and his sort of journey as well - I think he’s beginning to, you know, become a little wiser and Stahma’s almost unconsciously or she wants it to be unconsciously skewing Datak in the sense of no honey, don’t react too quickly because you have to keep your volatility and your temperament in check because when you behave like that, it doesn’t do you any good. It doesn’t do your family any good. So I think that as the season progresses and hopefully we will cross for next season. You’ll see that Datak becomes a little - he wizens up to Stahma’s sort of cunning approach to things because as he’s a bit of a blunt instrument and she’s much more of a refined tool if you like. And both of them together are obviously – they are quite a formidable couple.

Jaime: So one thing that I thought was interesting for me as an actor is I realized that we all wear masks and sometimes there’s an act where you kind of work out which mask your character is wearing when. And sometimes you’ll have a relationship that you can show where your character’s not wearing that mask. And as Stahma she’s wearing the mask all the time and she wears the mask even with Datak and it’s not that she doesn’t love him and obviously she does. But it was interesting for me - as the season progressed, I felt as though there were times when the mask slipped and that was very interesting for me. I’m hoping that it will next season though.

Tony: No, that’s an interesting point because it’s sort of - and as Jaime said it’s a very human thing because it’s something that we - because to cast the fans in the show, me and Jaime’s characters Jesse who plays Alak. They started shooting and we had not actually even we were supposed to start shooting but we hadn’t actually completed finished on our makeup and how we will look. And I think that was an important thing about playing the aliens. Yes, so aliens, different languages. We look different. We sound different. But we wanted it to put people to be able to see the actors, to see your eyes, to see your emotions. And I think that’s an important fact of playing them and the way we’re designed and the way we look that you can relate to them. They are aliens but they have many, many, many traits that are very similar, especially the patriarchal, matriarchal society within especially what it’s like, you know, in Asia cultures and Saudi Arabia where women are still looked down upon in many, many cultures which is, you know, which is completely wrong. It’s the similar similarities within outcasts in society and I think that’s what makes the women in Defiance so very, very powerful and very relatable I think to young women or any women out there because of the way they approach the characters. And I think that’s very compelling of them for people to watch.

Q) I wanted to find out if you could tell us a little bit about maybe what initially attracted you to your respective roles and also maybe what are some of the initial acting challenges you both found stepping into these executive shoes.

Tony: It’s a good question and the first thing that attracted me to well reading the script, there was the size and scale of it all and how challenging this would be and also that the, you know, playing an alien and what that would entail I think for me was just sort of - it was going to be a challenge for anybody really. But I think for me it was that to break it all down with the characters. If you don’t, you can have this fantastical backdrop of these amazing sort of aliens and the statistics of backdrop. If you don’t have these interesting characters that people can relate to then I think for me that was the most important thing. And also playing someone who’s from a difference of different planetary system and also who is actually a kid from the gutter as well. And this interesting dynamic that I found worth having something like sense and sensibility if you will when someone from the gutter ends up marrying someone from the upper edge lawns of society. So for me it was just interesting to play a character who had that sort of - who had that interesting dynamic with, you know, within someone who came from a different star cast system.

Jaime: Yes, I agree. Definitely my relationship with Datak - the Stahma Datak relationship was very interesting to me and I felt as though it was a lot of play that we could have with that and a very complex relationship. But also just playing another specifies was just so interesting to me because, you know, this is the wonderful thing about Syfy. It just skews things, you know, it just offers access just enough that it gives you a whole new way of looking at things - a really fresh perspective on things. I knew instinctively but in my quest to play an alien, it would make me take a fresh look at what it means to be human because you want these things. You have to kind of choose things which you are universal enough that the audience wants these different species to kind of make it work. They’re recognizable. You don’t want to just play an animal or you want to play something which is human enough but different enough. And so as an actor I had to kind of think how am I going to make this woman different enough that people can think she’s an alien but similar enough that they’re not completely kind of turned off by her and they can actually invest in the drama of these people and this family. We talked a lot about cultural and social things which are jarring and make you feel very uncomfortable. And you can have fun with that. Some of those things are quite harmless and others are really horrendous. So in the second episode one of the fairly harmless ones was that creepy scene in the bus somewhere and I’m very scantily caught and I’m hugging my grownup son. I think that’s sort of super creepy. But you could go to European country or, you know, an African country and nudity is handled in a completely different way. So that was just kind of like an interesting kind of quirk that shows that you’re not in Kansas anymore but then obviously in the second episode as well you see something far more disturbing and grotesque when you see a man strung up and tortured before the whole town because he’s ashamed of the cast of some people. I think there’s almost elements where you can have fun with these differences and other areas where you can make really valid important points and which aren’t too far removed which is what’s going on in other places in the world today. So I thought so there was a lot of power and there was a lot of scope in playing these characters and I was really excited about that.

Tony: And the thing you mentioned Jaime about the moment in the bath scene. I spoke to Kevin Murphy about that. That moment where Stahma’s sort of half semi-clad and her son is wearing his denim jacket and I’m in the bath. And she gives me a look as if to say oh you be quiet. And then I give her this weird smile which is obviously - everybody’s tweeting out going what was going on there? And apparently NBC were like well we’re not too sure about that moment and apparently they weren’t going to put it in the show.

Jaime: They put it in the show. It was so upsetting.

Tony: I said to Kev - but that’s exactly what we people should be reacting to. We’re not doing it for some sort of well let’s do something to surprise them in some sort of emotional response. We’re doing it because the towels are not from Kansas. The towels are from another planet. And there weird and wonderful and then their weirdness should definitely - it should be odd but it should be hopefully people should think it’s kind of different and interesting and intriguing enough to go. How many eccentric wonderful weird people do you look at and go wow, he’s odd or she’s odd but then you go I’d like to see them again. And I think that’s what I think the Tarr's are like. As Jaime said you want to make them relatable but at the same time we have to make them a little different, yes.

Jaime: Different enough that you can believe that they’re organically a different species because obviously I’m a human woman playing this alien. So I’ve got to do a few somersaults so you can see...

Tony: Allegedly Mrs. Murray, you are human. I’ve heard otherwise.

Jaime: Only on the outside, exactly. But you know, actually that point that you made - didn’t necessarily you have to kind of think - I didn’t want to move like a human woman. And so when it kind of came to challenges there’s part of my acting technique is I focus on the other actor and I read and respond to their behavior. And then I allow my own impulses - I try not to sensor my impulses - and I allow my own impulses to come up. That’s kind of like basically, you know, a very basic description of sometimes, you know, how I try and make it work on set. But in playing this alien, a lot of my impulses are human. Sometimes I would have an impulse and I would think oh well what is the opposite of that impulse? So for example in the pilot I knew that I had to get into this bath and I realized that there were things that I would do if I’m scantily clad as a human woman. There is a certain self consciousness that I have about my body and a certain way that I would hold myself which is very recognizably female and human. And I thought well why would this alien species have the same hang-ups and the same and hold their body in the same way as a human female. Why would she not necessarily stand like a cat or a serpent or ballerina kind of erect and proud. They’re not the same species. So you kind of try and make as many choices which shows that they are different and I think that obviously we work with amazing makeup artists and costume designers and the lighting with the DP, what he did in the tar house lighting wise I think really elevated our scenes.

Tony: it’s interesting because we still - as Jaime said - we still have sort of a trace of our own cultural and alien background physically. But the tars have also been on planet earth since 2013. It’s now 33 years later. So we have integrated it. Me and Jaime talked about it a lot with the producers direct about how we would sound when we were speaking English. And we were going to try some interesting accents. But then we decided that because it was set in America that we would have to talk about this vocal side of it. We would try and integrate best into the society as much as possible. So we would have sounded like the American people around us. But Jaime made a wonderful way of speaking as Stahma where she tries - she’s very slowly deliberate and tries to find the words as if it’s still tricky for the Castithans to speak English but it’s, you know, they’re very deliberate about it whereas the way I sound and we thought, oh we have to sound the same and then we decided well if someone’s from Oxford in England and someone’s still from England but from the east end of London they are going to sound very different and that’s why. That’s why obviously Datak and Stahma when we speak with certain vocals but...

Jaime: No but Tony, Tony also you are integrated. The American language from other Americans on the streets of Defiance and in the Shanty Town. Whereas I’ve learned to do that and actually I rarely leave the house. I mean you’re the only person I rarely go out. I start to in this season, you know, I start to integrate a little bit more. But up until this point, I think I really very rarely - Christie’s probably one of the first humans I’ve really spoken to.

Tony: Indeed, she’s someone like Lady Diana back in the day or, you know, there’s these public engagements. Stahma wouldn’t be out on the street very much at all really so whereas I won’t say too much about it but there is - there’s many avenues of back story to go down in the coming weeks and you’ll find out some interesting things about the tars by going back which they may do. I’ll put it like that. I beg you that’s enough.

Q) She obviously manipulates him a little bit. Do you think he knows he’s being manipulated and do you think he’d ever do something about that?

Tony: It’s an interesting question, aye, Jaime; because I don’t think anybody’s ever asked that question. I’ve thought about it myself. I’ve thought about it and...

Jaime: It kind of depends on how they do it. And sometimes if it feels good, I’ll just go with it. It’s like, you know, there’s sometimes moments and I would be in scenes with Tony and Tony’s like such an in the moment organic actor. Sometimes we would have these scenes and they were so charged because it was like it was almost like a love scene sometimes because it was so volatile but kind of - it didn’t kick off because I think that he kind of knew and he kind of appreciated it but it was kind of a thing that they didn’t talk about.

Tony: I think that it’s interesting, especially, you know, in episode one in the bath and she starts saying, you know, I have to get some changes and I’m going to kill it’s pretty intense stuff to say I’m not going to kill him but I’m going to kill his whole family. It’s like I’ll tip toe, I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night and burn his house down and piss on his ass.So he’s in the bath and as Stahma does - she gently puts the idea in his head that maybe we should marry these kids off and then we could take over the mines. And I think definitely with Datak or with anybody really - if someone gives you an idea - someone gives you their opinion that just happens to be more informed or a great idea. I think he admires Stahma. I think he definitely knows in the back of his mind that there is this culture class system which realistically he isn’t part of - he was never part of. She, you know, with her husband from the past, you know, he would have been telling her what to do. But now he knows that she’s smart. He knows that. But obviously as Jaime said before, it’s the unsaid. You know, she’s not going to come out and say oh for God’s sake Datak don’t do that. Do this. She does it - Stahma does it in a very suggestive and very, you know, very manipulative cat like way. But she’s manipulating Datak for the better of the two of them of their drive to the top. She’s not manipulating him in a detrimental way - well not yet anyway. I think Datak you know, subconsciously he knows she’s smart and I think he likes the way she approaches him with her ideas and sometimes they would later write the episodes where they talk about being refugees and things to do with Alak. And it isn’t manipulative. It’s more, you know, you see Stahma come out of her shell and she just can’t deal with Datak. Sort of a subtle approach - if you will - from Stahma. Sometimes Stahma just puts her foot down and says listen Datak you fucking get a grip here. Pardon my French. Get a grip here or we’re going to lose what we’ve got. So yes, I think he knows what she’s doing and I think he respects her and stuff like that. But at the same time I think Stahma has to - she still has to watch her step in many ways which is unfortunate but I think that’s what makes the two of them then sort of quite the dynamic between them quite compelling.

Jaime: I think at the beginning when you first meet Datak he’s - he listens to her much more and then as the season progresses, he enjoys some success in kind of the social climbing that they’re both kind of trying to achieve even from the beginning. And I think that actually her control over him listened.He becomes more confident in his abilities and he thinks obviously he doesn’t need her council quite so much.

Tony: Yes but I think that’s because he’s getting these good ideas but he doesn’t actually - I think he has to realize that these good ideas are coming from not just her ideology and her philosophy about things but also it’s about calming him down and also giving him good ideas but also I think Datak’s going to change and I think Stahma’s molding him into - he’s always got the power there and the sort of the blunt instrument and the volatility there which is required in a town like Defiance. But that can get you only so far.I think that Stahma’s - she’s fine tuning the attack and to someone - she’s educating them I think. I think she’s educating them.

Jaime: So usually when Stahma councils Datak it’s to fulfill their long-term aspirations whereas the difference between them is Datak will have good ideas how to win something in the moment. But sometimes the repercussions of those choices are not worth that win.

Tony: Yes, it’s like winning the battle but losing the war if you will.

Jaime: And sometimes also he will make good decisions to win in that moment but what he’s actually winning is the satisfaction of his own ego. It’s that narcissistic fix. She’s not a narcissist. She’s almost vampiric in her avaricious kind of materialistic social climbing aspiration but she never needs to take credit. She never needs to see it be seen as the victor and she never needs to be right whereas he needs all those things really badly. And she plays on those in order to kind of achieve her means. But there is a real shift in power as the season goes on and they both end up in kind of territory - kind of new territory and they have to kind of find a new way of dealing with each other.

Tony: I think that’s interesting that Jaime says that sort of the unsung heroin if you will - she’s the stoical and, you know, she said that she may have that egotistical say to her but as like with Datak she’s the quiet - she’s the silence of them - the stoical sort of stealth like serpent that comes through the grass and takes its prey down. And then you turn around and she’s gone. She’s smarter. She’s probably arguably the smartest alien of person in town and God knows what she would be like if she did - if she did good things for the community which I’m sure Stahma will. But I think that she’s just a stoical character Stahma. Very quiet and I think that one day hopefully - or maybe that will never happen - that Datak and Stahma can really relate to each other in maybe a more sort of equality - yes with an equality sort of approach. I don’t know if that would happen. I think that would be interesting. But right now I think the dynamic between the two of them has got so many possibilities because there’s things in the next few episodes that show up which I obviously can’t talk about but Stahma does things that maybe Datak doesn’t know about and that, you know, if your better half - your husband or your wife start doing things that you don’t know that they’re doing and then you find out about them. That can definitely stir the pot if you will.

Jaime: What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Q) Well from a viewer standpoint, if I were each on their bad side, I would fear her more because I mean I could see him coming from a mile away.

Tony: You’d hear a silverback coming through the jungle before you’d see a snake in the grass. Let’s put it that way. I’m watching the Twitter feed here and everything we’re saying’s coming up. It’s quite funny. Stahma is the silent stealthy one, probably the smartest in town. There you go. It’s all down there in the tweets darling. You can’t hide from it.

Q) It’s those troubled times that you kind of make us like him that I really appreciate because it’s one thing to be kind of big and loud and mean but then every once in a while you’ll pop in something like, "I really kind of like this, but I don’t want to."

Jaime: Whether the audience sees it - but when I’m in scenes with Tony, he’s like there’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak but there’s so much vulnerability. I would be in a scene with Tony with Datak and it’s confusing as an actor sometimes. And just see this little boy or this little alien. There were real moments as Stahma that I just wanted to take care of him. I just wanted to save him from himself. And I loved him. I love him.

Tony: Now going down that straight through as a gentleman just said who was on the phone, I think that, you know, those big characters like Datak as a lot of men who have got a volatile temper and it’s probably from their unfortunate past that they’ve had. So then Stahma’s obviously had more of a, you know, silver spoon in her mouth - if you will - upbringing. I don’t think she’s as vulnerable as Datak can be. He can be like a spoiled child. Yes, that’s a good point. Which makes people interesting to play I guess. It makes them interesting to play, yes.

Q) And that’s kind of what I wanted to ask is what - do you have like a greatest joy about your part and maybe your biggest challenge?

Tony: Yes I think what you mentioned there that I think is fun because there’s a lot of rules out there that anchors play and I think for me playing a role that it’s, you know, when I was doing the pilot there was the rule of this oh aggressiveness - oh he’s this aggressive type alien type character. But I always - I always look to movies like him - angels with dark faces or white heat. I was always a big fan of Jimmy Cagney. And when people like you are playing an alien and you’re watching Cagney movies, I’m like he was a kid from the street as well. And at the end of the day he was as hard as a shell that he perceived to have. He was damaged. He was damaged goods. He had issues and the reason that he behaved the way he behaved was because of his upbringing because obviously like we all - our past shapes, our future. And definitely Datak’s past is shaping his present and his future. But just to be all about sort of blowing all air and behaving in an aggressive manner would be very dull. I think it’s interesting to see that and you’ll see in episodes to come how Stahma takes care of Datak because he is like a big kid in many ways and he is a vulnerable individual who tries to have this - he is a strong character. There’s no doubt about it but at the same time like any human being - to talk about humans again. There are huge vulnerabilities in him. Anyway, a lot of the characters in Defiance - they have many skeletons in the closet and they’re almost trying to separate themselves from their past and instead of facing the past and dealing with it. And I think as you see the next few episodes come up, there are some back-story coming up which will reveal things about many characters in Defiance that you don’t know about now. So yes, it’s good to have a role - of course the regular character. If it’s all on the same level, it becomes, you know, not so compelling I feel.

Jaime: I talked about the challenge for me in playing, you know, the unexpected delight in playing this alien is it forced me to look at what it means to be human. And when we’re talking and trying to look like these characters, you know, you’re constantly talking about what human beings do. So that was really fun. But also I just feel as though there’s so much scope for this character. I feel as though and it will start happening in this season but I feel as though Stahma doesn’t really know who she is. I don’t really think she has any real idea of who she is. I think she only knows who she is in terms of other people and I think that’s going to be really exciting for it to suddenly dawn on her that she’s not on planet Casti anymore, that she’s surrounded by free and emancipated women. And although she has power and although she is intelligent, she is so defined by the men in her life and I think it will be interesting to see it dawn on her that there might be other ways of existing in this new world. Machiavellian in the way that she behaves. I often felt very vulnerable playing her. I felt very isolated. I felt very lonely because she doesn’t really let that mask slip with anyone. So if you’re constantly hiding behind your mask, you’re not really truly connected. And I think that she might actually kind of realize how disconnected she is and she might kind of try and be brave and connect with somebody and that might be quite of a profound feeling for her. And let’s see how that turns out. I mean there’s a raw immediacy about who he is which I bet he sleeps quite good at night whereas I bet Stahma doesn’t sleep so good.

Q) Kevin Murphy said his plan was to include bold earth vinyl which reminded me that when you first joined Twitter, Jaime, you used to tweet out songs by Lily Allen and Vice and dedicate those.

Jaime: I’m not very technologically clever and I think I probably got on that website because of Eddie McClintock from Warehouse 13 and I need to find another way of streaming music because I love music.

Q) And you would dedicate like don’t hate me to Julie. So I’m wondering from both of you as actors, not your characters but if you could add any contemporary artist to Alak’s playlist just to get artists on the show under the geyser called earth vinyl. Who might that be?

Tony: I love that he’s bringing that into it because obviously I can speak for all of us on the phone right now. That was definitely the first musical format that I remember. The first album that I bought was a Stevie Wonder album called “Hotter than July”. It’s an album with like “Master Blaster” on it and songs like that. And I’ve always been a big fan of Motown as well. So I did well up for my boy - oh boy play some Motown. Play some, you know, some things like Stevie Wonder for instance or, you know, Diana Ross. I don’t know. Did I say that? Yes.

Jaime: I can’t really imagine like Diana Ross in the most...

Tony: I was going to say Diana Ross is the right thing to say.

Jaime: A bit tweaked. A little bit unsettling like something like I can imagine Pearl Jam.And I imagine like, Jeremy, like there’s kind of like some rage in all those Pearl Jam songs or maybe something a little bit kind of quirky like the Cure.

Tony: Yes, that would be cool as well, yes. Adam and the Ants.

Jaime: Exactly. There was some real kind of like because it’s cool. I’m left in the 80s. There’s some of those kind of 80s, early 90s song I think are quite kind of apt to have sound guard.

Tony: I think Alak is going to have a fun time of suggesting things because (Jessie) for us - he’s such a Syfy aficionado and he loves his music as well that he’s having such a blast playing Alak and he’s so wonderful that he’s going to have a tall ball. He’s like I’ve got a radio station. And I don’t know if you noticed but (Jessie)’s been tweeting as Alak talking about recaps in the episodes. If you see the tweets he’ll go so last week, what happened on Defiance. And he’ll basically recap the episode. It’s a little video like a little video he does. And it’s like, you know, show Nolan or you. And my mom doesn’t like Nolan. He doesn’t like her. And he talks about it and then it’s a little video feed which, you know, that boy’s a genius he is. He’s a genius.

Jaime: You didn’t even like Alak particularly.

Tony: I don’t like him. I don’t. But if you’re talking about music, see the end of episode one. There’s a lovely scene between Fionnula and the train carriage. And there’s some beautiful - I’m not sure who it is but it’s like from the 20s or 30s - this old sort of speak easy music that was just added in as sort of background music. And it was the very last scene in the pilot. Yes, it really took you into the scene. You were like oh hang on a minute. Yes, it’s very evocative and where is this taking you and what is sort of the ambiguity of the scene and what they were talking about or what they weren’t talking about was very interesting I thought and the music really brought you into that, yes.

Q) So sort of along the lines of what we’ve been talking about them being from sort of different ends of the spectrum, I mean Datak has kind of had to embrace his evil because he’s had to sort of fight his way out to the streets and Stahma - it's part of the patriarchal society that she has to operate the way that she does. Well Datak can be evil. He’s definitely not a coward. I mean he’s very brave every time that he has to fight or defend his family. But I’m just wondering if at some point he may end up putting the town first. Is he maybe going to get sucked more into the town politics at some point?

Tony: Yes, it’s an interesting point actually. And some people have said to me isn’t there sort of a - Stahma has such a stoic way about her that, you know, wouldn’t it be the case one day where Stahma might get what she wants and then Datak is superfluous to requirements as it were. So to reverse what you said there, it may not be Datak who puts the tone first. Maybe it’s Stahma but that is yet to be seen. But yes, to be totally honest, my first instinct of that would be I don’t know how far Datak will get without Stahma. I think he can get to a certain point but to talk about or just to mention that the bar - the house of ill repute is called the need want in Defiance. And it’s interesting between Datak and Stahma - how much do they need each other and how much do they want each other? So I find that quite an interesting question which is basically will they always need each other and will they always desire each other because I think they desire each other but to get to where they both got to, I think they definitely needed each other. So it’s interesting because I’ve heard some talk through the grapevine of what may happen in the future. Datak ends up dying his hair red and I just thought that was - no I was like a ginger. I can’t be a ginger. I’m already a ginger. No, I think that there are things that happen in the future that are going to be that are going to be very - it’s going to be tough for Datak and Stahma but I think that it’s a very interesting road to go down after what’s happened in season one but obviously...

Jaime: But they are so much a part of each other. The kind of the two only really exist as a part of each other, you know. And so it’s very interesting who are they as individuals.

Tony: Yes and I think that once you take one away from the other - if that was ever to happen physically I mean - then I think then you would maybe - as Jaime said - the last lady chatting online. You’d see maybe who Stahma really is or who she thinks she is or how does she feel about Datak. Yes, who would fail Datak, yes.

Jaime: I keep on coming at an attempt to answering your question, Lisa, and I keep almost giving spoilers away. So it’s a good question because it’s obviously a question that the writers want you to ask and answer and I think that you might find the answer to your question, you know, this season.

Tony: This is lovely because Kevin - he’s obviously a writer or producer or wonderfully talented but I’ve worked with directors sometimes who will come up to you before a scene and they’ll whisper something in your ear and tell me something that they haven’t told Jaime. And so I love organically - we use that world - what can Jaime be because we can do things to each other during a scene that’s not scripted that she doesn’t know it’s coming or I don’t know it’s coming and it just keeps the scene fresh.And Kevin Murphy will come up to you in a bar if you’ve done a rehearsal and he’ll tell you something about what’s to come and you’re like seriously, you’re going to write that? And he’s like yes, yes but don’t tell anybody I told you that. So you he’ll tell me something he’s going to write about Jaime and I’ll be like seriously? Oh my God. And I’m sure he does it to Jaime as well about other characters but sometimes he’s told me some things recently and I’m like wow, that’s going to be really challenging and really embracing for our character to play that when he slips a little jam in my ear about what’s going to happen to another character which I find really exciting for the future of all of Defiance hopefully if we’re going to go into a second season.

Jaime: I think that she would put the family first but she might get distracted at some point this season. And so Datak might be - she’s still there. She’s still involved but she kind of might take her eye off the ball a bit and I think that then Datak - it’s not that he is thinking of the good of the town particularly. I can’t say it’s that noble or selfless. A little bit more time and space whereby he reacts to his own ego and his own kind of - he might kind of act out a rash decision without kind of having her kind of sooth him and council him. And you might be interested to see where that all kind of leaves them both.

Tony: I think sometimes you can see distance makes the heart grow fonder but then you can also see out of sight out of mind. And I was thinking that Datak might be like a little boy to begin with - maybe where’s my other half? Where’s my better half?

Jaime: Where’s my mommy?

Tony: Mommy. And then he may revert back to where he was before he met Stahma, you know. There’s that list of the calmer rat if you will whereas Stahma several of you know they go - anything happened in the future where they were not with each other. Then you would see a woman being able to - if she had the opportunity - to wield her power without the help of a man - of an alien man because she can stand alone and that would be very interesting for her, yes.

Jaime: The new strength. She might discover new ways of being whereas I think with Datak - he might revert back to old behaviors.

Tony: Yes, without her by his side. Yes, definitely. We’re both saying oh Datak, you know. And in very subtle ways she’s trying to improve his manners his ways. But then I think without her yes, he could definitely fall back into his old ways and I think maybe the complete opposite of that is maybe Stahma could start soaring - soaring far above him and going in a completely opposite direction because she’s like that because she’s so bloody smart. And who doesn’t think that Stahma Tarr is quite - by the way my nephews - I’ve got to say this quickly - my nephews go from 5 to like 23 and they keep texting me Uncle T, Uncle T. Man, that Stahma bud, she’s so hot.

Jaime: I hope I’m confusing a whole generation.

Tony: You are messing their heads up. My mom is 79 years of age and she was lying she was a bit tired. My nephew’s five and he was talking about Jaime. And then one day my mom was like to her, would you please calm down and relax. And my mom sat down and you remember that moment when Trenna plays the endogen darku and she puts a finger on Julie Benz’s head? It was “Good Human.” So Mary’s lying down on the couch and Calin comes up to her and he puts his finger on her head and he goes good human. Good human. I mean that’s crazy. He’s watching the pilot, you know. So it’s definitely getting out there at a young age - a young age. I’ve got a couple of these stories.

Q) Jaime, the last three shows I’ve seen you in, you’ve been kind of a bad girl you might call it - villainous. Why do you think you keep getting chosen for these roles?

Jaime: Well I think that you play one role like that and if people kind of enjoy that, they kind of see you. I look so different in this role but maybe there’s something about my physiology and my facial structure. I don’t know but what I do know is that I really enjoy playing these roles. And they’re very complex women dealing with very complex situations and the way I’ve always approached these roles is even the worst person in the world kind of including Mussolini and Hitler - they didn’t think that what they were doing was wrong. They were committing the worst atrocities against humanity and they thought that they were validated and that they were doing the right thing. People do what they think that they have to do and they often do the thing they think is the only choice they have or they’re making the best of a bad situation. So what’s really interesting if an actor is looking at what might have brought that person to that place and kind of really getting to know that person. And in this case it’s not. Yes, what shaped those and brought them to making those horrendous choices or what brought them to that value system - that skewed, awful value system. And maybe that’s why I keep getting these roles because I try not to judge the character as bad because you can’t play bad. If you play bad, you end up playing a cartoon or playing a characture. So really you’ve got to be the best lawyer that you can possibly be for these characters and Lila and Dexter you know, I played her. She was a broken person and she was really looking for a connection and she’d never really truly in her life had one before. That’s why she was going to all those NA meetings. She was trying to feel emotions that she’d never felt before and then when she found Dexter, she saw his dark passenger straight away and she related to it and she felt a connection for the first time in her life. And then when that connection was withdrawn from her, it made her go crazy. Like her wounded inner child just took over and she did some really, really awful things. I think that Olivia and Ringer - she was one of those women that really was very competitive and started competing with men in an industry which was very male dominated. And so instead of kind of rising above it, she actually kind of became the worst type of kind of aggressive mad. She took all the worst traits of all the worst men that she’d ever worked with and kind of except for what she adopted thinking that she, you know, that was the only way of her winning. And so it was really nice when the writers then wrote the story where my character showed a softer side with Andrea Goss who played Catherine. And it’s really nice when you’re able to show these other sides. So in Warehouse 13 with HG World I start off as the archetypal daddy and at the beginning of the season then I have this amazing arch whereby I kind of won over the team. And then in the next season I save the team. So there’s a real chance for a redemption in that role. And also you were given insight into what made her lose it. She lost a child and I think that there was a real charm to that character because you understood that she made horrible, horrible decisions but you were given some insight into her crazy and why she might have made those choices. So I love playing these characters because you’re never really just playing sometimes you can - as a female - you can sometimes be cast in roles which are just really kind of layering or coloring the male hero’s role, you know, giving insight into his character. You know and those roles can be fun to play but sometimes these daddy female roles are so complex.

Q) Tony, I was going to ask you about your accent for the character. Did you make the choice to make it different than your own or was it somebody else’s choice or how did that work out?

Tony: Yes. Well I think at some frames some people said oh, you know, we just love your accent. Why don’t you do it in your own accent? I was like don’t be so stupid, you know. Oh, he’s a Scottish alien. Oh that’s really clever. Yes, really smart. I’ve got quite a strong accent. There’s no doubt about that but I just think that these aliens are then they had integrated into their society. If it was set and, you know, if it was set in Glasgow then it might be different or if it was set in London but it wasn’t. It was set in it was set in America.So yes, I quite like it’s a part - especially playing an alien - if I was to use my own accent, I think that would be very odd for me. So I think that losing one’s self in a different zone. I don’t know how Jaime feels about it but it’s not like I’m actually doing an accent. I’d be in my room and I don’t know everybody - anybody else’s process. I’d be in my room talking to myself as Datak or trying to find a voice and some lines that we see and lines that we’re reading paragraphs of the script.I would be reading from a book I may be reading that time and I would try to find and it’s not like leaving my accent but almost trying to find another sound that obviously isn’t my own accent but is the sound that I feel comfortable in to express what Datak can - has what he has to express I guess. So I think I feel quite comfortable in it now. As I watch the episodes for characters that I haven’t done scenes with or scenes that Jaime’s done. Arguably one of my favorite scenes - one of them is the scene between Christie and Jaime on the train carriage. I think that Jaime sounds amazing and the scene is amazing. And I think as actors you constantly keep learning because I’ve watched last night’s episode and then I watch the last episodes and you’re looking in the world that was created because there’s a lot of the time when me and Jaime aren’t on the set and you’re looking at scenes that was shot when you’re not there. And you’re like okay, that’s how that part of the world looks when as before it’s only been in your mind’s eye as it were. So yes, I think that you’re constantly learning about how you sound, how you look, how you move and how other people do the same. And it’s sort of interesting to sort of try and learn something from that I guess is always interesting.

Q) We’ve heard the Defiance mayor insist on several occasions that assimilation is the only way to really coexist whether it’s 2014 or 2040 something, it seems that aliens are always expected - whether they’re space or undocumented - to assimilate here in the United States. With such diverse culture lines drawn in Defiance, do you think assimilation is possible and should it be?

Tony: I think assimilation is inevitable in many ways and especially with the unfortunate recent events with, you know, the way terrorism is sweeping across the - sweeping across the world. But I think what we’re in many ways sometimes on the verge because of certain, you know, religion’s been attached to certain terroristic attacks. I don’t mean to go into that right now but I think it’s important. But it could be on the verge of turning really bad if humanity cannot see, you know, see a way to try and integrate societies and to have that - to have that - the American dream - the American philosophy of acceptance and of equality.

Jamie: I’m glad that you asked this question. After last episode, Tony and I were emailing the show producers and backwards and forwards because there were views that really kind of picked up on the points that you’re making. And I was like yes, they’re seeing some of those really important universal themes that we wanted to make sure that we showed in a really nuanced and interesting way. And what I would say is that societies - all societies need to evolve. And it’s when people become entrenched in certain ways, that’s when you have a problem. And it’s really interesting - that scene between Datak and Stahma in the bath - where Stahma comes from the upper atriums of Casti and society and you can tell that she has a little bit of distaste about what they’re doing to Eli in the town square. And Datak who really never got anything good for his own society is the one holding on so tightly to those old traditions and those old traditions did nothing for him. And I think that was a really interesting point that the episode made which is it is generally the disenfranchised of any society that carries on doing damaging behaviors. It doesn’t matter where they come from. They’re damaging to everybody. And I think that you then have a child come into that scene and he’s dressed in his modern clothes and he just wants to be kind of connected and hang out with his generation. He doesn’t really see, you know, the other species particularly. It’s not about him retaining who he is. He wants to evolve and there’s always these kind of clashing kind of generations and cultures in that one scene. I thought was really kind of interesting what he done. And I would just say that I think that universal desire is that human beings have is for connection. And as you look at immigration and moving forward, assimilation sounds - I don’t know - it has connotations which could be really positive and sometimes really kind of get people’s back slapped. I just think that we need to look at ways of a different cultures connecting with each other on an authentic way so that we don’t end up with disenfranchised people who want to do damage to our societies. And whether it’s the UK and the British people or the American people - they have to be prepared to evolve too. You don’t want to stay the same. Who wants to stay the same? And then other cultures that come into a new place. They have to be willing to evolve as well and together we can create something new and we can create something better maybe.

Tony: Yes, definitely. That’s what the more optimistic, the more hopeful and progressive side of Defiance is trying to achieve. And to get away from the secular nature of humanity that is that you stay over there because you are a white middle class person and we have black people over here. And we are Asians over here and we are whatever over there. And we’re all going to integrate with each other because we get on better separately. I think in the sense of Defiance and in the sense of the world at large, people are traveling now to different countries for many different reasons because of the lack of opportunity in their own countries, because of war and my wife is, you know, she was born in Saigon. You know, she came over here in 73 and she’s like - if you will - with Datak and Stahma in the sense of their being a refuge - a displaced person who had to come to come to another country for opportunity. And then I think it’s for anybody who comes from another country because they’re forced to do so and to come into a society. And arguably the greatest country in the world America - I wouldn’t even say arguably - for opportunities for people from all over the world. I mean that’s why America started in the sense of when people came from Europe and people came from South America and, you know, they founded the United States. It was other cultures within the American - well obviously the American Indians were here first. People started creating opportunity and that’s what - that’s what America’s been based on. So the political cultural similarities between America and the planet today with Defiance. I think people are going to find very - especially for a science fiction show that you might not think has that depth or clout or progressive sort of message to say no to people. I think that’s what - within this wonderful fantastical backdrop of the science fiction world. You’re going to find some very, very human stories with it - no pun intended - about people being alienated within their societies wherever they come from. And I think that’s what Datak and Stahma and a lot of other characters in the show that we talk about, that we discuss and I think that’s what makes it - this show could go far in many ways because it’s holding a mirror up to like any good drama. It’s like holding a mirror up to society and saying this is what we are. You don’t like those bits. These are some good bits but we can’t deny what we are. And the question is what are we going to do about it? Are we going to try to make it better or are we going to turn a blind eye to it and just go backwards basically because if we don’t land from our past then our future can be very bleak. Jesus it all got very heavy all of the sudden. As Gandhi said, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. So he was a good bloke.

Q) Have either of you played the game yet and if they have any plans for your characters to be in the game?

Jaime: My character’s not in the game. As I was saying I’m kind of quite a lady. A few unknowns or a few in the next season but I did play the game at Comic-con and I played it a couple of months ago in the UK and I wasn’t very good at it at all. I think for the qualities that drew me to acting like kind of getting into things and kind of having empathy and kind of getting excitable and like kind of following my impulses make me a horrible, horrible gamer because I get really excited and I squeal like a little girl and I get really nervous when I’m playing the game. And so I’m better off kind of watching other people play the game because it think you need to be cool, calm and kind of cool headed when you play these games and they’re not qualities really that I have. But I enjoy watching the game because you see the grass blowing in the wind and it’s so intricate and the world is really kind of beautifully created. So that kind of enriched me as an actor but unfortunately I’m not a very good gamer at all.

Tony: With the way Jaime says that, I think I’d like to watch Jaime playing the game actually.

Jaime: I do have this picture of me playing the game. I’m all like elbows and hunched and worried like I’m an anxious little child.

Tony: I’ve played the game at Comic-con. I’ve got it at home. When I get a chance, I get on there. But the thing is the video games - once you get on it - it’s not like yes, I’ll play for ten minutes. You can waste hours playing video games. And some people don’t have that much time. But I think they’ve done a great job with it.I think when I was in a Syfy event in New York recently; I spoke to some of the gamers. I played there and the guys who created the game. And God, there’s like 300 people who have been involved in it over the past five years. And they said characters like Stahma and Datak and Alak will be integrated into the next stage of the game.

Jaime: Including me?

Tony: Oh yes, including you. Yes because you’re like oh, what have I got? Oh, I’ve got to really challenge blade and I’m sure Stahma’s going to have some little maybe Stahma will have some special powers. Who knows? But yes, I think so. I don’t think they could put me in the game and not put you in.But if I’m going to have to get into a little black tight motion capture outfit, You’re coming along with me sister. You look like an Olympic runner. But I think the characters are going to get empty because this game it’s slowly hopefully going to expand more and more. So then I think it would be fun to be part of and then they’ve already mentioned that some of the main other characters are going to be part of the game. So Julie and Jaime and myself and Jesse and so on. So that’ll be quite exciting to play yourself in the game.
http://starrymag.com/content.asp?ID=7399&CATEGORY=Interviews&PAGE=1

Defiance - Conference Call Transcript - Tony Curran and Jaime Murray
SYFY CONFERENCE CALL - DEFIANCE
Moderator: Brenda Lowry
May 1, 2013
3:30 pm CT

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to theSyfy conference call for Defiance. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded Wednesday, May the 1st 2013. I would now like to turn the conference over to Brenda Lowry. Please go ahead.

Brenda Lowry: Thank you. Hi everyone. Thanks so much for joining us on our call today with Tony Curran and Jaime Murray - two of the starts of Defiance who portray Datak Tarr and Stahma Tarr - members of an alien race called the Castithans.

Hi guys, thanks so much for doing this call today. We’re really excited.

Jaime Murray: Hi. Thanks for having us.

Tony Curran: Thank you. Hi.

Brenda Lowry: And in case anybody doesn’t know by now, Defiance airs Monday nights at 9:00 PM onSyfy. So I think without further ado, let’s kick off the call.

Operator: Our first question comes from the line of Jamie Ruby with scifivision.com. Please go ahead.

Jamie Ruby: So can you talk about - especially in this next episode coming up, we’re learning more and more that Stahma seems to be the one in charge of the whole council thing and everything. Can you guys talk just kind of in the general sense about how that dynamic is shifting and how we’ll continue to see more of that through the season?

Jaime Murray: Well, you know, it’s really an interesting role to me because although I’m playing this woman who I see five years in the future, really I sometimes felt like I was in a period piece because there are two things about the Castithans which are very similar to, you know, where we came from, you know, hundreds of years ago. And that is that they come from very patriarchal society. So based on gender, Stahma is quite repressed and her job would really be, you know, what historians might think well, you know, a breeder and a bleeder.

And she could have been expected to be a good mother. However this is actually complicated by the fact that Stahma and Datak come from a society with a really strict cloth system and that they have very strict cost. And Datak would almost have been an untouchable. He would have been on the very lowest end of that kind of cloth system. And Stahma would have been at the very top almost like aristocracy or royalty.

So they would never on their own planet have been together. But when, you know, it’s a whole new world that they’re on now and in many ways, the qualities that Datak had to employ to survive back on Caspi made him very powerful and strong in the new world of Defiance because, you know, he’s - and she’s now with this very powerful man.

But there’s this interesting dynamic in their relationship and it’s almost like there’s an interesting power struggle because she’s more highly educated than him and she’s - I mean they’re both intelligent but she has, you know, she’s probably been to more schools than him and maybe seen at the lumber game where he’s very shroud and sharp and he has lived on his instincts all his life.

And so together they’re an awesome combination but because of the fact that she’s a woman, she can’t really - she can’t tell him what to do - not outright. So she has to be very cunning and shroud and go sideways about how she communicates ideas to him and suggests, you know, ways of dealing with situations to him and I think that he is sometimes at the whim of his emotions more than Stahma. Stahma is very controlled and so sometimes she’s often counseling him to be more patient, to take more time, think of the long term and try to do it without injuring his pride.

Tony Curran: Yes, I think as you see - as an interesting question - as you see the season progress and each episode unfolding, as Jaime says, you know, you see so many interesting dynamics with a lot of the characters but one of, you know, they’re all compelling but one of the one’s we thinks’ quite interesting is the fact of Jamie as of Stahma and Datak coming from another planet but also coming from very different ends of the spectrum within a very sort of social sort of society, culturally very different.

And I think that - I think Datak - I think they’re both - they’re trying to reinvent themselves basically which they have been doing like Stahma would have had - wouldn’t have had as much power like she has now the way she’s able to will it in her very subtle manner what she has to do with Datak and thinking, you know, giving him the feeling that, you know, he’s holding all the cards or he’s got the ideas when actually, you know, she doesn’t want to upset him because he gives such a volatile character.

But back on their own planet she was obviously - as Jaime said - it’s a very clear patriarchal society. She would not be able to wield her cunning sort of ways as she’s doing in Defiance. And then Datak and his sort of journey as well - I think he’s beginning to, you know, become a little wiser and Stahma’s almost unconsciously or she wants it to be unconsciously skewing Datak in the sense of no honey, don’t react too quickly because, you know, you have to keep your volatility and your temperament in check because when you behave like that, it doesn’t do you any good. It doesn’t do your family any good.

So I think that as the season progresses and hopefully, you know, we will cross for next season. You’ll see that Datak becomes a little - he wizens up to Stahma’s sort of cunning approach to things because as, you know, he’s a bit of a blunt instrument and she’s much more of a refined tool if you like. And both of them together are obviously – they are, you know, quite a formidable couple.

Jaime Murray: So one thing that I thought was interesting for me as an actor is I realized that we all wear masks and sometimes there’s an act where you kind of work out which mask your character is wearing when. And sometimes, you know, you’ll start as an actor - you’ll have a relationship that you can show where your character’s not wearing that mask. And as Stahma she’s wearing the mask all the time and she wears the mask even with Datak and it’s not that she doesn’t love him and obviously she does.

But it was interesting for me - as the season progressed, I felt as though there were times when the mask slipped and that was very interesting for me. Not completely - I’m hoping that it will next season though.

Tony Curran: No, that’s an interesting point because it’s sort of - and as Jaime said, you know, it’s a very human thing because it’s something that we - because to cast the fans in the show, me and Jaime’s characters Jesse who plays Alak. They started shooting and we had not actually even, you know, we were supposed to start shooting but we hadn’t actually completed, you know, finished on our makeup and how we will look. And I think that was an important thing about playing the aliens.

Yes, so aliens, different languages. We look different. We sound different. But we wanted it to put people to be able to see the actors, to see your eyes, to see your emotions. And I think that’s an important fact of playing them and the way we’re designed and the way we look that you can relate to them. They are aliens but they have many, many, many traits that are very similar, especially the, you know, the patriarchal, matriarchal society within especially what it’s like, you know, in Asia cultures and Saudi Arabia where, you know, women are still looked down upon in many, many cultures which is, you know, which is completely wrong.

But within - it’s the similar similarities within outcasts in society and I think that’s what makes the women in Defiance so very, very powerful and very relatable I think to young women or any women out there because of the way they approach the characters. And I think that’s very compelling of them for people to watch, you know.

Jamie Ruby: Well thank you very much.

Tony Curran: Oh sure. Sorry, I thought I lost you there.

Operator: And now our next question comes from the line of Steve Eramo from Scifi & TV Talk. Please go ahead.

Steve Eramo: Before I begin, I have to tell you I’m thoroughly enjoying your work on the show so far. You guys have created a couple of really intriguing and rather creepy characters and I’m really looking forward to see where they take them this season.

Tony Curran: Thank you.

Jaime Murray: We’re going for creepy.

Tony Curran: If you have nothing to do with day talk, it’s all Stahma. I would trade, you know, I was a shy kid just going about my work, you know.

Steve Eramo: My first question for both of you - I wanted to find out if you could tell us a little bit about maybe what initially attracted you to your respective roles and also maybe what are some of the initial acting challenges you both found stepping into these executive shoes.

Tony Curran: It’s a good question and the first thing that attracted me to well reading the script, there was the size and scale of it all and how challenging this would be and also that the, you know, playing an alien and what that would entail I think for me was just sort of - it was going to be a challenge for anybody really. But I think for me it was that to break it all down with the characters, you know. If you don’t, you can have this fantastical backdrop of these amazing sort of aliens and the statistics of backdrop.

But if you don’t have the - if you don’t have these interesting characters that people can relate to then I think for me that was the most important thing, you know. And also playing someone who’s from a difference of, you know, different planetary system and also who is actually a kid from, you know, from the gutter as well. And this interesting dynamic that I found worth having, you know, something like sense and sensibility if you will when someone from the gutter ends up marrying someone from the upper edge lawns of society.

So for me it was just interesting to play a character who had that sort of - who had that interesting dynamic with, you know, within someone who came from a different star cast system.

Jaime Murray: Yes, I agree. Definitely my relationship with Datak - the Stahma Datak relationship was very interesting to me and I felt as though it was, you know, a lot of play that we could have with that and, you know, a very complex relationship. But also, you know, just playing another specifies was just so interesting to me because, you know, this is the wonderful thing about Syfy. It just skews things, you know, it just offers access just enough that it gives you a whole new way of looking at things - a really fresh perspective on things.

And, you know, I knew instinctively but in my quest to play an alien, it would make me take a fresh look at what it means to be human because, you know, you want these - you want these things that the - have I lost you guys? You’re so quiet.

Operator: No, we’re listening intently.

Tony Curran: No. On your every word my darling, I’ll just make some noises now and again.

Jaime Murray: Keep breathing or something.

Tony Curran: Keep breathing. Don’t die on me. Don’t die on me. Okay.

Jaime Murray: You know, you have to kind of choose things which you are universal enough that the audience wants these different species to kind of make it work. They’re recognizable, you know. You don’t want to just play, you know, an animal or, you know, you want to play something which is human enough but different enough.

And so, you know, as an actor I had to kind of think how am I going to make this woman different enough that people can think she’s an alien but similar enough that they’re not completely kind of turned off by her and they can actually invest in the drama of these people and this family.

And so we kind of - we talked a lot about, you know, cultural and social things which are jarring and make you feel very uncomfortable. And you can have fun with that. Some of those things are quite harmless, you know, and others are really horrendous. So in the second episode, you know, one of the, you know, fairly harmless ones was that creepy scene in the bus somewhere, you know, and I’m very scantily caught and I’m hugging my grownup son.

I think that’s sort of super creepy. But, you know, you could go to European country or, you know, an African country and, you know, nudity is handled in a completely different way. So that was, you know, that was just kind of like an interesting kind of quirk that shows that you’re not in Kansas anymore but then obviously in the second episode as well you see something far more disturbing and grotesque when you see a man strung up and tortured before the whole town because he’s ashamed of the cast of some people.

So it was - I think there’s almost elements where you can have fun with these differences and other areas where you can make really valid important points and which aren’t too far removed which is what’s going on in, you know, other places in the world today. So I thought so there was a lot of power and there was a lot of scope in playing these characters and I was really excited about that.

Tony Curran: And you know the thing you mentioned Jaime about the moment in the bath scene. I spoke to Kevin Murphy about that. That moment where, you know, Stahma’s sort of half semi-clad and, you know, her son is wearing his denim jacket and I’m in the bath. And she gives me a look as if to say oh you be quiet. And then I give her this weird smile which is obviously - everybody’s tweeting out going what was going on there?

And apparently NBC were like well we’re not too sure about that moment and apparently they weren’t going to put it in the show. And...

Jaime Murray: They put it in the show. It was so upsetting.

Tony Curran: It was so weird and people - I said to Kev - but that’s exactly what we people should be reacting to. We’re not doing it for some sort of well let’s do something to surprise them in some sort of emotional response. We’re doing it because the towels are not from Kansas. The towels are from another planet. And there weird and wonderful and then their weirdness should definitely, you know, it should be odd but it should be hopefully people should think it’s kind of different and interesting and intriguing enough to go.

These people are - how many eccentric wonderful weird people do you look at and go wow, he’s odd or she’s odd but then you go I’d like to see them again. And I think that’s what I think the Tarr's are like. You know, as Jaime said you want to make them relatable but at the same time they have to be, you know, we have to make them, you know, a little different, yes.

Jaime Murray: Different enough that you can believe that they’re organically a different species because obviously I’m a human woman playing this alien. So I’ve got to do a few somersaults so you can see...

Tony Curran: Allegedly Mrs. Murray, you are human. I’ve heard otherwise.

Jaime Murray: Only on the outside, exactly. But you know, actually that point that you made, you know, it - didn’t necessarily, you know, you have to kind of think, you know, I didn’t want to move like a human woman, you know. And so when it kind of came to challenges, you know, there’s part of, you know, my acting technique is, you know, I focus on the other actor and I read and respond to their behavior. And then I allow my own impulses - I try not to sensor my impulses - and I allow my own impulses to come up.

That’s kind of like basically, you know, a very basic description of sometimes, you know, how I try and make it work on set. But, you know, in playing this alien, a lot of my impulses are human. Sometimes I would have an impulse and I would think oh well what is the opposite of that impulse? So for example in the pilot, you know, I knew that I had to get into this bath and, you know, I realized that there were things that I would do if I’m scantily clad as a human woman. There is a certain self consciousness that I have about my body and a certain way that I would hold myself which is very recognizably female and human.

And I thought well why would this alien species have the same hang-ups and the same and hold their body in the same way as a human female, you know. Why would this alien - why would she not necessarily stand like a cat or a serpent or ballerina, you know, kind of erect and proud, you know. You know, they’re not the same species.

So you kind of try and make as many choices which shows that they are different and I think that, you know, obviously we work with amazing makeup artists and costume designers and, you know, the lighting with the DP, what he did in the tar house lighting wise I think really elevated our scenes.

Tony Curran: And we’ve also been on the planet - it’s interesting because we still - as Jaime said - we still have sort of a trace of our own cultural and alien background physically. But the tars have also been on planet earth since 2013. It’s now, you know, 33 years later. So we have integrated it. Me and Jaime talked about it a lot with the producers direct about how we would sound when we were speaking English. And we were going to try some interesting accents. But then we decided that because it was set in America that we would, you know, have to talk about this vocal side of it.

We would try and integrate best into the society as much as possible. So we would have sounded like the American people around us. But Jaime made a wonderful way of speaking as Stahma where she tries - she’s very slowly deliberate and tries to find the words as if it’s still tricky for the Castithans to speak English but it’s, you know, they’re very deliberate about it whereas the way I sound and we thought, oh we have to sound the same and then we decided well if someone’s from Oxford in England and someone’s still from England but from the east end of London, you know, they are going to sound very different and that’s why, you know.

That’s why obviously Datak and Stahma you know, when we speak with certain vocals but...

Jaime Murray: No but Tony, Tony also you - you are integrated. You learn your - the American language from other Americans on the streets of Defiance and, you know, in the Shanty Town. Whereas I’ve learned to do that and actually I rarely leave the house. I mean you’re the only person, you know, I rarely go out. I start to in this season, you know, I start to integrate a little bit more. But up until this point, I think I really very rarely - Christie’s probably one of the first humans I’ve really spoken to.

Tony Curran: Indeed, she’s someone like Lady Diana back in the day or, you know, there’s these public engagements. Stahma wouldn’t be out on the street very much at all really so whereas, you know, I won’t say too much about it but there is - there’s many avenues of back story to go down in the coming weeks and you’ll find out some interesting things about the tars by going by, you know, by going back which they may do. I’ll put it like that. I beg you that’s enough.

Steve Eramo: Well listen. I cannot wait and again, I’m big fans of you both so again, it was an absolute pleasure speaking to you and best of luck and success with the show.

Operator: And now our next question comes from the line of Tony Tellado with Scifi Talk. Please go ahead.

Tony Tellado: Hey. I have a question about your relationship on the show and one thing I’ve noticed so far - she obviously manipulates him a little bit. Do you think it’s - for both of you - do you think he knows he’s being manipulated and do you think he’d ever do something about that?

Tony Curran: Sorry, that’s a good, good question. It’s an interesting question, aye, Jaime; because I don’t think anybody’s ever asked that question. I’ve thought about it myself. I’ve thought about it and...

Jaime Murray: It kind of depends on how they do it. And sometimes if it feels good, I’ll just go with it.

It’s like, you know, there’s sometimes moments, you know, and I would be in scenes with Tony and Tony’s like such an in the moment organic actor. And, you know, it was almost kind of - sometimes we would have these scenes and they were so charged because it was like, you know, it was almost like a love scene sometimes because it was so volatile but kind of - it didn’t kick off, you know, because I think that he kind of knew and he kind of appreciated it but it was kind of a thing that they didn’t talk about because, you know.

Tony Curran: Yes, you know, I think that it’s interesting, especially, you know, in episode one in the bath and she starts saying, you know, I have to get some changes and I’m going to kill, you know, it’s pretty intense stuff to say I’m not going to kill him but I’m going to kill his whole family. You know, it’s like I’ll tip toe, I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night and burn his house down and piss on his ass, you know.

So he’s in the bath and, you now, as Stahma does - she gently puts the idea in his head that, you know, maybe we should marry these kids off and then we could take over the mines. And I think definitely with Datak or with anybody really - if someone gives you an idea - someone gives you their opinion that just happens to be, you know, more informed or a great idea. I think that Datak - I think he admires Stahma. I think he definitely knows in the back of his mind that there is this culture class system which realistically he isn’t part of - he was never part of.

She, you know, with her husband from the past, you know, he would have been telling her what to do. But now he knows that she’s smart. He knows that. But obviously as Jaime said before, it’s the unsaid. You know, she’s not going to come out and say oh for God’s sake Datak don’t do that. Do this. She does it - Stahma does it in a very suggestive and very, you know, very manipulative cat like way. But she’s manipulating Datak for the better of the two of them of their drive to the top. She’s not manipulating him in a detrimental way - well not yet anyway.

But she’s - I think Datak you know, subconsciously he knows she’s smart and I think he likes the way she approaches him with her ideas and sometimes they would later write the episodes where they talk about being refugees and things to do with Alak. And it isn’t manipulative. It’s more, you know, you see Stahma come out of her shell and she just can’t deal with Datak. Sort of a subtle approach - if you will - from Stahma.

Sometimes Stahma just puts her foot down and says listen Datak you fucking get a grip here. Pardon my French. Get a grip here or we’re going to lose what we’ve got. So yes, I think he knows what she’s doing and I think he respects her and stuff like that. But at the same time I think Stahma has to - she still has to watch her step in many ways which is unfortunate but I think that’s what makes the two of them then sort of quite the dynamic between them quite compelling.

Jaime Murray: I think at the beginning, you know, when you first meet Datak he’s - he listens to her much more and then as the season progresses, I think maybe he does - he enjoys some success in kind of the social climbing that they’re both kind of trying to achieve even from the beginning. And I think that actually her control over him listened.

He becomes more - wouldn’t you say Tony - he becomes more confident in his abilities and he thinks obviously he doesn’t need her council quite so much.

Tony Curran: Yes but I think that’s because he’s getting these good ideas but he doesn’t actually - I think he has to realize that these good ideas are coming from not just her ideology and her philosophy about things but also it’s about calming him down and also giving him good ideas but also I think Datak’s going to change and I think Stahma’s molding him into - he’s always got the power there and the sort of the blunt instrument and the volatility there which is required in a town like Defiance. But that can get you only so far.

But I think Stahma - I think Jaime I think that Stahma’s - she’s fine tuning the attack and to someone - she’s educating them I think. I think she’s educating them.

Jaime Murray: So usually when Stahma councils Datak it’s to fulfill their long-term aspirations whereas the difference between them is Datak will have good ideas how to win something in the moment. But sometimes the repercussions of those choices are, you know, not worth that win.

Tony Curran: Yes, it’s like winning the battle but losing the war if you will.

Jaime Murray: And sometimes also he will make good decisions to win in that moment but what he’s actually winning is the satisfaction of his own ego.

Tony Curran: Yes, it’s very much about his own - he needs that fix in that moment of sort of...

Jaime Murray: It’s that narcissistic fix. She’s not a narcissist. She’s almost vampiric in her avaricious kind of materialistic social climbing aspiration but she never needs to take credit. She never needs to see it be seen as the victor and she never needs to be right whereas he needs all those things really badly. And she plays on those in order to kind of achieve her means.

But there is a real shift in power as the season goes on and they both end up in kind of territory - kind of new territory and they have to kind of find a new way of dealing with each other.

Tony Curran: I think that’s interesting that Jaime says that sort of the unsung heroin if you will - she’s the stoical and, you know, she said that she may have that egotistical say to her but as like with Datak she’s the quiet - she’s the silence of them - the stoical sort of, you know, stealth like serpent that comes through the grass and takes its prey down.

And then you turn around and she’s gone, you know. She’s so - she’s smarter. She’s probably arguably the smartest, you know, alien of person in town and God knows what she would be like if she did - if she did good things for the community which I’m sure Stahma will. But I think that she’s just a stoical character Stahma. Very quiet and I think that one day hopefully - or maybe that will never happen - that Datak and Stahma can really relate to each other in maybe a more sort of equality - yes with an equality sort of approach. I don’t know if that would happen.

Yes, you know, I think that would be interesting. But right now I think the dynamic between the two of them has got so many possibilities because there’s things in the next few episodes that show up which I obviously can’t talk about but Stahma does things that maybe Datak doesn’t know about and that, you know, if your better half - your husband or your wife start doing things that you don’t know that they’re doing and then you find out about them. You know, that can definitely stir the pot if you will.

Jaime Murray: What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Tony Curran: Exactly.

Tony Tellado: Well from a viewer standpoint, if I were each on their bad side, I would fear her more because I mean I could see him coming from a mile away but her - I’d always be watching my back and that’s really what...

Tony Curran: I know, exactly. You’d hear a silverback coming through the jungle before you’d see a snake in the grass. Let’s put it that way. I’m watching the Twitter feed here and everything we’re saying’s coming up. It’s quite funny.

Jaime Murray: Hooray. It’s not live is it?

Tony Curran: Stahma is the silent stealthy one, probably the smartest in town. There you go. It’s all down there in the tweets darling. You can’t hide from it.

Jaime Murray: You’re so rude.

Tony Curran: It’s so rude. I thought this was between us. That’s cool.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Erin Willard with Scifi Mafia. Please go ahead.

Erin Willard: Hi, thanks so much for being on the call today. I was already a big fan of both of your work and so I’m so glad you’ve been given these such great parts in Defiance. And I got to say this subtlety that each of you bring to your parts are what I really, really enjoy about watching you to do it overall.

Tony Curran: Thank you. Jaime’s very subtle as Stahma. I’m trying to be a little more subtle.

Erin Willard: Well, you know, it’s those troubled times that you kind of make us like him that I really appreciate because, you know, it’s one thing to be kind of big and loud and mean but then every once in a while you’ll pop in something like, you know, I really kind of like this but I don’t want to...

Jaime Murray: Yes and I think that I - whether the audience sees it - but when I’m in scenes with Tony, you know, he’s like there’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak but there’s so much vulnerability. You know, I would be in a scene with Tony with Datak you know, and it’s confusing as an actor sometimes. And just see this little boy or this little alien.

Tony Curran: Yes, no it’s true. It’s true.

Jaime Murray: And I often, you know, there were real moments as Stahma that I just wanted to take care of him. I just wanted to save him from himself. And I loved him. I love him.

Tony Curran: Now going down that straight through as a gentleman just said who was on the phone, I think that, you know, those big characters like Datak as a lot of men who have got a volatile temper and it’s probably from their unfortunate past that they’ve had. So then Stahma’s obviously had more of a, you know, silver spoon in her mouth - if you will - upbringing. But she is definitely - I don’t think she’s as vulnerable as Datak can be. He is like a - yes, he can be like a spoiled child. Yes, that’s a good point.

Jaime Murray: So I wanted to ask...

Tony Curran: Which makes people interesting to play I guess. It makes them interesting to play, yes.

Erin Willard: And that’s kind of what I wanted to ask is what - do you have like a greatest joy about your part and maybe your biggest challenge?

Tony Curran: Yes I think what you mentioned there that I think is fun because, you know, there’s a lot of rules out there that anchors play and, you know, and I think for me playing a role that it’s, you know, when I was doing the pilot there was the rule of this oh aggressiveness - oh he’s this aggressive type alien type character. But I always - I always look to movies like him - angels with dark faces or white heat. I was always a big fan of Jimmy Cagney.

And when people like you are playing an alien and you’re watching Cagney movies, I’m like yes because - like he was a kid from the street as well. And at the end of the day he was as hard as a shell that he perceived to have. He was damaged. He was damaged goods. He had issues and the reason that he behaved the way he behaved was because of his upbringing because obviously like we all - our past shapes, our future. And definitely Datak’s past is shaping his present and his future.

But just to be all about sort of blowing all air and behaving in an aggressive manner would be very dull. I think it’s interesting to see that and you’ll see in episodes to come how Stahma you know, takes care of Datak because he is like a big kid in many ways and he is a vulnerable individual who tries to have this, you know, he is a strong character. There’s no doubt about it but at the same time like any human being - to talk about humans again. Yes, I think that he is - there are huge vulnerabilities in him.

Anyway, a lot of the characters in Defiance - they have many skeletons in the closet and they’re almost trying to separate themselves from their past and instead of facing the past and dealing with it. And I think as you see the next few episodes come up, there are some back-story coming up which will reveal things about many characters in Defiance that you don’t know about now.

So yes, I think it’s - it’s good to have a role - of course the regular character. If it’s all on the same level, it becomes, you know, not so compelling I feel.

Erin Willard: And Jaime?

Jaime Murray: Sorry. I’ve lost a sense of what the question was.

Erin Willard: Oh, okay. I was kind of asking what your biggest joy was about your part that you really get the most out of.

Tony Curran: Apart from working with me obviously.

Jaime Murray: No, no way. I really lucked out there.

Tony Curran: I thought you fell asleep there while I was talking. I thought Murray - she’s fallen asleep again. She’s buying a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. Sorry.

Jaime Murray: The - well I mean I think, you know, I talked about, you know, the challenge for me in playing, you know, the unexpected delight in playing this alien is it forced me to look at what it means to be human. And, you know, when we’re talking and trying to look like these characters, you know, you’re constantly talking about what human beings do. So that was really fun.

But also I just feel as though there’s so much scope for this character. I feel as though and it will start happening in this season but I feel as though Stahma doesn’t really know who she is. I don’t really think she has any real idea of who she is. I think she only knows who she is in terms of other people and I think that’s going to be really exciting for it to suddenly dawn on her that she’s not on planet Casti anymore, that she’s surrounded by free and emancipated women.

And although she has power and although she is intelligent, she is so defined by the men in her life and I think it will be interesting to see it dawn on her that there might be other ways of existing in this new world.

Erin Willard: Wow. I think she’s just going to be a force in nature. I can’t wait.

Tony Curran: She’s going to become more of a force than me.

Jaime Murray: I’m an existing mix of - she’s incredibly powerful and almost mach valiant. I can’t even talk this morning.

Tony Curran: Machiavellian.

Jaime Murray: Machiavellian in the way that she behaves. But there’s - a lot of, you know, I often felt very vulnerable playing her. I felt very isolated. I felt very lonely because she doesn’t really let that mask slip with anyone. So if you’re constantly hiding behind your mask, you’re not really truly connected. And I think that she might actually kind of realize how disconnected she is and she might kind of try and be brave and connect with somebody and that might be quite of a profound feeling for her. And let’s see how that turns out.

Tony Curran: Yes, that’s interesting. If you’re held up in that sort of, you know, in that castle all the time. I mean there’s not many...

Jaime Murray: She’s a bird in a gilded cage.

Tony Curran: Yes, exactly. I mean she’s not - she can’t release people.

Jaime Murray: The way you behave in that moment - I mean there’s a raw immediacy about who he is which, you know, I bet he sleeps quite good at night whereas I bet Stahma doesn’t sleep so good.

Tony Curran: Yes.

Erin Willard: Wow. I can’t wait to see any of it. Your performances have been absolutely outstanding and I really appreciate the work. Thank you both so much for your lovely responses.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Tim Holquinn with TV Over Mind. Please go ahead.

Tim Holquinn: Hi, I’m really thrilled to get to speak to both of you for the first time today.

After Defiance I got to say “A Well Respected Man” is my new favorite episode and the bit at the end between Stahma and Nolan says so much in so few words. Simply brilliant.

My question is about Alak’s radio station that’s coming up. Kevin Murphy said his plan was to include bold earth vinyl which reminded me that when you first joined Twitter, Jaime, you used to tweet out songs by Lily Allen and Vice and dedicate those.

Jaime Murray: I’m not very technologically clever and I think I probably got on that website because of Eddie McClintock from Warehouse 13 and I need to find another way of streaming music because I love music.

Tim Holquinn: And you would dedicate like don’t hate me to Julie. So I’m wondering from both of you as actors, not your characters but if you could add any contemporary artist to Alak’s playlist just to get artists on the show under the geyser called earth vinyl. Who might that be?

Jaime Murray: Oh Tony, you go.

Tony Curran: Oh I think - it’s because old earth vinyl was - I love that he’s bringing that into it because obviously, you know, I can speak for all of us on the phone right now. That was definitely the first musical format that I remember. The first album that I bought was a Stevie Wonder album called “Hotter than July”. It’s an album with like “Master Blaster” on it and songs like that. And I’ve always been a big fan of Motown as well.

So I did well up for my boy - oh boy play some Motown. Play some, you know, some things like Stevie Wonder for instance or, you know, Diana Ross. I don’t know. Did I say that? Yes.

Jaime Murray: I can’t really imagine like Diana Ross in the most...

Tony Curran: I was going to say Diana Ross is the right thing to say.

Jaime Murray: A bit tweaked. A little bit unsettling like something like I can imagine Pearl Jam.

Tony Curran: Yes.

Jaime Murray: And I imagine like, Jeremy, like there’s kind of like some rage in all those Pearl Jam songs or, you know, or maybe something a little bit kind of quirky like the Cure, you know.

Tony Curran: Yes, that would be cool as well, yes. Adam and the Ants.

Jaime Murray: Exactly. There was some real kind of like because it’s cool. I’m left in the 80s. There’s some of those kind of 80s, early 90s song I think are quite kind of apt to have sound guard.

Tony Curran: I think Alak is going to have a fun time of suggesting things because (Jessie) for us - he’s such a Syfy aficionado and he loves his music as well that he’s having such a blast playing Alak and he’s so wonderful that he’s going to have a tall, you know, ball. He’s like I’ve got a radio station. And I don’t know if you noticed but (Jessie)’s been tweeting as Alak talking about recaps in the episodes.

If you see the tweets, you know, he’ll go so last week, what happened on Defiance. Have you seen that Jaime? Have you seen his tweets?

Jaime Murray: Yes.

Tony Curran: And he’ll basically recap the episode. It’s a little video like a little video he does.

Tim Holquinn: Like a radio station.

Tony Curran: Yes, the radio station. And it’s like, you know, show Nolan or you. And my mom doesn’t like Nolan. He doesn’t like her. And he talks about it and then it’s a little video feed which, you know, that boy’s a genius he is. He’s a genius.

Jaime Murray: You didn’t even like Alak particularly.

Tony Curran: You don’t like him?

Jaime Murray: No, you don’t.

Tony Curran: I don’t like him. I don’t. But if you’re talking about music, see the end of episode one. There’s a lovely scene between Fionnula and the train carriage. And there’s some beautiful - I’m not sure who it is but it’s like from the 20s or 30s - this old sort of speak easy music that was just added in as sort of background music. And it was the very last scene in the pilot.

Jaime Murray: Yes.

Tony Curran: Yes, it really took you into the scene. You were like oh hang on a minute. Yes, it’s very evocative and where is this taking you and what is sort of the ambiguity of the scene and what they were talking about or what they weren’t talking about was very interesting I thought and the music really brought you into that, yes.

Jaime Murray: Yes. I love the music in our show.

Tony Curran: Yes. It’s some interesting fun stuff.

Tim Holquinn: Thank you so much for that and thank you so much for your talent. I really - I treasure it.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Lisa Macklem from SpoilerTV.com. Please go ahead.

Lisa Macklem: I’m just going to join everybody in gushing about how much I love your characters.

Tony Curran: That’s so nice. I don’t think I’ve done a phone call like this before Jaime. I don’t know about you but it’s nice to see and we’re very privileged to have to speak between me and my wonderful fellow actress and my TV wife. We’re very - yes, it’s very nice to speak to everybody like this and to have everybody say nice things.

Lisa Macklem: Well I’m sure I speak for everybody in saying just how wonderfully in depth your answers are and I mean they’re just terrific. So I’m going to try and stay on that sort of same track.

So sort of along the lines of what we’ve been talking about them being from sort of different ends of the spectrum, I mean Datak has kind of had to embrace his evil because he’s had to sort of fight his way out to the streets and Stahma is, you know, it’s part of the patriarchal society that she has to operate the way that she does.

And I’m just wondering because we’ve seen - well Datak can be evil. He’s definitely not a coward. I mean he’s very brave every time that he has to fight or defend his family. But I’m just wondering if at some point he may end up putting the town first. Is he maybe going to get sucked more into the town politics at some point?

Tony Curran: Yes, it’s an interesting point actually. And some people have said to me isn’t there sort of a - Stahma has such a stoic way about her that, you know, wouldn’t it be the case one day where Stahma might get what she wants and then, you know, and then Datak is superfluous to requirements as it were. So to reverse what you said there, it may not be Datak who puts the tone first. Maybe it’s Stahma but that is yet to be seen.

But yes, to be totally honest, my first instinct of that would be I don’t know how far Datak will get without Stahma. I think he can get to a certain point but to talk about or just to mention that the bar - the house of ill repute is called the need want in Defiance. And it’s interesting between Datak and Stahma - how much do they need each other and how much do they want each other?

So I find that quite an interesting, you know, question which is basically will they always need each other and will they always desire each other because I think they desire each other but to get to where they both got to, I think they definitely needed each other.

So it’s interesting because I’ve heard some talk through the grapevine of what may happen in the future and a lot of it is in...

Jaime Murray: I’d like to talk about that Tony.

Tony Curran: Exactly. But that’s what I’m saying. I’m not going to talk about it but it’s like oh really, you think that may happen, you know. So it’s...

Jaime Murray: How do you feel about that? You don’t like it, do you?

Tony Curran: What might happen in the future?

Yes, Datak ends up dying his hair red and I just thought that was - no I was like a ginger. I can’t be a ginger. I’m already a ginger. No, I think that there are things that happen in the future that are going to be, you know, that are going to be very - it’s going to be tough for Datak and Stahma but I think that it’s a very interesting road to go down after what’s happened in season one but obviously...

Jaime Murray: But they are so much a part of each other. The kind of the two only really exist as a part of each other, you know. And so it’s very interesting who are they as individuals.

Tony Curran: Yes and I think that once you take one away from the other - if that was ever to happen physically I mean - then I think then you would maybe - as Jaime said - the last lady chatting online. You’d see maybe who Stahma really is or who she thinks she is or how does she feel about Datak. Yes, who would fail Datak, yes.

Lisa Macklem: That’s better away from the other. I wonder I think - I think - yes well I don’t know if I can.

Jaime Murray: Yes, I don’t know if I can answer. I keep on coming at an attempt to answering your question, Lisa, and I keep almost giving spoilers away. So it’s a good question because it’s obviously a question that the writers want you to ask and answer and I think that you might find the answer to your question, you know, this season.

Tony Curran: Next week, yes.

This is lovely because Kevin - he’s obviously a writer or producer or wonderfully talented but I’ve worked with directors sometimes who will come up to you before a scene and they’ll whisper something in your ear and tell me something that they haven’t told Jaime. And so I love organically - we use that world - what can Jaime be because we can do things to each other during a scene, you know, that’s not scripted that she doesn’t know it’s coming or I don’t know it’s coming and it just keeps the scene fresh.

And Kevin Murphy will come up to you in a bar, you know, if you’ve done a rehearsal and he’ll tell you something about what’s to come and you’re like seriously, you’re going to write that? And he’s like yes, yes but don’t tell anybody I told you that, you know.

Defiance (Syfy) Episode 6 “Brothers in Arms”
http://www.tvequals.com/2013/05/20/defiance-syfy-episode-6-brothers-in-arms/
This lucky Ginger beggar took @juliebenz @MsJaimeMurray for a ride to Oblivion in his space balls ship.
https://twitter.com/TonyCurran69/status/338113117210959873/photo/1

Defiance - The Point: Jaime Murray & Tony Curran Audio Interview
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-point-jaime-murray-tony-curran.html?spref=tw
Defiance: Jaime Murray and Tony Curran Discuss Syfy’s Castithan Power Couple
Published on May 20th, 2013
Written by: Nightfly
Earlier this month Defiance co-stars Jaime Murray and Tony Curran, who play Stahma & Datak Tarr respectively, graciously spent 90mins on a highly informative conference-call with members of the press to answer in-depth questions about their Castithan characters, the show and more.

One of the first questions asked was what first attracted them to their individual roles? Curran revealed, “The first thing that attracted me was the script – the size and scale of it all and how challenging this would be, and also playing an alien and all that would entail. For me it all comes down to the characters. Having interesting characters that people can relate to is the most important thing. I was also attracted to playing someone from a different planetary system who’s actually a kid from the gutter as well. It’s an interesting character I wanted to explore, something like Sense and Sensibility, when someone from the gutter ends up marrying someone from the upper echelons of society.”

Jaime affirmed, “I agree. The Stahma/Datak relationship was very interesting and I felt as though there was a lot of room to play within that very complex marriage. But playing another species was also interesting to me because the wonderful thing about sci-fi is that it just skews perspectives. It offers actors a whole new, really fresh way of looking at things. I knew instinctively that in my quest to play an alien it would make me take a fresh look at what it means to be human. You have to make choices which are universal enough that the audience wants these different species to make it work because they’re somewhat recognizable. You don’t want to just play an animal, you want to play something which is human enough but different enough. I thought, “how am I going to make this woman different enough that people can think she’s an alien but similar enough that they’re not completely turned off by her and they can actually invest in the drama of these people and this family.” So we talked a lot about cultural and social things which are jarring and make you feel very uncomfortable and how to have fun with that. Some of those things are quite harmless, you know, and others are really horrendous. So in the second episode one of the fairly harmless ones was that creepy scene in the bathroom where I’m very scantily clad and hugging my grown up son. I think that’s super creepy. But you could go to a European country or an African country and, you know, nudity is handled in a completely different way. So that was kind of an interesting quirk that shows that you’re not in Kansas anymore, but then obviously in the second episode as well you see something far more disturbing and grotesque when Elah Bandik is strung up and tortured before the whole town because he’s shamed the Castithan people. So there’s elements where you can have fun with these differences and other areas where you can make valid, really important points which aren’t too far removed from what’s going on in other places in the world today. So I thought there was a lot of power and there was a lot of scope in playing these characters and I was really excited about that.”

Tony concurred, “The Tarrs are definitely not from Kansas, the Tarrs are from another planet. They’re weird and wonderful and their weirdness should definitely be odd but it should also be just different and interesting and intriguing enough to make people want to see more of them. I mean, how many eccentric wonderful, weird people do you look at and go “wow, he’s odd” or “she’s odd,” but then you go, “I’d like to see them again.” I think that’s what the Tarrs are like. As Jaime said, you want to make them relatable but at the same time we have to make them a little different.”

“I didn’t even want her to move like a human woman would,” confessed Murray. “The biggest challenge in playing Stahma is that doing so runs counter to my personal acting technique. My technique is to focus on the other actor and to read and respond to their behavior without censoring my impulses; that’s a very basic description of how I try to make it work on set. But in playing an alien I have to remember that my impulses are that of a human, so I’ll often portray the exact opposite of my own initial impulse. I have to think, “why would this alien species have the same hang-ups or hold their body in the same way as a human female would?” So you end up making choices that highlight their alien differences which is, of course, aided greatly by working with amazing makeup artists and costume designers and even the lighting which all serve to help elevate our scenes. One thing that I thought was interesting, as an actor, is I realized that we all wear masks and sometimes as an actor you kind of work out which mask your character is wearing when. Sometimes you’ll have a relationship that you can show where your character’s not wearing that mask but Stahma wears her mask all the time, even with Datak. It’s not that she doesn’t love him, obviously she does, but it was interesting for me as the season progressed, I felt as though there were times when the mask slipped, not completely, but I’m hoping that it will next season though.”

A dramatic element the Tarrs deal with, as a couple, is the fact that they come from decidedly different social strata. Jaime explained, “It’s really an interesting role to me because although I’m playing this woman who lives over thirty years in the future, I sometimes really felt like I was in a period piece because there are two things about the Castithans which are very similar to where we humans came from hundreds of years ago. That is that they come from a very patriarchal society. So, based on gender, Stahma is quite repressed and her job would really be what historians might’ve called a breeder and a bleeder. She would’ve been expected to be a good mother. However this is actually complicated by the fact that Stahma and Datak come from a society with a really strict caste system. Datak would almost have been an Untouchable. He would have been on the very lowest end of that kind of caste system. While Stahma would have been at the very top, almost like aristocracy or royalty. So they would never on their own planet have been together. But it’s a whole new world that they’re on now and in many ways the qualities that Datak had to employ to survive on Casti made him very powerful and strong in the new world of Defiance. It’s an interesting dynamic in their relationship, almost like a power struggle, because she’s more highly educated than him and maybe sees the longer game whereas he’s very shrewd and sharp and, though very intelligent, has lived on his instincts all his life. So together they’re an awesome combination but because of the fact that she’s a woman, she can’t really tell him what to do – not outright. She has to be very cunning and shrewd and go sideways about how she communicates ideas to him and suggests ways of dealing with situations and I think that he’s sometimes at the whim of his emotions more than Stahma. Stahma is very controlled and so she’s often counseling him to be more patient, to take more time, think of the long game and try to do it without injuring his pride.”

Curran confirms, “As the season progresses you’ll see so many interesting dynamics develop between a lot of the characters that are all so compelling. One we think is quite interesting is the fact of Stahma and Datak coming from another planet but also coming from very different ends of the spectrum within a very social sort of society that’s culturally very different. I think they’re both trying to reinvent themselves basically. Back on Casti, with its very patriarchal society, Stahma wouldn’t have had as much power like she has now that she wields in her very subtle manner with Datak. She would not be able to wield her cunning sort of ways as she’s doing in Defiance. And to Datak’s journey, I think he’s beginning to become a little wiser thanks to Stahma’s helping him keep his volatility and temperament in check. He’s a bit of a blunt instrument and she’s much more of a refined tool, if you like, but the both of them together are obviously quite a formidable couple.”

One might wonder if a part of Datak possibly resents Stahma’s subtle manipulations? “I think he admires Stahma and he knows that she’s smart,” Tony clarified. “I think he likes the subtle way she approaches him with her ideas and I don’t believe he sees it as manipulative. Stahma does it in a very suggestive, cat like way. She is manipulating Datak but she’s doing it for the betterment of the two of them and their drive to the top. She’s not manipulating him in a detrimental way – well not yet anyway. Sometimes Stahma needs to put her foot down and say, “Listen Datak, get a grip here or we’re going to lose what we’ve got.” So while Stahma has to sort of watch her step in many ways with how she gives her advice, I think Datak respects her and why she does what she does. I think it’s what makes their dynamic compelling. She gives him these good ideas but he doesn’t actually realize that these good ideas are coming not just from her ideology and her philosophy but also in an attempt to calm him down. I think Datak’s going to change and I think Stahma’s molding him and helping to fine tune him. He’s always got the sort of blunt instrument volatility there which is required in a town like Defiance, but that can only get you so far. I don’t know how far Datak would get without Stahma. I think Stahma’s arguably the smartest person in Defiance and hopefully she and Datak will one day be able to relate to each other as equals. Their relationship has so many possibilities.”

Jaime confided, “There’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak but there’s also so much vulnerability. There are scenes we’d be in where I’d just see him as a little boy and there were real moments where, as Stahma, I just wanted to take care of him. I just wanted to save him from himself. They are so much a part of each other. They only really exist as a part of each other, you know? So it’s very interesting to consider who they are as individuals. Usually, when Stahma counsels Datak it’s to fulfill their long-term aspirations. Datak’s good ideas are usually about how to win something in the moment. But sometimes the repercussions of those choices are not worth that win, what he’s actually winning is the satisfaction of his own ego. It’s that narcissistic fix. Stahma’s not a narcissist. She’s almost vampiric in her avaricious social climbing aspirations but she never needs to take credit. She never needs to be seen as the victor and she never needs to be right, whereas he needs all those things really badly and she plays on that in order to kind of achieve her means. I think he listens to her much more at the beginning of the season and then as it progresses he enjoys some success in the kind of social climbing that they’re both trying to achieve causing her control over him to actually lessen. He becomes more confident in his abilities and he thinks he doesn’t need her counsel quite so much. So there’s a real shift in power as the season goes on and they both end up in kind of new territory and they have to kind of find a new way of dealing with each other.”

What might become of them if they weren’t so cohesively united? Tony speculated, “Without having her around to kind of sooth and counsel him he might act even more rashly, more like a cornered rat. He’d likely revert back to how he was before they met. I think without her, yes, he could definitely fall back into his old ways and I think maybe the complete opposite of that is true for Stahma. Without him in her life she could start soaring – soaring far above him and going in a completely opposite direction because she’s so bloody smart. Then you would see a woman being able to – if she had the opportunity – wield her power without the help of a man, because she can stand alone and that would be very interesting for her. Whereas Datak might be more like a little boy, more like he was to begin with, saying “Where’s my other, better half?” Along the lines of “Where’s my Mommy?” Murray confirmed, “Yes, she might discover a new strength in new ways of being while he might revert back to old behaviors.”

Asked whether or not [showrunner] Kevin Murphy tells them tidbits about their characters’ futures, Curran conceded, “Kevin Murphy’s lovely in that regard. Obviously he’s a wonderfully talented writer-producer but he’ll also come up to me sometimes before a scene and whisper something in my ear that he hasn’t told Jaime so it can organically seep into a scene in ways that aren’t scripted, things that the other actors in the scene don’t know are coming. It helps keep it fresh. He’ll tell me something he’s going to write about Jaime’s character and I’ll be like, “Seriously?! Oh my God.” And I’m sure he does the same to Jaime as well about other characters. He’s told me some things recently that’re going to be really challenging, exciting and bracing for our characters to play in the near future and forward into Defiance‘s second season.”

Read more at http://www.tvovermind.com/syfy/defiance-jaime-murray-tony-curran-discuss-their-characters-215019?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co
                          http://www.tvovermind.com/syfy/defiance-jaime-murray-tony-curran-discuss-their-characters-215019/2

Defiance - Syfy Video: 'Brothers in Arms' Sneak Peek - Airs May 20 '13
An old war buddy (Rob Stewart) of Nolan’s (Grant Bowler) comes to town chasing after an arms dealer, who quickly becomes a dangerous threat to Defiance.
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-brothers-in-arms_14.html?spref=tw

“Brothers in Arms” brings ghosts from the past to Defiance.
http://geeksmash.com/tv-show/defiance-review-brothers-in-arms627
Defiance, intervista a Tony Curran e Jaime Murray
http://www.serietivu.com/defiance-intervista-a-tony-curran-e-jaime-murray-165809.html

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'VFX Before & After - Episode 6'
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-vfx_24.html?spref=tw

Defiance - Syfy Video: 'Brothers in Arms' Sneak Peek - Airs May 20 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-brothers-in-arms_14.html?spref=tw

Defiance - Syfy: June 2013 Schedule
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-june-2013-schedule.html?spref=tw

Defiance - Syfy: Marathon Schedule May 25 '13
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-marathon-schedule-may-25.html?spref=tw

Defiance - Monday at 9/8c - Recap: Episode 105
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXKpi5KnFO8

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'Mid-Season Recap'
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-mid.html?spref=tw
Tony Curran & Jaime Murray Talk "Defiance"
The series Defiance is about a town shared by both humans and aliens alike, while they try to learn to coexist. Two of the main protagonists of the story are Datak Tarr, played by Tony Curran, and his wife, Stahma, played by Jaime Murray. The Tarr family, including their son Alak, played by Jesse Rath, are of the Votan race called Castithans. Castithans have a strong caste system, at which, at least on Earth, Datak is now at the top of. As the series progresses, however, it seems that Stahma may be the more cunning of the two. Alak, however, does not share in their views of grandeur, and plans to wed the human girl, Cristie. His parents, unbeknownst to him, plan to use this to their advantage.

Curran and Murray recently talked to the digital media about their time working on the series, which airs Mondays on Syfy.

Murray talked to SciFi Vision about the dynamics of Stahma and Datak's relationship. "...There's this interesting dynamic in their relationship and it's almost like there's an interesting power struggle, because she's more highly educated than him - I mean they're both intelligent but she has probably been to more schools than him and maybe been at the [number] game where he's very shrewd and sharp and he has lived on his instincts all his life.

"And so together they're an awesome combination but because of the fact that she's a woman, she can't really tell him what to do - not outright. So she has to be very cunning and shroud and go sideways about how she communicates ideas to him and suggests, you know, ways of dealing with situations to him, and I think that he is sometimes at the whim of his emotions more than Stahma. Stahma is very controlled and so sometimes she's often counseling him to be more patient, to take more time, think of the long term and try to do it without injuring his pride."

Curran added, "As you see the season progress and each episode unfolding...you see so many interesting dynamics with a lot of the characters...they're all compelling, but one of the one's we think is quite interesting is the fact of Jaime as of Stahma and Datak coming from another planet but also coming from very different ends of the spectrum within a very sort of social sort of society, culturally very different.

"And I think they're both - they're trying to reinvent themselves basically, which they have been doing. Like Stahma wouldn't have had as much power like she has now, the way she's able to will it in her very subtle manner, what she has to do with Datak, and thinking, giving him the feeling that he's holding all the cards or he's got the ideas when actually, she doesn't want to upset him because he gives such a volatile character.

...So I think that as the season progresses, and hopefully, you know, fingers crossed for next season, you'll see that Datak becomes a little - he wizens up to Stahma's sort of cunning approach to things because, as you know, he's a bit of a blunt instrument, and she's much more of a refined tool, if you like. And both of them together are obviously, you know, quite a formidable couple."

SyFy Conference Call
Defiance
Tony Curran and Jaime Murray

May 1, 2013
2:30 pm ET

SCIFI VISION: Especially in this next episode coming up, we’re learning more and more that Stahma seems to be the one in charge of the whole council thing and everything. Can you talk in the general sense about how that dynamic is shifting and how we’ll continue to see more of that through the season?

JAIME MURRAY: Well, it’s really an interesting role to me because although I’m playing this woman who I see five years in the future, really I sometimes felt like I was in a period piece because there are two things about the Castithans which are very similar to where we came from hundreds of years ago. And that is that they come from very patriarchal society. So based on gender, Stahma is quite repressed and her job would really be what historians might think well, a breeder and a bleeder.

And she could have been expected to be a good mother. However this is actually complicated by the fact that Stahma and Datak come from a society with a really strict class system and that they have very strict class. And Datak would almost have been an untouchable. He would have been on the very lowest end of that kind of class system. And Stahma would have been at the very top, almost like aristocracy or royalty.

So they would never on their own planet have been together. But when it’s a whole new world that they’re on now and in many ways, the qualities that Datak had to employ to survive back on Casti made him very powerful and strong in the new world of Defiance because he’s - and she’s now with this very powerful man.

But there’s this interesting dynamic in their relationship and it’s almost like there’s an interesting power struggle because she’s more highly educated than him and she’s - I mean they’re both intelligent but she has, she’s probably been to more schools than him and maybe been at the [number] game where he’s very shrewd and sharp and he has lived on his instincts all his life.

And so together they’re an awesome combination but because of the fact that she’s a woman, she can’t really - she can’t tell him what to do - not outright. So she has to be very cunning and shrewd and go sideways about how she communicates ideas to him and suggests ways of dealing with situations to him and I think that he is sometimes at the whim of his emotions more than Stahma. Stahma is very controlled and so sometimes she’s often counseling him to be more patient, to take more time, think of the long term and try to do it without injuring his pride.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, I think as you see the season progress and each episode unfolding, as Jaime says, you see so many interesting dynamics with a lot of the characters but one of, they’re all compelling but one of the ones we think [is] quite interesting is the fact of Jamie as of Stahma and Datak coming from another planet but also coming from very different ends of the spectrum within a very social sort of society, culturally very different.

And I think they’re both - they’re trying to reinvent themselves basically, which they have been doing. Like Stahma wouldn’t have had as much power like she has now, the way she’s able to will it in her very subtle manner, what she has to do with Datak, and thinking, giving him the feeling that he’s holding all the cards or he’s got the ideas when actually, she doesn’t want to upset him because he gives such a volatile character.

But back on their own planet she was obviously - as Jaime said, it’s a very clear patriarchal society. She would not be able to wield her cunning ways as she’s doing in Defiance. And then Datak and his journey as well - I think he’s beginning to become a little wiser and Stahma’s almost unconsciously, or she wants it to be unconsciously, skewing Datak in the sense of no honey, don’t react too quickly because you have to keep your volatility and your temperament in check because when you behave like that, it doesn’t do you any good. It doesn’t do your family any good.

So I think that as the season progresses, and hopefully, you know, fingers crossed for next season, you’ll see that Datak becomes a little - he wizens up to Stahma’s cunning approach to things because, as you know, he’s a bit of a blunt instrument, and she’s much more of a refined tool, if you like. And both of them together are obviously, you know, quite a formidable couple.

JAIME MURRAY: So one thing that I thought was interesting for me as an actor is I realized that we all wear masks and sometimes there’s an act where you work out which mask your character is wearing when. And sometimes, you’ll start as an actor - you’ll have a relationship that you can show where your character’s not wearing that mask. And as Stahma, she’s wearing the mask all the time and she wears the mask even with Datak and it’s not that she doesn’t love him and obviously she does.

But it was interesting for me - as the season progressed, I felt as though there were times when the mask slipped and that was very interesting for me. Not completely - I’m hoping that it will next season though.

TONY CURRAN: No, that’s an interesting point because it’s sort of - and as Jaime said, it’s a very human thing because it’s something that we - because to Castithans in the show, me and Jaime’s characters… Jesse who plays Alak. They started shooting and we had not actually even, we were supposed to start shooting but we hadn’t actually completed, finished our makeup and how we will look. And I think that was an important thing about playing the aliens.

Yes, so aliens, different languages. We look different. We sound different. But we wanted it to put people to be able to see the actors, to see your eyes, to see your emotions. And I think that’s an important fact of playing them and the way we’re designed and the way we look that you can relate to them. They are aliens but they have many, many, many traits that are very similar, especially the patriarchal, matriarchal society within especially what it’s like in Asia cultures and Saudi Arabia where women are still looked down upon in many, many cultures, which is completely wrong.

But it’s the similar similarities within outcasts in society and I think that’s what makes the women in Defiance so very, very powerful and very relatable I think to young women or any women out there because of the way they approach the characters. And I think that’s very compelling of them for people to watch.

QUESTION: I’m thoroughly enjoying your work on the show so far. You guys have created a couple of really intriguing and rather creepy characters and I’m really looking forward to see where they take them this season.

TONY CURRAN: Thank you.

JAIME MURRAY: We’re going for creepy.

TONY CURRAN: If you have nothing to do with Datak, it’s all Stahma. I would trade, I was a shy kid just going about my work.

QUESTION: I wanted to find out if you could tell us a little bit about what initially attracted you to your respective roles and also maybe what are some of the initial acting challenges you both found stepping into these executive shoes.

TONY CURRAN: The first thing that attracted me to reading the script, there was the size and scale of it all and how challenging this would be and also playing an alien and what that would entail I think for me, it was going to be a challenge for anybody really. But I think for me it was that to break it all down with the characters. If you don’t, you can have this fantastical backdrop of these amazing aliens and the statistics of backdrop.

But if you don’t have these interesting characters that people can relate to then I think for me that was the most important thing. And also playing someone who’s from a different planetary system and also who is actually a kid from the gutter as well. And this interesting dynamic that I found worth having, something like “Sense and Sensibility” if you will, when someone from the gutter ends up marrying someone from the upper edge lawns of society.

So for me it was just interesting to play a character who had that interesting dynamic within someone who came from a different star cast system.

JAIME MURRAY: Yes, I agree. Definitely my relationship with Datak - the Stahma-Datak relationship was very interesting to me and I felt as though it was a lot of play that we could have with that and a very complex relationship. But also just playing another species was just so interesting to me because this is the wonderful thing about [sci fi]. It just skews things, it offers access just enough that it gives you a whole new way of looking at things - a really fresh perspective on things.

And I knew instinctively but in my quest to play an alien, it would make me take a fresh look at what it means to be human because you want these things that the - have I lost you guys? You’re so quiet.

TONY CURRAN: No. On your every word my darling, I’ll just make some noises now and again.

JAIME MURRAY: Keep breathing or something.

TONY CURRAN: Keep breathing. Don’t die on me. Don’t die on me. Okay.

JAIME MURRAY: You have to choose things which are universal enough that the audience wants these different species to make it work. They’re recognizable. You don’t want to just play an animal or you want to play something which is human enough but different enough.

And so as an actor I had to think, “How am I going to make this woman different enough that people can think she’s an alien but similar enough that they’re not completely turned off by her and they can actually invest in the drama of these people and this family?”

And so we talked a lot about cultural and social things which are jarring and make you feel very uncomfortable. And you can have fun with that. Some of those things are quite harmless, and others are really horrendous. So in the second episode, one of the fairly harmless ones was that creepy scene in the bus somewhere, and I’m very scantily [clad] and I’m hugging my grownup son.

I think that’s super creepy. But you could go to a European country or an African country and nudity is handled in a completely different way. So that was an interesting quirk that shows that you’re not in Kansas anymore. But then obviously in the second episode as well you see something far more disturbing and grotesque when you see a man strung up and tortured before the whole town because he’s ashamed of the caste of some people.

So I think there’s almost elements where you can have fun with these differences and other areas where you can make really valid important points and which aren’t too far removed which is what’s going on in other places in the world today. So I thought so there was a lot of power and there was a lot of scope in playing these characters and I was really excited about that.

TONY CURRAN: And the thing you mentioned, Jaime, about the moment in the bath scene. I spoke to Kevin Murphy about that. That moment where Stahma’s sort of half semi-clad and her son is wearing his denim jacket and I’m in the bath. And she gives me a look as if to say, “Oh, you be quiet.” And then I give her this weird smile which is obviously - everybody’s tweeting out going what was going on there?

And apparently NBC were like, “Well, we’re not too sure about that moment,” and apparently they weren’t going to put it in the show. And...

JAIME MURRAY: They put it in the show. It was so upsetting.

TONY CURRAN: It was so weird and people - I said to Kev - but that’s exactly what we people should be reacting to. We’re not doing it for some sort of, “Well, let’s do something to surprise them in some sort of emotional response.” We’re doing it because the towels are not from Kansas. The towels are from another planet. And they’re weird and wonderful and then their weirdness should definitely, it should be odd but hopefully people should think it’s kind of different and interesting and intriguing enough to go.

How many eccentric wonderful weird people do you look at and go wow, he’s odd or she’s odd but then you go I’d like to see them again. And I think that’s what I think the Tarrs are like. As Jaime said, you want to make them relatable but at the same time we have to make them a little different.

JAIME MURRAY: Different enough that you can believe that they’re organically a different species because obviously I’m a human woman playing this alien. So I’ve got to do a few somersaults so you can see...

TONY CURRAN: Allegedly Mrs. Murray, you are human. I’ve heard otherwise.

JAIME MURRAY: Only on the outside, exactly. But actually that point that you made, it - didn’t necessarily, you have to think, I didn’t want to move like a human woman. And so when it came to challenges, part of my acting technique is I focus on the other actor and I read and respond to their behavior. And then I allow my own impulses - I try not to censor my impulses - and I allow my own impulses to come up.

That’s a very basic description of sometimes how I try and make it work on set. But in playing this alien, a lot of my impulses are human. Sometimes I would have an impulse and I would think, “Oh, well, what is the opposite of that impulse?” So for example in the pilot, I knew that I had to get into this bath and I realized that there were things that I would do if I’m scantily clad as a human woman. There is a certain self-consciousness that I have about my body and a certain way that I would hold myself which is very recognizably female and human.

And I thought, “Well, why would this alien species have the same hang-ups and hold their body in the same way as a human female?” Why would this alien - why would she not necessarily stand like a cat or a serpent or ballerina, kind of erect and proud. You know, they’re not the same species.

So you try and make as many choices which shows that they are different and I think that obviously we work with amazing makeup artists and costume designers and the lighting with the DP, what he did in the Tarr house lighting-wise I think really elevated our scenes.

TONY CURRAN: And we’ve also been on the planet - it’s interesting because - as Jaime said - we still have a trace of our own cultural and alien background physically. But the Tarrs have also been on planet Earth since 2013. It’s now 33 years later. So we have integrated it. Me and Jaime talked about it a lot with the producers direct about how we would sound when we were speaking English. And we were going to try some interesting accents. But then we decided that because it was set in America that we would have to talk about this vocal side of it.

We would try and integrate best into the society as much as possible. So we would have sounded like the American people around us. But Jaime made a wonderful way of speaking as Stahma where she tries - she’s very slowly deliberate and tries to find the words as if it’s still tricky for the Castithans to speak English but it’s, you know, they’re very deliberate about it whereas the way I sound and we thought, oh we have to sound the same and then we decided well, if someone’s from Oxford in England and someone’s still from England but from the east end of London, they are going to sound very different and that’s why.

That’s why obviously Datak and Stahma, when we speak with certain vocals but...

JAIME MURRAY: No but Tony, Tony also you - you are integrated. You learn the American language from other Americans on the streets of Defiance and in the Shanty Town. Whereas I’ve learned to do that and actually I rarely leave the house. I mean you’re the only person, I rarely go out. I start to in this season, I start to integrate a little bit more. But up until this point, I think I really very rarely - Christie’s probably one of the first humans I’ve really spoken to.

TONY CURRAN: Indeed, she’s someone like Lady Diana back in the day or there’s these public engagements. Stahma wouldn’t be out on the street very much at all really so I won’t say too much about it but there’s many avenues of backstory to go down in the coming weeks and you’ll find out some interesting things about the Tarrs by going back, which they may do. I’ll put it like that. I beg you that’s enough.

QUESTION: I have a question about your relationship on the show and one thing I’ve noticed so far - she obviously manipulates him a little bit. Do you think he knows he’s being manipulated and do you think he’d ever do something about that?

TONY CURRAN: It’s an interesting question, aye, Jaime; because I don’t think anybody’s ever asked that question. I’ve thought about it myself. I’ve thought about it and...

JAIME MURRAY: It kind of depends on how they do it. And sometimes if it feels good, I’ll just go with it.

There’s sometimes moments, and I would be in scenes with Tony and Tony’s such an in-the-moment, organic actor. And sometimes we would have these scenes and they were so charged because it was almost like a love scene sometimes because it was so volatile but it didn’t kick off, because I think that he kind of knew and he kind of appreciated it but it was a thing that they didn’t talk about.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, I think that it’s interesting, especially in episode one in the bath and she starts saying I have to get some changes and I’m going to kill, it’s pretty intense stuff to say I’m not going to kill him but I’m going to kill his whole family. It’s like I’ll tip toe, I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night and burn his house down and piss on his ass.

So he’s in the bath and as Stahma does, she gently puts the idea in his head that maybe we should marry these kids off and then we could take over the mines. And I think definitely with Datak or with anybody really - if someone gives you an idea - someone gives you their opinion that just happens to be more informed or a great idea. I think that Datak - I think he admires Stahma. I think he definitely knows in the back of his mind that there is this culture class system which realistically he isn’t part of - he was never part of.

She, with her husband from the past, he would have been telling her what to do. But now he knows that she’s smart. He knows that. But obviously as Jaime said before, it’s the unsaid. She’s not going to come out and say, “Oh for God’s sake Datak, don’t do that. Do this.” Stahma does it in a very suggestive and very manipulative, cat-like way. But she’s manipulating Datak for the better of the two of them of their drive to the top. She’s not manipulating him in a detrimental way – well, not yet anyway.

I think Datak, subconsciously he knows she’s smart and I think he likes the way she approaches him with her ideas and sometimes they would later write the episodes where they talk about being refugees and things to do with Alak. And it isn’t manipulative. It’s more, you see Stahma come out of her shell and she just can’t deal with Datak. Sort of a subtle approach, if you will, from Stahma.

Sometimes Stahma just puts her foot down and says, “Listen Datak, you fucking get a grip here.” Pardon my French. “Get a grip here or we’re going to lose what we’ve got.” So yes, I think he knows what she’s doing and I think he respects her and stuff like that. But at the same time I think Stahma still has to watch her step in many ways, which is unfortunate but I think that’s what makes the dynamic between them quite compelling.

JAIME MURRAY: I think at the beginning, when you first meet Datak he listens to her much more and then as the season progresses, I think maybe he enjoys some success in the social climbing that they’re both trying to achieve even from the beginning. And I think that actually her control over him [lessened].

He becomes more - wouldn’t you say Tony? - he becomes more confident in his abilities and he thinks obviously he doesn’t need her counsel quite so much.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, but I think that’s because he’s getting these good ideas but he doesn’t actually - I think he has to realize that these good ideas are coming from not just her ideology and her philosophy about things but also it’s about calming him down and also giving him good ideas but also I think Datak’s going to change and I think Stahma’s molding him into - he’s always got the power there and the blunt instrument and the volatility there which is required in a town like Defiance. But that can get you only so far.

But I think Stahma - I think she’s fine tuning the attack and to someone - she’s educating them I think. I think she’s educating them.

JAIME MURRAY: So usually when Stahma counsels Datak it’s to fulfill their long-term aspirations. Whereas the difference between them is Datak will have good ideas how to win something in the moment, but sometimes the repercussions of those choices are not worth that win.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, it’s like winning the battle but losing the war, if you will.

JAIME MURRAY: And sometimes also he will make good decisions to win in that moment but what he’s actually winning is the satisfaction of his own ego.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, it’s very much about his own - he needs that fix in that moment of...

JAIME MURRAY: It’s that narcissistic fix. She’s not a narcissist. She’s almost vampiric in her avaricious, materialistic social climbing aspiration but she never needs to take credit. She never needs to see it be seen as the victor and she never needs to be right, whereas he needs all those things really badly. And she plays on those in order to achieve her means.

But there is a real shift in power as the season goes on and they both end up in kind of new territory and they have to find a new way of dealing with each other.

TONY CURRAN: I think that’s interesting that Jaime says that the unsung heroine if you will - she’s the stoical and she said that she may have that egotistical say to her but as like with Datak she’s the silence of them - the stoical, stealth-like serpent that comes through the grass and takes its prey down.

And then you turn around and she’s gone. She’s smarter. She’s probably arguably the smartest alien person in town and God knows what she would be like if she did good things for the community, which I’m sure Stahma will. But I think that she’s just a stoical character, Stahma. Very quiet and I think that one day hopefully - or maybe that will never happen - that Datak and Stahma can really relate to each other in maybe a more equality – yes, with an equality sort of approach. I don’t know if that would happen.

Yes, I think that would be interesting. But right now I think the dynamic between the two of them has got so many possibilities because there’s things in the next few episodes that show up which I obviously can’t talk about but Stahma does things that maybe Datak doesn’t know about and that if your better half, your husband or your wife start doing things that you don’t know that they’re doing and then you find out about them, that can definitely stir the pot if you will.

JAIME MURRAY: What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

TONY CURRAN: Exactly.

QUESTION: From a viewer standpoint, if I were each on their bad side, I would fear her more because I could see him coming from a mile away, but her - I’d always be watching my back and that’s really what...

TONY CURRAN: I know, exactly. You’d hear a silverback coming through the jungle before you’d see a snake in the grass. Let’s put it that way. I’m watching the Twitter feed here and everything we’re saying’s coming up. It’s quite funny.

JAIME MURRAY: Hooray. It’s not live, is it?

TONY CURRAN: "Stahma is the silent stealthy one, probably the smartest in town. (this was my tweet!)" There you go. It’s all down there in the tweets darling. You can’t hide from it.

JAIME MURRAY: You’re so rude.

TONY CURRAN: It’s so rude. I thought this was between us. That’s cool.

QUESTION: I was already a big fan of both of your work and so I’m so glad you’ve been given these such great parts in Defiance. And I got to say this subtlety that each of you bring to your parts are what I really, really enjoy about watching you to do it overall.

TONY CURRAN: Thank you. Jaime’s very subtle as Stahma. I’m trying to be a little more subtle.

QUESTION: It’s those troubled times that you make us like him that I really appreciate, because it’s one thing to be big and loud and mean but then every once in a while you’ll pop in something like, I really kind of like this but I don’t want to...

JAIME MURRAY: Yes and I think that I - whether the audience sees it - but when I’m in scenes with Tony, there’s a lot of hot air that comes out of Datak but there’s so much vulnerability. I would be in a scene with Tony with Datak and it’s confusing as an actor sometimes. And just see this little boy or this little alien.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, no it’s true. It’s true.

JAIME MURRAY: And I often, there were real moments as Stahma that I just wanted to take care of him. I just wanted to save him from himself. And I loved him. I love him.

TONY CURRAN: Now going down that straight through, I think tha, those big characters like Datak as a lot of men who have got a volatile temper and it’s probably from their unfortunate past that they’ve had. So then Stahma’s obviously had more of a` silver spoon in her mouth - if you will - upbringing. But she is definitely - I don’t think she’s as vulnerable as Datak can be. He is like a - yes, he can be like a spoiled child. Yes, that’s a good point.

Which makes people interesting to play I guess. It makes them interesting to play, yes.

QUESTION: Do you have a greatest joy about your part and maybe your biggest challenge?

TONY CURRAN: Yes, I think what you mentioned there that I think is fun because there’s a lot of rules out there that anchors play and I think for me playing a role that it’s, you know, when I was doing the pilot there was the rule of this oh aggressiveness - oh he’s this aggressive type alien type character. But I always look to movies like Angels with Dark Faces or White Heat. I was always a big fan of Jimmy Cagney.

And when people like you are playing an alien and you’re watching Cagney movies, I’m like yes because he was a kid from the street as well. And at the end of the day he was as hard as a shell that he perceived to have. He was damaged. He was damaged goods. He had issues and the reason that he behaved the way he behaved was because of his upbringing because obviously we all - our past shapes, our future. And definitely Datak’s past is shaping his present and his future.

But just to be all about blowing all air and behaving in an aggressive manner would be very dull. I think it’s interesting to see that and you’ll see in episodes to come how Stahma takes care of Datak because he is like a big kid in many ways and he is a vulnerable individual who tries to have this, you know, he is a strong character. There’s no doubt about it but at the same time like any human being - to talk about humans again. Yes, I think there are huge vulnerabilities in him.

Anyway, a lot of the characters in Defiance - they have many skeletons in the closet and they’re almost trying to separate themselves from their past and instead of facing the past and dealing with it. And I think as you see the next few episodes come up, there are some back-story coming up which will reveal things about many characters in Defiance that you don’t know about now.

So yes, I think good to have a role - of course the regular character. If it’s all on the same level, it becomes not so compelling I feel.

QUESTION: And Jaime?

JAIME MURRAY: Sorry. I’ve lost a sense of what the question was.

QUESTION: I was asking what your biggest joy was about your part that you really get the most out of.

TONY CURRAN: Apart from working with me, obviously.

JAIME MURRAY: No, no way. I really lucked out there.

TONY CURRAN: I thought you fell asleep there while I was talking. I thought, “Murray, she’s fallen asleep again. She’s buying a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes”. Sorry.

JAIME MURRAY: I talked about the challenge for me in playing, the unexpected delight in playing this alien is it forced me to look at what it means to be human. And when we’re talking and trying to look like these characters, you’re constantly talking about what human beings do. So that was really fun.

But also I just feel as though there’s so much scope for this character. I feel as though and it will start happening in this season but I feel as though Stahma doesn’t really know who she is. I don’t really think she has any real idea of who she is. I think she only knows who she is in terms of other people and I think that’s going to be really exciting for it to suddenly dawn on her that she’s not on planet Casti anymore, that she’s surrounded by free and emancipated women.

And although she has power and although she is intelligent, she is so defined by the men in her life and I think it will be interesting to see it dawn on her that there might be other ways of existing in this new world.

QUESTION: Wow. I think she’s just going to be a force in nature. I can’t wait.

TONY CURRAN: She’s going to become more of a force than me.

JAIME MURRAY: I’m an existing mix of - she’s incredibly powerful and almost mach valiant. I can’t even talk this morning.

TONY CURRAN: Machiavellian.

JAIME MURRAY: Machiavellian in the way that she behaves. But I often felt very vulnerable playing her. I felt very isolated. I felt very lonely because she doesn’t really let that mask slip with anyone. So if you’re constantly hiding behind your mask, you’re not really truly connected. And I think that she might actually realize how disconnected she is and she might try and be brave and connect with somebody and that might be quite a profound feeling for her. And let’s see how that turns out.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, that’s interesting. If you’re held up in that castle all the time. I mean there’s not many...

JAIME MURRAY: She’s a bird in a gilded cage.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, exactly. I mean she’s not - she can’t release people.

JAIME MURRAY: The way you behave in that moment - there’s a raw immediacy about who he is which, you know, I bet he sleeps quite good at night whereas I bet Stahma doesn’t sleep so good.

TONY CURRAN: Yes.

QUESTION: My question is about Alak’s radio station that’s coming up. Kevin Murphy said his plan was to include bold Earth vinyl, which reminded me that when you first joined Twitter, Jaime, you used to tweet out songs by Lily Allen and Vice and dedicate those.

JAIME MURRAY: I’m not very technologically clever and I think I probably got on that website because of Eddie McClintock from Warehouse 13 and I need to find another way of streaming music because I love music.

QUESTION: And you would dedicate like “Don’t Hate Me” to Julie. So I’m wondering from both of you as actors, not your characters, if you could add any contemporary artist to Alak’s playlist just to get artists on the show under the geyser called Earth vinyl. Who might that be?

JAIME MURRAY: Oh Tony, you go.

TONY CURRAN: Oh I love that he’s bringing that into it because obviously I can speak for all of us on the phone right now. That was definitely the first musical format that I remember. The first album that I bought was a Stevie Wonder album called “Hotter Than July”. It’s an album with “Master Blaster” on it and songs like that. And I’ve always been a big fan of Motown as well.

So I did well up for my boy - oh boy, play some Motown. Play things like Stevie Wonder for instance or Diana Ross. I don’t know. Did I say that? Yes.

JAIME MURRAY: I can’t really imagine Diana Ross in the most...

TONY CURRAN: I was going to say Diana Ross is the right thing to say.

JAIME MURRAY: A bit tweaked. A little bit unsettling like something like I can imagine Pearl Jam.

TONY CURRAN: Yes.

JAIME MURRAY: And I imagine like “Jeremy,” there’s some rage in all those Pearl Jam songs or maybe something a little bit quirky like The Cure.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, that would be cool as well, yes. Adam and the Ants.

JAIME MURRAY: Exactly. I’m left in the 80s. There’s some of those 80s, early 90s songs I think are quite apt to have sound guard.

TONY CURRAN: I think Alak is going to have a fun time of suggesting things because (Jessie) for us - he’s such a Syfy aficionado and he loves his music as well that he’s having such a blast playing Alak and he’s so wonderful that he’s going to have a ball. He’s like, “I’ve got a radio station.” And I don’t know if you noticed but (Jessie)’s been tweeting as Alak talking about recaps in the episodes.

If you see the tweets, he’ll go, “So last week, what happened on Defiance. Have you seen that Jaime? Have you seen his tweets?

JAIME MURRAY: Yes.

TONY CURRAN: And he’ll basically recap the episode. It’s a little video, like a little video he does.

QUESTION: Like a radio station.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, the radio station. And it’s like, “Show Nolan or you.” And “My mom doesn’t like Nolan. He doesn’t like her.” And he talks about it and then it’s a little video feed which, that boy’s a genius, he is. He’s a genius.

JAIME MURRAY: You didn’t even like Alak particularly.

TONY CURRAN: You don’t like him?

JAIME MURRAY: No, you don’t.

TONY CURRAN: I don’t like him. I don’t. But if you’re talking about music, see the end of episode one. There’s a lovely scene between Fionnula and the train carriage. And there’s some beautiful - I’m not sure who it is but it’s like from the 20s or 30s, this old sort of speakeasy music that was just added in as background music. And it was the very last scene in the pilot.

JAIME MURRAY: Yes.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, it really took you into the scene. You were like, “Oh, hang on a minute.” Yes, it’s very evocative and where is this taking you and what is the ambiguity of the scene and what they were talking about or what they weren’t talking about was very interesting. I thought and the music really brought you into that, yes.

JAIME MURRAY: Yes. I love the music in our show.

TONY CURRAN: Yes. It’s some interesting fun stuff.

QUESTION: I’m just going to join everybody in gushing about how much I love your characters.

TONY CURRAN: That’s so nice. I don’t think I’ve done a phone call like this before, Jaime. I don’t know about you but it’s nice to see and we’re very privileged to have to speak between me and my wonderful fellow actress and my TV wife. Yes, it’s very nice to speak to everybody like this and to have everybody say nice things.

QUESTION: Along the lines of what we’ve been talking about, them being from different ends of the spectrum, Datak has had to embrace his evil because he’s had to fight his way out to the streets and Stahma is, it’s part of the patriarchal society that she has to operate the way that she does.

We’ve seen Datak can be evil. He’s definitely not a coward. He’s very brave every time that he has to fight or defend his family. But I’m just wondering if at some point he may end up putting the town first. Is he maybe going to get sucked more into the town politics at some point?

TONY CURRAN: Yes, it’s an interesting point actually. And some people have said to me isn’t there sort of a - Stahma has such a stoic way about her that wouldn’t it be the case one day where Stahma might get what she wants and then Datak is superfluous to requirements as it were. So to reverse what you said there, it may not be Datak who puts the town first. Maybe it’s Stahma but that is yet to be seen.

But yes, to be totally honest, my first instinct of that would be I don’t know how far Datak will get without Stahma. I think he can get to a certain point but to talk about or just to mention that the bar - the house of ill repute is called the Need/Want in Defiance. And it’s interesting between Datak and Stahma - how much do they need each other and how much do they want each other?

So I find that quite an interesting question which is basically will they always need each other and will they always desire each other? Because I think they desire each other but to get to where they both got to, I think they definitely needed each other.

So it’s interesting because I’ve heard some talk through the grapevine of what may happen in the future and a lot of it is in...

JAIME MURRAY: I’d like to talk about that, Tony.

TONY CURRAN: Exactly. But that’s what I’m saying. I’m not going to talk about it but it’s like, “Oh really, you think that may happen?”

JAIME MURRAY: How do you feel about that? You don’t like it, do you?

TONY CURRAN: What might happen in the future? Yes, Datak ends up dying his hair red and I just thought that was – no, I was like a ginger. I can’t be a ginger. I’m already a ginger.

No, I think that there are things that happen in the future that are going to be very - it’s going to be tough for Datak and Stahma but I think that it’s a very interesting road to go down after what’s happened in season one.

JAIME MURRAY: But they are so much a part of each other. The two only really exist as a part of each other. And so it’s very interesting; who are they as individuals?

TONY CURRAN: Yes and I think that once you take one away from the other - if that was ever to happen physically, then I think then you would see maybe who Stahma really is or who she thinks she is or how does she feel about Datak. Yes, who would fail Datak, yes.

JAIME MURRAY: Yes, I don’t know if I can answer. I keep on coming at an attempt to answering your question, and I keep almost giving spoilers away. So it’s a good question because it’s obviously a question that the writers want you to ask and answer and I think that you might find the answer to your question this season.

TONY CURRAN: Next week, yes.

This is lovely because Kevin - he’s obviously a writer or producer or wonderfully talented but I’ve worked with directors sometimes who will come up to you before a scene and they’ll whisper something in your ear and tell me something that they haven’t told Jaime. And so I love organically - we use that world - what can Jaime be because we can do things to each other during a scene that’s not scripted that she doesn’t know it’s coming or I don’t know it’s coming and it just keeps the scene fresh.

And Kevin Murphy will come up to you in a bar if you’ve done a rehearsal and he’ll tell you something about what’s to come and you’re like, “Seriously, you’re going to write that?” And he’s like, “Yes, yes but don’t tell anybody I told you that.”

So you he’ll tell me something he’s going to write about Jaime and I’ll be like, “Seriously? Oh my God.” And I’m sure he does it to Jaime as well about other characters but sometimes he’s told me some things recently and I’m like wow, that’s going to be really challenging and really embracing for our character to play that, when he slips a little jam in my ear about what’s going to happen to another character, which I find really exciting for the future of all of Defiance hopefully if we’re going to go into a second season.

JAIME MURRAY: I was thinking about your question and you were asking would Datak ever put the town before his family and if so how his family would deal with that. Is that really what...?

TONY CURRAN: Yes.

JAIME MURRAY: Well I think that she would put the family first but she might get distracted at some point this season. And so Datak might be, she’s still there. She’s still involved but she might take her eye off the ball a bit and I think that then Datak - it’s not that he is thinking of the good of the town particularly. I can’t say it’s that noble or selfless.

TONY CURRAN: Yes.

JAIME MURRAY: A little bit more time and space whereby he reacts to his own ego and his own - he might act out a rash decision without kind of having her soothe him and counsel him. And you might be interested to see where that all leaves them both.

TONY CURRAN: Yes. I think sometimes you can see distance makes the heart grow fonder but then you can also see out of sight, out of mind. And I was thinking that Datak might be like a little boy to begin with - maybe where’s my other half? Where’s my better half? I need...

JAIME MURRAY: Where’s my mommy?

TONY CURRAN: Mommy. And then he may revert back to where he was before he met Stahma. There’s that list of the calmer rat if you will whereas Stahma, several of you know they go - anything happened in the future where they were not with each other. Then you would see a woman being able to - if she had the opportunity - to wield her power without the help of a man, of an alien man because she can stand alone and that would be very interesting for her.

JAIME MURRAY: The new strength. She might discover new ways of being whereas I think with Datak, he might revert back to old behaviors.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, without her by his side. Yes, definitely. I think that he’s trying to, we’re both saying oh Datak. And in very subtle ways she’s trying to improve his manners, his ways. But then I think without her yes, he could definitely fall back into his old ways and I think maybe the complete opposite of that is maybe Stahma could start soaring far above him and going in a completely opposite direction because she’s like that because she’s so bloody smart.

And who doesn’t think that Stahma Tarr is quite - by the way my nephews, I’ve got to say this quickly, my nephews go from 5 to like 23 and they keep texting me “Uncle T, Uncle T. Man, that Stahma bud, she’s so hot.”

QUESTION: My husband said that right beside me on the couch.

JAIME MURRAY: I hope I’m confusing a whole generation.

TONY CURRAN: You are messing their heads up. My mom is 79 years of age and she was she was a bit tired. My nephew’s five and he was talking about Jaime. And then one day my mom was like, “Would you please calm down and relax?” And my mom sat down and you remember that moment when Trenna plays the endogen darku and she puts a finger on Julie Benz’s head? It was “Good Human.”

QUESTION: Oh yes.

TONY CURRAN: So Mary’s lying down on the couch and Calin comes up to her and he puts his finger on her head and he goes, “Good human. Good human.” I mean that’s crazy. He’s watching the pilot. So it’s definitely getting out there at a young age. I’ve got a couple of these stories.

QUESTION: Jaime, the last three shows I’ve seen you in, you’ve been a bad girl, you might call it villainous. Why do you think you keep getting chosen for these roles?

JAIME MURRAY: Well I think that you play one role like that and if people enjoy that, then they see you. And I look so different in this role but maybe there’s something about my physiology and my facial structure. I don’t know, but what I do know is that I really enjoy playing these roles.

And they’re very complex women dealing with very complex situations and the way I’ve always approached these roles is even the worst person in the world, including Mussolini and Hitler, they didn’t think that what they were doing was wrong. They were committing the worst atrocities against humanity and they thought that they were validated and that they were doing the right thing.

People do what they think that they have to do and they often do the thing they think is the only choice they have or they’re making the best of a bad situation. So what’s really interesting if an actor is looking at what might have brought that person to that place and really getting to know that person. And in this case it’s not.

TONY CURRAN: What shaped their past to make them, yes.

JAIME MURRAY: Yes, what shaped those and brought them to making those horrendous choices or what brought them to that value system - that skewed, awful value system. And I have often - maybe that’s why I keep getting these roles, because I try not to judge the character as bad because you can’t play bad. If you play bad, you end up playing a cartoon or playing a caricature.

So really you’ve got to be the best lawyer that you can possibly be for these characters and Lila and Dexter, I played her. She was a broken person and she was really looking for a connection and she’d never really truly in her life had one before. That’s why she was going to all those NA meetings. She was trying to feel emotions that she’d never felt before and then when she found Dexter, she saw his dark passenger straight away and she related to it and she felt a connection for the first time in her life.

And then when that connection was withdrawn from her, it made her go crazy. Her wounded inner child just took over and she did some really, really awful things. What other bad characters have I played?

QUESTION: Ringer.

JAIME MURRAY: Oh Ringer, yes.

JAIME MURRAY: I think that Olivia and Ringer, she was one of those women that really was very competitive and started competing with men in an industry which was very male-dominated. And so instead of rising above it, she actually became the worst type of aggressive mad. She took all the worst traits of all the worst men that she’d ever worked with and, except for what she adopted thinking that was the only way of her winning.

And so it was really nice when the writers then wrote the story where my character showed a softer side with Andrea Goss who played Catherine. And it’s really nice when you’re able to show these other sides.

So in Warehouse 13 with HG World, I start off as the archetypal daddy at the beginning of the season, then I have this amazing arc whereby I won over the team. And then in the next season I save the team. So there’s a real chance for a redemption in that role.

And also you were given insight into what made her lose it. She lost a child and I think that there was a real charm to that character because you understood that she made horrible, horrible decisions but you were given some insight into her crazy and why she might have made those choices.

So I love playing these characters because you’re never really just playing, sometimes as a female you can sometimes be cast in roles which are just really layering or coloring the male hero’s role, giving insight into his character.

TONY CURRAN: Yes.

JAIME MURRAY: And those roles can be fun to play but sometimes these daddy female roles are so complex.

TONY CURRAN: They’re more complex. They’re more interesting, yes I suppose. The less black and white if you will.

QUESTION: Yes. I’ve talked to a lot of actors and it seems like actors do usually prefer playing bad guys one way or the other because they get more complicated.

JAIME MURRAY: Yes, yes, they do.

TONY CURRAN: They’re not bad. They’re just misunderstood.

JAIME MURRAY: Right.

QUESTION: Tony, I was going to ask you about your accent for the character. Did you make the choice to make it different than your own or was it somebody else’s choice or how did that work out?

TONY CURRAN: For Datak?

QUESTION: Yes.

TONY CURRAN: Yes. Well I think at some frames some people said “Oh, we just love your accent. Why don’t you do it in your own accent?” And I was like, “Don’t be so stupid.” Oh, he’s a Scottish alien. Oh that’s really clever. Yes, really smart.

I’ve got quite a strong accent. There’s no doubt about that but I just think that these aliens, they had integrated into their society. If it was set in Glasgow then it might be different or if it was set in London but it wasn’t. It was set in America.

So yes, especially playing an alien, if I was to use my own accent I think that would be very odd for me. So I think that losing one’s self in a different zone, it’s almost like - I don’t know how Jaime feels about it but it’s not like I’m actually doing an accent. It’s almost like I’d be in my room and I don’t know anybody else’s process. I’d be in my room talking to myself as Datak or trying to find a voice and some lines that we see and lines that we’re reading paragraphs of the script.

I would be reading from a book I may be reading at that time and I would try to find and it’s not like leaving my accent but almost trying to find another sound that obviously isn’t my own accent but is the sound that I feel comfortable in to express what Datak has to express. So I think I feel quite comfortable in it now.

And as I watch the episodes for characters that I haven’t done scenes with or scenes that Jaime’s done. Arguably one of my favorite scenes is the scene between Christie and Jaime on the train carriage. I think that Jaime sounds amazing and the scene is amazing.

And I think as actors you constantly keep learning because I’ve watched last night’s episode and then I watch the last episodes and you’re looking in the world that was created because there’s a lot of the time when me and Jaime aren’t on the set and you’re looking at scenes that was shot when you’re not there. And you’re like okay, that’s how that part of the world looks, when as before it’s only been in your mind’s eye as it were.

So yes, I think that you’re constantly learning about how you sound, how you look, how you move and how other people do the same. And it’s sort of interesting to try and learn something from that.

JAIME MURRAY: We’re in Los Angeles. It’s so sunny here.

QUESTION: As a political junkie, I really enjoy picking out the particle undertones of Defiance and I think it’s very timely in that our American Congress is about to start debating immigration reform.

And we’ve heard the Defiance mayor insist on several occasions that assimilation is the only way to really coexist whether it’s 2014 or 2040 something, it seems that aliens are always expected - whether they’re space or undocumented - to assimilate here in the United States. With such diverse culture lines drawn in Defiance, do you think assimilation is possible and should it be?

TONY CURRAN: I think assimilation is inevitable in many ways and especially with the unfortunate recent events with the way terrorism is sweeping across the world. But I think what we’re in many ways sometimes on the verge because of certain religions been attached to certain terroristic attacks. I don’t mean to go into that right now but I think it’s important.

But it could be on the verge of turning really bad if humanity cannot see a way to try and integrate societies and to have the American dream, the American philosophy of acceptance and of equality.

JAIME MURRAY: You know, I’m glad that you asked this question. After last episode, Tony and I were emailing the show producers and backwards and forwards because there were viewers that picked up on the points that you’re making. And I was like yes, they’re seeing some of those really important universal themes that we wanted to make sure that we showed in a really nuanced and interesting way.

And what I would say is that all societies need to evolve. And it’s when people become entrenched in certain ways, that’s when you have a problem. And it’s really interesting, that scene between Datak and Stahma in the bath, where Stahma comes from the upper atriums of Casti and society and you can tell that she has a little bit of distaste about what they’re doing to Eli in the town square.

And Datak who really never got anything good for his own society is the one holding on so tightly to those old traditions and those old traditions did nothing for him. And I think that was a really interesting point that the episode made which is it is generally the disenfranchised of any society that carries on doing damaging behaviors. And damaging behaviors, it doesn’t matter where they come from. They’re damaging to everybody.

And I think that you then have a child come into that scene and he’s dressed in his modern clothes and he just wants to be connected and hang out with his generation. He doesn’t really see the other species particularly. It’s not about him retaining who he is. He wants to evolve and there’s always these clashing generations and cultures in that one scene.

I thought it was really kind of interesting what he done. And I would just say that I think that universal desire is that human beings have is for connection. And as you look at immigration and moving forward, assimilation sounds, I don’t know - it has connotations which could be really positive and sometimes really get people’s back slapped.

I just think that we need to look at ways of different cultures connecting with each other in an authentic way so that we don’t end up with disenfranchised people who want to do damage to our societies.

And whether it’s the UK and the British people or the American people, they have to be prepared to evolve, too. You don’t want to stay the same. Who wants to stay the same? And then other cultures that come into a new place. They have to be willing to evolve as well and together we can create something new and we can create something better maybe.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, definitely. I think that’s what the more optimistic, the more hopeful and progressive side of Defiance is trying to achieve. And to get away from the secular nature of humanity that is that you stay over there because you are a white middle class person and we have black people over here. And we are Asians over here and we are whatever over there. And we’re all going to integrate with each other because we get on better separately.

I think in the sense of Defiance and in the sense of the world at large, people are traveling now to different countries for many different reasons because of the lack of opportunity in their own countries, because of war and my wife is, she was born in Saigon. She came over here in ‘73 and she’s like…Datak and Stahma in the sense of their being a displaced person who had to come to come to another country for opportunity.

And then I think it’s for anybody who comes from another country because they’re forced to do so and to come into a society. And arguably the greatest country in the world, America - I wouldn’t even say arguably - for opportunities for people from all over the world. That’s why America started in the sense of when people came from Europe and people came from South America and they founded the United States. It was other cultures within the American - well obviously the American Indians were here first.

People started creating opportunity and that’s what America’s been based on. So the political cultural similarities between America and the planet today with Defiance. I think people are going to find very - especially for a science fiction show that you might not think has that depth or clout or progressive sort of message to say no to people. I think that’s what - within this wonderful fantastical backdrop of the science fiction world. You’re going to find some very, very human stories with it - no pun intended - about people being alienated within their societies wherever they come from.

And I think that’s what Datak and Stahma and a lot of other characters in the show that we talk about, that we discuss and I think that’s what makes it - this show could go far in many ways because it’s holding a mirror up like any good drama. It’s holding a mirror up to society and saying this is what we are. You don’t like those bits. These are some good bits but we can’t deny what we are. And the question is what are we going to do about it?

Are we going to try to make it better or are we going to turn a blind eye to it and go backwards basically because if we don’t land from our past then our future can be very bleak.

Jesus, it all got very heavy all of the sudden.

QUESTION: It did, didn’t it?

TONY CURRAN: The other thing I think is very, very interesting and I’m sure Jaime feels the same way. I love your question.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. I hope that more people start to think of assimilation as less of a melting pot and more of a stir fry.

TONY CURRAN: No. As Gandhi said, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. So he was a good bloke.

SCIFI VISION: Have either of you played the game yet and do you know if your characters are - if they have any plans for them to be in the game.

JAIME MURRAY: My character’s not in the game. As I was saying, I’m quite a lady. So I don’t know how they...

TONY CURRAN: I’m a lady.

JAIME MURRAY: A few unknowns or a few in the next season but I did play the game at Comic-Con and I played it a couple of months ago in the UK and I wasn’t very good at it at all. I think for the qualities that drew me to acting, like getting into things and having empathy and getting excitable and following my impulses make me a horrible, horrible gamer because I get really excited and I squeal like a little girl and I get really nervous when I’m playing the game.

And so I’m better off watching other people play the game because I think you need to be cool, calm and cool-headed when you play these games and they’re not qualities really that I have. But I enjoy watching the game because you see the grass blowing in the wind and it’s so intricate and the world is really beautifully created. So that enriched me as an actor but unfortunately I’m not a very good gamer at all.

TONY CURRAN: With the way Jaime says that, I think I’d like to watch Jaime playing the game actually.

JAIME MURRAY: I do have this picture of me playing the game. I’m all elbows and hunched and worried like I’m an anxious little child.

TONY CURRAN: I’ve played the game at Comic-Con. I’ve got it at home. When I get a chance, I get on there. But the thing is the video games - once you get on it, it’s not like I’ll play for ten minutes. You can waste hours playing video games. And some people don’t have that much time. But I think they’ve done a great job with it.

I think when I was in a Syfy event in New York recently I spoke to some of the gamers. I played there and the guys who created the game. And God, there’s like 300 people who have been involved in it over the past five years. And they said characters like Stahma and Datak and Alak will be integrated into the next stage of the game.

JAIME MURRAY: Including me?

TONY CURRAN: Oh yes, including you. Yes because you’re like oh, what have I got? Oh, I’ve got to really challenge blade and I’m sure Stahma’s going to have some little, you know, maybe Stahma will have some special powers. Who knows? But yes, I think so. I don’t think they could put me in the game and not put you in.

But if I’m going to have to get into a little black tight motion capture outfit, I’m sure as heck you’re coming along with me, sister.

JAIME MURRAY: I’ll come and take some pictures and tweet them.

TONY CURRAN: Yes. You look like an Olympic runner. But I think the characters are going to get empty because this game is, it’s slowly hopefully going to expand more and more. So then I think it would be fun to be part of and then they’ve already mentioned that some of the main other characters are going to be part of the game. So Julie and Jaime and myself and Jesse and so on. So that’ll be quite exciting to play yourself in the game.

SCIFI VISION: I like the game so far and I love the show, and I think next week’s episode, the we got the screener for, I think that’s actually the best so far, and I really enjoyed that one and all the political stuff going on and everything.

JAIME MURRAY: Have you seen next week with the bio man?

SCIFI VISION: Yes, yes.

TONY CURRAN: Kenya gets kidnapped.

JAIME MURRAY: How about you giving a spoiler alert? [episode has already aired at time of posting]

TONY CURRAN: Well she’s already seen it. She’s already seen it. So this is live on NPR.

SCIFI VISION: Yes, I won’t tweet that part. I won’t tweet that part.

TONY CURRAN: Yes, no tweety, tweety. Thank you. Thank you.
http://scifivision.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1580:tony-curran-a-jaime-murray-talk-qdefianceq&catid=47:interviews
Defiance - Slice of SciFi: Tony Curran Audio Interview
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-slice-of-scifi-tony-curran.html?spref=tw
Defiance "Datak Tar" Tony Curran
Slice of SciFi Exclusive Interview with Tony Curran who plays "Datak Tarr" on Syfy's "Defiance". Tony talks about the ego-power struggles between men and women in a relationship, working with Jamie in a bathtub while wearing white paint on your skin, what happens below the water line, being the victim and the victimizer, moving up in society, and he offers a tease for another season of Defiance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0JaRnrkO_c&feature=youtu.be&a
http://www.sliceofscifi.tv/
http://blip.tv/slice_of_scifi/episode-6592632
http://www.frequency.com/video/defiance-datak-tar-tony-curran/98445774/-/5-252

Defiance “Datak Tarr”: Tony Curran
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2013/05/29/slice-of-scifi-611/

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'One Word Descriptions'
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-one-word.html?spref=tw

Defiance - Syfy Video Featurette: 'Datak's Dark Ambition'http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-syfy-video-featurette-dataks.html?spref=tw

Defiance - The Point: Jaime Murray & Tony Curran Audio Interview - Part 2
http://antipodalarapaima.blogspot.ru/2013/05/defiance-point-jaime-murray-audio.html?spref=tw


Tony and Jaime discuss their roles.... 
http://www.fansshare.com/news/tony-curran-jaime-murray-discuss-their-tv-show-defiance/