Mark Valley Teases HUMAN TARGET Season Two

FOX’s action-drama HUMAN TARGET returns for its second season on Wednesday, November 17, and while its core trio of Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), Winston (Chi McBride), and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley) are back and as terrific as ever, the show has made some changes. Matt Miller (Chuck, Las Vegas) has taken over as executive-producer, and he has promised a more character-driven show. To that end he has added new characters: Ilsa Pucci (Indira Varma, Luther, Rome), a billionaire philanthropist widow who seeks Chance’s help and Ames (Janet Montgomery, Entourage), a young thief who gets involved with the team.

The center of the show remains Mark Valley as Christopher Chance, the former assassin turned security expert/private contractor/bodyguard. Hot Celebrity Tv was there when Mark answered questions about what he thinks about the changes, the possibility that Chance is getting a love interest, and what challenges him in playing Chance. There are plenty of teasers, but no specific spoilers.

On changes for the second season

Mark’s overall answer to what changes we’ll see in the second season is more: more characters, more humor, and more stunts and martial arts with bigger explosions.

Breaking it down, in terms of character development, Mark said “[The guys] are trying to catch up to themselves now. We’ve thrown some octane into the mix and the company is bigger than they ever expected.” They’ll need to figure out how to deal with that.

Mark teased that “Some relationships will be enhanced; some will be challenged.” He added that with the new characters, there is a lot more material character-wise. One thing we will definitely see, according to Mark, is that the characters’ relationships are based on need. “We all need each other, so we get together.” He added that Chance really is a team player who enjoys working with people he likes and trusts.”

In terms of stunts, Mark said, “The explosions are a little bigger. The fight sequences aren’t as long as they were last season, but they’re more intense.”

There really is more humor. “We’re doing the nuts and bolts shoot ‘em up stuff that Human Target is known for but with more humor,” Mark explained. “We have more fun things to do and more things to react to. We’re having a lot of fun.” He added they are being encouraged to find good places to add humor.

On adding Indira Varma and Janet Montgomery to the cast

Mark said he loves having the new characters of Ilsa Pucci and Ames on the show and thinks they add new depth. “It was a party with three guys sitting watching TV, but now these two women show up and we have to change the channel. It really brings in some inherent conflict and the excitement that women bring to three guys.”

According to Mark, the premiere “pulls everything together brilliantly.” Ilsa shows up as a wealthy widow who wants to hire the best to protect herself. He said, “She gets the team back together because she needs them.”

Ames is a young thief the team meets during the course of their mission, and Mark said, “We see a bit of ourselves in her.” The guys realize that she is at a crossroads and she can either go “to the dark side of the force” or use her talents for good, so they bring her into the fold.

Mark called Indira and Janet “great actresses” who are each filling a need in the show.

On a love interest for Chance

When asked about a spoiler sheet from Matt Miller that mentioned that Chance would be getting a love interest, Mark first joked, “There’s not a lot of time for love interests when the bullets are flying,” but then said that there will be a love interest that neither character expects, though he wanted to make sure fans didn`t worry about the show being disrupted.

According to Mark, there will be “moral one-upsmanship” between Chance and Ilsa and he noted that they come from very different sides of the track, though they will learn they have more similarities than they might have expected. He said they will be a “slow burn” with their interest in each other “developing from the place of understanding who each other is rather than from looking for love.” Their relationship will be based on trust, respect, and need.

Most importantly, Mark assured us that, “It’s not turning into Cheers with Diane. We’re not going to lose Chance or the relationship with these three guys.”

On what Mark finds interesting and challenging about playing Chance

The physical aspects still challenge Mark. He said that he still has to learn something new with each stunt and he joked that his stunt double Jeff Robinson is improving faster than he is.

In terms of character, Mark pointed to Chance’s past as an assassin versus his present as fascinating for him. “That this character has had the past that he has and still can have a sparkle and charm and cheer people up with a positive attitude about humanity” is something he likes exploring. He also noted Chance’s compassion and empathy as interesting facets of Chance’s personality.

On Chance’s shortcomings

Mark thinks Chance’s biggest shortcoming is a lack of patience. He laughed and said, “Every episode he’s like `Where are the bad guys and why can’t we go get them right now?’”

Apparently this season we’ll also begin to see that Chance doesn’t know everything the way he sometimes thinks he does and we will see him make mistakes. Mark described a scene in the premiere where they’re in a Swiss bank and he thinks he yells “Get down on the floor” in French, but he’s really telling them to get in the basement. Mark said Chance then gets his point across by shooting his gun.

On working with Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley

Mark loves working with both Chi and Jackie. He said Chi “is a perfectionist and has a photographic memory” and that he “has a sense of timing and rhythm that gives his work a fluidity.” He added that he’s “a really sweet man with a powerful presence.”

Mark’s impressed by Jackie Earle Haley’s being able to work as a child actor and then become an Oscar nominee (for 2006′s Little Children). He said he loves watching Jackie work and said that all three of them bring their own rhythms to the show and that they just click together.

The second season of Human Target premieres on FOX Wednesday, November 17 at 8pm/7 central.

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Marcia Gay Harden Chats about LAW & ORDER: SVU Return

Marcia Gay Harden has been working steadily in film, theater, and television since she broke out in the Coen Brothers’ 1990 movie Miller’s Crossing. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 2000′s Pollack and the 2009 Best Actress in a Play Tony Award for God of Carnage. She has a recurring role on USA’s Royal Pains and is about to make a return appearance to LAW AND ORDER: SVU as FBI Agent Dana Lewis, a role for which she was nominated for the 2007 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Emmy.

The Wednesday, November 10 “Penetration” episode of Law & Order: SVU marks Marcia Gay’s third time portraying Agent Lewis. She first appeared in season seven’s “Raw” episode where Lewis had infiltrated a white supremacist group as part of an undercover operation, running smack into the special victims squad’s investigation into the shooting of a six year old. In the season eight premiere “Informed,” Lewis’ informant in an eco-terrorism case disappears after being raped and refusing to submit to a rape kit, so Benson and Lewis team up to find her. “Penetration” will find Lewis seeking Benson’s help in a much more personal matter, though they will also team up professionally once again.

Hot Celebrity Tv was there when Marcia Gay and Law & Order: SVU executive produce Neal Baer answered questions about what challenged Marcia Gay about playing Lewis this time around, what makes the Lewis-Benson relationship work, and whether she would want her own show. The reason behind Agent Lewis’ unexpected visit to Benson in “Penetration” has been widely reported, but if you don’t already know, it is discussed below, so beware of that. Otherwise, there are teasers, but no spoilers.

On what brings Agent Lewis back

Marcia Gay described Lewis as “investigating some kind of terrorism,” and during that time, she is attacked by a stranger–”something terrible”–that leads her reach out to Benson (Mariska Hargitay)to perform a rape kit exam.

“I’m the same sassy, bold, bright, tough person as before,” Marcia Gay said about Lewis, adding that this time “They gave me a motorcycle and broadened my horizons,” allowing other aspects of Lewis to come out.

Neal called Lewis “as salty as ever,” and said “Of course [the episode] leaves it open for her to return.” He thinks her performance is “compelling” and that the Lewis character resonates and has left a real mark, calling her “a very unique character.”

On how the role of Dana was more challenging this time

Marcia Gay said that while she can imagine the rape itself, given that “awful, crazy things happen all the time” and even the “I was trained to get out of this situation” attitude toward the rape, she had a harder time with Lewis’s particular soldier mentality of “It happened. It was terrible. Let`s move on.” She explained that that mindset really is difficult for her to imagine with its “soldier up” kind of mantra, where Lewis thinks to herself, “You are not going to be a typical victim awash in emotion.” On the other hand, Marcia Gay also said that there is the notion that “a violation is a violation” that runs through the episode and she thinks that resonates deeply.

Marcia Gay gushed about how the writers and producers “raise the bar each time,” keeping Lewis salty and fun to play even as they broaden her horizon and give her more depth.

On Lewis and Benson

Marcia Gay thinks that Lewis relates to Benson’s job first and foremost. She has respect for how Benson does her job and said that “Benson is a much more overtly compassionate person,” something else Lewis respects.

Marcia Gay likes the “locker room mentality” Lewis and Benson share. Their friendship is filled with “banter, respect, and one-upwomanship,” and this episode marks a turning point because Lewis needs Benson in a way she hasn’t before because of the rape kit. That makes things feel “fresh.”

Neal said the relationship is special because “We don’t see this kind of camaraderie between women very often.”

On using the “Ground Zero Mosque”

Neal said that the mosque is integral to Lewis’ undercover story and that they will “never shy away from any part of New York life,” adding that the mosque is definitely part of life in New York right now. He explained that while the mosque is a way in for this story, there is no commentary involved.

On why L&O: SVU is still so popular

Marcia Gay loves SVU because of how it works “on a simple human level while staying current on a global level” and she thinks people relate to the show because of that.

Neal joked it’s still popular because they get “great guest stars like Marcia Gay.”

On whether Marcia Gay would want her own series

Marcia Gay said “Having my own show is something I`m definitely exploring,” but she’s also very happy to be able to play these “juicy characters [who] are written with different facets of femininity that don’t feel like a Hallmark card.”

Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC Wednesdays at 9pm/8 central.

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Jim Rash on Playing COMMUNITY’s Dean Pelton

NBC debuted a COMMUNITY-based web series this week featuring Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) conducting Greendale business in his own unique fashion. In the first three “Office Hours” webisodes released on NBC.com, we see the dean mediate a sexual harassment case involving the Human Being and a cheerleader, seek advice from Leonard about a toupee, and try to console a student who misunderstands their relationship.

Jim Rash has become a fan favorite on Community, playing the ambitious and mostly well-meaning but basically certifiable Dean Pelton. He has been a member of the Groundlings improv company for eleven years and had a starring role in NBC’s The Naked Truth along with recurring ones in shows like Reno 911 and That 70s Show.

Hot Celebrity Tv was there when Jim answered questions on the webisodes, how Dean Pelton has evolved, and his writing career.

On the “Office Hours” webisodes

About the web series, Jim said, “I’m honored to have the chance to expand Community outside the show,” explaining, “I do think it’s a great way to broaden your being seen and expand who watches your show.” He added that “for shows that are special and have a good solid following, [a web series] is a great place to nurture them.”

When asked how shooting the webisodes felt compared to a regular episode, Jim replied, “It was the same in the sense of having the same set and most of the same crew — we shot those during a hiatus week. That part of it felt the same. It was fun obviously because Leonard was in some of those and so is the Human Being. It did feel a little weird, but hopefully we’ll do more and get more of the regular cast involved.”

Jim said he hopes that there will be introductions and crossovers both ways between the show and the webisodes down the road.

On Dean Pelton’s evolution

Jim said he had no idea what to expect from Dean Pelton at first. “When we shot the pilot, I was cast, I think, pretty late–after they had already started shooting. At the time it was just a guest star on a pilot that you didn’t know if it was going to get picked up. And then they mentioned possible recurring, and once it got picked up I didn’t know how much they wanted to use the dean or where we were going.”

According to Jim, in the pilot the dean was wearing a wedding ring that had disappeared by his second episode, and he has no idea if the dean was actually married or if he only wore the ring to “attract people attracted to strong, stable types.”

Jim laughed that his first “inkling of Pelton’s craziness” was the Dalmatian video. He said that while he does sometimes have a “what?” reaction to things in the script, they’re “joyous whats.” Jim loves all the secrets in Pelton’s personal life, from the Dalmatian fetish to his “over-curiosity with Winger.” We’re also apparently going to be learning about a few new fetishes in upcoming episodes.

On how Jim views Dean Pelton

In describing Dean Pelton, Jim said “He is a guy who at his core really wants this school to be success — I think he fancies his community college to be, as he sarcastically put it, I think he wants this place to be as great as the four-year college everyone transfers to. Of course, he makes a lot of missteps along the way but his heart is in the right place. I remember when we first started, Dan Harmon felt like I probably went to some Ivy League school and felt like he didn’t get the college experience he wanted so he’s trying the make this the experience he wishes he could have.”

Jim also sees the dean as someone who is needy and infuses himself too much into the lives of Jeff and the study group.

According to Jim, we’ll see Dean Pelton have a huge meltdown a couple of episodes down the road and Jim said, “It was fun to find that reaction and play that.”

As for what Jim wants to see in the future, he said, “I love the fact that we’re not yet sure what’s going on in [Dean Pelton's] personal life. I’m looking forward to the eventual reveal, whether we really want to know or not.” Along with the dean’s personal life, Jim would also like the show to explore Greendale’s apparently massive social budget and would want to see an episode where someone cracks down on Pelton’s spending.

On the Community cast

Jim called the cast “great. It’s a really close group. I think they’ve really bonded and are very welcoming.” He said Joel is “very quick and it’s fun to watch him play with Ken Jeong and Donald Glover.”

When asked how it is working with Chevy Chase, Jim again called it great, saying “One of my first episodes back after the pilot was just with him, designing the Human Being. It was fun to have that one on one time.” He added that it was intimidating at first, but there was “no need because [Chevy] was very welcoming.

On favorite episodes
When asked if he had a favorite episode, Jim answered, “I think I’m partial to shooting the Apollo 13 space episode personally but I will say that one of my favorite times was only the second episode I was in. It was the football one where I got to come in and ask Troy if he wanted to play football. That was the first time back for me, and it was fun to start fleshing out who that guy was.”

On the Halloween costumes in “Epidemiology 206″

Jim said that while they were shooting “Basic Rocket Science,” Karey Dornetto, the “Epidemiology 206″ writer, talked to each cast member about possible costume ideas. When she mentioned the Lady Gaga idea, Jim countered with Cruella De Vil because of the dean’s Dalmatian fetish, but there were probably too many licensing issues for that to happen. Jim said he doesn’t know how many of the cast ideas were taken, but everyone was asked what they thought their characters should go as.

On The Groundlings

Jim began working with the Groundlings shortly after he arrived in Los Angeles, and he credits the company with helping him hone his comedic timing and become a better performer overall. “I started work at the Groundlings mostly to take improv classes,” Jim explained, “and that was beneficial, not just to my acting, but also to my writing.”

On The Descendants

Jim said the opportunity for him and his writing partner, fellow Groundlings member Nat Faxon, to write a screenplay adaptation for the Kaui Hart Hemmings novel “The Descendants” “fell into our laps.” Director Alexander Payne had optioned the filming rights to the book and since Jim and Nat had gotten some attention for a screenplay they had written, Payne approached them and asked them to do the adaptation. Payne, who also shares a writing credit on the project, directed the film last summer with George Clooney starring. The Descendants will be released next year.

On upcoming projects

Jim said he and Nat are very focused on their writing right now. They are currently in the early stages of working on an HBO pilot, have plans for another screenplay, and want to revisit their screenplay “The Way Back,” which garnered attention a few years ago when the economy was going south. Jim hopes that he and Nat can do something with it as things begin to pick back up.

Jim said he would love to write an episode of Community “if they would have me.”

Community airs on NBC Thursday nights at 8pm/7 central.

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Amber Tamblyn Talks About Joining HOUSE

Amber Tamblyn begins her multi-episode arc on HOUSE Monday, November 8, playing Martha M. Masters, a third year medical student and Cuddy’s choice to fill in for the absent Thirteen on House’s diagnostic team.

Amber is probably best known for her starring roles in the television series Joan of Arcadia and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants films. She also starred in ABC’s short-lived quirky police drama The Unusuals and will next be seen in the movie 127 Hours, opening November 6.

Hot Celebrity Tv was there when Amber ignored a cold to answer questions about how Martha Masters came about, jumping onto an established show, 127 Hours, and her poetry.

On being approached to join House

Amber said that David Shore approached her about joining the show, saying he wanted to write a character specifically for her. Amber had never seen House, so her first reaction was “I don’t want to do a medical show. That’s not fun.” Her friends explained to her it’s not just a medical show, so she watched the DVDs and was impressed. She’s a huge fan of Hugh Laurie and she liked, and was very flattered by, the idea of, having David write a character just for her. After watching some of the show, she thought the way you learn about the characters through how they’re tested on the job was very smart and interesting, so she agreed to a role before even seeing a script because at that point, Martha was still just an idea.

On the Martha Masters character

According to Amber, Martha is actually based on her real-life friend Meredith, a medical student Amber called “incredibly brilliant but sometimes socially awkward.” She said that Meredith actually had to sign a release because so much of the Martha character springs from her. Meredith and David haven’t yet met, but Amber joked that he “writes her so well that when they do meet a giant black hole will open in the sky.”

In Martha, Amber said, “We’ll see someone who has been so much in academia and the pursuit of knowledge that she never progressed or matured in a social sense.” She said it’s possible Martha has Asperger’s, surprisingly adding, “I know Hugh’s character does.” We will watch Martha learn things, often the hard way.

When asked what she liked most about Martha, Amber answered, “I love that she is so filled with non-sequiturs. When Martha isn’t talking about medical things, she uses really bad metaphors. I love how incredibly awkward she is.” It sounds like Martha will use bad metaphors even when discussing medicine, though, because Amber described an upcoming scene where Martha uses her period as a metaphor to convince someone to donate her kidney to her sister.

When asked how she would compare herself to the Martha character, Amber replied that she couldn’t because Martha is so much an homage to her friend Meredith. She said, “I’m dumb and instinctual where Meredith is hyper-intelligent but not at all instinctual” and the same is true of Martha.

When asked about Martha-Wilson interaction, Amber said the only time she has been on-screen with Robert Sean Leonard was to once pull House out of Wilson’s office. They haven’t shared any actual scenes. Martha mostly interacts with House, Taub, Foreman, and Chase. She has scenes with Cuddy in her first episode, but not again until one she shot just the other day.

On the House-Martha relationship

Amber called the House-Martha interaction “absolutely delicious” and said, “Both characters annoy and fascinate each other.”

On the central conflict between House and Martha, Amber thinks the two of them want to get at the same thing–the truth–but have two distinct ways of doing so. She explained, “Martha believes in truth-telling almost to a fault while House believes that lying is okay as long as it gets you to the truth.”

On jumping into an established show

When asked about the challenges of joining a show versus launching one like Joan of Arcadia or The Unusuals, Amber first joked, “I’m not sure The Unusuals ever launched. It was seen by like two people. My poor beloved Unusuals.” Then she apologized for not having a funny or crazy story about someone being mean to her on the House set and said, “I just fell right into it naturally. We all just sort of clicked right away.

On Amber’s first day, they shot sitting around the table, brainstorming diagnoses scenes and said that was a lot of fun and a good way for her to get to know her cast mates and vice versa. She called it “almost too easy,” saying that House is a “well-oiled machine. They really have it down to a science in terms of running a show.”

Amber called the set fun and happy. She explained that she likes working with large groups of guys, partly because she “talks like a dude,” cussing all the time. She is also learning a lot about health from Lisa Edelstein, and said she loves that Omar Epps is always bringing food to the cast and crew

On 127 Hours

Amber plays a hiker in 127 Hours, the Danny Boyle-directed film based on the true story of hiker Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) horrific ordeal after his right arm is trapped by a boulder, as one of two hikers Ralston meets just before his accident. She called her role “small but important” and considers it comic relief and “dopamine in a film about a man who cuts off his arm.” She raved about James Franco’s performance in the movie.

Amber also noted that Danny Boyle and Hugh Laurie are very similar in that “they are both powerhouses but humble and interested in what they are doing.”

On her poetry

With two volumes of poetry already published, Amber said that the only professional goal she is sure about is writing a third. “Writing helped me get through my teenage years,” she explained. “The industry was becoming sexualized and you were supposed to look and act a certain way.” That was something seventeen year old Amber had a hard time dealing with and she used writing to help her through it because it was a way to get the anger and frustration out without being too public. Her poetry now is a way to talk about the side of the industry most people don’t see, but in a funny way. “Writing poems is the best, safest medium for me.”

Amber went on a book tour with her mother last year and her mom brought a guitar, so it ended up being a kind of band/comedy duo performance. She said it’s a “fun, exhilarating experience performing on stage” and laughed about the reaction from fans who only knew her as an actress, saying she pictured them thinking “Why is that girl from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants using the F word so much?”

Amber will be performing her poetry at GiRL FeST in Hawaii next week.

Be sure to watch House on FOX Monday nights at 8pm/7 central

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Ally Walker on SONS OF ANARCHY’s “Sociopathic” June Stahl

Ally Walker started her acting career on the soap opera Santa Barbara and is probably best known for her role as Dr. Sam Waters in the late 1990s crime drama Profiler. She also starred in the short-lived HBO relationship drama Tell Me You Love Me and has recently guest starred in shows ranging from CSI to Southland. She is currently appearing on the FX drama SONS OF ANARCHY as ruthless ATF agent June Stahl, who will stop at nothing as she tries to bring SAMCRO down.

Hot Celebrity Tv was there when Ally took the time to answer questions about playing June Stahl, what it’s like working for Kurt Sutter, and her new Lifetime pilot.

Make sure to watch Ally on Sons of Anarchy on FX Tuesday nights at 10pm/9 central. You can find all of our Sons of Anarchy coverage here and I hope you enjoy the interview with the fun and talented Ally Walker.

On taking the role of June

Ally said that Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter initially asked her to come in for three episodes, and she took the role because she loved his writing, the show, and the character. She said it was hard at first to play June because so much was thrown at her so fast and “I tend to play things close to the bone, but she’s not like any bones I have.” She added that she had a few moments of “I can’t do this” because it was hard to find June who is “just so out there” and Ally had just come off the more down-to-earth role of Katie in Tell Me You Love Me. She was used to playing “humbler characters, ones who have more logical thought processes,” but she ended up just going for it and said that the role has been both scary and a lot of fun.

According to Ally, Kurt “was really lovely to me to keep writing for [June],” making her “more and more outlandish, which is really fun to play.” She also said of the role, “I really love this turn because there is really nothing off the table. I applaud her ruthlessness.”

On working for creator Kurt Sutter

Ally said that she thinks that working with Kurt as a creator is probably different for different people, but for her, it’s always been wonderful. She called him a “tough dude and an intense guy,” but also said that he`s a “very, very smart guy and a passionate guy,” and that to her, he’s always been a “mensch and a sweetie.”

Ally said that above all, Kurt’s a writer and she likes writers. There isn’t much ad libbing or script-changing with Kurt. He wants everyone to adhere to what he has written and Ally respects that. She explained, “His mind is such that he knows exactly where he’s going and you don’t have to worry because he’s got you. You can swing from the monkey bars and slip, but then you can grab back onto the monkey bars and it’s okay.”

On June’s motivation

About June, Ally said, “She’s sort of a sociopath; at least that’s how I like to play her.” Ally thinks she’s an opportunist and “a great little actress.” While she believes that June was at least initially working for the right outcome, now her ego has gotten in the way. Ally said that June’s attitude is “I’m going to beat you at your own game” and “in her mind, I think she’s always right.” Ally also described June as someone who “flies over all the logical steps to get somewhere.”

In terms of getting close to other characters, Ally said that for June, “there are only those who can do for June and those who can’t.” She doesn’t get attached. Ally said June “didn’t feel for Hale. She thought he was an idiot.” As far as Opie goes, Ally thinks June lost respect for him when he let her go.

When asked if she thought June was jealous of the SAMCRO brotherhood, Ally said that she does because no one has ever had June’s back. She has a “disturbed background” with a bad childhood and so her character is man-made. June has had to become a chameleon.

Ally is obviously having a great time playing June, and she said that she’s “trying to keep it real” even as June gets nuttier. She loves June’s fearlessness.

On what scares June

When asked whether June was afraid of retribution from any of the SAMCRO members (Opie, for example) she had wronged, Ally answered no, saying “She’s more afraid she missed a step” because June always has to be right. She added, “June fears smarter people and what she can’t see. Of course, her ego has gotten so big she’s not seeing much anymore.”

On June’s sexuality

It wasn’t a surprise to Ally last season that June would have a female lover because she actually shot a scene with a different female lover in season one that didn’t make it to air (it’s on the S1 DVD as a deleted scene). She was initially concerned onky because she didn’t want June’s sexuality to be linked to her evilness, but said that while June probably is gay, “she’s kind of beyond sexuality, anyway” because she is such an opportunist.

On June’s future

While Ally said she is “way ahead” of the viewers in terms of knowing what’s coming up, she wouldn’t spill any secrets and when asked about June appearing in season
4, Ally only said, “I’m leaving that up to the end of the season and to Kurt.”

On whom Ally most likes playing opposite

Ally said she couldn’t really choose because they’re all great and such a good group overall, but she works the most with Charlie Hunnam Jax), Katey Sagal (Gemma), and Ron Perlman (Clay) and she called Charlie a “soulful actor,” Katey “her buddy,” and Ron “a lot of fun.”

Ally said that acting with such talented people changes scenes from how they appear on the page. She described an upcoming scene between June and Jax as “very seductive and creepy,” which surprised them both. She said it’s “an intimate little dance of threatening with sexual tension” that was so unexpected that “at the end of the scene, we had a feeling of `Whoa. What was that?’” She added that the scene played beautifully, though, and Kurt was very happy with it.

Ally described the actors as sweet and funny during downtime. She said that usually on dark shows (she has experience with this from Profiler) the cast and crew like to let loose when the cameras aren’t rolling and that’s definitely true on the Sons of Anarchy set.

On fan reaction

Ally said that “people really hate me,” a reaction she is not used to and she said it’s strange how many people come up to her and say “I really love to hate you.” She also mentioned that there are a fair number of people who can’t seem to differentiate between Ally the actress and June the character.

On the Lifetime pilot, Exit 19

Ally confirmed that she has signed on to headline the Lifetime pilot, Exit 19, as single mother Gloria Shepherd, who struggles to balance her work as an NYPD homicide detective with raising her two children and. She called the casting “fortuitous.” Because Ally’s a mom herself, she had avoided looking for a series regular role for a long time, but she had just changed agencies, signing with Innovative Artists, and they sent her the script for Exit 19 and she loved it. Her kids are older now and when Innovative got her an offer, she decided to go for it.

Ally called the Exit 19 script “very sweet. It can be dark, but it’s quirky and I like it.” She said what she likes most is that “it’s not one thing–it’s many things.” She added that for her, it always comes back to the writing and she really likes this script.

When asked if she would bring much of Stahl to her new role, Ally replied that she wouldn`t unless the writer wanted her to. She said that Stahl would be a difficult role to turn off, but that she would always do what the writer dictated.

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Felicia Day talks RED:WEREWOLF HUNTER

Felicia Day, the writer/producer/star of the successful web series The Guild, may be best known for her portrayal of Vi on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but she has also guest-starred in shows ranging from Dollhouse to Lie to Me. She played Penny in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and will have a juicy recurring role in the second half of Eureka‘s current season. She is an avid reader and loves paranormal romances. You can check out her reading list on Good Reads.

Felicia stars in Syfy’s original movie RED: WEREWOLF HUNTER, airing Saturday, October 30 at 9pm/8 central. She plays Virginia Sullivan, a descendant of the original Red Riding Hood who is trying to live a life outside her family’s normal business of hunting werewolves, but runs into problems when she brings her fiancé home to meet the family and he’s bitten by a werewolf.

Hot Celebrity Tv was there when the charming, talented, and busy Felicia Day answered questions about Red: Werewolf Hunter, what she’ll be doing in Eureka, and whether she could see herself playing a villain.

On Red: Werewolf Hunter

Felicia said that the film uses the original ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ tale as a jumping off point to create a modern day story. While there are a few brief flashbacks to the original Red Riding Hood, Felicia said, “This movie is set in the real world and my family is tasked with keeping werewolves from the real world.” There is a struggle of family and obligation in the movie, and Felicia teased, “There’s a lot of drama and blood, too, which is fun.”

The film shot in Toronto and used a lot of cool locations, including a shanty town that was an old set that had deteriorated. They also used a very old house that was half-renovated and Felicia said the fight scenes there utilized every aspect of the home’s architecture. She called it a whirlwind shoot and said the cast and crew all worked well together.

Felicia said Red is a very dramatic, serious film with strong horror elements, but that it also infuses a sense of fun. She said that it sometimes goes over the top in “the very best way,” and used the arsenal of weapons in the film as an example of that. Virginia uses guns, knives, even a harpoon and other characters uses a kind of cyberpunk Tommy gun. She also said to watch out for all the weapons on the walls.

On the role of Virginia

When asked what drew her to the role of Virginia, Felicia explained it actually came at a time when she had already turned down two things because she was so busy writing season 4 of The Guild, but she read the script and it was right up her alley: “I was a huge fairy tale fan and I tried to minor in folk lore in college, but my dad said that was ridiculous.” She also said that it looked like a fun challenge because it is different than the roles she normally plays and she was flattered to be asked to star in a Syfy film.

According to Felicia, Virginia is more mature than much of what she plays and she had to work to keep her grounded. She said, “I have a perception in my head that I’m tougher than I look,” and she had to draw on that for this role. She thinks that she and Virginia share a desire to bring out the best in other people because both are deeply caring people. She also thinks both put others first.

When asked whether Red is similar to her Buffy character, Vi, Felicia said that Red “takes that idea of being chosen and shows the dark side of it.” Virginia is not comfortable with the destiny of being a werewolf hunter that was decided before she was even born, whereas Vi found herself in her destiny. Felicia thinks Mag, her character on Dollhouse, is more similar to Virginia.

Felicia trained very hard for the role and had a great time shooting the fight scenes. She said she loved “being able to run and jump on people and slash.” She ended up with a lot of bruises, but no real injuries.

Her two favorite scenes to shoot were one where Virginia is “completely disempowered” because it was fun to do such a dramatic scene and the finale, which had so much to coordinate.

On beating Sharktopus

On Felicia’s blog, she talks about wanting to beat the ratings for the recent Syfy movie Sharktopus, but Felicia said that she’s teasing and not really trying to start a campaign. She said she comes “from the idea that fandom is voluntary” and that you can never predict what people would like, but that she feels this is a good film and she would be a fan herself. She also joked that she trained so hard for Red that she could beat Sharktopus herself.

On Eureka

Felicia plays scientist Dr. Holly Martin, who has, at least initially, an antagonistic relationship with Fargo (Neil Grayston). She will also be attracted to Wil Wheaton’s Dr. Isaac Parrish character, which causes issues. Despite Colin Ferguson’s Tweet that he spent two hours naked in front of Felicia (Felicia laughed and said that was just one of those coincidental things), the love triangle is Holly-Fargo-Isaac. “It’s a tumultuous situation with a lot of tension between the three.”

Felicia said she has no information about Eureka‘s inext season and said she was just happy every time they called her to come back for this season. She called the scripts “fantastic” and said she had a great experience on set. She really enjoyed the fun things they did with the dialogue.

Stan Lee appears in one of Felicia’s episodes and she called him “one of the most charming, nicest people I have ever met. Such a sweetheart.” She said that the crew, who are usually pretty blasé about actors, completely fangirled him.

Felicia called acting with her Red: Werewolf Hunter costar Kavan Smith again “like a homecoming,” but added they didn’t have to have the same chemistry they did on Red.

On playing a villain

When asked why so many of her roles are such good-hearted characters, Felicia answered, “As a person, I am very good-hearted, and I think that shines through in my acting. She also said that playing a villain is on her dream character list and that if a project doesn’t come around at some point giving her the opportunity, she will write it herself.

On a The Guild Season 5 and holiday specials

The Guild‘s Season 4 just ended, and it is too soon to talk about season 5, though if you saw the cliffhanger, Felicia said you know she has an idea of where it will go. She added that while there is no word yet on whether or not Microsoft will be picking up the next season, she should know around the first of the year.

There are no new holiday episodes planned for this year due to production conflicts and the fact that they did a Christmas video last year and don`t want to repeat themselves, but they may release online a Halloween video that was only available on the DVD. Felicia said that she is looking at the first quarter or half of next year to see what holidays they might be able to do.

On writing The Guild comics

Felicia is in the middle of writing her series of five The Guild comics and she said that she is really happy to be getting into the back stories of some of the characters we don’t know so much about. She’s also thrilled with the excellent cover artists who are involved.

Felicia wryly noted that she signed up to write the comics for Dark Horse without really knowing how much comic book writers do. They are essentially writers, directors, and producers, and Felicia said it was a learning experience to see things visually and she has the utmost respect for all the comic book writers out there.

On other web series projects

Felicia teased that she is working on a few other web series to air during The Guild’s off-seasons, but she said she couldn’t say anything about them except that at least one is more dramatic than what she has done before. She explained that there is a long development process and she won’t go forward until she’s proud of every word in the script.

On Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Felicia said the Dr. Horrible set “crackled with creativity” because everyone was there simply to create an amazing piece. They didn’t get paid up front and they didn’t have the usual limitations that come from working with networks, etc. She enthused, “It was an amazing experience. I don’t think I’ll ever have a job to top the experience of working on that set.

On being a gamer

When asked if she considered herself a gamer, Felicia laughed and said, “If I could only use one adjective to describe myself, that would be it.” She called gaming her first love and said she was on the web before it was the web, dialing into Prodigy and CompuServe for King’s Quest tips. She has recently started buying versions of old-school games like Masquerade Vampire and Space Quest from GOG. com. She created The Guild because of her love for gaming and much of her inspiration comes from her own experiences and has added her voice to several video games.

On Veronica in Fallout

Felicia voiced the Veronica character in Fallout: New Vegas game and said she spent eight hours playing yesterday and that she had fun recruiting herself.

She called Veronica “completely over-powered in the best way” and said that the writers were very much influenced by Joss Whedon so Veronica has the best quips of any character.

Be sure to watch Red: Werewolf Hunter on Syfy Saturday, October 30 at 9pm/8 central.

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Exclusive: Lee Tergesen Interview on CASTLE

Lee Tergesen is best known for playing Tobias on HBO’s prison drama Oz, but he is also an incredibly talented and established theater and film actor and he has recently appeared in shows ranging from Army Wives to Lie to Me. His film Helena from the Wedding opens in limited release November 12 and he plays a potential serial killer who gets deep under Beckett’s skin in the “3XK” episode of Castle.

Hot Celebrity Tv talked to Lee about his Castle appearance, shooting Helena from the Wedding, and whether or not he thinks he’ll ever do a series full-time again.

Be sure to watch the “3XK episode of Castle airing on ABC tonight, Monday, October 25 at 10pm/9 central and enjoy the interview with Lee.

You’re going to be playing a violent felon which is familiar but not so much the potential serial killer part. What drew you to the role of Marcus Gates?

Lee Tergesen: Well, they asked me to do it which is always a good thing. I have a friend, John Huertas, who’s on the show and I’m a fan of the show. Then when they told me about this character it’s always fun to play psychos. What can I say, it’s my stock and trade.

What can you tell us about Marcus?

Lee Tergesen: He is a guy who’s very smart and sort of pops up and has killed someone. They realize that there are similarities between this latest victim and a series of other killings, the Triple X Killer. So they find me and start to question me but I’m very wily and I have an answer for everything. Somehow the more Beckett tries to corner me the more that I seem to slip away from her and she finds it unbelievably frustrating.

Who’s skin does Marcus get under more, Beckett’s or Castle’s?

Lee Tergesen: Definitely Beckett’s. Most of what happens with Castle is that he’s watching while I’m being interrogated but I do definitely plant a seed in his head that causes him to spin-off a little bit during the show.

It’s being billed a potentially recurring role. Can you speak to whether or not you’ll be returning?

Lee Tergesen: Right now I’m not sure. I’m in Boston doing a play called ‘Vengeance is the Lords’ at the Huntington Theater. It’s a new play by Bob Glaudini who wrote ‘Jack Goes Boating’ that Phillip Seymour Hoffman starred in.

When does the play open?

Lee Tergesen: Previews start November 12th and goes until the 12th or 19th of December.

And November 12th that’s when ‘Helena from the Wedding’ gets released, right?

Lee Tergesen: I know, I know and I’m actually not going to be able to go. I thought that I was going to be able to go but I don’t think I’m going to be able to be there for the premiere because obviously we have our first performance but I’m so happy that that movie is getting seen in some theaters and I guess it’s also going to be on Pay Per View simultaneously.

It’s gotten a lot of online buzz about being a raw and honest portrayal of marriage. What was it like shooting it?

Lee Tergesen: It was a blast. Joe Infantolino who wrote and directed it I had known through Alexa Fogel who produced it and she was one of the casting directors on ‘Oz’. She’s also cast me in a ton of things since then. She’s a very good friend and she thinks I’m talented. So, anyway, we shot it for twelve days. Joe’s family has this cabin up in the Catskills and so he had directed a short and he came up with this idea for a feature length film that would be shot just entirely in that location to be unbelievably cost effective. So it was very fast and loose. It was really a great, great bunch of actors. Paul Fitzgerald. Jessica Hecht. Dagmara Dominczyk. Now I can’t think of the girl’s name who’s on ‘Community’. Gillian Jacobs. So it was a blast. It premiered at South by Southwest. Oh, and Melanie Lynskey plays my wife. She’s fucking incredible.

You also have ‘Red Tails’ about the Tuskegee Airmen. When is that coming out?

Lee Tergesen: I just actually did some looping, some ADR for that and what they said, what George Lucas told me was that it was going to come out in August. I didn’t want to ask why it was going to be August. I guess they’re doing a pant load of CGI stuff that is taking them a long time and they did some reshaping in the story. I’m not really sure what’s going on.

That must’ve been like a one eighty, doing that film right after doing ‘Helena from the Wedding’?

Lee Tergesen: Yeah. I wasn’t a fighter pilot or anything, but yeah, and we shot it in Prague. It was a George Lucas production and it was a pretty big change. I’ve been very lucky with the stuff that I’ve been getting to do lately. It’s been really fun.

I also didn’t realize that you were in a particular episode of ‘House’. How is it that you can disappear into these characters that you play?

Lee Tergesen: I don’t know. I think it depends a lot on the viewer. I think that’s a hard question to answer. I’m sort of blushing, I think, right now.

I was a huge ‘Oz’ fan and whenever I see you I should see Tobias but I never do. I always see whatever the role is you’re doing. That doesn’t happen with every actor –

Lee Tergesen: Thank you. That really does mean a lot to me. There’s always going to be some of the actor in the thing. I try to work with costume people. Also, when you start reading something sometimes the script will point you in a direction in terms of characterization.

Do you think you’ll ever do another series in a full time role?

Lee Tergesen: I absolutely want to do another series, yeah, but just finding the right thing, something that works and something that they want me on, it’s a matter of time. It’s funny, I was also on this show called ‘Weird Science’ for four or five years right before I did ‘Oz’ and so I’ve been in series in my career a lot of the time and this is just the time where I’m not. I think out of twenty years I’ve been on for maybe thirteen or fourteen of those years I’ve been on shows or something like ‘Generation Kill’ which took up almost a whole year.

And in the meantime I can’t wait to see you on ‘Castle’ –

Lee Tergesen: Yeah. That’s such a great bunch of people. Nathan [Fillion] is such a great guy. Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Everyone. It’s a lot of fun to work on. I definitely hope that I get to go back. They were definitely talking to me about it but I don’t know how that’s going to work or when it will work. But you never know.

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Martha Plimpton and Greg Garcia Chat about RAISING HOPE

RAISING HOPE is one of the brightest spots of the new fall schedule, earning the first full-season pick-up and making critics and fans laugh every week. A big part of that is Martha Plimpton’s hilarious performance as Virginia Chance, and Hot Celebrity Tv was lucky enough to be there when Martha and Raising Hope creator/executive producer Greg Garcia answered questions about how Martha was cast, what it’s like working with Cloris Leachman, and what Martha likes most about the character of Virginia. There are no spoilers.

On how Martha got the role of Virginia

Martha said the whole thing happened organically. She had been in Toronto shooting a movie and wasn’t looking for a series, but she said she also wasn’t “not looking for a series.” She was told a pilot script for Raising Hope was being sent to her and she said, “When I read it, I loved it. It was hilarious. I actually laughed out loud and I realized I had to get on this because that never happens.” She said she talked to Greg on the phone and then went to LA to audition and went through that whole process before winning the role.

Martha said the move to television felt like a natural progression. “I’m an actor first, so I’ll go where I think I’ll have the most fun. When asked if she saw this as a comeback role, Martha said no, remarking that she’s never been a series regular before, so “it’s hard to call it a come back when you’ve never been there.” She also said, “I feel like I’m an actor who just goes where the fun, exciting work is.” She loves that right now she’s working with great people in this talented ensemble with smart, funny material.

According to Greg, that audition process “was just an exercise to keep the network and studio involved.” He knew he wanted Martha, whom he called “a very funny person,” just like he knew he wanted the other actors as soon as he saw them and he said he feels very lucky that he got exactly the cast he wanted.

When asked why Greg zoomed in on these actors, he answered, “I think everyone just feels real.” He added that he doesn’t see them pushing or trying, so they get laughs from smaller, subtler things.

On the character of Virginia

When asked if Virginia is becoming more like Martha, Martha chuckled and said, “I want to pretend that the answer to that question is no.” She added that the writers do seem to be particularly good at playing to each actor’s strengths.

Martha said that her favorite thing about Virginia is her “soft and chewy core. Virginia is tough on the outside and says what’s on her mind, but she’s got a gooey, chewy soft center. She’s a sucker for love.”

Martha also likes what she called Virginia’s “Lucy-esque desire to be in the spotlight.” She said we’ll see more of her aspirations as the season goes on and Martha is thrilled about those aspirations.

Martha said she really likes watching her character–and all of the others–develop and along with that she likes the ensemble and learning each other’s rhythms.

On working with Lucas Neff

Martha said, “It’s actually really fun watching someone who’s never done this before. It’s been awesome watching him find his sea legs and gain confidence in his performance, which is great, by the way.” Martha noted that it’s actually new to her, also, since she’s never been a series regular before.

Greg interjected, saying “Lucas is easy to f@#k with,” to which Martha laughed and agreed. “He’s very easy to tease. He has the biggest bull’s-eye on his back.”

On working with Garret Dillahunt

Martha said she and Garret had known each other or at least known of each other for years and that she had actually been wanting to work with him for a long time, but the opportunity had never presented itself before. She called working with Garret “an entirely pleasurable experience” and said that his acting technique is all about behavior, which she loves because it gives her something to work with. She thinks she’s getting better at her job the more she works with him and she said it’s also fun because he’s a hilarious person–not something you might expect from many of his previous dramatic roles.

On working with Cloris Leachman

According to Martha, “Babies are a breeze compared to Cloris. Cloris is the one who gets the leash. She can find fifteen jokes in a half a joke. She’s fearless and willing to do anything for a laugh. Martha said that her most memorable moments on the show have to do with Cloris–”I’ve seen her ass.”

Greg said that his most memorable moment with Cloris came shooting a scene where Virginia is shaving Maw Maw’s legs while Burt cleans her ears with a cotton swab. Maw Maw wakes up, so they hide the shaving cream. Cloris began eating the shaving cream, which really was shaving cream, by the way. Greg laughed, “She ate handfuls of it. No one told her to do it, but when she did, people laughed, so she kept doing it.”

When asked if there were anything Cloris said no to, Greg joked, “I asked her to stop licking me–she said no to that. I asked her to stop jumping on me–she said no to that.”

On upcoming guest stars

Greg said that most stories are being kept to the main cast because the show is about raising a baby, which keeps you close to home, but Jason Lee will be filming an episode next week where he’s playing one of Burt’s music idols and we’ll get to learn about Burt’s musical aspirations.

Greg is very excited about someone who will play Virginia’s cousin. Because the deal won’t be finalized until Monday or so, he wouldn’t say who the actor/actress is, but it is someone Greg has worked with before.

On writing the baby mishaps

Greg first said that the writers sit around and pitch the stories, throwing around absurd situations. While the car seat flipping over in the pilot did come from a real-life worry, they haven’t used any actual life experiences yet. Life does bleed in, but there are no direct references. The baby getting trapped in the garage just came naturally from the idea that Virginia is a hoarder.

On holiday episodes

Greg said the Halloween episode was really fun to do because it has a really good story that uncovers stuff between Jimmy and Burt. It also has Maw Maw dressed as a kitty cat. It will also have Jimmy trying to decide whether or not to show Hope videos of her mom and, according to Martha, Virginia, who is against showing the videos, has secrets of her own she wants to protect.

The Thanksgiving episode will feature a visit from Hope’s other grandparents, the parents of executed serial killer Lucy and it ends with the family singing on the porch. Greg said that because they enjoy doing the musical stuff, we can expect to see more bits like that down the line.

They are shooting the Christmas episode this week.

On the full season pick-up

Martha said, “It feels awesome. It feels good that FOX is behind the show because we’re having a good time making it.

After echoing Martha’s sentiments about having fun, Greg mock-sighed and said, “I’m exhausted, but other than that I’m thrilled.”

Raising Hope airs on FOX Tuesdays at 9pm/8 central.

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Exclusive: CHUCK’s Mekenna Melvin (Casey’s Daughter) Interview

Mekenna Melvin’s first appearance on CHUCK as Alex McHugh, aka Casey’s long-lost daughter, wasn’t until season 3, but she has made a big impression for someone who hasn’t been on the show very long. She returned to the series for the first time this season in last week’s “Chuck Vs. the Coup D’Etat” episode where Alex had quite the effect on both Casey and Morgan.

Hot Celebrity Tv talked to Mekenna about working with Adam Baldwin, supportive Chuck fans, and her upcoming guest appearance on Detroit 187. You can watch her in this week’s “Chuck Vs. the Couch Lock” episode, and for now enjoy the interview.

It was great to see you back on ‘Chuck’ –

Mekenna Melvin: Yea. It was fun.

Even though it was your first time on the show this season you haven’t exactly been gone. They’ve been talking about you nonstop.

Mekenna Melvin: I know which was also fun for me to hear because obviously I’m not in the episode and I haven’t read the script which is great because I’m a super fan. So I’m glad and I’m, like, so excited to see them. I was excited, too.

Do you feel fully integrated into the show now since they’ve made such a big deal out of you between Casey and Morgan?

Mekenna Melvin: I don’t know about completely integrated. I think it looks like things are perhaps going that way. I’m not sure. I’m excited. I definitely have a strong storyline with both Adam’s [Baldwin] and Josh’s [Gomez ] characters. I’m excited to see what happens.

Joining an established show can be hard enough but you were thrown right in as the long lost dater of a serious fan favorite. Casey. What was that like?

Mekenna Melvin: It was so exciting and a whirlwind because the audition process, I actually didn’t know that I was going to be Adam Baldwin’s daughter when I initially auditioned for it. The title of the character was Twenty Year Old Girl and there was just one line, one word and the word was mom. That’s all I knew. They were definitely keeping a strong wrap on that storyline because it was a big reveal for his character. So I didn’t even know going to the audition and then I booked it and I was like, ‘Wow. I booked it on saying mom. That’s great.’ And they were like, ‘Not only that but you’re playing Adam Baldwin’s daughter that he didn’t know he had,’ and they kind of slowly but surely let me know. Then it wasn’t until the next time that they came back that they even told me that her storyline was going to continue. So it’s been a really great roller coaster, for lack of a better word, and I’m just so excited. Working with Adam, he’s Adam. He’s such a seasoned pro and makes everything so easy. So it’s great.

He had great things to say about you at Comi-Con –

Mekenna Melvin: Yeeeeaaa.

Have the fans reached out to you? ‘Chuck’ has a huge fan base. Have they been kind to you?

Mekenna Melvin: They’ve been so kind to me. The fans of ‘Chuck’ are the best fans ever. They are totally supportive. They fought for their show to get back on the air. That’s amazing. I’ve had nothing but wonderful responses from the fans which I think is good because I feel like I have a duty in a sense, that I’m coming into a show that they love and care so much about. I want to make sure that I’m living up to their expectations in a sense.

Do you know how many more episodes you’re going to appear in this season?

Mekenna Melvin: The exact number is still up in the air but I can tell you for sure two more.

You’re in next week’s show?

Mekenna Melvin: Yes.

You had great scenes with both Adam and Josh last week. I loved what you did with Morgan. Can you tease anything about either storyline and I’m assuming they’ll converge?

Mekenna Melvin: You guys will have to watch but I will say that Morgan and Alex’s character, they definitely have a few more scenes together. So it’ll be interesting and fun to see how that plays out.

Any idea if you’ll get dragged into the spy world?

Mekenna Melvin: No. I honestly don’t know if I will or if I won’t. Obviously I would love it because it would be super cool to kick some more butt on the show. I hope so. She’s the daughter of John Casey so anything is possible.

And you have the background for it with your martial arts experience, I understand –

Mekenna Melvin: Exactly. So for me personally it’d be so much fun to be able to do two of the things that I love simultaneously which was really also another cool thing about when I booked the job initially. Once again I had no idea of who she was or anything really about it, and then when I found out I got to kick my dad’s ass – I’m sorry, his butt. You can change that [laughs]. I was so stoked. I was like, ‘This is great. I get to use it.’

What would you like to see Alex do in the future? I picture her becoming the trainee of Sarah as Morgan is the trainee of Casey.

Mekenna Melvin: That sounds good. I don’t know. To be completely honest I’m having a lot of fun, and maybe this is the fan inside of me of the show, watching everything unfold.

Your mom was a theater director and your dad a drama teacher. Was there any chance you weren’t going to grow to be an actor?

Mekenna Melvin: Actually, my mom was a theater drama teacher and my dad is a high school sports coach. He coached basketball, softball. He coached a softball team that won the junior Olympics. He’s a total athlete.

So you were either going to be an athlete or an actor –

Mekenna Melvin: I definitely lived in like this middle world most of my childhood and still to this day sports are a huge part of my life, but yeah, I always knew that acting was what I wanted. It was the one thing that has always remained really solid for me and has been my thing forever.

Can you talk about your ‘Detroit 187′ episode?

Mekenna Melvin: I’m very excited. I believe, if I’m remembering correctly, it’s the sixth episode and I got to work a lot with James McDaniel who’s really fun. Paul McCrane was our director which was awesome because having a director who’s also an actor is just a gift in itself. We all speak the same language. I had so much fun. It’s a completely different character from Alex which was great because there’s nothing more exciting than going from one extreme to the other.

You haven’t been working that long and have gotten to work with Tim Roth and Adam Baldwin and now Michael Imperoli. What’s next?

Mekenna Melvin: I don’t know. I mean I’m just kind of auditioning and I’m getting out there and I’m excited to see what happens.

Are there any shows that you’d love to guest star on?

Mekenna Melvin: So many. I’m a huge ‘Dexter’ fan. Huge. I love that show. ‘Mad Men’. I love that show. There are so many good shows on TV and there are so many people that I’d love to work with.

Like who?

Mekenna Melvin: Julianne Moore is one of my favorites. I love her. Michael Pitt is really exciting. There’s so many the list could go on. Sean Penn.

Chuck airs on NBC Mondays at 8pm/7 central.

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Donald Glover Talks about COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY‘s second season promises to be full of huge episodes: the Halloween installment will be a zombie movie homage and the Greendale gang will be animated, claymation style, for Christmas. The first special episode of the season airs this Thursday, October 14, when Community becomes an homage to Apollo 13.

Hot Celebrity Tv was there when series star Donald Glover (Troy Barnes) answered questions about that episode, what’s in store for Troy this season, and whether Chang will ever make it into the study group.

On Troy’s arc this season

Troy’s family life is in flux. He’s living with Pierce and his dad is now involved with a twenty-year old, so he doesn’t have a strong male role model and he has to either find one or be that for himself. He’s being asked to grow up a lot this season.

Donald said that there will be plenty of stories about Troy and his manhood and when asked if there would be any romantic stories, he said that he would imagine so, since that is “definitely part of being a dude.”

Donald really likes that Troy is young and learning things and that he’s a jock who also has a sensitive side.

On romantic tension between Troy and Britta

Donald said that he has heard rumblings and rumors, but he’s not sure what will happen. It is a possibility, though.

On what’s great about the Community characters

Donald loves that everyone in the group had bigger plans and that none of them thought they would end up at Greendale. He said that outside of the group, he doesn’t think any of them would have been friends, but a school like Greendale sort of forces them to be together and now they’re learning from each other.

On whether Senor Chang will be allowed to join the study group

Donald said that it might happen but that his favorite thing about season two so far is watching Chang try to get into the group. He said there is a lot of great stuff we haven’t seen yet where Chang tries and tries to get in and they keep not letting him, but then he also said he’s “sure it will get there.”

On what Donald thinks Troy should do when he graduates

Donald thinks it would be awesome to see Troy as a kindergarten teacher because he’s playful and like a kid himself, so he could be both good and funny at that. Donald joked that was his spin-off idea.

On the “Basic Rocket Science” episode

According to Donald, there was talk in the writers’ room before the season started about how they could top the “Modern Warfare” paintball episode and the joke was “We should send them into space.” Executive producer Dan Harmon, though, said, “Yes, let’s send them into space!”

Troy has a big part in the episode

The gang doesn’t really go into space, but all the tropes of space movies are there.

When asked why Greendale even has a flight simulator, Donald said, “Well, I think it’s been made clear that Greendale doesn’t spend its money wisely.” He thinks a flight simulator is exactly the sort of thing Greendale would buy because they don’t need one and NASA probably wouldn’t hire any Greendale graduate.

Donald thinks Abed would be the character most likely to become an astronaut, though his lack of emotion would probably be an issue because NASA would realize a computer would do the same job for less money. Jeff would be next because he’s handsome and tall.

Donald called the episode “beautiful.”

On the “Epidemiology” Halloween episode

Donald didn’t give any details, but the episode is an homage to zombie movies and Troy is one of the “head guys” in it.

When asked which of the cast would survive a zombie attack, Donald said it would absolutely be him because he would be the first to say “We shouldn’t go in there or “This doesn’t feel right.” He also said he would have no problem using humans as bait. Chevy Chase would be the first to die and he would go down saying “These are nothing like the zombies we had on SNL.” Gillian Jacobs would go next, then Danny Pudi, Joel McHale, Allison Brie, and finally Donald.

On whether there will be a musical episode

Donald said there has been talk about a musical episode since early in season one, so he would be surprised if there weren’t one, but that it would take a while to put together because Dan Harmon is such a perfectionist.

On making special episodes

Donald said that there are definitely ways to do everything and what he loves is that none of these special episodes–whether they deal with space or zombies or feature claymation animation–are dreams. The action in the episodes actually happens.

When asked how the show avoids jumping the shark with these episodes, Donald replied that Dan Harmon is very good at making Abed the voice of what’s going on. Abed is the voice of the audience and the fan boys and he both uses reference humor and combats it to keep the episode grounded. Donald joked that the only thing that could make Community jump the shark would be if Troy started teaching a class at Greendale (though he thinks the writers could even make that work) or Abed suddenly had a country cousin wearing overalls and saying “Hey, y’all.”

On the Spiderman pajamas in the season premiere

When asked whether Troy wearing the Spiderman pajamas was a nod to the Donald 4 Spiderman campaign, Donald said it was a “so, this happened over the summer” reference and that while he thought it was cool, people are probably making more of the whole thing than it was.

Donald joked that he might dress as Spiderman for Halloween and rip off his mask at the end of the night, saying “See, I could have done it!”

On Community’s ratings

When asked how much concern there was about Community‘s ratings, he said that of course ratings are important and everyone wants more people to watch because they think they’ll like the show, but he doesn’t look at Arrested Development or Freaks and Geeks and say they’re bad shows just because their ratings weren’t good. He knows that Community is a good show and he’s proud of it.

Donald also noted that the season 1 DVDs sold much faster than they were expected to and that Community‘s DVR numbers bring their 18-49 number up from a 1.2 to a
2.9.

On working with Chevy Chase

Donald said that even though Chevy Chase is a comedy idol, it’s like working with a “funny, wise-cracking grandpa.” As an example, he said that Chevy once said he couldn’t check his e-mail because it was in New York.

On his dream guest stars

For guest stars, Donald said he would love to have Zach Galifnakis because he’s so funny, Jesus because he has a few questions for him, and his real father because he would like to meet him.

On writing a Community episode

Donald said that while he would love to write a Community episode and thinks it would be a “jewel in his crown,” he’s not sure he has time given all his current projects and that “those scripts are hard.” If he doesn’t get to write a script, that will be okay because acting on the show is enough.

On writing for 30 Rock

Donald said his name was thrown into the hat to write for 30 Rock because he had been doing a lot of work for the Upright Citizens Brigade and on his own and he had some scripts ready.

30 Rock‘s Kenneth the Page is from Stone Mountain, Georgia because that’s where Donald is from.

On why he likes Twitter so much

Donald doesn’t think people give Twitter enough credit. He thinks it’s actually an amazing tool because not only can he directly communicate with his fans, but he (and we) literally have stars’ e-mails. He can Tweet Tom Hanks, and even if Tom Hanks doesn’t answer, at least he knows his message went to him.

On working on Community

Donald said that Community is a good show and it’s good work and that he’s lucky to be doing something he really likes because that never happens. He said that between writing for 30 Rock and acting on Community, he’s a part of the two funniest shows on television and he feels like the luckiest guy on earth.

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