The Point Radio: Tricia Helfer Purrs Into POWERS

Way before we met ORPHAN BLACK, Tricia Helfer was wowing us in a “multi-clone” role on BATTLESTAR:GALACTICA. Now she is joining the cast of POWERS in a characters fans of the series will surely recognize. Plus you will surely recognize one of Brandon Stacey’s more famous roles (STAR TREK THE NEW VOYAGES) but wait until you see his other great acting experiences.

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Transcript

The Point Radio. Hey, it's Mike Raub. Well, before we new orphan Black, Trisha Helfer was doing the multi-clone role and doing it very well. We talked to her about her days as Cylon number six and her new role on Powers. Plus, Brandon Stacey's picked up a number of roles over the summer, including those in Roots,

The Big Short, and as Mr. Spock in the Star Trek web series. And he's got more on the way. Let's get to The Point. This is The Point. The Point Radio.

Get The Point Radio. We first became aware of actress Trisha Helfer back in the days of Battlestar Galactica and her lead performance as the humanoid Cylon number six. But since then, there's been a lot added to Trisha's acting resume, including a new role on the series Powers. I talked to her about that and asked her where she fits in.

Powers is based off of a graphic novel by the same name, and it is basically in a nutshell. It's about this police precinct that is set up to govern powers, basically. It's a world where there's powers are… there's a norm. Not everybody has them, and not everybody uses them for good, you know, and there's different levels of power. There's people that, you know, they can slightly fly, or then, you know, up to the retro girls and super-shocks

that are more along the lines of the super-man than they help take care of, make sure that there's peace in the world, and all that type of thing. And Christian Walker was one of the top powers, Diamond, and he lost his powers. And now he is, you know, I think the first season dealt a little bit more with him coming to terms with now being, you know, just a normal human being, and being mortal, but also now he's in charge of policing the powers and trying to keep a peace between the powers themselves and between people. And it's sort of in a world where the powers are what I guess we would call our celebrities and sports stars in our world,

where they're admired, but easy to be judged, and they're the ones with the marketing deals and the sponsorships and everything, and they have agents. And so it's kind of a fun take on that. And my character, Special Agent, FBI Special Agent Lang, comes in in the second season, because at the end of the first season, there's the death of retro girls, retro girl who's the, you know, the epitome of the, you know, the top power, and she's murdered. So it's really, you know, the city's in turmoil, and my character comes in to try and get a handle on the situation and help solve the case.

But also, there's a little bit of history with Walker and a little bit that she's holding back. So throughout the first few episodes, that starts to unravel. So is this an original character to the Powers universe? Lang was in, I have not read all of the entire series, but Lang was in the original, but wasn't one of the, you know, wasn't Christian Walker or Dina Pilgrim or wasn't one of the main characters. I don't think, but definitely there was, she does make an appearance in the original, but I think that they changed her to some extent for the TV show.

What drew her to this role? You know, I liked the world that it was in, and I do have to kind of admit a little funny coincidence. In the first two episodes, when they sent it to me to read, I'm like, okay, she's FBI agent, you know, there's something, there's some history. I can see there's some history with Walker, but I don't know what's going on, really. And when I was talking to the showrunner, Remy, he said, okay, well, by the fourth episode, we discovered that you were actually a power.

You're like, oh, tell me more. And so the fourth episode actually was released last week. So you can see it on PlayStation currently. And you finally find out a little bit more about Agent Lang or her kind of alter ego, Lynx. So she turns into a bit of a cat.

And yes, and I'm a self-admitted crazy cat lady, so I have quite a few cats myself and paw prints, tattoos on my ankles and stuff. So it was very fun for me to then go, oh, I could play a cat in an episode. How fun. You know, when you stop and think about it, Trisha was doing the multiple clone thing well before the days of Orphan Black and doing it pretty well, too. I asked her how she manages to find roles that give her a chance to make a serious mark in front of the camera.

Well, thank you for saying that. I'm very kind. You know, I think when I'm looking at a character in a project, it's, you know, I want to obviously you want to have something that you can kind of think and keep into and be more than just, you know, something that's one note and doesn't really pop off the page, so to speak. But I think quite often I play what is thought of as, you know, a bad role and evil character or something like that. And I think I always try and find, you know, you can't just think of yourself as bad or, you know what I mean?

I always try and find the humanity in the person and find what makes this character tick. And I think like with Battle Star on the page, and especially from the beginning, she was really the only known Psilon that you knew of in the mini-series as opposed to the other ones that you discovered along the way. And but she was written pretty, pretty evil, you know, but I wanted to find a humanity to her and I wanted to find a vulnerability to her. And I think that's what I tried to bring and what some people were maybe surprised at with the characters. They didn't think that they would find themselves feeling, you know, bad or feeling sorry for somebody that was, you know, in charge of possibly a lot of genocide.

But, you know, and I think that with Lang as well, with Agent Lang, first couple of episodes, you know, pretty hard-edged agent and not very likable. And then by the fourth episode, you realize why she has a problem with Walker and why, you know, because you double-crossed her and she feels not only slighted, but, you know, he completely turned her in and she did prison time and everything. And so she's, again, I wanted to try and find a vulnerability or a reason for the audience to then kind of understand from her point of view a little bit, maybe not enough to, you know, want to root for her or whatever, but at least understand another side to her. So any thoughts down the road about producing or directing? I'm sure I will at some point. I'm definitely getting more into the producing realm. I've got a couple of projects that a couple of scripts currently that are out and there's the kicking meetings on and things.

Both of these would be for me to be in them as well, which I think is the first logical way to get into the producing realm is if it's something that you're passionate about and can be in as well. But definitely looking more to start producing more, for sure. And directing, not yet. I feel like I've got a lot more to learn yet in this, you know, in front of the camera and on the producing side of things before I jump into the directing, you know, try and put that hat on. But, you know, I think it's a logical way to go at some point, but not yet. Of all the roles she's done so far, is there any she'd like to go back and explore? Well, just a little bit more.

Oh, absolutely. There's one in particular that comes to mind. I played Texas Ranger Molly Parker on an ABC show called Killer Women. And we only did one season and it was just such a fun character to play, you know, with a lot of stunts, a lot of action. But also she had a, you know, she was a well rounded character and I just, I feel like I didn't get to play her enough. The show was just finding a speech, you know, but in this day and age, it's kind of, you know, it's hard to keep things going.

But I felt like it was a show that was just starting to find its speed and get good and get more into character development of all the main characters and be less of the procedure of the week type thing. So yeah, I'd love to play that character again. Online has been a lot of talk about Trisha teaming up with her bestie, Katie Sackhoff, and maybe a revival of Cagney and Lacey. That would be so much fun. And somebody actually just brought it up on Twitter the other day and we've talked about it before that we'd love to do it.

But I don't know if the rights are available, but it's something I should check into because that would be fun. See Trisha's latest role in power is available exclusively on the Sony PlayStation. Live Archer coming to San Diego. All that and more as we look at what's the latest in pop culture. Television series and an upcoming DVD release pretty much have a hold on the top 20 best selling adult graphic novels in bookstores this month.

When we look at the top five, we see Tokyo Ghoul from this media volume one at number five Fight Club two from Dark Horse at number four at number three preacher book one more than likely in anticipation of more from the AMC TV series. Tokyo Ghoul back on the list again at volume seven and is the number two best selling graphic novel and a number one and 28 year old product of the Batman the Killing Joke. The deluxe edition more than likely in anticipation of the release of the direct DVD feature, which is coming in just a couple of weeks. You'll have a chance to catch up on Supergirl over the summer. The CW is taking the series from CBS and will be rerunning the entire first season beginning the first of August.

Dove telling right into the premiere of the second season of the CW, which is October the second. All episodes air Monday at eight o'clock. Baywatch is back at least on television. The original episodes will all air this summer and beyond on pop TV. The 176 original episodes of Baywatch were launched a couple of weeks back and will continue for the next few weeks.

Of course, the new Baywatch movie is slated for next summer. The diversification wave in comics continues with a new female Invincible Iron Man that will debut in a few weeks. It is a series that spins out of the current existing Invincible Iron Man storyline. It'll be written by Brian Michael Bendis and will have art by Stefano Gasselli as well. The series is set to debut from Marvel in the fall.

Our pre-show coverage of Comic Con begins next week, but here's something you may want to get on right now. FX Networks is bringing a one-night-only performance of the touring show of Archer Live to San Diego. It'll take place aboard the Inspiration Hornblower Yacht at the Fifth Avenue Landing, which is right behind the convention center coming up on Thursday, July 22nd. There's lots of information about this out there, but I can tell you right now it's going to be a big deal with live entertainment, food, drinks, giveaways, a photo booth, and a lot more as well. Fans can register for tickets, which means you probably need to get on this as soon as possible.

You can get those tickets at Eventbrightbritte.com. The point, the point. From big Oscar-winning movies like The Big Short, the television series like Roots, to web projects like Star Trek, The New Voyages, Brandon Stacey has one of the most versatile acting resumes out there, and I talked to him about how he got started. So who were his inspirations?

Probably all of the rebels from films. Some of the earliest inspirations had to have been like Marty McFly, you know, From Back to the Future or James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause. Star Trek The New Voyages brought Brandon on in one of the most iconic roles in science fiction, that being Mr. Spock. And I talked to him about how he created that role and what he took from those who'd played the part before him. Well, it all starts with Leonard, obviously. You know, I just say, you know, there's certain marks you have to hit when you're doing an iconic role like that.

You have to give the fans what they want and what they know from the character, what they expect. Certainly you have to add your own flavor to it. Or, you know, I wouldn't want everyone to just try and, you know, copy somebody else. It's important for me to make my own discoveries about the character and kind of add my own shades of color to what they do. So, you know, my goal is just to do what I think is truthful to the character.

And I think I add on some new layers and kind of do my own thing. Brandon was also part of the revival of Roots this summer. What was that like? It's amazing. It's amazing to be a part of something so huge. I mean, the original was groundbreaking. And this one is just as moving, just as powerful.

And I think it's, you know, it's important to reach a new generation with this information, you know, with this story. There's a lot we can learn from past. You know, it shapes who we are today. And certainly the more we know from history, the better we can shape the future if we actually do learn, you know. His next project is a sci-fi series called Blade of Honor.

And I ask him how he described that. It's a fantastic sci-fi, original sci-fi series. So if you're a fan of sci-fi, this is going to be right up your alley. It's another kind of show that kind of comments on society and humanity, you know, kind of in a way that Star Trek does. But with more kind of action, maybe like a Battlestar Galactica.

And we have some Battlestar and Star Trek actors involved. Richard Hatch from Battlestar Galactica and Jim Russ of Star Trek fame and James Kyson from Heroes. It's going to be good. I'm looking forward to it. So how does it go about choosing these roles? I like to do things that are very different, you know, and kind of keep exploring into new territories and make new discoveries about characters and kind of explore into, you know, different maybe parts of myself that I haven't seen before, you know.

So it keeps things interesting for me. I certainly enjoy, you know, doing new things. But obviously if it's fun, and that could mean anything, you know, from comedy to sci-fi. I mean, I love film. I love cinema. I love all of it, you know. So intense, dramatic roles. It's something that I need to do.

You know, fun, like, action stuff. You know, it's just another side of me. And certainly some of my comedy, I rarely get to get to show it, but there is a lot in there. There's a whole different version of me that I'd like to get out sometimes. But, you know, I'm just one of those guys who just likes to do everything. And fortunately, I can't.

Among everything he's done so far, is there any role he'd like to go back to? And maybe Ed, just a bit more too? I'm kind of one of those people who thinks that there is always more, you know? So I could say that about any role. And certainly after the job is done, I'm still making new discoveries about that character.

So I will say that Spock has been very rewarding for me because there are so many layers with him that people often don't see or, you know, don't know about him. And I think there's a lot you can do with that character in particular. And certainly my character on Roots, you know, I think he's got a lot of layers. Clingman is his name.

You know, he's a product of his environment and all these traditions of the South. And so he really, you know, like all of us, what's around us and what we're taught shapes who we are, you know? So there's kind of our reasons to why we are the way we are, but it's kind of up to us to make those judgments on what is good towards humanity. So I'd like to explore some more of that if I could. Blade of Honor is set to debut soon on Sci-Fi.

You can see Brandon and the role of Mr. Spock on Star Trek The New Voyages at Star Trek New Voyages dot com. That's it for the podcast. We're back, though, in a very short time as we start our look at Comic Con 2016. There's a lot to share and we'll take you along for the ride, even if you manage to stay home the entire weekend. You'll be on the floor with us the whole time. This and more. You'll find all that on websites like ComicMix dot com, PopCultureUpload dot com, GetThePointRadio dot com, and TregTVNews dot com as well.

Under Instagram, we're PC Upload. We're also PC Upload on Twitter, and we're Pop Culture Upload on Facebook. Subscribe to the podcast, of course, in the iTunes podcast directory, and then be right back here in just a few days. Thanks for watching.