At San Diego Comic-Con Big Shiny Robot! had the chance to interview the cast of Torchwood. Last week we put up our interview with John Barrowman. Yesterday we posted our interview with Bill Pullman. Today, we have interviews with Mekhi Phifer and Alexa Havins. They play Esther and Rex, the newest recruits to Torchwood.
First up is Mekhi Phifer:
When I first read the episode I didn’t know where they were going. He’s dead already in the first two seconds. Maybe this was the future and flashbacks, I didn’t know where they were going with it. It was a lot of fun reading, actually. I was dealing with a character who was dealing with a lot of pain and rough around the edges.
He wants to figure out what this miracle is, but if he solves it, does he die?
Q: You play a very strong personality on a show full of really strong personalties, how did you amp things up for that?
A: You have to be really strong to get these guys to even respect him. After a while they become more of a team. To tell you the truth, it’s a lot of fun, being sarcastic. I think of them as not that intelligent, I just think of them as having a connection to the miracle. He comes to find out they’re very useful. the great thing is the unpredictability of it. You’re on the edge of your seat. You don’t know when they’ll come together finally.
Q: Is Rex going to notice Esther?
A: Spoiler. Maybe, maybe not? He looks at her like a sister. And she’s sensationalizing it anyway. She’s very useful, but she’s in the office and he’s in the field. In her mind, it’s like she wants to hang out with her older brother when she’s underage. And then she’s thrust into this world and it beats her up a little bit and then… and then… I can’t say anymore.
Q: Will the woman whose neck you broke come back as a villain? Is she going to be a menace for you? Can she function?
A: Maybe?
Well, she can’t die. The best they can do is give her a neck brace or something. I don’t know if that would heal or not. I don’t know how that works. Even my character, my body is still functioning, I never flatlined. Throughout the series I am healing, as fast as you can heal with a hole through your whole body.
And then we have Alexa Havins:
Q: Are you worried about them killing your character?
A: It’s shocking and makes shows interesting for it not to be safe. Coming into it, you know it’s an option. It’s fighting and fighting to the death and I just had so much fun. Everyone is saying, “Oh no, you don’t want to be the next Ianto.” But everyone is pulling for him.
Q: Is there a sexy side to Esther?
A: She has her eye on Rex. She’s starry eyed and she just wants him, he’s just so blind to her feelings. It’s sexy and STARZ.
Q: Will we be seeing Esther’s sister?
A: We meet her in the next episode. By introducing the family members you can connect and make people understand what’s at stake. One of my favorite’s is Gwen’s with her daughter. It makes the world even more dangerous when you have loved ones in harms way.
My character wonders how to come across it all as a know-it-all, but it’s written so well where it’s very endearing.
Q: Are there dark intense moments coming up?
A: Definitely. She’s got some stunts and fight scenes and it’s raw and brutal. She’s not trained like them and it’s scrappy. A chick fight. Hair-pulling, screaming.
Q: What about working with Bill Pullman?
A: Esther doesn’t share a minute of screen time with Bill Pullman. He’s where he’s at and we’re around the world, not to give too much away.
And then tomorrow we’ll get an interview with Eve Myles, Gwen Cooper herself.