‘Blindspot’ Set Visit: Jaimie Alexander, Sullivan Stapleton Talk Premiere On NBC! [INTERVIEW]
By Jorge Solis (j.solis@mstarsnews.com) | Feb 26, 2016 03:00 PM EST
NBC is just days away from the highly anticipated midseason premiere of Blindspot. In an exclusive visit to the studio set, MStars News took the opportunity to interview Jaimie Alexander (Jane Doe) and Sullivan Stapleton (Kurt Weller) about their upcoming episode.
As we previously mentioned, Blindspot follows Jane Doe (Alexander), who is suddenly discovered in the middle of Times Square. With no memory of who she is, Jane’s only clues are placed all over her tattooed body. With the help of FBI agent Kurt Weller (Stapleton), Jane has to figure what each of the mysterious tattoos mean. But is Jane actually part of the conspiracy that Weller and the rest of his FBI Critical Incident Response Group are seeking answers for? Can Jane truly be trusted or is there an actually traitor in the mix?
Before the camera starts rolling, the Australian actor rehearses his lines as his co-star hits her mark, and stays put on the specific spot on set. During MStars’ visit to Weller’s apartment, Stapleton and Alexander discussed the show’s early beginnings, leading up to the winter finale’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. What’s next for Kurt and Jane when the show returns February 29th?
MStars News: Tell me about witnessing the fans’ reactions during the recent New York Comic Con. The show was between its third and fourth episodes. You were surrounded by so many people who recognized you from the posters. How did that feel?
Sullivan Stapleton: It feels good! It was daunting in the start. I’ve never been part of such a well publicized and promoted show. So that was kind of scary for me at the very start, where your seeing yourself go passed on buses. And you get into a taxi, you’re on those screens, that you know, that freaked me out a bit. Because the show hadn’t been aired yet!
So then, I was sitting there going like: “Mhum?” I hope the audience really like the show because otherwise, there I go, I’m in the cab, I’m in that car. But you know, when it was received as well as it has been, it’s a great feeling! It’s a nice thing to put a smile on somebody’s face. You know, this is my job.I’m just doing my job and when you see that it affects some people, in a really positive way, it’s nuts! it’s a great feeling!
The 5′ 9″ actress made an impact on audiences in the blockbuster Marvel superhero movies, playing her comic book counterpart Lady Sif. In Blindspot, Alexander dominates her scenes as an action heroine, dodging bullets and getting into fist-fights with adversaries.
MS: When you played Lady Sif in Thor, you had armor as your costume. Now with these tattoos, do they feel like another costume for you?
Jaimie Alexander: Oh yeah! The tattoos definitely feel like a costume, almost like a super hero outfit in a way. Its so funny when I play Jane in her previous life, because she has no tattoos. That’s always weird! I don’t quit feel “Jane”, probably because she wasn’t Jane then. The tattoos are incredible! They are such a visually stunning thing to see on someone! They are so interknit, they cover my entire body, and I play the character of course! But the tattoos are equally as much as what I bring to the table.
MS: You’ve also done comedy in The Brink. Blindspot gives you a chance to mix the action and the drama. Tell me about jumping into these varieties of genres.
JA: I like everything! I mean I like to try everything. I cant say I’m really good at everything, I’ve learned comedy is a struggle for me. Scripted comedy is a struggle for me. Improv is a different story. Improv I really enjoy! I find that I can excel at that, but scripted comedy is tough for me, but I really enjoy it though.
I definitely found a good niche with action/drama and it just puts to use all of my talents. That I’ve worked very hard to, I guess, attain over the last ten years. Actually a show like this is pretty easy for me, where as like comedy against Jack Black is like nerve-racking at all end.
I was like ” I don’t think I’m funny!” And they were like “You’re great!” And I was like, “I don’t know!” I think with comedy at least, what I’ve learned so far is that you pick certain things about yourself that could, if they were heightened be very funny. For example, I have a very low voice. Certain things like that I try to play into some of that on The Brink.
Before the midseason premiere on February 29, the chemistry between Kurt and Jane evolved, where the two found themselves planting their lips against each other. Later on, still thinking about her, Weller makes a call to Jane’s safe house. He thinks she’s avoiding his call, but in reality, Jane had been kidnapped.
MS: When you first found out about that kiss with Jane, was that already discussed with creator/showrunner Martin Gero?
SS: No I didn’t know, as to how far that would lead. And I tend to not find out about what is going on, through the excitement of that happening. You know, a kiss happens and then you’re like, “Okay, now where do we go?” Which you know, I’m sure it’s the same for the audience. To me, it’s a great way to work because I don’t want to know where the story is going to go. That’s the joy of the show;! it could go any way at any time. So it’s kind of exciting!
During the winter finale, Jane found herself being tortured by CIA deputy director Thomas Carter (Michael Gaston). Just when Thomas thought he had the upper-hand, Carter met his own demise as he was shot down by a mysterious assassin named Oscar. Recognizing the face of Carter’s assassin, Jane watched a recording she made herself, explaining she had orchestrated everything.
MS: Because you don’t know what Martin Gero has planned next for your character, does that help with your performance in a way?
JA: I think when you work on a network show, you pull a lot of hours, so the less that I have to do the better. So with that, it is always great for me to keep everything really fresh. A lot of times actually, what I do with my dialogue is that I don’t memorize it until we rehearse the scene. I have really fast memorization skills. So I keep everything really on the tip of my tongue. I know what is going on because I’ve read the whole episode in advance the day before we shoot it. But you know, as for certain little things, I like to be spontaneous! It’s more fun that way! I never really know what’s going to happen.
Blindspot returns with all-new episodes Monday, February 29 at 10pm on NBC. Don’t forget to watch the Blindspot Marathon on USA Network Saturday, February 27.
