Publications
Partners
Cape Town – The science fiction series Dark Matter returns for a second season on Thursday, 4 August on Universal Channel (DStv 117).
It follows the story of six space travellers searching for the truth after they wake up from with no recollection of who they are, or why they’re hurtling through the galaxy in a ramshackle spacecraft stacked with weaponry.
Not knowing their own names, they decide to refer to each other by number according to the order in which they awoke.
Season 2 reveals new exciting and dangerous places in the Dark Matter universe.
Emmy-nominee Jodelle Ferland (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) who plays Five and Lost Girl’s Zoie Palmer is Android.
During a set visit the pair sat down to talk about their characters and what to expect in the new season.
Zoie what’s the toughest part of playing a non-human?
It was my first time playing a non-human, so when you play a character you draw from experience or find parts that you can relate to. The challenge was figuring out how to relate to the character and make her three-dimensional and compelling to watch for an audience. Also to find some humanity in a non-human character is tough. Some of the dialogue is a challenge to memorise.
There are times in the first season, where we saw the Android trying to have a more human personality to fit in a bit better, will we see more of that this season?
Yeah that part of her is interesting. Not so much that she’s human but how she finds humanity. It’s a different human than everyone else in the show. It’s the Android’s avenue to what is perceived as emotion. What I like about it too, is that sometimes I can play it in a way the audience can project their emotion onto her. It’s not so much what she’s feeling, but what they imagine she’s feeling. It’s their journey through her eyes. I can be an anti-vessel in order for people to have their own experience through her. It’s finding a way to play that, so it’s not too much or not nothing. The emotional journey she goes through is most interesting for me.
Jodelle, being number Five, being the youngest, do you think being underestimated has helped her and will it help her in prison?
Jodelle: Yeah I think it has. Nobody would expect her to be capable of what she’s capable of – which is a lot. People definitely underestimate her which is not a good idea as Five is very smart and capable of a lot more than people think she is.
Zoie: I think you are one of the most capable crew member on the ship.
Jodelle: I think that will work to her advantage.
Does Five get to kick some ass this season?
Oh yeah! I have very much enjoyed the action I have in this season.
What kind of training and stunt work have you got to do?
I have been lucky I haven’t had that many stunt crushes. Last year I had sword fighting and that was a new skill to learn. This year it’s been stuff I have done before, so I haven’t been so bad but I really enjoyed it and I’m excited for you all to see!
Why do you think it is so important to Five to keep this group together?
She doesn’t come from a traditional family background. We don’t know a whole lot about her but you can see from the little parts of her past she hasn’t had the best family life. I think this is her makeshift family and it’s all she has so if she can’t keep them together, what is she going to do?
The Android is interesting as she is most directly trying to find out what humanity is inside of her, as are One through Six, now the audience know Two has this engineered past as well, is this something you will explore as Android realises they are going through the same thing?
I don’t know. I’m not sure if we got through that from the Android’s perspective. To some degree, I think she’s always felt like an outsider as she just isn’t a human being so she sees everyone as another and a separate entity. She has seen it from the beginning. It’s not even her versus them, it’s her versus that person and that person. I think she sees them as very specific individuals. I think the idea that she’s become a part of a team is the journey we are going through.
Did you get to read the comics before you were cast in the show?
Jodelle: Yeah I was really excited about doing something that was adapted from a comic book. That’s really cool and it’s nice to do something people are already a fan of and to make another version for them. I know I enjoy that, for something I already love to be able to get more of it. I really enjoyed reading the comic books so it was cool.
Do we get to see anymore Androids?
Zoie: Yeah I think you will meet some. They all look like Jodelle. There’s twelve more...
Jodelle: One of the interesting things in the first season was that they had to hide that their memories had been wiped from the rest of the universe so people wouldn’t go after them.
This season we can’t talk about a lot about what happened but what are you most excited for fans to see either as a trajectory or overall for Season 2?
Zoie: I don’t know as we can’t say almost anything. It’s a bit general and vague but the evolution of these characters is really compelling. Certainly from where they started from waking up where they had zero trust for each other. Of course my character doesn’t participate in that dynamic necessarily. But there’s a huge evolution of where they have come in a short amount of time because of sheer survival.
Jodelle: The first season is a lot of trying to figure out who we are and what our back story is and when we figure that out in the second season, there’s more room for character development. A lot happens, there are some guest stars, and it’s going to be good.
Watch the trailer here:
Catch Dark Matter on Thursday, 4th of August, at 20:00 on Universal Channel (DStv 117).
