Chatting With The Cast of Virtuality

Before a screening of Fox’s newest television movie (or back-door pilot as Michael Taylor hopes it will be), Virtuality, NiceGirlsTV had a chance to talk to a few of the cast about the project, how they came to this project and some general questions about the genre.

Erik Jensen as Dr. Jules Braun in VIRTUALITY / ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kharen Hill/FOX

First up was Eric Jensen, who plays Dr. Julius “Jules” Braun, the ship’s designer. Faced with the potential end of all of Earth, he explained that the show centers around twelve astronauts who are on a mission to save the planet. On a ten-year mission, the ship’s crew must rely on virtual reality modules to help alleviate the stress.

Jensen thought this show, unlike some other science fiction shows, “isn’t about the things that go bump in the night…I believe this show, like great science fiction, isn’t about outer space, but inner space.” These personal demons, he went on, are what drives this movie—how we deal with personal trauma, both created before and during the show, came through after watching it.

Braun, he went on to say, is “an agent of order”—the one in charge of keeping the ship running, while Dr. Jimmi Johnson, played by Ritchie Coster, is “an agent of chaos.” However, it became apparent after viewing, that those roles can be easily reversed between these characters.

Nelson Lee as Kenji Yamamoto in VIRTUALITY. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kharen Hill/FOX

Next up was Nelson Lee, who plays astro-biologist Kenji Yamamato. Yamamato, married to another crewmember, Alice Thibadeau, has an interesting relationship—all explained and developed outside of the script. Lee talked about the ways in which Taylor allowed the crew to work outside of the script in order to flush out their personalities. The details given about Kenji included being estranged from his parents, long before marrying his African-American wife, even though none of the specifics were seen.

Drawn to the project by the creative team and the premise, he found that some of the most rewarding parts of filming were also the hardest—the block shooting. He also cited director Peter Berg’s influence as one of the rewarding aspects of the shoot.

Following Lee, Jose Pablo Cantillo jokingly refused to describe his character in under twenty seconds, after finding out that we here are a little snarky. Happily, he went on to say that Manny Rodriguez “is a mathematician who specializes in string theory,” before going into less germane facts. In case you were wondering, Manny’s a Pisces, which then devolved into a conversation about the changes in astrological signs, which then went into a discussion about his race changing with that same shift.

He came to the project because of his previous work on Fox, as well as a need to balance out his acting chops after playing a Shield-like character. Finding the role to be more like himself than some of his other roles, he had little to hide behind, “pulling off his own layers.”

Sienna Guillory came up during this interview, as Cantillo was bemoaning the very tight space suits they each had to wear.

Sienna Guillory as Rika Goddard. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kharen Hill/FOX

After Cantillo left, Guillory chatted about her character. For Rika Goodard, the ten year mission finds her in a loveless marriage to the ship’s psychiatrist, using the virtual reality to roleplay what she truly wants out of her life. Submissive around her husband, she’s dominant in the reality she creates each time—even with additional parameters.

Guillory believed that Goodard would be happier with her plants and test tubes than with her husband—a point made very clear by her interactions with another member of the crew (tune in to find out which one).

Describing her character as an over-sexed sexually repressed woman, she found that some of the duality allowed Goodard “to be confident in some areas” and not in others. Because of that duality, Guillory found herself thinking more about her character and writing things down in which to better explain the role.

Unlike Guillory’s Rida Goodard, Clea DuVall’s Sue Parsons shows off her strength without the help of her virtual reality. The ship’s pilot, and self-described “bad-ass”, Parsons, DuVall explained, has had to go through many hoops to get to her position. One of those obstacles was easy to see as the movie progressed.

Clea DuVall as Sue Parsons in VIRTUALITY. ©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kharen Hill/FOX

After a horrible audition, she came back into the process and finally landed the role, unlike any of the other cast members interviewed. Unlike some of her previous roles, she found Parsons to have more humor than her previous work. When asked about her favorite science fiction show, Duvall promptly said The X Files, but after getting into the acting profession, she was unable to work on that show.

DuVall enjoyed the block shooting that was employed by Berg, but was also very relieved not to have to wear one of the tight fitting space suits.

Last up for the evening was Gene Farber, who plays Val Orlovsky, the lone geologist on the ship. Before entering into a conversation about his character there were a few funny moments, most of which overshadowed the actual content of the interview.

Farber has had the most attention due to his character’s homosexuality, which he chose not to approach any differently than any other role. As for a difficult shooting moment, he found one of the moments in the climax most difficult, in part because the scene had to be shot without the air running on the stage, and in part because of the nature of the scene.

Before entering the screening, it became clear that the cast and creative team all have a vision for what Virtuality could be as a series. Virtuality airs tonight on Fox at 8/7c.