Chatting with the Cast and Creator of CONTINUUM

On January 14, Syfy debuted the Canadian sci-fi series Continuum, which stars Rachel Nichols (Criminal Minds, Alias and the latest Star Trek reboot) as Kiera Cameron a cop from the year 2077 who finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver when she is transported back in time along with eight of the most ruthless criminals from her time known as Liber8, a terrorist group hell-bent on changing the circumstances of the future for their benefit and the detriment of everyone else.

Shortly before the U.S. debut of Continuum, Nichols as well as series creator and executive producer Simon Barry and series co-star Victor Webster (Mutant X, Charmed and Castle) participated in a conference call with the press to discuss the series.

The following is synopsis of that conversation:

Question: There is obviously a lot of great technology on the show. If you could take a real version of one of the technologies from the show, what would it be and why?

Nichols: I would take my Multi-tool (because) it’s small (and) it travels well. It does legitimately anything I could possibly need it to do in any situation.

Webster: I think I would have to take her super suit. I don’t want it tailored. I don’t want anything. I just want to hang it up on a wall and look at it.

Barry: I would definitely take the CMR chip because I have a terrible memory and I need as much help as I can get.

Victor Webster

Question: How did you come up with the idea for this series and how did the rest of you become involved?

Barry: Well, the idea…came out of a really pragmatic approach, trying to get my love of sci-fi into a pipeline of television production that was feasible. Time travel is a really great vehicle for that because you can have a very large mythology in a big universe; but still be set in the present day world, which obviously is more production-friendly. It was a pragmatic decision at the beginning, but then once the mythology and the characters starting coming together, of course, it grew beyond that into a much more passionate process for me in terms of the many characters that the show presents, and also just some of the bigger themes that we are trying to explore in the show.

Then the first step was to find a Kiera. We worked very diligently to find the right person for this part. And when Rachel presented herself as an option, we were thrilled and jumped on the chance to work with her right away. And once we had cast Rachel, we basically built the cast around her, and Victor was a great fit.

Nichols: My story is very long but yet very interesting. One of my best friends in the entire world got the script to me. She was the first person that reached out with a script…and I loved it. And then my team was absolutely completely on board and they loved the script, and they loved the fact that a friend of mine had found it. We just went…full steam ahead, and it happened very, very quickly just prior to the holidays last year when we were closing the deal. Suddenly, I was moving to Vancouver for five months.

Webster: Well I got a call on a Wednesday, asking me if I’d like to come to Vancouver to do a chemistry test with Rachel, and I hadn’t read the script yet. And I was a little hesitant at first, and then I read the script and I was like, “Absolutely.” (I then) got on a plane for a chemistry test with Rachel on Friday and then got a call I think that weekend that I would be moving to Vancouver. And then, I think Monday I was on a plane to Vancouver for six months. So, it all happened really, really fast.

Question: The first season finished airing over six months ago in Canada. What’s it like for (all of) you going into this brand new audience that hasn’t seen the show yet?

Nichols: I think that it’s one of the most exciting things because it came out in Canada. It started airing in May and obviously did very, very well and then went to the UK (on) Syfy and did very well. And then the mechanism of Twitter is fascinating because…you have access to all of these people who want to know what you’re doing and what’s going on. And I’ve had such a (great) response from people all over the world (since) the show (came) out, and especially people in the States saying for so long, “When is it going to be in the States? When is it going to be in the States? We don’t want to steal it or burn it or, you know, take it off the Internet. We really want to see it”. And now everybody’s getting their wish…(but) it’s something that’s been well received and I obviously think that’s going to happen here in the US. It’s really something very exciting to think about; and finally the fans that have wanted it for so long are getting exactly what they (wanted).

Question: Simon said that the cast was really built around you (Rachel). What was that like for you as an actress? And, what can you say about this cast?

Nichols: It was really exciting. I’ve never been the first person hired on any job ever I don’t think. I loved the script and I loved all of the characters from the very beginning, and they immediately started casting people. I mean my deal was done just prior to the Christmas holiday last year, so I was home in Maine and they were just going full steam ahead in Vancouver casting Liber8 and the rest of the police force, and Inspector Dillon, and (Alec), and Carlos. I…showed up on set (the) first day and met everybody and thought, “Wow. They’ve assembled such an impressive cast of characters that there’s no way the show isn’t going to work”.

Question: When I look at your career and I think of shows like The Inside and Alias, and even with G.I. Joe, you’ve played a lot of law enforcement types. Is there something about law enforcement that’s particularly appealing to you as an actress?

Nichols: You know what? I like to carry guns and kick butt, and I get to do a lot of that when I’m a law enforcement officer, whether from the present or the future. I think there’s something really strong and sexy about those female roles and there aren’t necessarily a lot of those around. Also, I consider myself very lucky to have been able to take on so many of those roles and to now have a fan base that finds me completely believable and interesting in those powerful action-oriented roles because they’re so much fun to play. And, I would like to keep doing them for a long time to come.

Question: Because of the time travel aspect, what Carlos knows about technology is different from what Kiera knows, and is different from what Alec knows. Is it hard to keep track of what you’re supposed to know and what you do know?

Nichols: For me, I (am) lucky because (Kiera is) from the year 2077, so as far as all the future stuff is concerned a) I know what it does; b) I know when to use it and c) I know that I have to hide it from everybody. I do love the scenes where (I) get the opportunity to be a huge dork, like the Bluetooth scene where I think I’m wearing the coolest thing ever and Carlos basically tells me that I’m a nerd. I definitely rely on Simon for everyday stuff, for everything that’s in 2012 that I have never experienced before in 2077. But as far as the futuristic tools, that’s sort of the nice, close knit relationship I have with Alec, because he’s the creator of awesome. So it is fun.

Barry: Yes, I can just say that it is tricky to track a lot of this stuff. But, the great thing is that Victor, Rachel and Erik will always sort of check in and say, “You know, is this…” – sometimes, they’re ahead of me. They’ll go, “Wait a minute. I shouldn’t know about this because of where I’m coming from or what my perspective is.” And I love that they are so invested in their character’s understanding of where they are and what they’re doing. But sometimes, they’re really as on top of it as the writers are.

Webster: And that’s one thing that is great about the show. It’s such an open line of communication and it’s like a family where we can…bring anything up at any time, whether it sounds ridiculous or whatever. (We can) bring everything to the table and Simon’s always got a very intellectual answer for us, (giving) us something to think about. It’s really good for us to be able to process all that information and have that sounding board.

Question: Could you talk about if there was anything about the characters that the (actors) added that wasn’t originally scripted?

Nichols: Initially, Kiera was Kyle, so you know I brought some anatomy with me. That’s a really interesting question because I started thinking, “Wow? Did I?” And then I started thinking, “Well, I must have.” And then I thought, “Well, everything is so collaborative that I am not sure which sort of characteristics belongs to which creator. There is a large part of me that’s very goofy and kind of clumsy (that) I don’t necessarily think Kiera (is) supposed to be. But, I think that part of (Kiera’s) personality lends itself very well to the fish out of water situation, given the fact that (she’s) from the future so there’s a lot of stuff that (she) obviously (doesn’t) know about 2012. So, I’d like to think that my own awkwardness is a good add-on.

Webster: No, but I agree with Rachel. I think that one thing that we had was the relationships were there. The drama was there. Everything was there, and there were definitely some funny moments written in. And I think the only thing really on my end was just bringing up a little bit of that self-depreciating side. I think that that’s something that we all worked on as a family, as a team, bringing up a little more of the comedy. Everything was on the page for my character (already).

Barry: I think Victor’s underselling it, and I think Rachel and he both put their finger on it. I think these characters really did come out of a great collaboration. I love that Victor’s giving me credit, but the truth is that…we kind of found these characters…together. It was really fortuitous because as much as we [the writers and I] would love to think that we laid it all out…(the actors) really did bring a very special quality to (the characters). I think that because the process moved very quickly and because we all wanted to aim high and succeed, that creativity really pushed everyone into bringing whatever they could. And we as film makers were very open to it. We wanted it to happen that way. It was very organic and it was fun.

Question: Could you talk about what you think it is about the show that will really capture viewers?

Barry: I think there’s a lot of ideas in the show that are relevant to today, but that we’ve kind of repurposed through the prism of someone from the future. We do see the world, our world, through Kiera’s eyes. And I think there’s something interesting about someone who has a perspective that’s different, (someone) who knows what’s going to happen. And seeing our world through those eyes can sometimes be a fascinating way to relook at our world. So, that’s one element that I think is definitely intriguing. I think audiences will also like the straight up thriller aspect of the show and the character dynamics of the show. There’s a real intimacy between the good guys and the bad guys on this show that’s very special. And because the time travel component links everyone, there is this awareness that all of the characters share regardless of which side they’re on that really helps keep the show kind of connected within the varying factions.

Webster: Well…one of the reasons that I would tune is I like a show that makes you think. I like to make a show that after the show ends, you could sit there with your friends and you can discuss the possibilities and where a show could go, and what did they mean by that? And you (ask) what if this happened? And, I think we explore a lot of (that) in (the show). We answer a lot of questions as much as we leave a lot of questions for the audience to ponder. And of course, (my) coming from an action background, I love the fact that this is a fast-paced, action-driven show that’s relatable. It’s not too far out there, even though it is a sci-fi show. All of this is within the realm of possibility. And, it’s incredible characters. So it’s got aspects from so many different genres compiled together and mixed up that there’s a little bit of something for everybody.

Nichols: Yes. I completely agree; you get everything you want (in the show). There’s that procedural element; there’s the sci-fi element. Then it’s a heavily character-driven show, and that sort of trifecta is very hard to come by. Plus the sci-fi genre is fascinating and wonderful because it allows us to do so many different things. Sci-fi really…lets us as storytellers get away with a lot. And, the built in sci-fi audience that always enjoys that will love Continuum. But the audiences from other types of shows I think will also find something that they’re looking for as well, and that’s hard to do.

Question: Can you describe the dystopian world that you’ve created politically and atmospherically (in) the year 2077?

Barry: In trying to create 2077 I didn’t want to create something that was oppressive in an obvious way. I think that if you were to ask Kiera if she lived in an oppressive society, she would say no. And I think that’s kind of the point. Our Liber8 freedom fighters/terrorists…have a different opinion. And I think one of the great things that we’re trying to infuse (in) the show… is that you can have a gray area in almost anything in the world as far as opinions go. And that perspective has a lot to do with how we make judgments.

Question: This organization, Liber8, which are the terrorists in 2077; why do they go back to 2012? What is Liber8’s perspective? What are they trying to do?

Barry: What we learn in the pilot is that Liber8 in the future are a terrorist organization from the perspective of the future, and they’ve been condemned to death. It’s an execution that (actually) opens the show. And what Liber8 manages to do through a conspiracy is put together a prison break, if you will, but it’s not the kind of prison break that goes through a wall or a tunnel. They are given the kind of (experimental) technology that allows them to basically set off a bomb that creates a wormhole; a time travel portal if you will. And so their escape is on the one hand a planned event, but they aren’t supposed to end up in 2012. They were only supposed to end up…at the tipping point of their future revolution. So it’s a bit of a mistake, but they realize very quickly that they can still change history from the perspective of 2012 And Kiera is accidently thrown back with them. So she realizes that…her ability to get home is inextricably tied to stopping this group of people from executing their mission, which is to change history.

Make sure to watch Syfy tonight at 8/7c for the next new episode of Continuum to find out what happens next for Kiera and Carlos and the rest of the characters in this captivating sci-fi-themed series.