GRIMM: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE COFFEE

By Lisa | October 22, 2013

Last month at Dragon Con, I got the chance to sit down with Claire Coffee for a one-on-one interview.  She was a delight!  After speaking with her I thought “How can someone so sweet play such an evil character?” Well she has mastered it. We talked about season 3 of Grimm, she gave me some behind the scenes scoop, she recommended a Grimm cast member for Nice Boy of the Week, and of course we had to talk about football!  

Nice Girl Lisa: Welcome to Dragon con!

Claire Coffee: Thank you!

Lisa: Have you ever been before?

Claire: No. This is my first time. I’m excited for all of the costumes. They say that’s what makes this Con different.

Lisa: The costumes are amazing! I’m sure you’ll see some Grimm related costumes.

Claire: That would be so cool.

Lisa: When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?

Claire: I was five and I was really shy, and my parents were worried that I would be too scared to go into kindergarten because I had too many imaginary friends and not enough real friends. So they enrolled me in an audition workshop at the local regional theatre, which is this place called The Mountain Play just north of San Francisco. I did that workshop and I kind of just didn’t stop!

Lisa: What attracted you to your role (Adalind) on Grimm?

Claire:  Well, I just auditioned for it and got it, but I think playing someone with morals very different from your own is always a fun thing to explore.

Lisa: She seems like a fun character to play.

Claire: (Laughing) Yeah she is.

Lisa: What was the audition process like?

Claire:  It was during pilot season, and that is when it’s kind of a crazy time because they cast all of the brand new shows for the networks at once. So I went in and I went on tape, and that was that!

Lisa: What do you admire most about Adalind?

Claire: I admire her level of confidence. She’s confident at all costs, and she is incredibly motivated; I would say, whether it is for good or evil at least you can say she is motivated.

Lisa:  Last season when she lost her powers, what was the biggest challenge for you (playing the role)?

Claire:  You know the powers, they are powerful because you can hide behind them like you don’t have any human emotions to get in the way of what you are trying to accomplish. So, when she lost her powers, the challenge for me, as an actress, was trying to figure out who she is as a person. Like, if you strip away her identity, what’s left? So that was a challenge, but also really exciting because it’s kind of like getting to play two characters in one season.

Lisa:  One thing I wondered, is she still a Lawyer?

Claire:  She is still a Lawyer. (Laughing) That question gets asked every once in awhile.  I think her Lawyerly duties now extend just to the Royal family, so she is sort of their in-house counsel, but I don’t know how many cases she’s actually working for them.

Lisa: What can the fans expect from Adalind in season 3?

Claire: Well, she is hell bent on getting those powers back, and season 3 opens with Adalind participating in some pretty gruesome tasks, led by Stefania, to get those powers back. There is some surgery involved–some pretty gruesome graphic surgery- some spells, a potion or two, so yeah classic witchcraft is going on.

Lisa: I can’t wait! One thing we all want to know (but I’m sure you can’t tell us) is who the father of Adalind’s baby is.

Claire: You know if I knew I would tell you, but I don’t even know yet.

Lisa:  (Laughing) That was going to be my question, if you knew the identity of the father. So you will be surprised just like the rest of us.

Claire: I will, and I don’t even know when they are going to reveal it actually.

Lisa: Do you think it will be this season?

Claire: It will be this season, is what I’m told.

Lisa: Wesen are a big part of the show, what was your favorite Wesen?

Claire: You know personally I really like the Hundjagers because I spent a lot of time with them and they were sort of my protectors and pets at the same time. I was so sad to see those guys go. I also liked the turtle- the Genio Innocuo. I thought that morph was really cute.

Lisa: Yeah I liked the turtle too. Which one freaked you out the most?

Claire: The Fly! Definitely the fly.

Lisa: It was gross!

Claire: It was so gross! And, I didn’t get to see any of it on set; so, if I get to see it on set it’s a lot easier to watch on television, because I know that it’s not real, even though I’m on the show it still freaks me out when I watch it.

Lisa:  The Fly and the spider freaked me out!

Claire: Yes! They did such a good job on the spider.

Lisa: Back to Adalind, as a hexenbiest, when you have your morph is it mostly CGI?

Claire: It was all CGI.

Lisa: Oh Wow! I thought you would be spending hours in the makeup chair.

Claire:  No. I did have to spend a few hours a couple of days ago, because they strapped on the pregnancy belly for the first time.

Lisa: That’s so cool. How was that?

Claire:  It was really fun. It looked so real. It looked almost creepily, eerily, real, and it was heavy so I was walking different.

Lisa: Once the baby comes, do you think now that Adalind’s lost her powers, she might feel a little more human and want to keep the baby instead of selling it?

Claire:  I think she’ll go through a little bit of that, yeah. Now that she’s a human being, and there is this thing growing inside of her. There are a few side effects that hit Adalind, just so that you know that this isn’t just any ordinary baby; but, I do think as long as she is a human she’s going to go through some of those feelings of wanting to keep it.

Lisa: That’s the biggest storyline for me. I’m just so excited to see how it all works out.

Claire: I know! I was like, “Get those powers back before she changes her mind!” (Laughs)

Lisa: If you could have anyone guest star on Grimm, who would it be and what role would you want them to play?

Claire: Tatiana Maslany for sure, from Orphan Black. I’ve watched all of the episodes very recently and she is just a powerhouse! She’s incredible, so I’d want her to be on the show if she could be either a foe for Adalind, or another Hexenbiest, and they were either working together or competing for power. That would be fantastic and I would just want to watch her work.

Lisa: That would be amazing! We should start a fan page to get her on.

Claire: Yeah! There you go! (Laughs) I think her plate is probably full with many people wanting her to be on their show.

Lisa: You were cast in a musical short called “Grind.” Can you tell us about that project and the character you play?

Claire: Yeah, they shot the first 30 pages of a full script.  So, they are shooting this and then they’ll go out and try to get funding for the rest of it. Anthony Rapp plays this character – I guess the closest comparison would be to Dexter. It is a musical about Grindr – the… I don’t know…it’s not quite a dating site but it’s-

Lisa: Is it an App?

Claire: Yeah an App. It’s also a horror film so make with that what you will. I don’t want to give anything away but it was really fun and they are putting the finishing touches on it now.

Lisa: Do you have any other projects coming up that you can tell us about?

Claire:  I’m working on-well Grimm is obviously keeping me busy (Laughs) – but I’m doing a web series with my best friend. We did a few episodes about 5 years ago and we are kind of bringing it back. It is a comedy web series about two girls.

Lisa: Nice! Ok, back to Grimm. What has been your favorite scene to shoot so far?

Claire: I would say the fight scenes in the forest with David (Giuntoli), even though it was freezing and I was lying on the ground. Anything physical is really fun and getting to work with David is such a treat. Also, the stuff we shot at the beginning of this season is super gruesome and graphic and there are a lot of prosthetic body parts rolling around. That was really fun (Laughing) and I can’t wait for people to see that one!

Lisa: That leads perfectly into my next question. (Laughs) Is there something coming up that you are really anticipating the fan’s reaction to?

Claire: Yeah, I would say the first 2 episodes of this season. I’m excited to get those out there. It’s so hard because we have to wait so long!

Lisa: I know! That’s the biggest thing! I’m such a fan of the show and having to wait so long in between seasons is tough! (Laughing)

Claire: I know!

Lisa: What’s it like working with Russell Hornsby and David Giuntoli?

Claire: They are great when I actually get to work with them. I mean everybody in the cast is so genuinely cool and mellow, and everybody just wants to do a good job. I would say they are definitely jokesters.

Lisa: Who’s the biggest prankster?

Claire: There’s no prankster, but David has a really dry sense of humor and I’m really gullible (laughing); so I would say probably David.

Lisa: That’s funny. So we do a Nice Boy of the Week column where we feature different male actors/writers etc. Of all of your co-workers, who would you recommend that we feature as Nice Boy of the week?

Claire: Hmmm…I would say….man they are all super nice! I would say Russell. Get Russell! He’ll be here tomorrow!

Lisa: Yeah I’m excited for that. So I know you are a big 49ers fan-

Claire: (Laughs) Yes I am!

Lisa: I like Frank Gore; he was on my fantasy football team last year.

Claire: Really? He is a work horse and he’s the best person you could have on your fantasy team!

Lisa: (Laughing) Do you play fantasy football?

Claire: I did. I played it for two years with my cousins and my friends and I got too into my team and I was too conflicted watching the 49ers, and rooting for my fantasy team. It took up all of my time!

Lisa: That’s the hard part for fans that are emotionally attached to a team. In fantasy you have to take the emotion out of it, and it works for some people.

Claire: Yeah, I like to see what friends are doing and I can kind of advise them; but that’s another thing about fantasy, getting advice is futile. You just never know.

Lisa:  Well I’m having my fantasy draft soon, and I’m the only girl in my league*, so all these guys are talking trash! Do you have any advice for me?

Claire: Oh! I would say everybody gets a running back first but I wouldn’t discount the quarterbacks because running backs are the first ones to go out with an injury.

Lisa: That’s true.

Claire: You know Kaepernick (49ers quarterback) would be a good idea! That would be my bit of advice. Don’t discount the Quarterback and get a good defense, and kicker! A kicker can save the day.

Lisa: Yeah, a good kicker can totally win it for you. Well thank you so much for taking time to speak with me today and for the Fantasy Football advice. I had so much fun!

Claire: My pleasure. Enjoy your weekend!

*Update- I took Claire’s advice and got a Quarterback first. My Fantasy Football team is currently 7-0 and in first place! Woo hoo! Thanks Claire!

Grimm returns with all new episodes on Friday October 25^th at 9/8c on NBC. You can keep up with Claire on her website or on Twitter @clairecoffee