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Natasha Negovanlis and Elise Bauman on the final “steamy” season of “Carmilla”

After a year-long wait, the final season of the YouTube smash web series Carmilla, debuts. The show has become an AfterEllen favorite, and I can say that, personally, it’s a show I carry in my heart. Hosting last year’s finale party was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I know many fans also hold a very special connection to this brilliant, funny and often deeply emotional show.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Carmilla stars Natasha Negovanlis and Elise Bauman to discuss Season 3, their wonderful cast and crew, and of course, saying goodbye to the beloved show.

AfterEllen: What was it like stepping onto that Carmilla soundstage one last time?

Elise Bauman: It was really emotional! I mean, it’s been such a massive part of my life, our lives, for the past two years. It kind of felt like the playoffs a little bit. Like everyone was there in spirit together, working as a team and we all knew what our goal was, and we were all going after the same thing. But there was also a definite air of finality to it. It was definitely really emotional and really pretty epic. It was also really great. I think a lot of really awesome work got done this year.

Natasha Negovanlis: For me, it just felt like coming home.

AE: Simple as that?

NN: Yeah, I don’t even know if I have much more to add to that. It felt like coming home. There’s such a family vibe, and this feeling of family with our cast and crew that I think is very unique. Because so often you’ll shoot something and you make connections with a few people on set and maybe run into them at auditions later in the future. But everyone is just so connected-every person-I think we are just so much more aware of that no that we have more projects under our belt as well. Yeah, there was definitely this sense of melancholy, but also it’s just my happy place. Like, it’s the place where I’m happiest in the world.

AE: The production value has changed considerably this year. Did that change anything for either of you performance-wise?

NN: It’s funny because we keep hearing that, and the production value is no higher than it was for any other season. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

AE: [laughs]

NN: I keep hearing that, and it does look fantastic. I think the only difference, this time, is we shot in a studio vs. on location. So I think it has a little bit more of that “Hollywood” look to it because there’s a bigger lighting rig and things like that. In terms of budget-I mean, Smokebomb is so great at making something fantastic out of very little.

AE: It definitely looks amazing from the trailer, and I’ve seen every single episode numerous times, and it looked like a completely different show based on the trailer [laughs] so…

EB: I mean, that’s just due to-everyone’s been such hard workers and so talented over all the seasons, but this year, every department just working under the same crazy four to five-day shoot conditions. But every department was just so incredible this year. The art department did such a fantastic job with this set. Everyone was working overnight. Everything ran really smoothly and people, just like every other season, were putting their heart and soul into every little minuscule detail. As a whole, it all came together really nicely and looks pretty fantastic.

AE: I’m curious, how can this show get more queer? Does glitter shoot out of our screens or something this season?

NN & EB: [laughing]

NN: I think we mention that because there’s a little more discussion about sexuality this season. In previous seasons, it was not in the foreground, which I think was very cool because it sort of normalized queerness and the story was very much about the mystical plot points. And of course Hollstein and their relationship, but it’s nice in this season that we actually use the word “lesbian”, and we actually bring up some of those things. I can’t say who says what but…

EB: And I think also that it’s not even that it’s more queer this season, it’s just a little more steamy this season. [laughs]

AE: Uh oh, uh oh! You just blew up the internet, Elise.

EB: [laughing]

AE: Thank you for that. So it’s more steamy. Last season definitely upped the steamy value, and this season is even going to up it more?

[Carmilla Producer Emily Claire Afan jumps in]: Stay tuned!

AE: Ahhh GOD.

EB: I’m biting my tongue right now.

AE: I know, I could feel you both looking at Emily.

EB & NN: [laughing]

AE: I know you can’t really tell us much, but, what can you tell us?!

NN: There’s a lot more action, there’s a lot more magic, and you see a lot more on camera vs. it being described and happening offscreen. That was really cool, and I think that’s what makes it feel a lot more epic as well. And, as has been announced as well, we have Enrico [Colantoni], so Laura is truly Veronica Mars and it was just so great to have such a seasoned, lovely actor on set with us.

AE: That was actually going to be my next question. When did you find out that this was going to happen and what did you guys do when you found out that this huge Veronica Mars icon was going to be joining the team?

EB: I feel like I didn’t find out until pretty close before we started shooting. I was obviously so excited because I’m a huge fan of his and I think he’s such a talented, really incredible actor. But it is also nerve-wracking to have someone come to a pre-existing set and jump in, especially if the set has such an intense shooting schedule. It was scheduled that we would meet each other the morning of when we started our first scene together, but I reached out to him and asked if he would come and meet me the night before, after our first day of filming. So after an intense, long first day of being back on set, he trekked out to set and came just to meet me and run lines, which was very generous of him.

Within three seconds of meeting him, I was so overwhelmed, and I felt really connected to him. He’s got such a beautiful, really giving presence, like a really generous presence. And I was so excited to meet him because I was really overwhelmed that Laura’s dad as a character this season is something I’ve been so curious about for so long, and have been wanting to explore even for myself. I feel like it was such a gift to have him come on into such an incredible, important role.

NN: I’ll say that Carmilla’s relationship with Laura’s dad is very funny. Their relationship adds a lot of comedic relief.

AE: So I probably can’t find out if this season will be as dark as last season?

EB: I think it’s a really good mix this year. Season 1 was really fun and really campy, and definitely had some emotional beats to it. And Season 2, we kind of really dragged it into the darkness of the magic world a little bit more, and that was really fun to explore as well. I feel like Season 3 is a perfect amalgamation of both of those worlds-where you keep the humor and the fun and the quirkiness of the first season, combined with some of the deeper storytelling aspects of the second season. In my opinion, the third season is by far my favorite. I think it is such a perfect blend of the two of them.

NN: Pretty much exactly what Elise said. It’s such a nice mix of both seasons, and we really learned from each season, and learned different things from each season, both as storytellers and actors. I think we really took the best aspects of both that the fans really enjoyed and added them with some new things as well. It’s definitely my favorite season, and I haven’t even seen it yet. I feel like the fans now. Like I’ve always a huge fan of the show, and it’s been a huge part of me, but I’m especially fangirling over my own show now, and I’m excited to see it.

AE: Elise, Laura must be very close to your heart at this point. How do you think Laura has grown and changed since Season 1?

EB: Oh man, um, it’s sort of how I feel about the whole season in general, of combining the two seasons. I think Season 1 Laura was very much in her shell and was still holding on to the ideals of how she was raised what she was taught to believe in from a young age. She was starting to peek behind the blinds a little bit and go, “OK, I feel like there’s more to life than what I’ve seen so far.” But still very sheltered and very in the dark about a lot of things, and about a lot of herself as well.

Then Season 2, I feel like that was sort of blown wide open and out of the water, and she was grappling to deal with a lot all at once. It was a lot of massive change that happened and a lot of perspectives that were being tested and tried. As with anyone in life, it’s really hard to deal with that when it all comes bubbling to the surface all at once. I think in Season 2 she was definitely drowning and struggling a bit and as goes in life, made some decisions that maybe she would come to regret later on in life, which is the only place that learning can happen. I think that she learned from her mistakes in season 2 and is starting to come to a deeper understanding of holding on to who you are and still making space to learn from the world and other people. And that’s where she kind of lies in Season 3.

AE: Natasha, I know you can’t give specifics, but I know what a thoughtful actress you are, and I’m just curious, what was the most challenging element of S3 for you?

NN: It’s interesting because I feel very close to Carmilla, and I feel like I really know her well, like she’s a good old friend of mine. Stepping back into her shoes was not challenging-it felt very comfortable. I’d say the challenges lie in the way that we shoot the show. And they are the same challenges we face for every season. It’s always a challenge to shoot 35 to50 pages a day vs. the usual three to 10 that you would shoot, and I think now that I’ve had more experience on other sets, I didn’t realize how intense that is. Because when we shot Season 1, we had all done a lot of theatre but we weren’t very experienced in film and television. I can’t speak for everyone but I know Elise and I discussed this, where we didn’t really know any different. It was just sort of like, oh, ok, this is how you do it! And now we’re like, wow…yeah. So getting back into that schedule was a little bit challenging.

But I think Carmilla’s just such an interesting character, and I think it’s easy to play the tough, brooding, sort of useless lesbian vampire that we all know, and that part’s always fun and sometimes a bit comical. But I think a challenging part is showing her vulnerability while maintaining her strength. But I think even in life, to be vulnerable is to be courageous. It’s just really interesting to explore that, and I feel like there are so many parallels between myself and Carmilla, and the journey they’ve had. Even funny parallels between Hollstein and the way their friendship develops that we’ve had while filming this. I think it’s interesting to see Carmilla fight for greater things in Season 3. I can’t really say how at this moment without giving too much away, but I think that she really had Laura-goggles on Season 2, and was very blinded. Now her motivations are a little bit different at the beginning of the season because they’re broken up and she was very betrayed by Laura. So it’s very interesting to see how she forgives and copes with that, but also to see her motivations shift.

AE: The two of you have been partners in crime in this big adventure between Carmilla and Almost Adults. You are both moving on, but what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned from each other?

EB: I feel like Natasha and I have gone through a lot together, in the three years we’ve known each other, and we’ve really grown alongside our characters. Just as our characters have been tested and put through the ringer, and have been making discoveries about the world and themselves, I think Natasha and I have also been going through that along with the show. Similar to Laura and Carmilla’s relationship, I think there’s so much to learn from each other if you’re open to it. For Laura and Carmilla, it’s scary to surrender yourself to someone who makes you that vulnerable. Natasha and I work together in such close quarters, and acting is such a vulnerable job, so we’ve really been there for some highs and lows. I think we’ve really grown together and realized that it’s better to do things together. Like Laura and Carmilla are both very independent people, and Natasha and I are both very independent people. I think a big theme in Season 3 is that if crazy stuff is happening in the world, I want to do it with someone by my side, and I want to do it in a way that supports someone else as well as myself. So that’s what I’ve learned from the characters, and the script and from Natasha. I want to be there to add support for people, and that’s sometimes more important than fighting for yourself.

NN: Yeah, I mean, well said. I think we’ve really come to respect each other and our art, and respect each other as actors. As we work with other people, I think that we’ve learned to appreciate the relationship that we do have. I think that when we are on set together, magic, for lack of a better word, really does happen, and we’re very willing to be giving to each other. And I think as well, especially when we were first launched into the public eye-because we are somewhat similar to our characters-I think it was really easy for both the fans and each other to sort of pigeonhole each other and say, “Oh well this is the way that person is or how they act.” I think as we’ve worked together we realized that we do have a lot of similarities and common goals, and discovering those was really nice.

AE: You both may be the stars of Carmilla, but before we go, lets give some love to your castmates. What would you want everyone to know about your amazing cast?

NN: Well I think what I said in another answer is just how wonderful each person is, and how close we all are, how we truly, really feel like a family and how special that is. Because, again, you’re lucky if you connect with one or two costars when you work on something else, but the fact that we can all spend time together as a group off set and still have the same amounts of love and respect is such a gift. Everyone’s grown, and everyone’s worked so hard. A lot of the other characters have some really interesting arcs this year, and they really killed it. Kaitlyn [Alexander] and Annie [Briggs] in particular have some very challenging scenes, and they were spectacular. I mean there were times where I almost couldn’t stay present in the scene because I was just looking at them in awe. I was so taken aback by Annie as the Dean sometimes. She was just so breathtaking. And then Kaitlyn was wonderful as well because LaF often doesn’t get to express emotion, but this year they really tap into some heavy things.

EB: It’s such a collaborative experience this year. I mean, it always has been, but I think everyone felt the connectedness between everyone this year a lot deeper. I know Natasha and I do a lot of the interviews and get a lot of the attention, but it just solidified so much this year that it is such a group thing. Like any team sport, it’s just so the same. It is such a community that we have on set, and such an incredible team, and such an incredible director and producers and everyone. It’s so rare that you get to work in an environment like that and feeling that every day. Going to work and knowing that everyone is there to try and make something beautiful and work and communicate together….

NN: And that everyone will support everyone as well. It truly takes a village. From my perspective, working with some of the Smokebomb team now, it’s given me such a new perspective on just how much goes into production. There are so many thankless jobs, and there’s so much work that is very thankless that goes into it, that I don’t think people realize how much does. I mean, even the trailer gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. I just well up. The editing is just so phenomenal. Also,

The editing is just so phenomenal. Also, Spencer [Maybee] our director, I’d love to throw some love out to him because he’s been with us the whole time and he has a very difficult job. He doesn’t get to spend as much time with us as he would on a regular set because of the way we shoot it, and he’s really like a big brother to all of us and just so wonderful. I couldn’t imagine shooting a Season 3 without him, because he’s been such an integral part of the journey.

“Carmilla” Season 3 begins today at 7:30pm EST on KindaTV.

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