TV

Exclusive: An interview with Anna Silk about the end of “Lost Girl,” Doccubus and more

Having her show and its couples win online polls may be old hat to Lost Girl star Anna Silk. But with the series in its fifth and final season, the Canadian actress says she never takes its devoted fans for granted. Silk spoke about winning the AfterEllen.com 2015 March Madness: Best TV Couple poll with her co-star Zoie Palmer and what we can expect for the end of Lost Girl and Doccubus.

After five seasons of playing unaligned bisexual Succubus Bo Dennis, Silk is excited for U.S. audiences to see the start of the end as Syfy begins to air the series this Friday. The final 16 episodes have been split into two parts, with the second half expected to begin airing on Showcase in Fall 2015. [Spoiler Alert: Discussions of plot points from the first half of Season 5 will be noted with a spoiler tag.]

AfterEllen.com: Congratulations, Doccubus has taken yet another online title with the March Madness: Best TV Couple title. How do you feel each time you guys come out on top of an online poll, because it’s become a pretty regular occurrence?

Anna Silk: It feels great; it feels really, really great. It’s really a nice way to go into our last season to still be on top and still have people excited to see more Bo and Lauren. So, yes, I’m thrilled.

AE: What do you think it is about this particular coupling of Bo and Lauren that has connected and engaged fans so much? I think to call the fanbase passionate would be an understatement at this point.

AS: I mean, I think that it starts with some great writing and a great evolution for that couple. I think that storyline has always been really honest and real and something that people can relate to and see themselves in. The other part is Zoie and I have always had great chemistry. We’re very good friends. Zoie is a very appealing person [laughs] as I am sure many of your readers will agree with me. She is just a very charismatic and magnetic person. So that chemistry sparks between Bo and Lauren, and between Zoie and I. We have great chemistry and I think that shows on screen. So people must see that.

AE: So I’m going to ask two tiers of questions here—one for Syfy fans who will start watching Season 5 next week and one for Canadian and virtual Canadian fans who are waiting for the second half of the season. For the former, what do you see as the overarching theme for this final season?

AS: There’s a lot of things happen this season because it’s our final season. So a lot of things need to wrap up and get explained. One of our main themes is family because we’re going to see more of Bo’s family and her roots. And what that means for her and what the bigger picture has been. Also just the family that she has, the family she has made through the characters people have come to know and love. I feel like Bo is particularly strong this season. She is more clear headed and has more of a drive and vision to move forward. She is high energy Bo this season.

AE: At the end of last season, Season 4, where do you think Bo is emotionally?

AS: The end of last season was such a big finish in terms of Bo losing Kenzi. And you know anyone who has come to know Bo knows that’s not acceptable to her. She starts this final season with a real push to get Kenzi back. The season picks up not too long after the last season ended. So there is a lot of energy going into it. She is very, very focused, she’s on a one-track right now. That’s to get Kenzi back. And that’s what I mean about clear-headed going into the season.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: Interestingly, Ksenia Solo actually leaves for much of the first half of the final season. What did her absence mean for the show, and for Bo? And is there some hope we’ll see her in the final 8 sometime?

AS: What was nice about that storyline was it was Kenzi’s choice to leave. The Fae world is a lot to deal with. Kenzi is human. So I think it’s nice she has to go on that journey for herself. It’s also a way to let her go and understand where that comes from. And understand that that is what you do for people that you love; you set them free.

So, yeah, Bo really kind of sets that relationship free. But it’s certainly not over by any means. It’s a kind of a nice moment between them actually. And necessary. What it does in terms of the show, for Bo, is that Bo has always had to look after Kenzi in some way. I mean Kenzi is very capable, but she is a human. So that responsibility is gone a little bit and she can focus more on the task at hand in terms of getting some answers about her roots.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: So then will we see Kenzi sometimes in the final eight episodes?

AS: I don’t know if I can tell you those things. But never fear, there’s nothing to worry about, Bo and Kenzi are not over.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: What did you think when you heard the Greek Gods, or ancients, would be your adversaries this final season? I thought it was interesting how they slowly revealed that in the first half of the season.

AS: Totally, I was totally excited about that and I loved the people they cast as well. They did a great job. Michael Grassi, who was our show runner in the final season, really pulled that all together and pulled that off in a really, really big and good way. I think it’s really cool. How do you get more powerful than what you’ve already seen in the Fae world? And that’s how you do it, you bring in the ancients. They have a lot of history. So what does it mean for Bo and for everyone. It means a lot and there are a lot of consequences. It’s a really cool direction for the show.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: Your father has just now entered the picture, played by Eric Roberts. Bo’s lineage has been one of the biggest mysteries of the entire series. What does it mean to have Hades as your dad and how will he play into the final half of the season?

AS: It’s a really big deal. And I don’t think Bo could have imagined the kind of power that she comes from was quite that powerful and quite that dark. It’s a big reveal and it’s quite a mountain to climb in the final leap. I love the casting of Eric Roberts. He was really fun for me to work with. He is a very interesting guy and fun to have on set. He is a powerful presence so to play opposite him was really great. It was really great to watch him work and watch how he brought that character to life.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: Now some of the existing relationships change and evolve this season. This first half also brought Bo and Tamsin’s friendship with benefits/budding relationship to the forefront. Were you surprised at the way that storyline developed? Bo seemed to be oblivious to Tamsin’s true feelings, at least initially.

AS: Oh, I know. Poor Tamsin. You know Tamsin is such a strong character and pretty guarded in a lot of ways. She really reveals herself to Bo and opens up to Bo. Bo I don’t think saw that coming. So it was pretty hurtful to (Tamsin), as people who saw the first eight, will remember. But what’s great about the Bo/Tamsin relationship is that they’re both Fae, they’re both really powerful women, they both own their own powers. So they’re kind of equal in that way. Their relationship in the beginning when Tamsin was first introduced was adversarial and that really worked well, and it kind of still is. But I think Bo cares a lot about Tamsin. And loves her in a way. But it’s just not what Tamsin had hoped.

AE: Of course that Bo/Tamsin relationship has spawned its own fandom. As strong as the Doccubus fandom is there’s also a passionate Valkubus fandom. Is it fun to see that fandom develop?

AS: It’s fun, it’s really fun. One of the things I have always loved about the “Lost Girl” fanbase is they’ve always had such an active point of view and such a strong opinion. They’ve been very vocal about it. And I love seeing that. I love seeing those Valkubus/Doccubus debates unfold online. I think it’s good. I mean, who wouldn’t love Zoie Palmer and Rachel Skarsten? They’re both incredible actresses and incredible women. So it’s pretty cool.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: Your relationship with Lauren has reached a critical “Oh boy” moment. How will we see that moving forward?

AS: Well, I think the love triangle which we establish in the first season has always been one of the central storylines of the show. It really speaks to Bo’s nature. I feel like that triangle never really goes away. I certainly can’t talk about where the show goes with that love. But I can say I’m really happy with the way it unfolds and I’m excited for people to see it. Very vague, I know.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: Will the very special necklace be making a comeback?

AS: Oh my gosh, you know the necklace. I have been asked about the necklace before and I feel like the most important thing about the necklace is what it symbolized. It really was a symbol of Lauren’s love for Bo and their love together. It’s the unique bond that they have. Their bond is beyond two people in love. It’s also two people in love in these crazy circumstances, so it goes deeper than that. So I feel like the necklace was a symbol of that. Whether or not we see it again, I can’t say. But I can say with or without the necklace the bond is still there.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: the first half ended on another cliffhanger with the box. I know you can’t tell us what’s in the box, but can you tell us anything about its repercussions or how it plays out? Anything about the box?

AS: Well I can tell you it was made beautifully by our props department. It’s beautifully crafted.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: I actually thought it was very nice, because wasn’t the box in a promo for a very early season?

AS: It was. Now I don’t know if that was thought out that long in advance because that promo was for Season 2 or something. But they brought the box back. But what can I tell you about the box? All I can think of were the funny things that happened with the box on set. Sometimes the box would have to do things on its own, and of course it wouldn’t. So they’d have to swoop in and fix the box. So there were a lot of jokes about the box.

[Spoiler Alert] AE: So does the second half pick up right after the end of Episode 8 or is there a time jump?

AS: It picks up right after that moment. It’s very much continuous.

AE: When did you actually wrap up filming. So can you tell me how that was, the end of filming. I know you’ve been a really tight-knit cast from the start.

AS: We finished in early October. You know, it was one of those things where we sensed the end coming. We knew we’d have to say goodbye and have to say goodbye to the crew. It’s tough. I remember having a conversation on set saying we’ve got to enjoy every second of this last little bit. We have to recognize where we are. And we did, we really did. We enjoyed every day together. We finished so strong and we finished in the way we wanted to. The last scene was hard to shoot, for sure. We shot the last scene of the whole series last. Often we shoot out of order. But they did that for us so we could have that experience together, cast and crew. It was really cool.

I miss the crew, I miss the cast. I am in touch with a lot of people. Zoie and I are really good friends and I speak to her quite a bit. I saw Kris recently. I’ve seen Emmanuelle, I’ve seen Rachel. I see a lot of people. I saw the crew recently because I went to visit the set of Dark Matter when I was in Toronto. It was great to see the crew. So it was a very emotional journey, but when you get to end something like that in exactly the way you want to with the strength you want to end it with it’s totally a gift. And also with the fanbase, too. The fans have been with us all along the way. We want them to now experience it. We experienced it, we loved it, we said goodbye. And now everyone gets to see that.

AE: Looking back, what has been the best and the most challenging aspects of playing Bo and her evolution?

AS: You know, she evolved in such an organic way for me. Every year she was getting stronger and stronger. Bo has such a human side, Bo has such a Fae side. All of those things evolved in a really natural way. For me it was a nice journey to start at the beginning and end up where we end up. The evolution of the character was a gift for me.

AE: What do you feel most proud of about the series?

AS: I think several things. I think just playing Bo, she is such a strong character. Her power, which was that she was a succubus, when she was younger was such a source of shame for her. She didn’t know what she was. She didn’t know there were Fae or anything like that. So her greatest source of shame became her greatest source of power. It is one she fully embraced and owned. And I love that message. A lot of the fan letters I’ve gotten are about Bo’s bravery. I love that Bo is so brave, she is very brave. And it’s because she always shows her vulnerability. That makes her so brave.

The other aspect of the show I know a lot of AfterEllen readers have been drawn to is the fact that you have a lead character who is bisexual and yet no one ever says “bisexual” on our show. That’s just who she is. There was no sort of, well, now we reveal she is bisexual. It was just like that from Day One. I am proud of that fact. Zoie and I spoke in the beginning about creating that relationship. The writers created a relationship that is so real. Even though the circumstances are unreal and crazy in terms of the world they are in, the relationship was really real. And I’m really proud of that part of the show as well.

AE: A lot of the cast has signed on to follow-up projects—you mentioned Zoie on Dark Matter and Ksenia is on Turn and Rachel on Reign. So what’s next for you? Are you looking at projects or are you taking a break?

AS: Well, I am mostly taking a break. I needed a break. It’s a lot to do five seasons of a show. It’s wonderful, but you kind of need a creative break from that. You need to find what’s going to inspire you next and what you will be drawn to next. And the right next fit. I was so blessed to play Bo. It was such a perfect fit in my life. I loved that experience and I’d love for that to happen again. I don’t know what my next fit is.

So I’m looking at projects and taking my time. I really want to take a break and be with my son, who turns two in May. I need some mommy time with him. And I’ve really enjoyed that.

AE: So even though Lost Girl is ending, I hope you’re prepared because we lesbian and bisexual fans are a very loyal bunch. So I’m sure they’ll follow you to your next project. I think you could form a group with Lucy Lawless and Jennifer Beals and they could tell you all about it. So we’ll be there for your next project.

AS: That’s amazing. AfterEllen readers have been amazing. You guys have always been supportive of our show. I really appreciate that and I love that I’ve gotten to know that audience and I’m really grateful for that.

AE: So then is there anything else you can tell us about this final season, I know you can’t tell us much, and what to expect with the big ending?

AS: I know, it’s so hard. It’s so hard. It’s honestly so hard to talk about because there are spoilers left, right and center. I’m just excited for people to watch. I can’t wait to hear what people think. I do read people’s tweets. So, tweet and tell me what you think. All of that kind of stuff. I’m excited.

Lost Girl premieres Season 5 at 10 p.m. Friday, April 17.

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button