TV

An interview with “Lost Girl” star Anna Silk

The lovely, talented and leather-prone Anna Silk is the star of television’s greatest series about a bisexual succubus, Lost Girl. Fine, it is television’s only drama about a bisexual succubus. But that doesn’t make it any less great. The series, which debuted on Canada’s Showcase network in 2010, is now in its second season with our neighbors to the north. But on Monday, United States audiences will finally get their first official taste of super succubus Bo and the supernatural world of the Fae as Lost Girl debuts on SyFy.

Silk, who plays the show’s central heroine Bo, has come a long way in a season and a half. In the beginning she was a young woman unaware of her supernatural heritage who left smiling, but very dead lovers in her wake. Now she is a strong, independent succubus who is poised to play a key role in the survival of the Fae, a secret species that lives among humans while feeding off them and is split into Light and Dark sides. Since the show started she has been in a love triangle with Dyson, a Fae wolf shifter cop (say that three times fast), and Lauren, an insatiably curious human doctor who works for the Light Fae.

The gracious and well-spoken Anna talked with AfterEllen.com just before the holiday break about where Lost Girl is going in its second season, what it means to be coming to America, whether we can expect to see more Doccubus action and what’s up with Bo’s delightful décolletage.

AfterEllen.com: First of all, thanks for talking with the readers of AfterEllen again. You have a large fanbase and the show is very popular on the site.

Anna Silk: I know, I know. I think it’s great.

AE: Lost Girl is a Canadian series but it already has amassed a large worldwide fanbase, what do you attribute its global popularity to?

AS: Two things, really. One, the internet. [laughs] And two, I think that, and I felt from the very beginning when we shot the pilot, it’s such a relatable show. There are so many relatable characters. The world is not relatable, obviously, but the characters and their relationships on the show are really relatable. And I think that’s what has really been its driving force.

AE: Are you preparing for how that popularity may grow even more now that Lost Girl will begin airing in the U.S. on SyFy this January?

AS: Yeah, I hope we amass an even greater audience in the U.S. It would be really cool. I was in New York (last month) doing some press with SyFy. And SyFy themselves have really embraced the show, they’re really excited about it, which is really great. I hope that we do well and I hope that people watch. I think they will, but you never know. I think it is a really unique and special show.

AE: Are you bracing for an even bigger fangirl onslaught, because I think it’s probably coming.

AS: I don’t know. [laughs] I don’t know if I am ever ready for something like that. We went to FanExpo this year, which is like a Canadian Comic-Con, and that was pretty overwhelming. Just Kris Holden-Ried, who plays Dyson, and I were there last year. We hadn’t aired yet and had this little booth and people would be like, “Oh, what is this show?” So we’d explain it to them. This year we went and all the main cast members were there. And we just had a roomful of screaming fans who were so excited to be there and really wanted to meet us and really wanted to tell us why they loved the show and why they liked this character or that. We had such great response. We had this big line-up and it was more than we could have ever imagined.

I went to Comic-Con this year as well, I went with Emmanuelle Vaugier (who plays the Morrigan, the leader of the Dark Fae), and we hadn’t aired in the U.S. yet and we still had a pretty big response then. Which was cool. But I don’t think you are ever prepare for that. Zoie and I had this young woman come up to us at FanExpo and she was sort of shaking and very emotional. She said, “I had to come meet you guys because it was because of you two I was able to come out to my parents.” And we were just like blown away by that kind of response. We were like, wow. Good for you. We were just glad we could inspire anyone. We were just really pleased about that.

AE: Well I think you are probably familiar with having some lesbian fans because of Being Erica, but how has that intensified with Lost Girl? I spoke with (Zoie Palmer, who plays Lauren who has an on-again, off-again, oh-no-my-girlfriend-woke-up-from-her-coma-again relationship with Bo) earlier this week and she said she wasn’t expecting the marriage proposals.

AS: [laughs] I am not surprised that Zoie gets marriage proposals. Zoie is pretty darn charming. She always has been. I’ve known Zoie for several years just from audition rooms in Toronto, so she was always someone I knew. We’d always just look at each other and be like, “Hey, you’re cool. You’re cool.” We just always really had a nice connection. She is fantastic as Lauren on the show and is just a very charming woman. She just really is. So I’m not surprised she is getting marriage proposals.

AE: But how about you? Are you getting your fair share?

AS: I don’t. [awwww sound] Maybe it is because I am already married and people know that. I don’t get proposals. But I do get a lot of people professing their love. And I love that. It’s mostly love for Bo, which I love. Part of Bo is me, so I really like that.

AE: Your fans, particularly the gay female fans who read our site, have really embraced this whole Bo/Lauren relationship. Why do you think that has resonated so much?

AS: Well I think from the very beginning it was really important to Zoie and I that this relationship, as it was developing and as it stands now, was really, really organic and honest. You know this world that we play in, the Fae world, has all this crazy stuff happening. We wanted to make sure that that relationship was honest. And I think it is. I think Zoie and I as people are pretty grounded people. As actors we want to portray something that is real. And I think, I think that is what we did. So I think that is what has resonated with people.

AE: Recent developments have obviously thrown a wrench into that relationship with Nadia awakening. Do Bo and Lauren fans have reason to hope? Is there more to explore between those two?

AS: There definitely is. Yes. I don’t want to say more.

AE: You can’t say more?

AS: No!

AE: Part of the appeal for the Team Lauren fans is the chemistry you have with Zoie, and you mentioned that already. Tell me what it’s like to work with her and why you two clicked as characters and actresses.

AS: One thing a lot of people don’t know about Zoie, but maybe you do after speaking to her, is she is hilarious. Like Zoie is very funny. And she has these funny moments on the show, but Lauren tends to be a pretty intense character a lot of the time. But Zoie herself is so funny that there have been times we’ve had to cut because I can’t stop laughing. She has the ability to laugh, joke and they call action and she pulls it all together. I can’t pull it all together because she makes me laugh too much. So I think we just have natural chemistry. She is a very funny person. She is really warm. She is a really generous actor and supportive. She cares a lot about the show. She loves playing Lauren and she puts everything into it.

That can be said of all the members of the cast. But for Zoie and I in particular, we really pay extra special attention to this relationship. Especially now that we know we have this fanbase that follows it, we want to make sure that it is still very real. If something feels wrong we bring it up at read throughs and stuff. For the most part it doesn’t happen. The writers are doing a great job with it. But if anything feels wrong we are the very first to speak up and say, “Hey, wait a second. Bo would never say this to Lauren at this point.” We are really protective of it. And she is really fun to work with.

AE: The chemistry and level of comfort you have with each other, does that make it easier or harder to do those intimate scenes you have to do together?

AS: Well it definitely makes it easier, I think because we like each other. It’s always weird to do intimate scenes with people, but it’s not as strange if you are with someone that you like. We both know that these scenes are important and we want them to be honest. We don’t want them to be this gratuitous scene all of a sudden, you know. We want it to come from someplace that is organic.

I mean, I felt a little weird. We make jokes sometimes. I remember after our last love scene I saw her the next day and I was like, “We spent the whole afternoon kissing and I didn’t even get a text at the end of the day.” [laughs] It was funny. But I am pretty fortune on the show that with Zoie and Kris, who I’ve had a lot of love scenes in the past with, he is a nice and respectful guy. Those kinds of scenes you have to hope that it is someone that you like, and then you have to go for it. And it’s real, it’s not “real,” but it’s real as long as you like and respect each other and you know where it fits into the story.

AE: Speaking of Kris, there is obviously a very fierce Team Lauren and Team Dyson fan rivalry that has emerged. How do you feel about that and how do you feel about those two camps and what that brings to the show.

AS: I love it. I love that we have a fanbase that has a really active opinion. And they are not afraid to voice it. I like that people are divided. I think it’s great and I think that’s the conflict on the show, that divide. I don’t think there are people who wouldn’t watch the show if things didn’t go their way in one episode. They keep watching, and that’s what is interesting. Bo and Dyson kind of got ripped apart early on in the second season. Wait. Well, I know you guys watch each episode and post about it. Sometimes I get confused about what season I’m supposed to be talking about. [laughs] I think that I like that people have a really, really strong active opinion.

AE: Another fascinating thing about the show for me is how it handles sexual orientation. It is largely matter-of-fact and unspoken. Bo is bisexual, and this season we’ve seen some Fae who are gay, but it is not discussed. Why do you think that approach works for your show?

AS: Well, it was funny, because when I read the pilot I knew that she was going to be in this love triangle with this character named Dyson and this character named Lauren. Because Bo is a succubus, because she is a sexual being and more sexual than most, I never thought of her as bisexual. It wasn’t until I had an interview and someone said, “So Bo is bisexual and what do you think about that?” I was like, well, I guess she is. It is not that I never really think about it, it’s just not underscored on our show. It’s not like, “Here is the lesbian part of Bo. And here is the non-lesbian part of Bo.” I like that we don’t talk about it. It is just who she is and she loves both of these people. I think that is kind of key to why it works.

AE: Sex and sexuality is obviously so integral to the show, but some fans have complained this season that they feel like the sex has been toned down a little. Do you agree that it has been toned down?

AS: It has, and I don’t necessarily know why it had been toned down. I think one of the reason is it is just the nature of where the storyline went. In terms of Dyson and Lauren, those storylines and those relationships changed, so they’re not going to jump in bed with each other all the time. It might lead in that direction that something like that might happen again, I am sure. But those two relationships were challenged severely.

In terms of the sex on the show, particularly me with guest stars, that definitely got toned down. And I don’t really know exactly why. But I did notice it. At some point last season I was like, “I don’t want to make out with anyone else.” [laughs] I was always like, “Hey, this is the succubus kiss. This is what we do. However you want to respond that’s fine. But this is what I’m doing to you right now.” So I kind of got that down. There definitely has been less, but I don’t think that was necessarily on purpose. But there is more of this season, and as you may know we got picked up for a third season. So, um, who knows.

AE: Speaking of that, how do you think the show has changed and grown from its first season to second seasons, now that you are half way through the second season?

AS: Well, I think the first episode back for the second season, all six of us were there — myself, Zoie, Kris, Ksenia Solo (who plays Kenzi), Rick Howland (who plays Trick) and K.C. Collins (who plays Hale) — we were all doing this scene and at the end of the scene I looked up and said, “You know what guys, we’re like a real family here now.” You know when a family gets together and everyone knows when to chime in. Because they naturally have this rhythm. And now we have that.

I think the first season, if I think about it from Bo’s perspective, Bo was so young, in terms of her knowledge. Her worldliness in the Fae world was so new. For me I was really lucky because as an actor I got to really grow, with her. I got to be this kind of like diamond in the rough in terms of my abilities. I think Bo will become strong, and has in season two. She has become stronger and stronger. She is more fiercely protective of the family she has made, of her lovers. I definitely think we’ve grown as a whole unit, and part of that has to do with how they’ve developed Bo. How they’ve made her grow and grow up.

AE: They really do seem to be building up to something big with Bo this season, with the emergence of the Garuda. Can you tell us a little what to expect in the second half of the season?

AS: Yes, well, battle definitely ensues. You can ask any of us recently, we’re really tired from all the stuff we’ve been filming. I think Bo really has to pull herself together and buckle down and focus on what is happening. There is a real threat here, a threat to her family, her friends — and when I say family I mean her friends. There is a real threat to this new world that she has come to embrace and really started to thrive in. So, um, that’s something everyone takes very seriously. Not every episode in the last half of the season are heavy and battley. We definitely have a lot of interesting things to come with the next nine episodes.

AE: How far are you into the shooting schedule? What do you have left to shoot?

AS: We have done 20 episodes. We have two left. (We’ve taken) a three and a half week break, which is fantastic, so everyone can be with their families for the holidays and travel. Then we come back early January and film the last two episodes. Then we’ll be on hiatus between the seasons until at least this spring. I believe we’re going to start filming again in April or May. That hasn’t been confirmed.

AE: You mentioned the fighting and the physicality for you. Obviously it’s such a big role and you are in almost every scene and it is physically demanding with the fights and things. How have you prepared and trained for that and stayed healthy?

AS: Gosh, you know, between the seasons I trained with this great martial artist in Griffith Park which is in L.A… Griffith Park is this really beautiful place in L.A. and I’d train three mornings a week for like two or three hours in like the misty morning with like coyotes running by. It was really cool.

Bo’s style of fighting, she is not an expert, she’s not a martial artist. But she is strong, she is smart. She kind of uses what’s around her to fight, which I kind of like. And this season I did a lot more sword stuff and fighting with sticks, which I also really like. I try to stay really fit.

And the hard thing is the challenge while you are shooting to maintain that level of fitness, because it is next to impossible. I just do, literally, what I can. If I have like 15 minutes in the trailer maybe I’ll do some legs. Or maybe I’ll take a nap. It just really depends on the moment. And I have a great stunt double, who I love. But I do most of the stuff myself, which I really like. Because I think that’s part of the character. I want to be able to do what I can, because it makes me feel like I am in this role, instead of just sort of starting on the ground and getting up like, “Wow, that was hard.” I’d rather have done it.

AE: On a slightly different note, I had tipped my hat to Zoie for all the leather the wardrobe department puts you guys in. And I want to make a special thanks to the wardrobe department for all the tank tops and V-necks they put Bo in. We definitely appreciate it.

AS: The Bo cleavage is pretty epic. I mean, it’s so funny in the first season Ksenia, who plays Kenzi, would always like poke at it when I came in in the morning. She’d be like, “Oh, it’s so bouncy.” That is certainly some wardrobe tricks that happen. But I think it is important, Bo is a sexual creature. I think it is nice that they allow her to look like that. I want you to think of sex when you see her. You now, that is who she is.

It is funny, I was home in New Brunswick, which is in Eastern Canada, and my mom and my husband and I were watching old movies with Jane Fonda and all these women. And they have real curves. That is so sensual to see that. You don’t really see that in the same way. So I think it is great Bo has that kind of look.

AE: Well, mission accomplished, it’s lovely.

AS: Point taken, thank you.

AE: You know, obviously, you have this large fanbase already. Do you follow any of the fan activities. Fans who are into the show do creative things, have you watched fanvids? Do you know about Dr. Hotpants and Doccubus?

AS: Yes, I watch all of them. Because I am on Twitter and I also have a Facebook fanpage, I read everything. I can’t always respond to everything but I definitely read everything. People sent me a video last week, which was about nine minutes long, of holiday wishes from fans all over the world which was so nice. And I watched the whole thing. Definitely, when people send cards and letters, I read them. We have these two amazing fans in France who pioneer all these fanbased things that happen online — collages, videos, they have really been pretty great about it.

You know, I only went on Twitter (last) year. And I didn’t think it would be something that I would like. I don’t know why. I guess I thought I’d feel too much pressure if I wasn’t able to talk to everyone. But it is fine. People understand that not everyone can be responded to. But I love it. I love that interaction. I think it’s unique to the times we live in. And it is particularly important in the sci-fi world.

AE: Well, now I have to ask, because I asked Zoie — though it’s a little easier answer for her — but Team Lauren or Team Dyson?

AS: Oh my God. Oh, her answer would be totally easy. Gosh. You know what, I still to this day love both of them. As actors I love both of them, they’re both the nicest people. I think in terms of the character, the relationships are so complicated. They’re so complicated. I don’t think it is as simple as being able to pick a team. I think that she can’t. I don’t think she ever, ever will be able to — fully. She would do anything for Dyson. And she would do anything for Lauren. She really would. So I can’t. I have to abstain.

AE: I understand, too hard a question. Anything else you’d like to say to your fans at AfterEllen?

AS: I would say thank you for watching to the fans at AfterEllen. I definitely see the site and I love what you guys do and the way you cover the show, I think it’s great. You guys have really active opinions, too. And I love there are things you don’t like and there are things you do like. And you say all that. It is a really cool website and I think it’s really important. And I would say thanks for watching.

Lost Girl will debut, starting with its first season, on SyFy at 10 p.m. Jan. 16. It will return for the conclusion of its second season on Showcase in Canada at 9 p.m. Jan. 22. Lost Girl SnapCaps for Season 2 will run Tuesdays and Lost Girl Rewind SnapCaps for Season 1 will begin running Wednesdays on AfterEllen.com.

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