In response to the countless questions that inexplicably seem to pop into our email box on a monthly basis that include some variation of the phrase “What happened to [insert your favorite show here] on Netflix?” theTVaddict.com has decided to post a monthly list of what is new on Netflix. (Orange denotes a Netflix Original) [Read more…]
Archives for February 2015
For Canadian Eyes Only: Warren Brown Takes on the Nazis in X COMPANY
If you’re a British television fanatic, you may recognize Warrington-born actor Warren Brown as DS Justin Ripley on LUTHER, as Andy Holt on HOLLYOAKS or as Donny Maguire on SHAMELESS. But with CBC’s new World War II-set spy series X COMPANY (created by FLASHPOINT’s Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern) now airing, Canadian audiences will be introduced to Brown as Neil Mackay.
As a former Thai boxer, Brown gets to bring his own trained physicality to his role as Mackay, a working-class English cop who worked in Shanghai, where he earned a black belt and kept the peace among rioting gangs. However, when the war breaks out, Mackay’s family is killed in the Blitz — a period between 1940 to 1941 when the Germans invaded London — leaving him with only one thing on his mind: revenge.
Mackay gets that opportunity when he is recruited by Duncan Sinclair (Hugh Dillon), a Canadian military man who runs Camp X, which is based on the real-life top-secret training camp of the same name that was located near Lake Ontario and run by the Allies to train British, American and Canadian spies.
Among his fellow recruits are ordinary civilians — Aurora Luft (Evelyne Brochu), Alfred Graves (Jack Laskey), Tom Cummings (Dustin Milligan), and Harry James (Connor Price) — who each may not have his authoritative experience to call upon but have special skills that prove to be invaluable to the cause.
As seen on the Wednesday Feb. 18 pilot episode, Mackay’s motivation was put to the ultimate test when he found himself in a precarious situation where lives, which potentially included his own, were at the fate of a decision he had to make. He either had to risk losing his own life to save another or stay faithful to the mission at the cost of innocent lives. He chose the former.
If the pilot episode was any indication, Mackay’s chilling move will be far from his last. I had the opportunity to interview Brown last month to talk about his role on the new series. Check it out below!
First of all, I wanted to say congrats on the show. I found it really interesting.
WARREN: Thank you very much.
I had no idea about the British, American and Canadian involvement [in the secret agent world of World War II]. Were you aware of that prior to the show, or was that what attracted you to it?
WARREN: Admittedly, no. It was something I knew nothing of, if I’m honest, until I read this. But again, I found it really interesting that there was this kind of facility in Canada that played a massive, integral part to winning the World War. I suppose, in a good way, the fact that it was an ultra-secret facility and not a lot of people knew about it, that’s kind of the plan. Cause if everyone knew about Camp X and it wasn’t so secret… But yeah, it played a huge part. That coming together of British, American — that whole place, and this was the centre for it that started off the birth of espionage as we know it today.
Since it was so secretive, I’m assuming you didn’t get any actual cases you could study about it.
WARREN: No. We did a lot of research. There’s kind of a lot of books, and some of the things that may have inspired it, but obviously ours is kind of made up events. But to an extent, these things did happen. These men and women, they risked their lives, and did go behind enemy lines for the greater good to help us win the war. So, you know, huge, huge risk. Not a lot of people knew about them. But also had they not done this particular job, the world could be a very different place than it is today.
More than any other war, I think this war between 1939 and 1945 is really popular in films and television shows. Why do you think it resonates so much, even to 2015 audiences?
WARREN: Obviously it was a huge thing. Millions of millions of people died. Both world wars are kind of, as you say, very heavily documented. We kind of know of it and seen it in very different incarnations both on television and film. I think we’ve got an original take. Although it is period, although it is set in that time, it does have a real modern edge to it. That clash of period and the now of it is still relevant. It really works.
Your character [Neil Mackay] is described by [Duncan] Sinclair in the episode as hating Germans — he’s this “ex-copper.” Is that an ex-cop?
WARREN: Policeman, yeah.
His family was killed in the Blitz. Also, in the episode, we seem him risking his life for this little girl named Annie. Based on what is said about him and what he does in the episode, I get the impression that he has nothing left, and he is willing to risk his life. Would you consider his motivations as more of a revenge on the Germans or a sense of moral duty?
WARREN: I think having lost his family, he does take it very personally. He’s stated that he hates the Germans. But yeah, he has a strong moral compass. I think they’re all there — some of the things they have to do is quite vicious but ultimately for the greater good. These things had to be done in order to win that war. Saving this girl, he kinda sees things as black and white. If that means risking their lives, I think they’re all prepared to do that. They know that going into this job, they’re picked from very different backgrounds. They all bring different skills and qualities to the team, but ultimately they all want to be there and to serve.
What I like about the show is that every character is not black or white. They’re faced in situations where they have to go against their morals. For instance, your characters had to either destroy that bridge, even if your colleagues were in it, or risk losing the mission altogether. Are we gonna see more of these situations where they face dilemmas that don’t really have a right answer?
Definitely. It’s not quite as simple as what’s right, what’s wrong, we’re the good guys, the Germans are the bad guys… Another thing that I particularly like about this is that even the Germans are not painted as out-and-out evil. You do get to see their humanity. During these wars, men and women from both sides had no option but to fight, whether they believed in the cause or not. National service told you [that] you had to do it. I’ve stumbled off the question. (laughs)
(laughs) For a last question, what do you want audiences to take away from this [show]? What I see it personally as is a tribute to these unsung heroes that we’ve never really heard about.
They were these fictional characters. But there were men and women that risked their lives to win this war. So, yeah, a bit of a tribute to them and the millions of people who died during both of these world wars. But it’s also storytelling, and it’s escapism, and it’s hopefully done in an exciting, action-packed adventure, which I think it is.
Well, thank you so much. It was nice meeting you.
Thanks. Cheers. You too!
Morning Static: PARKS AND RECREATION, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, ARROW & More!
• Opinion: How ‘Girls’ Became the Most Frustrating Show on Television
• Spoiler Alert: The Keating Five Get Candid About “How To Get Away With Murder”
• Laugh Break: Conan O’Brien explores Grindr with Billy Eichner’s help
• ‘Parks and Recreation’ Finale: Chris Pratt Pitched ‘Six Feet Under’-Style Ending
• Cool Beans: ‘The Affair’ Creators Attending Israel’s InTV Conference
• Must See TV: The “Parks And Rec” Cast Got Emotional In Their Final TV Appearance Together
• Q&A: Agent Carter Bosses Discuss the Meaning Behind That Shocking Cameo and The Series’ Future
• ‘Parks and Recreation’ Finale Postmortem: Mike Schur on How ‘Friends’ Influenced Leslie’s Fate
• Woo-Hoo! ‘Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce’ Will Return for Season 2!
• Late Night News: Jason Jones to leave ‘The Daily Show’
• Live From New York: Chris Hemsworth to Host ‘Saturday Night Live’
• Pilot Watch: Laura Regan Cast As Agatha In ‘Minority Report’ Fox Pilot
• ‘Parks And Recreation’ As Star Machine: Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones Among Actors It Propelled
• Interesting: Supergirl Is (Sorta) Casting Superman
• Stephen Moyer to Star in Kurt Sutter’s New FX Drama The Bastard Executioner; Katey Sagal Confirmed as Female Lead
• Pilot Scoop: Margo Martindale Joins CBS’ Sneaky Pete, From David Shore and Bryan Cranston
• Everwood Alum Alert: Arrow Director Gregory Smith Teases ‘Special’ Episode, Rookie Blue’s Fate
• HUH! Power Rangers Goes Gritty With James Van Der Beek and Katee Sackhoff
• Super Cool: This Is How “Modern Family” Filmed An Episode Entirely With iPhones, iPads, And MacBooks
• Interview: Phil Keoghan Talks THE AMAZING RACE 26
On TV Tonight: Wednesday February 25, 2015
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | The Middle | The Goldbergs | Modern Family | Blackish | Nashville | |
CBS | Survivor: Worlds Apart | The Amazing Race 26 | ||||
CW | Arrow | The 100 | ||||
FOX | American Idol | Empire | The Americans (FX) | |||
NBC | The Mysteries of Laura | Law & Order: SVU | Chicago PD | |||
MISC | Melissa & Joey/Baby Daddy (ABC Family) | Suits (USA) It’s Always Sunny/Man Seeking Woman (FXX) |
Exclusive Interview: Connor Price Goes to War in X COMPANY
Imagine you’re a teenage boy. Life is confusing enough as it is. It doesn’t help that your parents still assign you to a curfew. The world is this giant, revolving planet. But you have no idea where you belong in it and what your role is. All you know is that you’ve got a knack for playing with technology — a deadly one at that.
Hold up! Let’s raise the pressure to its maximum limit. You’re now in the midst of the deadliest war in human history; a military man recruits you to be a spy; and you find yourself using your secret science experiments but on a more grand international scale. I know what you’re thinking: What did I get myself into? This is exactly the overwhelming scenario that Connor Price’s Harry James finds himself facing on CBC’s new series X COMPANY. [Read more…]
An Open Letter to PARKS AND RECREATION EPs Greg Daniels and Mike Schur: Thank You
Mike Schur and Greg Daniels,
For over a decade you both have given us television that has made us laugh, cry, laugh some more, and sometimes make us feel extremely uncomfortable. Nonetheless, it’s always entertained us. Whether it’s Rainn Wilson ripping the mask off of a CPR training dummy or making Amy Poehler try to walk across an ice rink while “Catch Your Dream” blasts in the background.
Being the final episode of my favorite show on television is tonight I felt it would be appropriate to thank the both of you for a couple of things.
Although the jokes and quick bits always made me laugh (still not sure how Pratt came up with that “network connectivity” punch… it still gets me) the love and heart of the show is what kept me and millions of others watching week after week. Thank you for giving us beautifully written scenes. Ben (Adam Scott) and Leslie’s proposal is one of the sweetest scenes I’ve ever seen.
Thank you for Amy Poehler. I could go on and on as to why she embodies everything Leslie Knope is, and why NO ONE could play Leslie better than her but this note would never end. Thank you for putting her back on my screen after SNL and thank you for making her rap “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”
Thank you for giving Leslie two great loves, adorable geek, Ben Wyatt and beautiful tropical fish, Ann. (Rashida Jones) They helped shape so much of who Leslie was as a person and they made her so strong.
I never thought the death of a miniature horse could make me sob- but it did. Thank you for Lil Sebastian.
Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Jim O’Heir, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, Retta, Rob Lowe, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, and Amy Poehler. Thank you for this magical combination of brilliant people.
I have an embarrassing secret to admit. I’ve never watched a show from the premiere and stayed with it till the end. Somewhere in the middle I always leave and come back or I start late and play catch up. That was until April 9, 2009. I was fourteen and in my freshman year of high school when I sat down to watch a new comedy on NBC. I was mesmerized, and couldn’t wait for the next episode. Watching Leslie’s passion and love for her tiny little parks department was inspiring. I instantly knew if I ever found a career that I loved as much as Leslie loved that department- I would be okay. Thank you for giving me that feeling at an age where I still wasn’t so sure as to what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
Finally, thank you for making us trust you. Over the years I’ve watched my favorite shows stray from their original tone, lose their hilarity, and plummet in content- PARKS never did. I always worry when a finale roles around. The creators hold so much power in their hands and have complete control over our last meeting with these people that we’ve grown to love. With you guys, I’ve never worried. I’ve never questioned any choice this show had made in the last seven seasons. You’ve never given me a reason to.
Thank you.
I love you and I like you,
Victoria Nelli
Morning Static: THE OSCARS, PARKS AND RECREATION, GAME OF THRONES & More!
• ‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2015: Season 20 Celebrity Cast Announced
• Scoop: Niecy Nash Is the Newest Addition to Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens
• With ‘Better Call Saul’ Success, AMC Turns Eye to Mondays
• Super News: SUPERGIRL TV Show Gets That Calista Flockhart Boost
• Pilot News: NBC’s Chicago Med Adds Fargo Alum Oliver Platt
• Snubbed: People Are VERY Upset That Joan Rivers Was Not Included In The Oscars “In Memoriam”
• Where They Lead: 21 Truths “Gilmore Girls” Taught You About Friendship
• Oscar Watch: Here’s NPH’s response to the critics
• You Go Big Or You Go Home: An Oral History Of The Creation And Evolution Of ‘Parks And Recreation’
• Live Long: ‘Star Trek’ Star Leonard Nimoy Hospitalized
• Casting Coup: Marisa Tomei cast as Gloria Steinem in HBO miniseries
• Pawnee Today: Parks and Recreation Boss Talks the “Bittersweet” Series Finale and the Pawnee Gang’s Goodbye
• Funny Business: Rob Riggle to Star in Fox Comedy ’48 Hours ‘Til Monday’
• Intel: Here’s A Much Clearer Look At The ‘Daredevil’ Costume We’ll See In The Netflix Series
• RIP: American Horror Story actor Ben Woolf dies after accident
• Lisa Kudrow on Friends, Phoebe and why women in Hollywood should demand more
• Your Final Reward: GAME OF THRONES Season 4 Bloopers
• That’s a wrap on ‘Glee’: See photos from final day of filming
• Do the Time Warp: Watch A 14-Year Old Neil Patrick Harris At The 1989 Golden Globes
• Before They Were Stars: Preparation H ad with Bryan Cranston
• Music To Our Ears: 5 Reasons the New Season of The Voice Presses All the Right Buttons
• Awwwwww Alert: Sesame Street: House of Bricks (House of Cards Parody)
• PARKS AND REC’s Amy Poehler: “It’s Kind of Ruined Me For Anything Else”
• Sleepy Hollow Finale Post Mortem: EP Talks [Spoiler]’s Death, Missing Horsemen and That Crucial Selfie
On TV Tonight: Tuesday February 24, 2015
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Fresh Off the Boat | Repeat After Me | Marvel’s Agent Carter | Forever | ||
CBS | NCIS | NCIS: New Orleans | Person of Interest | |||
CW | TV’s Hottest Commercials Countdown | The Flash (R) | ||||
FOX | MasterChef Junior | New Girl | The Mindy Project | Justified (FX) | ||
NBC | The Voice | Parks and Recreation (Series Finale) | ||||
MISC | Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) | Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) Switched at Birth (ABC Family) | Perception (TNT) Being Mary Jane (BET) Cougar Town (TBS) Girlfriends Guide to Divorce (Bravo) Kroll Show (Comedy) |
Hidden Gems: We Shine the Spotlight on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES’ Candice Accola and CHICACO PD’s Marina Squerciati
The Oscars airing last night made me think about some of the bad-ass acting we have gotten on television lately. And I’m here to shine the spotlight on a couple of hidden gems. Last week (and this whole season really) of television saw the emergence of two supporting actresses to full fledge acting powerhouses. The two in question here are Candice Accola as Caroline on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and Marina Squerciati as Officer Kim Burgess on CHICAGO PD. Each of these actress showcased some high quality acting chops last week. [Read more…]
Exclusive Interview: Jack Laskey Finds His Inner Hero on X COMPANY
When you think of secret agents or action heroes, an endless montage of American or British figures are likely to appear in your mind: James Bond, Captain America, Sydney Bristol, Natasha Romanoff, etc. The list goes on and on.
But what if I told you that a synesthete, a journalist, a student, a policeman, and a salesman were among the ordinary citizens who were handpicked by the Allies to become some of the world’s first secret agents? That’s the concept behind Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern’s (FLASHPOINT) new CBC spy series X COMPANY, which is led by a rising English export from the British stage — Jack Laskey.
Set against the back drop of World War II, X COMPANY introduces viewers to Canada’s biggest secret: Camp X. The real-life facility, which was located on the shores of Lake Ontario before it closed in 1969, was where British, American and Canadian men and women trained to become secret agents before going on dangerous covert missions abroad.
As Alfred Graves, Laskey — whose on-screen credits include roles on the TV series ENDEAVOUR and the upcoming feature GIRL’S NIGHT OUT — plays a quiet, unassuming man with synesthesia, a unique neurological condition that enables the individual to experience two or more senses simultaneously. In Graves’ case, he has fivefold synesthesia, which means all five of his senses are fused, giving him a perfect memory.
His synesthesia soon proves to be a crucial asset for his team — Aurora Luft (ORPHAN BLACK’s Evelyne Brochu), Neil Mackay (LUTHER’s Warren Brown), Tom Cummings (90210’s Dustin Milligan), and Harry James (BEING HUMAN’s Connor Price) — after he is recruited by Camp X leader Duncan Sinclair (FLASHPOINT’s Hugh Dillon). However, Graves doesn’t view his special ability as a gift or a weapon. He sees it as a curse.
I had the fortune of doing a one-on-one interview with Laskey last month at a press event to talk about his role on the new series. You can check it out below.
First of all, I wanted to say congrats on the show. I’ve actually never heard of Camp X or this whole espionage world in World War II. Were you aware of that prior to the show?
JACK: I think it’s a big thing that loads of people don’t know about. I mean, the majority of Canadians who worked for the show didn’t know about Canada’s extraordinary role in the Allied victory in World War II. It’s an important thing to put on the map, right? Anybody who helped in that crazy world that resisted then deserves to be recognized for it. It’s great that CBC has given this voice to this role that Canada played.
What I like about it is that they’re these normal people but placed in extraordinary situations. Do you think this is saying that you don’t really need to have those physical attributes that you normally associate with agents, or fighters, that you can just use your normal talents to rise up to occasions like these?
JACK: Yeah, there’s an aspirational thing in there about that. This show is about a group of people improvising, and modern-day spy craft hasn’t been coined yet. It hasn’t been invented yet. So loads of people try to work out the best solution in the circumstance. Everyone’s using their natural attributes to the best of their abilities. And, yeah, so there’s something aspirational in there. There’s also something historically interesting about it. These are the foundations of what became the CIA, and what we understand from James Bond and all those stuff. But it’s not sort of as polished at this time as it has now become. Spycraft is a much more polished art now. And there’s something which this show does, which I really love, which is kind of the messiness of it all, and people trying to get it right, and sometimes getting it wrong.
Each of these characters have their own talents that they bring to the table. Yours has synesthesia, where basically one of your senses will automatically trigger another one.
JACK: My character’s got fivefold synesthesia, so the response can be in all five of the senses. You can taste it; see a sound; you can see a colour; you could smell it; you can feel it in your right hand — a tingling sensation.
Did you meet with any people with that [synesthesia] to prepare for the role?
JACK: Yeah, I talked to people with synesthesia, one of who is on our crew, and is one of the co-creators on our show, one of the writers, one of the executive producers — Stephanie Morgenstern. She has synesthesia. She doesn’t have fivefold synesthesia, but she was an amazing asset to chat to. Apparently, I mean, stats vary, but one in 2,000 people have some form of synesthesia, so it’s actually very common. Loads of amazing, famous figures had synesthesia. Lots of artists. It’s a very creative way to see the world.
Is it more of a challenge to maintain an accent or play a character that’s really sensitive to everything?
JACK: I love both of those challenges. I love, as an actor, transforming through each role to having a different accent.
So the more obstacles, the better it is? (laughs)
JACK: Yeah, yeah. Pretty much. I just love climbing the mountain in every part and trying to make it more accurate. It’s a great privilege to play someone with a very different perception to your own. Everyone has a different perception of the world, but something as extreme as synesthesia that leads you to all sorts of different understandings of what it means to be human.
Speaking of your character’s view of the world, he’s very timid when we’re introduced to him. He even admits to [Duncan] Sinclair that just going to do his groceries at the supermarket is a challenge for him. Will we continue to see him be tested in his confidence but in the battlefield instead of a desk job?
JACK: Yeah, absolutely. He’s very quickly thrust behind enemy lines in occupied France. He has a fascinating conversation with his confidence over the first season. He’s lived this reclusive lifestyle because he always saw his synesthesia as an obstacle. He was encouraged by his father to hide his difference and not let people understand him. For the first time in his life, he is able to have some friends and have some conversations. The sort of experts at Camp X help him to find coping strategies.
At the beginning, there’s a scene that flashes back to you and Aurora [Luft]. And then at the end, we see what stimulated that scene. Is that saying that they knew each other prior to meeting at the camp, or am I asking for spoilers right now? (laughs)
JACK: Well, it soon becomes clear… But, no, Alfred didn’t know Aurora before.
Okay, I kind of overanalyzed it, assuming that one of them was a mole, playing both sides, cause it was odd that they showed that scene [at the beginning].
JACK: Well, it could be, right?
Or maybe I’m just inventing storylines. (laughs)
JACK: It is great. Invent away.
What do you hope people will take away from this show? Personally, how I see it is that since these characters were based on people that didn’t really have identities, they’re kind of a tribute to these people that served on Camp X.
JACK: I think it’s a very hopeful story about human endeavour, and human resourcefulness, and the coming together of a team, and what a team can do, whereas individuals we could be very isolated. But when we’re together as a team, we can manage to do much more than the sum of our parts. In a relationship, you create something in between you that is another kind of entity almost. The five of these people all bring out amazing qualities in each other and challenge each other. We come back to these war stories over and over again because we need to learn from our past. We don’t want to repeat history. There’s always a danger, which is actually quite close to the surface, that we could go back to a similar situation. There’s always war going on, and we could end up very quickly with someone in power who commits atrocities like Hitler did. And we come back to these stories about World War II because of the warnings it gives to humanity and to understand man’s inhumanity to humanity. Also, it’s an important part of Canada’s history. I hope this show goes around the world, and people know more about that now as a result of the show.
Finally, why do you think it’s this specific war that continues to resonate with audiences? I have my opinion on it, but I’m curious to know yours.
JACK: What’s your opinion?
I think that this period between 1939 and 1945, even if you weren’t directly involved in the war, you were affected in some way. So my grandparents’ generation, and their children…
JACK: Absolutely. We’re all trying to make sense of that still, of how people can do that to other people. As you say, it’s very close in our bloodline, very close in everyone’s bloodline. Everyone has stories from World War II. Lots of people are still alive, who fought in World War II, so there’s an urgency to be telling these stories now. Because quite soon there won’t be people from that generation, and we need to learn from our past experiences.