We had the chance to chat with Paula Garces and Tia Carrere, two of the kickass ladies in rotation as part of the Warehouse 13 farm team (which also includes Lindsay Wagner), and aside from their completely endearing mutual lovefest for one another (they’ve yet to work on an episode at the same time), we found out they have similar, extraordinarily broad careers and a deep affection for their sci-fi fans. Garces plays Dr. Kelly Hernandez, the newly-minted love interest of Myka’s partner, Pete Lattimer (series regular Eddie McClintock). Carrere plays Pete’s former love interest, FBI agent Kate Logan, who calls on Myka and Pete when things get weird in her caseload.

Both women came to the show with a healthy appreciation of sci-fi, and in the case of Garces, a pre-existing appreciation of the series as a whole. They also share the ability to successfully multi-task across the entertainment industry outside of their wide range of acting credits. Garces produces and hosts a reality show called mun2 Look that celebrates Latino culture where “street style meets the runway” on the mun2 network (which shares a parent company in NBC Universal with Syfy) and is working on a comic book called Aluna. Carrere is producing, writing, and starring in a biopic about Hawaiian surfer Rell Sunn and won a Grammy last year for ikena, her second album of Hawaiian music.

As past and present love interests for Pete, Garces and Carrere have both had the misfortune of shooting love scenes with McClintock on the heels of a meal — for Carrere, it was French toast, bacon, and eggs, and for Garces, garlic pizza at 2:00 am after an 18-hour day, so they agree that breath spray is the way to go the next time their characters find themselves in a clinch with Pete. They aren’t in the loop as to whether a love triangle is planned, but they welcome any chance to work together, even if it’s a ladies-only Jell-o fight in a kiddie pool for Pete’s affections.

Garces was offered the role of Kelly outright. Carrere auditioned for another role (she didn’t say which), and the producers liked her for the role of Kate, which they thought was a better fit. The women agree that the show is completely welcoming of its recurring cast members. “I just love the chemistry,” Carrere says. “There are only so many stories [and] story lines, and we’ve all worked many different places in the world, but it’s the group of people that you work with that makes it fun and enjoyable at two o’clock in the morning. She credits the leads on the show, the showrunners, and the producers with creating that environment. “They have such a great group of people together,” she says. “I loved working with them.”

The Toronto shooting location lends itself to a camp-like camaraderie because everybody is away from home, so they’ve become each other’s pseudo-family. Adds Garces, “Everyone from the crew, the writers, the creators, the actors on the show, they’re all very passionate about what they’re doing and the stories that they’re trying to create and how they’re trying to entertain their public.” She says the vibe on set is infectious. “I really enjoyed it and [when I finished this season, I] left wanting to work on it more.”

Carrere enjoyed the show’s tangential relationship to her syndi hit, Relic Hunter, saying, “I knew of all the different [artifacts] … the Arc of the Covenant … the Knights Templar, so I think I probably know about 66 different icons and relics.” She credits Warehouse 13 with a fresh, different approach that mixes “humor, fantastic dialogue, and really good characters on which to introduce all these fantastical magical objects.”

Both women appreciate the strength of their characters, and all the female characters, on the show. Carrere says she likes being a ballsy broad and enjoyed the Hepburn and Tracy dialogue. Garces was happy to find that underneath her character’s sass, she is also sweet and open to romance. “I feel like the dialogue that was written for me was very much taken from the way I speak,” she says. “And I really felt comfortable … like I could just be [me] and let the words take me where they would or where the moment would take me.”
Garces and Carrere are active Twitterers and enjoy the immediacy of interacting with their fans. Both were at Comic-Con in San Diego last month, where Garces launched Aluna. Carrere loved Comic-Con because the “sci-fi fans dive in head-first at the deep end of the pool and just enjoy it … for the spectacle that it is and just go out and have fun.” She sees sci-fi as much more than pure escapism. “I think these days we’re so lacking in our heroes that sometimes we have to dig into our comic book culture to find … people that we can admire,” she says. When she has overlapping projects, she gets a stronger-than-usual response from sci-fi fans and online communities “because the fans are that much more connected to it.”

Carrere credits Twitter with creating a shorthand language with fans who are interested in what she’s doing. “It’s a very direct line to people,” she says. “You can type something at your computer at home and in two seconds it’s out there in the world. And if you’re drunk or … being crazy or … angry, and you said something, it’s out there. But also, if you want to get the record straight on something, it’s out there as well. So it’s just good for us to be able to get our true story out.”

“Twitter is definitely the most direct and the most honest way [to communicate],” adds Garces. “And any actor can portray themselves to the world. I mean whether it’s their true self or something else, that’s obviously on the actor or actress. But on Twitter I just feel like I could really say what it is that I want to say at that moment and especially to my fans.” She enjoys sharing extras, insights, and sneak peeks with the sci-fi fan base through Twitter. “I think that’s why [they] go so well together,” she says. She readily admits that she’s hooked on both, and has had a positive experience, adding, “I feel and get nothing but love from sci-fi fans.”

Both ladies agree that women’s strength in sci-fi is part of a larger surge. Carrere says, “I’ve often thought that the more that women became a force economically and the more women that [got] into positions of power in the business, it would just naturally be reflected in the shows that we see on TV.” Whereas the old-school strong female characters played by Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were “evil, arch, and way too tough,” she thinks we’ve come back around to the way women are [in reality, with] “women war heroes that go out there and raise our families and earn our livings. We’re not shrinking violets because we can’t be.”

Garces was enlightened about the power of women in the TV industry by a colleague who had an insider’s view. “Now that I’m a little more aware of the business side of acting, [I’m] creating my own shows and producing and … creating opportunities for other people that I admire,” she says. “I want to make sure that they have a platform to shine. TV is paying [its] bills … through women’s advertising. I don’t think anybody should second guess that there are a lot of companies out there that are really interested in the women who are spending money. [Everything] that pays the bills on TV is what women are buying.”

Warehouse 13 wraps its second season on Syfy this month and has been renewed for a third season to begin next year. Both Carrere and Garces expect to be back. You can follow them on Twitter at @paulagarces1 and @tiacarrere

This one is a bit of an oldie, but at the end of July, I got to chat with Pretty Little Liars‘ own Shay Mitchell for The TV Addict, in PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Star Shay Mitchell Shares Some Pretty Big Secrets.

At the beginning of August, I had the chance to guest on one of my fave podcasts, the BiteClub Show. In Episode 57, we chatted about the True Blood ep “Night on the Sun”, vamps dominating at the Teen Choice Awards, and more!

I was also on Episode 105 of Comic Book Road Show chatting about even more True Blood!

And posted just earlier today, my latest interview for The TV Addict with White Collar‘s Tim DeKay! Be sure to read Talking WHITE COLLAR with Star Tim DeKay.

Photo Courtesy of USA Network

In addition to traditional production updates, the news blog features “clues” like this map of Mount Inostranka, Alaska. It’s a nicely-executed copy of Google Maps, and you can even zoom in on the mysterious facility – until you get to the point when the screen goes black and you’re given this message: “This level of detail is classified. All IPs using this site are being monitored.” The sidebar includes photos – an airplane, a mountain, a cruise ship, a Miami party – and news headlines. Click on the headlines to learn about President and First Lady Martinez, Director of National Intelligence Blake Sterling, and the Mount
Inostranka facility.

Intrigued yet? What exactly do you think is going on at Mount Inostranka? We’ll start to find out the answers – or, more likely, become more confused – when The Event premieres on September 20.

Here are some photo highlights from the weekend!

Special thanks to Jackie from JerkDoubleBitch for all of her help with the photos!

I’ll have video clips featuring Felicia Day, Amy Okuda, Tahmoh Penikett and James Marsters to share with you this week.

All Photos Copyright © 2010 TheTelevixen.com

Can Fillion leverage this fan love into a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live? Maybe, if Facebook campaigns really work. The NATHAN FILLION TO HOST SNL page has been “Liked” by over 13,500 fans already. Are you one of them? Do you want to see our favorite fictional mystery novelist on SNL?

Photo Courtesy of ABC

How’s Brennan going to react to Booth’s new girlfriend, Hannah? Will it make her realize she made the wrong decision? What will fans think of the new girl? Do we hate her already, or are we going to give her a chance? And perhaps the most pressing question: What do we think of Brennan’s new bangs?

To tide you over until the September 23 premiere, here are two more videos from FOX. They don’t have any new season six footage, but they’re a fun treat anyway. First, a Bones dance break:

And this “State of the Unions” video examines the various relationships on the show, with a heavy emphasis on Booth and Brennan:

Other Bones news suggests that fans are getting frustrated with Booth and Brennan: Their “will they/won’t they” won the “Neverending Subplot Most in Need of Resolution” award in Television Without Pity’s fan-voted Tubey Awards. They also won Worst Payoff for “Booth and Bones finally kiss and then decide they don’t really want to go down that road.” Will their relationship make any progress in season six? Tune in to FOX on Thursdays at 9/8c (starting September 23) to find out, and then check back here for our take on each episode.

Image courtesy of FOX

I loved the Sally plot this week. It has been fascinating to watch both the character and the actress who plays her – 10 year old Kiernan Shipka – develop this season. I was getting so restless watching the instability that is Don Draper and Betty Francis, so it was a relief to have Sally take a step towards perhaps being the catalyst that shocks these two into getting their acts together. I thought Sally cutting her hair was intriguing enough, especially with her outburst to the nurse/nanny that she suspects her to be “doing it” with Don, and that “doing it” entails a man peeing inside a woman. (Sally insists that a girl at school told her this, if by “girl at school”, she means Creepy Glenn. I mean, obvs.) But then Mad Men of course went and pushed the envelope even further when, in what must have been the most awkward TV scene to film EVER (remember, she’s only 10!), Sally masturbates to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s David McCallum at a sleepover, while her friend snoozes next to her on the couch. The friend’s mom brings Sally straight home and tells Betty that Sally was “playing with herself in public.” BTW, in my opinion, that was kind of an unfair statement. I mean, sure, masturbating while your friend is asleep on the couch next to you is a little weird, but I certainly wouldn’t go so far as classifying it as public. It’s not like Sally was touching herself in the middle of a crowded playground. Anyway.

Naturally, Betty completely overreacts to both of Sally’s antics, first slapping her across the face in front of Don and Henry when Don returns her home with short hair, and then threatening to cut her fingers off (yes, you read that right) if she ever touches herself inappropriately again. Both Don and Henry think Betty should win Worst Mother of the Year Award and admonish her for her overreaction. This week demonstrated to me that Henry Francis might not be such a bad guy after all, even if he was partially responsible for the broken home that Sally is now rebelling against. He gives Betty surprisingly poignant advice on how to handle Sally acting out – i.e., not threatening to chop off her fingers or slapping her across the face – as well as convinces her to take Sally to a therapist. I seriously hope that the writers let us listen in on some of Sally’s therapy sessions because they are sure to be fascinating.

Back at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Honda Motorcycles are considering moving away from their agency-of-record, Grey, and are offering agencies $3,000 to make a competitive presentation. SCDP has received an invitation to compete. Two decades after the fact, Roger is still pissed off about World War II and is adamant about not wanting to work with the Japanese. Of course, this results in an absolutely incredible slew of extremely offensive/rather amazing racial slurs. Don, Burt, Peter, and Joan attempt to take part in the competition without letting Roger know and study up on Japanese etiquette with the help of the book The Chrysanthemum and the Sword. Don takes Bethany on a field trip to the well-known Hibachi joint (which had apparently was brand-spanking-new then), Benihana. Peter, the residential expert on the protocol of how to deal with the Japanese, imparts the wisdom that “We don’t have to do anything but avoid criticizing them or giving advice.” Anyway, Roger inevitably finds out about the meeting and proceeds to crash it, entering with the quip, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know this meeting was happening. But then again, I know how some people like surprises.” Then, when the Honda execs don’t take the hint that the meeting is over, he adds another zinger: “They won’t know it’s over until you drop a big one. Twice.” (Is it terrible of me that I find the shock value of these statements so positively delightful?)

The Japanese Honda execs are a delight themselves. The translator is absolutely magical. When they’re getting the tour and enter the “Creative Lounge,” his translation of the description of the room is simply, “I have no idea what this room is for.” Also, I LOVED how the Honda guys are enticed with Joan’s figure: “How does she not fall over?”, one of them wonders. Joan remarks, “Not very subtle, are they?” as they ogle her breasts, and the translator replies, “No, they are not!” SUCH A WIN.

And Christ on a cracker! Peter is turning into such a little progressive! Don, Bert, and Peter confront Roger, who defends himself by talking about all the buddies he had that died in WWII, but Pete has just HAD IT. He straps on a pair of balls and outbursts, “You know every chip I make, we become less dependent on Lucky Strike, and therefore less dependent on you.” I also loved that later, Joan was the one to soothe Roger with the rather touching line, “You fought to make the world a safer place, and you won, and now it is.”

And finally, I can’t really end this review without talking about the BRILLIANT scam that SCDP pulls on CGC. CGC’s obnoxious creative director, Ted Chaough (Kevin Rahm), is gloating because they won Clearisil after SCDP dropped the account, and is taking every opportunity to taunt Don. (Although, am I the only one wondering why they are bragging about getting sloppy seconds?) Since CGC is also an independent agency with little cashflow, Don tricks them into believing that SCDP are breaking the rule about presenting completed work and are producing a commercial for the Honda pitch, when really, they are just renting out a soundstage where Peggy rides a red Honda motorcycle around for a while (THE BEST). Chaough decides he needs to outdo SCDP, so he spends mad dough doing an ACTUAL commercial, and then Don impresses the Honda execs by resigning from the competition, citing the fact that they are breaking their own rules. Way to use your manipulation skills for something other than getting a girl to sleep with you, Don! High fives all around.

In the end, I absolutely loved this episode and thought it was one of the best of the season so far. Here’s hoping the writers keep it up (and Don can continue to keep it in his pants.)

Here are some of the best quotes from the past three weeks (sorry for no recaps for the past two weeks, folks … I actually work in advertising and it’s not all martini lunches and hookers. I’ve been a bit bogged down with work.)

From this week’s episode, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”:

“You’re always asleep in here!”
- and pretty much everything Don’s new secretary said
+ 3 … because there were too many hysterical moments to keep track of.

“Please tell me I missed everything.”
-Don hates partner meetings.
+1

“You must have to loosen them up first.”
-The pun-loving Roger Sterling on the Secor Laxative people.
+1

“You look like a mongoloid!”
- Bobby does not approve of Sally’s new haircut, and he lets her know it with one of most politically incorrect statements of the episode, which is saying something.
+1

“You didn’t have to hit her.” “You’re right, because it doesn’t do anything.”
-I decided I’m going to take away points from Betty for being THE WORST.
-1

“We don’t have to do anything but avoid criticizing them or giving advice.”
-Pete Campbell on how to deal with Japanese businessmen.
+1

“I don’t know what this room is for.”
-The Japanese translator’s opinion on SCDP’s “Creative Lounge.”
+1

“How does she not fall over?”
- One of the Honda execs wonders about Joan’s curvaciousness.
+1

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this meeting was happening. But then again, I know how some people like surprises.”
-Roger is not a very subtle racist.
+1

“I’m warning you … they won’t know it’s over till you drop a big one. Twice.”
-Roger continues to be a not very subtle racist.
+1

“Christ on a cracker!”
-I love Peter Campbell-isms.
+1

“You know every chip I make, we become less dependent on Lucky Strike and therefore less dependent on you.”
-Pete Campbell is done brown-nosing and says it like it is.
+1

“Have you seen these? We’re trying to figure out what makes it work.” “I’m still wondering what makes YOU work.”
-Don Draper lets the new guy, Joey, know how he REALLY feels.
+1

“I’ll cut your fingers off!”
-Betty continues to be THE WORST MOTHER EVER in her threat to Sally if she ever catches her masturbating again.
-1

“The nice thing is that it has windows so you can see your brain splattering against it when it crashes.”
-Lane’s thoughts on Honda’s new car design.
+1

From “The Rejected” (8/14/10):

“Why is this bottle empty?” “Because you drank it all.”
-Duh, Don, thinks Allison.
+1

“Lee, the jockey smokes the cigarette.”
-Obvious statement of the day by Roger, but we all know Lee at Lucky Strike isn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
+1

“Over half this agency is dedicated to your needs but if you want to get into the line by line of your costs we’ve billed for, I’ll have Lane Pryce at the foot of your bed in half an hour.”
- Roger is not thrilled that Lee has figured out that SCDP is billing Lucky Strike for work other than Lucky Strike.
+1

“There’s a fire!”
-Don knows how to get out of an annoying client call.
+1

“It’s the worst agency I’ve ever seen. The worst. My mother was a nurse at the state hospital … and that was the last time I saw so many retarded people in one building.”
-Ken Cosgrove does not think too highly of his new employer, McCann Erickson.
+1

“You look swellegant.”
-Would anybody judge me if I made this a part of my regular vocabulary? Peggy’s new lesbian friend, Joyce, knows all the hippest slang.
+1

“Does your boyfriend own your vagina?” “No, but he’s renting it.”
-Peggy on whose property her vagina is, and such an amazing statement and therefore deserving of multiple points.
+2

“You read the stuff between ads?”
-Joey would understand how I watch the Superbowl for the commercials.
+1

“You’re not a good person!”
-Oh snap, Allison. You sure told Don!
+1

“Dr. Miller’s here to see you. It’s a she.”
-Don’s new secretary, Mrs. Blankenship, just wanted to clarify.
+1

“Did you get any pears?”
-Best cliffhanger of all time award goes to Don’s old man neighbor.
+1

This is not a quote, but it deserves bonus points nonetheless:
I love Peggy so much.
+1

From “The Good News” (8/7/10):

“Breast or thigh?”
-KFC has never sounded so sexy thanks to Joan.
+1

“I understand that all men are dizzy and powerless to refuse you, but consider me the incorruptible exception.”
-Lane is not susceptible to Joan’s charms and curvaceous bod.
+1

“I thought American men were bad enough, but none of them has ever so consistently made me feel like a helpless, stupid little girl.”
-PREACH, Joan.
+1

“Do you think there are more Mexicans here or in Acupulco?”
-Anna Draper on California immigrants.
+1

“Does Howdy Doody have a wooden dick?”
-Don to Lane on if they’re really going to the movies.
+1

“What percentage?”
-Lane turns handjobs in movie theatres into an accounting dilemma.
+1

“Look at me! I’ve got a Texas best buckle!”
-This image of Lane will never leave my mind, and I am grateful for it.
+1

“I think Norman Mailer shot a deer in here once.”
-Oh, the things Don says to impress hookers.
+1

THE STANDINGS:

THE PAST THREE WEEKS:
Roger: 5
Don: 5
Lane: 4
Mrs. Blankenship: 4
Peggy: 3
Peter: 3
Joan: 2
Allison: 2
Honda exec: 1
Japanese translator: 1
Anna Draper: 1
Don’s old man neighbor:
Ken Cosgrove: 1
Joyce: 1
Joey: 1
Bobby: 1
Betty: -2

OVERALL:
Roger: 16
Peter: 7
Peggy: 7
Don: 7
Lane: 4
Miss Blankenship: 4
Freddy: 3
Faye: 3
Joan: 2
Allison: 2
Honda exec: 1
Japanese translator: 1
Anna Draper: 1
Don’s old man neighbor: 1
Ken Cosgrove: 1
Harry: 1
Sally: 1
Joyce: 1
Joey: 1
Bobby: 1
Creepy Glenn: 1
Trudy: 1
Atherton: 1

In other Castle romance news, Castle’s daughter Alexis is getting
her first real boyfriend, in the person of Ken Baumann of The
Secret Life of the American Teenager. Will he be able to hold his
own when faced with the quirky and often-intimidating Castle clan?
We’ll find out in September!

Photo and Video Courtesy of ABC

Eric Balfour joined us to discuss Duke’s transformation for tonight’s episode, and shared some of his thoughts on the character’s nature.

From the previews of this upcoming episode, you went through quite a transformation. Can you share with us the process of creating that look?

You know, it was actually really crazy. Even in prepping for it we were so under the gun because we were in the middle of shooting another episode. They had to fly me from where we shoot the show in Halifax on a redeye to Toronto. I flew in, had a few hours sleep and then I went to the visual effects artist’s studio and they started doing the face mold and cast. It’s that weird process where they put a bunch of plaster on your face and alginate, and you sit there with a little straw coming out of your mouth trying not to get claustrophobic. So we had to do it really, really quickly.

They had a few days to prep and then they showed up on set with these different prosthetic pieces. We’d been talking about it for a few days before about how the aging would take place and the different stages of ages I would go through, the first one being a light prosthetic and mostly just makeup use that would age me about 20 or 30 years. And then from there you go to about 75 or 80 years old, and then to about 95. It was a pretty intense process. I mean it was about four or five hours every day in the makeup chair.

To be honest, it was so helpful once you started getting into the prosthetic because we had talked about the different physical attributes that come along with the way that your body can degenerate over time and the physical abilities you lose and the joint dexterity and your voice changes. The minute we started putting on the prosthetics it makes that whole process so much easier. It was crazy.

It was a little scary at times because you’re looking at yourself going is this really what I’m going to look like in 30 years, 40 years? But in some ways it was interesting because some of it was very correct. You could see wow, that’s what my face is going to do.

It was interesting to see even the makeup artists themselves, the visual artists, they’d look and go, “Oh, you know what? Now having spent a little more time looking at the way you use your face, these two wrinkles won’t really happen to you, but you’re going to get a wrinkle here not there.”

I had to show up hours before everybody on set and sit in the makeup chair and try to keep myself awake all day. Then it’d take about an hour and a half after everyone left at the end of the day to get it all off. We did three or four straight days of that. It’s so much fun. To be perfectly honest, I haven’t gotten a lot of opportunities to dive into that sort of heavy a character development as far as totally taking on a different character. Although it was a character I play, it’s at an age that I’ve never played or at a physicality that I’ve never played. So even getting that opportunity, even if it’s only for a few days, was really special to me.

Does this aging affect Duke and his personality, as well as his relationships with Audrey and Nathan going forward?

This event is going to have an enormous effect on the character, and on the show and Duke’s role in it. I don’t want to give it away so you’ll have to tune in when it airs. But there is beyond what happens simply to Duke. There is something else that happens that whether Duke lives or dies completely affects his legacy and his life. It was pretty shocking when we read it, and it’s pretty cool to see what’s going to happen. Duke has been so much fun for me to play because he is rooted in an ideology that is very unique, and he is a guy who doesn’t take no for an answer, who doesn’t believe that rules exist, and has always managed to survive by looking out for number one. So this really put some perspective, I think, into his character.

In last week’s episode, we saw Duke given the lease to a restaurant. Will this be a turning point for him, or will he continue his rebel ways?

Well I can say this, given what happens in the next episode Duke’s fate is certainly unknown. But if he was to survive, I can guarantee you that Duke will never be on the straight and narrow. It’s just not in his DNA. He is a modern day outlaw for sure. And I don’t think he’ll ever be a 9:00 to 5:00 guy. And, you know, I doubt Duke would keep it as a restaurant. I think he’s more of a bar man. But I think it only allows Duke another outlet for what he inherently already likes to do. And, you know, I think what’s interesting about Duke is that I’m sure he could do lots of other things and he could probably make money doing any number of things but he’s chosen to live his life as an outlaw and not only out of necessity but he likes it, you know, he likes the lifestyle.

Many fans are speculating on the relationship between Duke and Nathan. Will we see more of this revealed over the course of this first season, or is that going to remain one of the town’s mysteries?

Well obviously we’ll have to see if Duke makes it out of this episode first. But I know the writers have hinted at a long history between Nathan and Duke, and it’s been hinted in the episodes that have aired even. But honestly, I don’t know exactly when those things are going to be revealed and how quickly.

Be sure to tune in to Haven tonight at 10 pm on on http://www.syfy.com to see this transformation come to life. And for you Canadian readers, we’ll get to see it this Monday at 10 pm on Showcase.

Photos Courtesy of Syfy

Earlier this week, I chatted with Allison Scagliotti and Neil Grayston about the crossover, and they had some fantastic insights to share on the experience and what’s in store for viewers!

How did this crossover come about, and what made it appealing for both of you?

AS: I believe that the nugget of the crossover idea began when Neil and I met at last year’s Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2009. I watched the Eureka panel moderated by Josh Gates, which was hilarious. Then, at the Syfy party I marched up to Neil and I said, “Neil, let’s be friends.” And he said, “Okay, it sounds good.” We were inseparable from that moment on and we had this immediate dorky chemistry where we were finishing each others sentences and delivering punch lines at the same time.

NG: Yes, that was weird that first time when we just made the same joke and we stopped, and we’re like we just made that joke at the same time.

AS: Yes, we have the same sense of humour. We did on the set, too. And our chemistry played so well in life that I think our respective showrunners and the good people over at Syfy realized what a commodity it can be to blend these shows. So here we are, Claudia and Fargo at the centre of this awesome crossover event.

NG: One year later.

Both Claudia and Fargo have become key characters on each show, and gained popularity with the fans. Could each of you tell us about the growth of your characters?

NG: For me, it’s just one of those awesome things where I was actually only contracted to be in seven episodes a season. I was really a tertiary character in Eureka. And they just sort of kept on chucking me in to the point where now I’m all episodes, my character is running Global Dynamics. It’s a nice thing to work hard and try to do the best job you can, have that noticed, and have them continue to employ me. It’s awesome.

AS: On my side of things, similarly when I joined the cast in Season 1, I came in late, I showed up in Episode 4. Claudia was an outsider who sort of fought her way in and had to figure out where she fit within this group, but has become such an integral part of the family. She’s sort of everyone’s little sister … little nerdy sister. And that really mirrors my evolution as an actress, trying to belong to something, finding her way onto this show and developing a second family with this amazing cast and crew. I’ve been really lucky to play a girl who’s very close to myself.

Can you share some details on this crossover, particularly why Fargo is visiting the Warehouse, and what brings Claudia to Eureka?

AS: So, Fargo comes to the Warehouse to update our computer system. Little does he know that much like all of the artifacts, the Warehouse has an organic human element that it’s not as simple to upgrade as just a new plug-in. So the Warehouse fights back because we discover that an important component of the computer system is half of a man’s brain. We have Renee Auberjonois from Deep Space Nine guesting as a Warehouse agent whose brain was compromised. We – Claudia and Fargo – connect in the Warehouse and put our heads together to sort of save the day. I’m going to gush a little bit, because I watched the episode twice now. Neil hits it out of the park. I’m so glad that he’s so featured in this episode because he’s really fantastic in it. And I predict that this episode is going to be a fan favourite.

NG: Fargo obviously has a little bit of a crush on Claudia and he starts making the purple goo that the Warehouse uses for the artifacts and sort of synthesizes it. So Fargo decides to start making a version of that in Eureka and invites Claudia over to come pick up a batch, and then science happens, and mystery happens, and Claudia helps save the day and solves some puzzles that are happening, and explosions happen and sparks and stuff and it’s a really fun episode.

AS: Sparks and explosions and kissing, I might add.

What were the challenges of playing your characters on a different show and in a different working environment?

NG: I didn’t find it to be that difficult myself. I know the entire cast from Warehouse 13, well most of them, and I knew the director and the second unit director who happens to be the supervising producer as well because they both directed an episode of Eureka, so it was just like going over to my extended family’s house for dinner. It was one of the most comfortable sets I’ve ever actually been on, which was radical.

AS: And we loved having you. Yes, it was very much like packing a bag with all your character’s attributes in it and bringing it over to your family on the other side of the country. The shows have unique tones, Eureka is grounded in science and Warehouse 13 is more sort of the unexplained, the supernatural, but I think it’s plausible that there are two top secret government institutions in different parts of the country that are somewhat connected. Everyone over on Eureka was super supportive of me staying true to Claudia’s sort of snarkiness.

Do you think the crossover episodes will be beneficial to both series?

NG: Yes, I think maybe for the people who never sort of connected with the other show, I’m going to say, it might sort of help people to start watching the other one as well. I think just having them in the same universe opens up so many different possibilities for a bunch of awesome fun times. So I’m actually really excited that we went ahead and blended the universes.

Are we going to see any Warehouse artifacts in Eureka and will we come across any Eureka artifacts in The Warehouse?

AS: I bring some tracking devices over to Eureka when I’m there picking up the purple goo. And that’s another, you know, little Warehouse feature, I guess, the purple goo that we use to protect the artifacts is manufactured there. And then, Neil, you bring some gack over to the Warehouse, don’t you?

NG: Yes, yes. I’ve got a couple suitcases of stuff, the robot eggs and the laser.

Without a doubt both of you are fan favourites and you’ve both mentioned your on and off screen chemistry. Do you guys think this crossover could be a spinoff series in the making for Syfy?

NG: That would be so rad.

AS: Could you imagine? Where would we shoot it?

NG: Brazil.

AS: Warehouse shoots in Toronto and Eureka shoots in Vancouver, would we end up in Regina Saskatchewan?

NG: Oh. Oh, I kind of hope not.

AS: I think it’s somewhere in the middle…

NG: I don’t mean to disparage the prairies. I’d say we just go somewhere completely out there – in Europe. Let’s do it in Europe somewhere.

AS: Yes.

NG: In Spain.

Do you think this crossover event opens up the possibility of future crossovers, into other Syfy series besides Eureka and Warehouse 13?

NG: I kind of hope so. I really like the idea of making the network like a comic book company, it’s like DC or Marvel where everyone exists in a similar universe. There are so many possibilities and it’s kind of awesome.

AS: That’s a great idea. I just started brainstorming about if we had our own little Justice League if we would call it the “Nerd Gang “ and who would be in it. It would definitely be you and me.

NG: Of course.

AS: And then David Blue, and probably Colin Ferguson and Saul Rubinek.

NG: Yes, absolutely.

AS: All of the casts for all the Syfy shows, we’re all in. We’re all in the “Nerd Gang”.

NG: We’ll be the leaders though, right? We’ll lead it. You know, just because.

AS: Yes.

Be sure to tune in to Eureka on Syfy this Friday night at 9 pm for the conclusion of this crossover event!

Photo Courtesy of Syfy