Introducing the Newest Member of Lost Girl’s Faemily, Luke Bilyk!

Tonight’s episode of Lost Girl, “When God Opens a Window,” introduced a new Fae character, Mark, and he’s already added another intriguing layer to the season. I was on set and watched the filming of the Mark/Dyson scene (the one when they revealed who Mark is), and it goes without saying that I was thrilled! Following that, I was lucky enough to chat with the newest member of the Lost Girl Faemily, Luke Bilyk, who some of you may recognize as Drew Torres on Degrassi. He shared a bit about his character, being the new kid on the block, and more. A spoiler alert goes without saying … you won’t want to read this interview until you’ve seen tonight’s episode!

Before Lost Girl, you were part of another well-known ensemble cast on Degrassi. What are some of the differences between the Degrassi world and being on a genre show like Lost Girl?

The format of filming doesn’t really change no matter where you go. It’s the togetherness … this cast on Lost Girl is really tight — and it was with Degrassi, too — but there’s something about filming with the same six people constantly. With Degrassi, we had a lead cast of 26 at one point, so you’re mixing with 8 or 9 different characters. You don’t really get to hone in your relationship with that individual character and I think that’s something they really strive to do here, and they do it so well.

Being the new member of an established cast can have its challenges. How has your experience been so far on Lost Girl?

I’ve worked on a lot of shows and always coming in anywhere new is sort of nerve-wracking, but to be honest with you, they’ve been so nice and so open, plus I know a few of the makeup people and one of the writers. It’s been awesome. They’re a really well-oiled machine here, and I just fit in like a small little gear wherever I’m needed.

Mark is introduced in this episode, but there’s still some mystery surrounding him. What are you able share with us about your character?

Mark’s a really interesting character because he has this exterior shell of being a really tough guy and not having any problems, but in reality he’s hiding behind this tough, macho guy. He has realized that he can pretty much get whatever he wants with his charm. He has a really haunting past; his mother was murdered, and growing up on his own, he’s been a drifter and never stayed in one place for a long time. He’s learned to not really trust anyone, and obviously that’s going to affect the way his relationships are with all of the characters on the show.

I understand there’s an interesting dynamic between Mark and Bo. She was once “lost” and lacked direction, and Mark is now in that position. Can you tell us a bit about that?

There are a lot of parallels between when Bo’s character was starting off. I think that connection is really dominant and you can see that between Mark and Bo. The writers have done a great job of outsourcing our feelings onto the page which makes it a lot easier for us.

I was watching the scene in the Dal Riata with Mark and Dyson eating. Not only was it nicely choreographed, I loved what was revealed.

It is really interesting, and I personally didn’t see it coming when I read it, and I know the viewers are really going to be shocked. It adds a really interesting kick and surprise to the rest of the season in general. But definitely, this episode, it really turns it on its head.

You would probably say that there is some contention between Mark and Dyson.

Yes. We do find out at the end of this episode that Mark is Dyson’s son, which is going to be really interesting for the rest of this season because Mark, being on his own, has learned not to trust anyone or really let anyone inside his inner circle. He does things the wrong way sometimes — he has to cheat, lie and steal — and Dyson is the opposite of that, he’s a cop and he’s really straight-edged. It’s going to be an interesting dynamic as they come together as father and son, and building a relationship of not only trust but working together. Mark growing up, as a young Fae, is going to have a lot to learn from his father.

Before this show, what was your experience with world of sci-fi and fantasy? Are you a fan of the genre?

Yes, I’m a big Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter fan, so Lost Girl fits right into my tastes. When I found out that I got the role, I automatically had to do as much research as possible, and watched eight or nine episodes of Lost Girl. And it is very popular … all of the people on my street watch Lost Girl, and they were all like, “You have to tell Dyson I say hi.”

It’s established that Mark is Fae and a Shifter, but we don’t know more than that. In terms of your performance, is there any additional training that you’ve had to do to achieve an animalistic quality or a certain physicality?

This is only my fifth day on set and they have an on-set stunt coordinator for every little thing that happens, which is great. You really get to hone in on your physicality. When there are four people in a scene and we’re all punching and scratching each other, it gets a little bit difficult. As far as being a Shifter goes, I’m not too sure what I am yet, so we will see. It’ll be interesting. Me and Kris (Holden-Ried) were talking today, and we said if I turned into a badger that would be really strange. That would be the most pointless shifter. I think if I could be anything, an eagle would be awesome, but if I wasn’t flying, I’d look dumb. I’d just be sitting there.

You mentioned that your neighbours are fans of the show, and Lost Girl has a large, passionate fan base. Are you excited to see how they’re going to respond to Mark?

I am extremely, extremely excited. As a new character on a show, you’re worried how the fans are going to adapt to Mark and Bo’s relationship, or Mark and Dyson’s relationship, but they’ve put me in a situation where my character’s not going to be hated. He seems like he’s going to be liked and be someone that fans will root for to get through it and figure out his problems.