The next feature from our Lost Girl set visit features Kris Holden-Ried. We reflected on the show’s journey so far, and he gave us the tiniest tease of what’s in store for Dyson during their final season.
Last season had a lot of loss and heartache. Would you say that this year has a different tone?
Tonally, I think this year is a little more grounded. We don’t have so many flights of fancy like we did last year. (Jokingly) Unfortunately for all of you mermaid lovers out there, we won’t have as many mermaids this year.
Five seasons is a remarkable accomplishment for a series. Did you think Lost Girl would come so far when you started on this journey?
We’re very blessed. Somehow the alchemy of what goes on here — the writers, the amazing cinematography, great set dec, the actors and the camaraderie that we all have has transcended, and it’s made for something that people feel comfortable or “at home” watching it. An intimate feel. I think that has a lot to do with how close we all are and how we’ve become over these years. There’s a lot of love on this set, and I think that’s something that is palpable.
I’m sure that introducing some new characters over the years has helped keep those character dynamics interesting, too.
Tamsin, Rachel Skarsten, has been a fantastic addition to the show. This year we have a bunch of new people coming in, and as the story progresses, you’ll discover them. That’s also the beautiful thing about the genre. We can create so many different things that keep it fresh. Our writers are doing a great job, and we have a new showrunner this year, Michael Grassi. He’s got a great energy and a great focus for the show and a great voice for it. He really gets it, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the season goes under his command.
The Season 4 finale just ripped my heart out with Kenzi sacrificing herself to stop an apocalypse in progress. It was Dyson’s initial reaction that started the waterworks for me. Can you share a bit about bringing that scene to life?
That was one of the best days of filming that we’ve had on this show. The stakes were high, the drama was high, and we really felt like we were creating a powerful scene. Often, Lost Girl can be very light and lighthearted, and the beauty of the show that it plays in a wide range of emotional contexts. That was a really rich one. We all had over four years together at that point and it was all there. We were able to really feel the loss of a great character, a great actress, and a great part of our show and our family. It was a beautiful and very powerful thing to tap into. There was a real feeling on set that this was a special moment on the show. Emotions were definitely high.
Is there anything that you can tease for us about Season 5?
There is an overarching menace as we usually have, and Dyson is focused on that. And there’s going to be an interesting journey, a new journey for Dyson, and hopefully we get to do some fun stuff with it.
Be sure to watch the Season 5 premiere of Lost Girl, tomorrow night at 9pm ET/PT on Showcase!
