Time for another BIG Dark Matter cast Q&A announcement. So far, you’ve had the chance to grill
And now, it’s time for Melanie Liburd (Nyx Harper) to field your fan questions!
Post your questions in the comments section of this blog. I’ll gather them up over the course of the new few days and send them her way.
More behind-the-scenes insight into that shocking season premiere…
Again, because the director’s cut came in a little over six minutes short, we had to lose certain sequences for time – like, for instance, the following exchange between SIX and Anders while SIX is in his quarters, onboard The Raza, attempting to access his old file:
SIX finally winds up in his old quarters. He slumps down in front of his computer and calls up the personnel files that Anders sent him previously. He pages through the file, seeing his own picture, reading his own life. But then he finds a file he can’t open. He clicks on it, but a window pops up that reads: “CLASSIFIED MATERIAL”. He types in his access code, but it doesn’t work. The computer gives him and ERROR BUZZ and an “ACCESS DENIED” message. SIX frowns, surprised. SIX What the hell? Suddenly, and “INCOMING TRANSMISSION” window pops up. SIX hits a key. The screen is replaced with a video feed – Anders is on the other end.
ANDERS: Kal, what are you doing? Quarantine, remember?
SIX: I needed a place to think. That prison, it’s like…
ANDERS: A prison?
SIX: I thought I’d go over my personnel records, maybe read some of my old cases. Try and remind myself why I became a cop in the first place.
ANDERS: Don’t do this to yourself…
SIX: There’s one file I can’t open. It says it’s classified, but I should have full clearance for all this material. You know anything about it?
ANDERS: No.
SIX: Strange.
ANDERS: You need to move on. Let’s pull some vacation time, go somewhere fun and blow off a little steam. God knows you’ve earned it.
SIX: I haven’t filed my report yet.
ANDERS: Screw the damn report. No one wants to hear it anyway.
SIX: What’s that supposed to mean?
Anders takes a breath, backs off –
ANDERS: I’m just saying, you did the job. You brought them in. What happens now…it’s not up to you.
OFF SIX, considering.
One of my favorite performances in this episode is delivered by Tom Barnett who plays the part of the head guard, Durand. There’s an incredible ease and confidence in his delivery of a character who seems to have a lot brewing underneath the surface. He’s a perfect example of one of those characters you’re grateful don’t get killed off in the episode so that there’s a possibility you can revisit them at a later date.
Another scene that was lost for time comes near the very end of the episode. ONE is in his hotel room, packing up his belongings, when Felica, his lawyer, comes by…
ONE is putting folded up shirts into a suitcase. Felicia enters from the next room.
FELICIA: You done packing?
ONE” These aren’t even my clothes.
FELICIA: They are now. I made sure everything is your size.
ONE (without much enthusiasm): Thanks.
She throws him a look.
FELICIA: I thought you’d be excited. You’re finally going home.
ONE: I’m going back to a place I don’t remember to take over a company I know nothing about, surrounded by total strangers, with no way to know who to trust.
FELICIA: Okay, I admit it doesn’t sound perfect. But I hope you know, you can trust me.
Can he? He looks at her, wondering.
FELICIA: I’ll go make sure the shuttle is prepped and ready for launch. Don’t be long.
This episode was directed by Amanda Tapping and there was talk early on of her playing the part of Felicia, Derrick Moss’s lawyer. But, as we geared up and it became apparent to Amanda that she would have her hands full with prep, she respectfully passed. And so, we held auditions for the role and Trenna Keating (Defiance’s Doc Yewll) nailed it. If I saw her onscreen and didn’t know better, I’d want her representing me in court!
And finally, there’s this – not so much an edit as it is a rewrite of the ONE/Jace Corso confrontation. In the episode, ONE opens the door and is surprised to find Corso standing there with a gun. Corso says “Long time no see”, pumps him full of bullets with a finishing shot to the head, then leaves. In an early writer’s draft, however, there’s a meatier exchange between the two. The scene picks up near the end of the aforementioned Felicia scene with Derrick Moss’s lawyer still in the room. Corso comes in, shoot Felicia, and then –
ONE is stunned, staring down at the suddenly lifeless body.
ONE: Why did you do that? You don’t even know her!
CORSO: Well I wasn’t about to leave a witness, was I?
ONE (slowly realizing): So you’re here to kill me?
CORSO: I would think that’s pretty obvious, but yes.
ONE: Why? For copying your face and using your identity? You can have it. It never did me any good anyway.
CORSO: If you think that’s why I’m here, you really are clueless.
ONE stares at him for a moment, then –
ONE: Someone sent you. It was Darius, wasn’t it?
Corso looks around the room casually.
CORSO: You know I’ve done a few of these jobs now, and it’s always the same. They always want to know – “who sent you?” As if it’s gonna make any difference.
He moves toward ONE, but in a totally relaxed way. He’s in no hurry.
CORSO: And then I realized – it’s because they think they’re gonna survive. Right up until the last second, even when it’s obvious there’s no chance, they’re convinced some miracle is gonna happen and somehow they’ll get out of it.
ONE looks around the room, desperating trying to spot anything he could use to turn the tables, but there’s nothing.
CORSO: Everyone thinks of themselves as the hero of their own little movie, and the hero never dies, right?
They stare each other down for a beat, then Corso fires. THWIP-THWIP-THWIP. ONE drops. Corso steps up to the prone body of his latest victim. LOW ANGLE, looking up, as CORSO points the gun one more time, almost straight down.
CORSO: Wrong.
He fires the coup-de-grace. WIDE again, as Corso turns and surveys his handiwork. Two lifeless bodies. Neither moves. Neither is revealed to be a clone, or anything like that. No one is getting out of this one. OFF this, we END EPISODE
Tomorrow, we interrupt this blog’s ongoing BTS feature with a much-anticipated Q&A!
In the meantime, start posting your questions for Melanie Liburd!
@As if it’s gonna make any difference.
Sounds more like a jaded response from Corso. Like he’s done this so many times that it doesn’t matter to him anymore. He’s there to kill One, and giving him his reasons for doing so is irrelevant because he won’t survive anyway. You could probably say there’s a sense of detachment there.
Thank you, Joe, for sharing the alternative versions of THAT final scene (you are almost forgiven). They are both very compelling but for that ultimate shock, I guess, what we saw definitely worked the best…
It must be quite difficult to edit a sequence down you have created so that it fits within the episode time slot. I don’t envy you that task!
Oow, Q&A Melanie Liburd – a fellow Londoner! Fantastic! Need to think up some goodies …
Since you didn’t go with the lengthened end scene…that means that you can fix it. Even if it isn’t fixed until season 3. Bring back One!
Question for Melanie:
What’s your favorite part about playing Nyx?
Will we have a background story of Nyx?
Melanie Liburd – do wish the show had allowed you to use your natural lovely voice with English accent. Question – can you see yourself in future writing or directing a science fiction show, be it `Dark Matter’ or something else?
Love the lengthened scenes. Thanks for sharing!
I have some questions for Melanie!
Coming in as one of the noobs, can you describe your very first time on set?
Does everyone on the set of Dark Matter have as much fun as Joe’s making it sound here on the blog?
Besides appearance, do you and Nyx have any similarities?
How do you think the real you would fare in a real prison … or a space prison?
When filming the sim yard scenes, just how miserable were you guys in that cold weather?
Before the season started, I was sure TWO and Nyx were going to take a lot longer to become friends. Are they like buds now or will there be arguments and maybe more outright fighting between the two? (Psst … If you can’t say, blink once for “buds”, twice for “fights”.)
Did anyone on the set prank you or try to make you flub your lines or laugh during a scene?
What’s your favorite set or location to film on/in?
Have you tried the whiskey? What’s your favorite?
How did the decision come about to have you use a North American accent instead of your English one? And can we vote to have you use your natural one?
If you watch TV, what’s your favorite show on today? What’s your favorite show from your childhood? If you don’t watch TV, forget I asked those last two.
Favorite weapon: Bo staff or gun? OR … Bo staff with guns in each end?
Melanie Liburd – The BTS and onscreen chemistry with Two/Melissa was palpable, a) were you nervous to join an established ensemble b) can you remember the moment where you got comfortable on set and in your character? Loved your work on the premier!
Melanie Liburd, great to see you on the show. So grateful for the heat and subtleties you’re bringing to the role and to interactions. We all felt that chemistry, for which we are thankful.
Q: Nyx is obviously a bit of a mystery for us, but unlike the rest of the crew, she knows her past. How much of that past did you know as you were playing out s2? Or how did you approach the character arc as an actor? (I have theories about Nyx being biomech or something, but just wild speculation, and you don’t have to give anything away plotwise.)
Would there be any chance we’ll get to see these two cut scenes, at some time? 😊
Some great questions already, for Melanie!
Here are a few quick, easy-to-answer ones –
Q- What’s your favourite ice-cream?
Q – Preference – Milk or dark chocolate?
Q – Preference – Sunrise or sunset?
Thanks for the lengthened scenes, Joe. So, apparently, One wasn’t using a clone. That’s one theory out the window. Or… Why would you share this “spoiler” freely until ep 2 has aired? As you don’t want to give anything away, was this your way of throwing us off track? Aargh. You’re playing with our minds here. Can’t wait for ep 2! 🙂
Have Nyx and Two crossed paths before?, the fight she instigated with three seemed to be only to engage Two in that awesome fight, could it have been to try and jog her memory, will we be shipping Twyx soon?
Did you watch DarkMatter before you got the part?
My bet is that Nyx Harper is the same kind of created super-human as two, made by the same lab.
Question for Joe:
If our One/Derrick Moss actually did meet his end, will Jace Corso now pretend to be One/Derrick? Could be financially beneficial… just say’in.
Question for Melanie:
Without giving too much away this early in, what does Nyx bring to the Raza crew besides kick-ass fighting ability? Specifically, does she have helpful connections or knowledge that the Raza crew can use either to break out of the prison, and (assuming that’s successful) to further their agenda?
Much thanks and welcome aboard!
2cats
I’ve been thinking….
What if the others never hear about One’s demise, and Jase Corso infiltrates the Raza crew as One so as to assassinate them ‘from the inside’? Yikes…!
Sorry, questions for Melanie… I’m on it!
OK, here are my questions for Melanie:
– What was your audition like?
– Where were you when you heard you’d got the part?
– Who did you share the news with first? Friends or family?
– Do you have a favourite place – it could be a park, restaurant?
– And do you have a place or object (if that makes sense) that when you come across it you know you’re home?
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Melanie. I must just say, you made a brilliant and memorable début in Ep14. It feels like you’ve always been in Dark Matter somehow. Congratulations on a job well done! 😊
Hi, Melanie thanks for taking the time to answer fan questions. I have two question:
-Have you had formal martial arts training?
-Were you nervous to join the Dark Matter cast? The reason I ask is because the original cast seems like a close family.
Congrats on joining the Dark Matter cast my favorite show. Tony
My questions for Melanie:
– Joe said that you nailed your part perfectly in audition. Could you tell us what did you have to do and how did you feel? Were you confident that you get the role?
– Can you briefly tell us how did you meet the Raza crew in real life for the first time? I assume it wasnt terribly exciting but anyway…
– I assume you watched all episodes of DM so… which episode of DM Season 1 do you like the most (if you remember) and which crew member(s) is/are your favorite and why?
– What you like about Nyx? Is there something you would change about her (if you could]?
– Do you think that Nyx would eventually like to take the leadership of Raza from Two? (I dont ask about script, just about her possible intention :)) I think that Nyx character is ideal for some kind of subtle rivalry with Two. For example I imagine Nyx would like to command Android like a boss… even if she is not.
– Tricky question – While filming that first fight scene with Melissa were you very cautious to dont hit her? Or were you more like “dont be shy, lets go into it, it should look realistic, lets impress the crew”? 🙂 And dont be afraid, we wont tell the truth to Melissa. 🙂
– Another tricky question – What do you think Nyx would do in a place of Six? If she would find out that she is a cop… Would she betray others like Six? And what would you, Melanie Liburd, do in place of Six?
– Do you remember some funny story from filming?
– Do you share some hobby with some of the actors?
– What was your favorite TV show when you were a kid? Did you like sci-fi movies, space ships, sci-fi comics?
– If you could write one episode of Dark Matter, what would it be about?
Thanks for your answers and BTW it was nice and convincing performance as Nyx. Congratulations, Melanie. Dont make it easy for 2Boss. 🙂
Melanie:
Which actor/actress other than Melissa O’Neil did you bond with the most on/off set?
Which character (Other than Two) did you enjoy interacting with on the show?
Love the tidbits! Would have enjoyed seeing that scene between One & Jace – maybe that dialogue can play out somewhere else in the future – only Jace is the one on the receiving end. Also would have loved to see more of Felicia “the lawyer” but am glad she was not killed so there is always a chance of a reoccurring character….
Questions for Melanie:
You have been in three of my favorite TV shows, Strike Back, Game of Thrones and now Dark Matter. Three very different genres. Do you have a favorite genre you prefer to work in?
Favorite female role/character? Doesn’t have to be one you have played.
Dialogue vs action, what’s your preference?
I definitely would have liked more of that Jace/One conversation. I’m sure we’ll get hints of it (aka, figuring out Jace’s motivation) later on. (Right? 😉 )
But I’m still in denial.
Question for Melanie:
1. How does it feel to join a cast with such strong female characters?
2. What’s the biggest challenge about taking on this role?
3. What are your thoughts on your character’s personality?
4. What was it like being on Game of Thrones?
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions from fans. I look forward to seeing Nyx kick-ass in upcoming episodes.
I have my theories about One/Derrick. I think we’ll see him definitely appear as the real Jace Corso throughout this season. I was screaming at the screen when it happened.