Bitten: Interview with Laura Vandervoort, Greyston Holt, and Greg Bryk

    I was very happy to have the opportunity to participate in a conference call today with the stars of Bitten. Laura Vandervoort (Elena), Greyston Holt (Clay), and Greg Bryk (Jeremy) were lovely to chat with and very willing to chat about what makes Bitten such a great show. It sounds like it's a very close knit cast. What follows is just a brief excerpt from the interview – a full transcript will be posted in a day or two. As this is just a brief re-cap of some of the questions, these are not precise quotes. Fun fact: as the interview began, the noise on Greg Bryk’s line was rather extensive. He explained that the building he was in was on fire and that he was being evacuated! He actually answered the first question as he ran down a stairwell and outside to safety!

Q = Question. LV = Laura Vandervoort. GH = Greyston Holt. GB = Greg Bryk.

Q: What was your favorite moment on camera so far on the show?
GB: It’s too hard to answer as I have a favorite moment with each character. For Greyston, it’s the scene when I’m sick in bed and my son is there looking after me. That thought that the younger will look after you in a moment of weakness.
With Laura, it was telling her the truth.
He praised the other actors and how gracious they are as fellow performers.
LV: I can’t pick a scene. I had moments with everyone. It’s wonderful when you actually get into the scene and it feels genuine. With Greyston there was that wonderful scene by the fireplace.
In episode 4 or 5, when she changes for the first time with Greg. That father/daughter dynamic and him helping to get me through.
GH: I would say the same scene with Greg. The tender moments are nice to play to balance the violence.
In episode 13 there is the bathtub scene. I’m weak and Elena is helping me.

Q: What have you learned from the show?
LV: I’ve become more comfortable with my emotions. This is the first time I’ve really tapped into my emotions for a role. The guys were all there for me. I learned to be more open and vulnerable and have more fun on set. It really opened my eyes to enjoying the process.
GB: I’m at a different place in my life at 40. What does it mean to be a man, what do you want your legacy to be? So getting to explore such moments of intimacy with a great cast and get to ask the bigger questions, it’s made me a better person, a better man. The camera want your truth, you can’t fake it. If you’re being honest, people see that.
GH: The show really allows you to use the full spectrum of your skills. There’s a strong dynamic between each character, that’s different between each character. I bow down to Jeremy because he’s my leader, for instance.

Q: You do a great job with body language – how did that evolve?
LV: Our stunt coordinator, John. I asked how are we going to do the fight scenes as humans with the wolf in us shining through? So I’ll grab someone’s neck like a mother with a pup. But also use that in a fight, and the circling.
GH: John is an avid hunter, so he brings that in.
GB: There an animal nature in all of us and we give expression to that. It’s accessing something primal within us that is both protective and nurturing.

Q: What’s the craziest thing you were asked to do, or just did, when auditioning?
LV: Get naked! Acutally, Greyson has no problem with that! There was actually one scene where we’re eating breakfast and he said, I could take my shirt off here, and they said fine! Do it!
There are always crazy things to do in the scripts. Every episode, the writers give us stuff to do. Laying naked in an ally, eating rats!
There’s an amazing fight scene in the finale. Not crazy but a lot of hard work.

Q: Who is your favorite character (other than yourself)?
GH: Kane. Noah Danby was really great and brought something interesting to the show.
GB: The mutts as a unit created such unique villains, and they created a real threat. They aren’t just archetypal villains. They’re displaced and want a sense of belonging.
GH: They also brought a sense of comedy without becoming kitchy.
LV: All the guest stars. Everyone was perfectly cast. But for me Santos. He had this eerie quality and I found him disturbing to work with which was perfect because I was supposed to feel that way about him.

Q: Any specific hopes for your characters?
GH: More touching on the domestication of Clay as a boy.
LV: I’d like to see that.
GB: Great role for any kid...
LV: We’ll just shave Greyston’s beard and put big props around him and let him play himself...
GB: At this point we’re almost being born again. So much of Jeremy is determined by what the pack needs, I’d like to explore a little more of what Jeremy needs.
GH: Jeremy should hook up with the Sheriff.
GB: I’m dangerously charming!
I think I should be broadsided if it happens because I’m always so in control.

Q: What type of training, if any, did you do to prepare?
LV: I grew up doing martial arts, but no special training for this. A challenge to fight on camera. Lots of rehearsals.
GH: A lot of rehearsals and great stunt doubles. I’ve never been in a fight and had never really thrown a punch. The fights offer a lot of release, and are like a dance.
GB: The characters fight very much in character so their styles are a reflection of who they are. The fights aren’t just slapped on – they’re an essential part of the story telling.
LV: I learned the quick and precise parts of my fighting from being trained by Jeremy, but I was also trained by Clay and that’s reflected in my being able to get dirty and use aggression.

Q: What’s the toughest part of filming: angles, ADR, CGI?
They all agreed it was ADR!
GH: ADR is always so hard. It’s never going to have the same energy as the original take.
GB: The whole reason is the grace notes you create within the performance itself. It’s an intimate dance between actors, being human and exposing themselves, and it’s so fake to recreate that.
LV: I don’t enjoy ADR for the same reason. It can really hurt a scene. It’s a different day and maybe even a different city than the original performance.
The best part of the show is the cast and this character. The worst is the long hours and late night shoots – but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
GH: Trying to stay in shape! Get home late and you’re tired, but you have to work out...
Others: So that you can get naked!
GH: My very first scene to shoot was the nude scene!

Q: How do you prepare for the emotional scenes?
GH: The bond between the actors was pretty instantaneous. It’s the being in the moment and if you can look the other actor in the eye and see the emotion there, if they are in the moment with you, then it’s easy.
GB: I also draw on things I’m going through. My oldest son is leaving for college. Our relationship is going to change. It was very similar to Elena going to Toronto. It’s layers. One feeds the other and it’s a wonderful feeling that you would chase to the end of the world.

Some of the teases:

1. There is a huge shocker coming in the finale! No one will see it coming. It’s pretty brutal.
2. People are going to be switching sides.
3. There is tremendous closure, but also lots of stories opening up.

Finally – why I think we have a great shot at a second season. Firstly, this call. SyFy is really promoting the finale. If they were just going to let it die, they wouldn’t. Secondly, they really talked like the second season was pretty inevitable. Third, Space, in Canada, is getting huge numbers for the show. But don’t sit back and wait for it to happen! Be sure to keep tweeting your support and tune in for the finale!

Bitten’s finale airs Monday, April 7 at 8pm on SyFy. In Canada, you can catch in on Space Saturday, April 5 at 9pm. Space is running a marathon of the entire season on Saturday for anyone who missed an episode or anyone just thinking about watching! Remember to keep an eye out for the full transcript!