James Purefoy is absolutely delicious. He’s like butter, a cashmere sweater and warm liquid scotch all rolled into one. Slinking into the New York Comic Con press room interview dressed like the serial killer he is, I miraculously restrained myself from dropping trou for him. However, I enjoyed a mini-tete-a-tete as he slipped into the persona of his Joe Carroll serial killer. James Purefoy is the human embodiment of sin. He’s pure seduction on a stick. If I could order him off a menu at a restaurant, I’d have two plates to go for life.

James is definitely a theatre actor who can improv the hell out of things. Having just seen his serial killer Joe Carroll portrayed in the pilot minutes earlier, I couldn’t stop blurting out my utter fear of sitting beside him. And, he couldn’t not take advantage of that. Luckily, one of the other interviewers stopped our delectable serial killer meets shrinking violet comedy act to start the interview round. Like Kevin Bacon, Purefoy clearly channeled parts of himself into the role of charismatic English professor Joe Carroll. Part of me wanted to cry bull when I initially saw the pilot. Academic types aren’t exactly that dexterous or believably violent. But, then I remembered the utter charisma of a couple college instructors and remembered in the 1970s Cornell had its own serial killer. One of the undergraduates, stalked, assaulted and killed his fellow students and continued the pattern long after graduation.

I must say James Purefoy is the most gregarious character I’ve ever met. He’s utterly confident in his own opinion and feels no remorse in mocking his own show, Americans and serial killers in general. Quite frankly, he is his character. Like Bacon, he spent time researching his back story. But, it sounds like a majority of his research incorporated watching DVDs of previous serial killers. He believes serial killers create a “fantasy bubble” around themselves and mocked Ted Bundy’s explanation for his acts: “I don’t know about you but I’m pretty damned sure porn in the ’70s was pretty damned tame.” For Purefoy, serial killing is about “power” and “powerlessness.” He views good and evil as overtly religious but believes in “nurture” where abusers are created. Ironic, considering his character nurtures serial killers in The Following.

He specifically watched the taped interviews of actual serial killers to avoid regurgitating the fictional performances of other shows like Dexter. He finds his character fascinating, “complex” and “ambiguous.” He believes “all the best characters are gray, not black and white.” He hopes that week after week, they’ll peel back the “very thin layers” of his character, like an “onion,” to “understand where he’s come from.” He believes his character is a “cultured,” “erudite” man who “tells a good joke.” Hopefully, we’ll learn how Carroll became the killer he is. Was it a case of nurture, catalyzed by a history of abuse? Or was it his literary ego searching for recognition? Only Kevin Williamson knows for certain. The rest of us will have to guess.

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So, I’m currently crushing on Kevin Bacon and his portrayal of the rangy Ryan Hardy in Fox’s The Following. If you haven’t checked out Ivey’s preview post or watched the premiere this week, The Following follows English professor turned serial killer, Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). Kevin Bacon plays Ryan Hardy, the FBI agent who eventually captures him, but deals with Carroll’s continuing presence in his life and ongoing menace to the world through his cult-like following.

When I initially watched the preview I absolutely fell in love with Kevin Bacon’s portrayal from minute one. The writing, his acting and the directing all collaborated to construct a believable hero figure through his anti-heroics. Even without speaking, watching his character gulp from the water-less water bottle and shower more in shame than water itself, I fell in total love with both the character and the actor. When I interviewed Kevin Bacon at NYCC in the Fall, I saw the modern day man who gave life to Ryan Hardy’s frame. He’s incredibly genial with intense blue eyes that made me blush when trapped beneath their gaze. I said this before, but most of the actors at NYCC proved incredibly chivalrous. Every time I asked Bacon a question, he moved his water bottle out of the way and turned to face me fully. While I didn’t have a crush on Bacon during his Footlose days, I now have a full-fledged crush on him after spending ten minutes beneath his unrelenting gaze and, of course, watching his on-screen portrayal. Some actors, like a vintage wine, just get better. If you’re my age, you have to see Kevin Bacon’s portrayal. Ryan Hardy isn’t the man-child inspiring a town to dance.

Although normally I hate comparing actors with their characters, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between the two during the interview. Like Hardy, Bacon has an average guy accent, by way of Philly, with a lean, rangy feel. He views his character and Purefoy’s character as polar opposites. He describes Purefoy’s Joe as “seductive,” “cerebral and methodical” against his character’s “instinctual” approach. I wonder if that also includes his approach to acting. Although he views his character as more street smart and less book smart, I viewed the character as more intellectual overall. He revealed they initially scripted Ryan as a profiler, but he feels his character was more of a “grunt” from a cop family. He loves that his character “messes up a lot” and has “anger issues.” He also has a healthy sense of humor about his character’s screwed up sensibilities. After all, dude sleeps with a serial killer’s wife barely minutes after putting the guy in jail. Like most actors, he looks for the humanity in his character no matter how “evil” and looks for flaws in the good characters no matter how heroic.

For the transcript, video interview and photos, keep on reading. If you haven’t watched the pilot, Bacon’s character returns to assist the FBI in capturing a newly escaped Carroll. Of course, this occurs in the wake of publishing a book on his experiences. Kevin Bacon is as awesome as his character, Ryan Hardy. And, as my friend pointed out, there is now one degree of separation between myself and Bacon. Check out The Following every Monday at 9 with repeats on Friday. With Bacon in the lead, this is one show you’ll want to follow.

Do you feel a covert parallel between your character and the Carroll character? You said otherwise in the panel. However, both appear to have the ability to inspire acolytes including the Jr tech agent who quotes your character’s book word for word.

Maybe, but I feel I’m a little bit more reluctant to that. My idea about the book is that I left. The FBI kicked me out. Someone came to me. I’ve never written anything. And said “write this book, it’s no big deal. You’ll make a little money.” I think I really regret having done it. I think I regret having had to go on and be a talking head. It’s something the FBI does not look kindly upon. Even though there are agents on the show that have read it. I know from my research that people from the bureau that go on and become talking heads, they’re not really heroes. I think I have a certain amount of shame about that. I think that my relationship with the Weston character continues to be one of somebody looking up to me. But, as you’ll see, I’m really not comfortable with that at all. That’s the really big difference between me and Joe. I think that I would like to be happy living a life of quiet desperation, alone. He’s the opposite. He wants as many people in his life as he can possibly get.

I almost feel your character is moving closer to Joe as in the flashbacks he’s barely familiar with the text but in modern day he makes connections more literate agents don’t.

That’s a good point. I think based on the fact that I’m so hell bent on finding the guy, I will read something I would never read. I do think in my family there have been people that have admired literature … when it comes up I don’t know. I think there is a little groundwork that’s laid for him. But he reads the Poe because he thinks the Poe is going to him to Joe Carroll and if that’s what’s gonna get him there he will become an expert.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U2XSJ2ZqsM

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Lucas Bryant and Adam Copeland might not be brothers, but they play them on TV. OK. Maybe Lucas’s curmudgeonly troubled cop, Nathan, and Adam’s curmudgeonly troubled fixer, Dwight, aren’t actual brothers on Haven, but they’re as close as brothers can get. Nathan and Dwight always have each others backs and always look out for each other. Heck, considering both wore matching well-worn leather jackets atop classic, well-loved white t-shirts, they came across as twins who dress the same way by default.  Eric Balfour jumping into the interview while Lucas answered one of my questions. The resulting Balfour-Bryant snog made the roundtable EVEN more bromantic.

Before Eric interview-crashed, Adam joked about not letting anything get between their bromance while Lucas affectionately called Adam his brother with pituitary gland trouble. Although they’re both almost-TV brothers on Haven, they have slightly differing opinions regarding the Nathan and Audrey relationship. Lucas would love to see Audrey and Nathan’s filial love deepen without shifting into the romantic realm. He isn’t a fan of TV shows that iteratively bring lovers together before tearing them apart while growing “tiresome” in the process. He believes that Audrey’s platonic friendship with Nathan changed him without the romantic connotations. By contrast, Adam admits he doesn’t want Nathan and Audrey to connect too soon, he wouldn’t mind seeing it a couple seasons down the road.

Lucas Bryant is incredibly intense. While he’s lighter, more open, and more casual than his Haven counterpart, he still has a built in BS-detector. If he thinks your question’s a shot in the dark, he’ll let you know with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical glance. It’s scary. I managed to ask him why he joined the Guard before his romantic relationship with Audrey formally instated. In my opinion, Audrey didn’t need rescuing. He looked at me with that inscrutable Arnold Drummand-esque what-you-talking-about-blogger look until I admitted that, yes, Audrey WAS kidnapped, but she’s still a pretty strong character. Once he understood, he started to explain why Nathan might join the Guard to protect Audrey from the nefarious Eric Balfour, who hearing his name spoken with vengeful ire, joined our little table. His Balfour-Bryant cheek snog made the interview even more bromantic.

After the whirlwind known as Eric Balfour left, both Bryant and Copeland agreed to their characters’ covert brotherly bond. Lucas feels that if the writers introduced Dwight in season one, we might’ve seen more resentment. However, with his father’s death, Balfour feels Nathan healed when season two rolled around and needed someone to trust 170%. Likewise, Adam feels his character needed someone to rely on 100%, otherwise he’d turn into a character who disliked everyone.

Are Lucas and Adam bromantic? Heck, yes. Are their characters brotherly? Hell, yea. Would you have it any other way? Eff, no.

Following is the transcript and video. For the bromantic kiss, click to minute five. Check out our other New York Comic Con  interviews!

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I’m secretly crushing on Haven’s Eric Balfour. I know, I know. It isn’t that much of a secret. And, yes, I know, I share that crush with half of North America, the UK, and more. However, here’s the kicker. I’m crushing on Eric Balfour not for his pretty hair, pretty abs or pretty face, but for his pretty mind. I know! I feel like I should hang up my lady parts in shame. I got a feel for Balfour’s intelligence on the Haven conference call at the beginning of September. However, it came across three-fold in the New York Comic Con (NYCC) press room interview with Balfour and Emily Rose.

Before I get into why I’m crushing on Balfour, I have a mini-story to share. I arrived five minutes late to the Haven press room as my Person of Interest press room table went over with Amy Acker. The PR reps at the front desk handed over my name tag and suggested I start at Emily and Eric’s table because the second table was full. Now, here’s the kicker. There was only one space left. It was beside Eric. Unfortunately, there was no chair in the chair-sized space beside him. Here’s the double-kicker. There was no space for me to easily carry a chair. Both interview tables were close together with only a small amount of space for one person to squeeze through. And, as both tables were engrossed in their interviews, I couldn’t exactly ask people to skooch. So, I figured eff it. I will kneel at the table beside Emily and Eric for 10 minutes until time allowed me to grab a chair.

However, Eric Balfour wasn’t having that and offered to get me a chair after I plopped at the table beside him. At that point I felt terrible. I couldn’t let Eric Balfour fetch a chair for little old me. When I’m in the presence of people prettier than myself, I assume they’re incapable of manual labor. So, this time, with more determination, I leapt up and seized an extra chair. Luckily, the second time around, the people at my table adjusted their bodies so I had space to carry the chair over. I noticed a lot of the male actors in the other press rooms were also incredibly solicitous towards the female journalists, but it was still a nice gesture and I thank him for it.

Inexplicably, Balfour’s chair assist isn’t why I’m totally crushing on Duke Crocker’s alter ego; it’s his energy. Balfour has an incredible enthusiasm which is engaging. At NYCC, with his casual white t-shirt, loose silver necklace and inner arm tattoo, he spoke through facial gestures, hand movements and physical, corporeal shifts. It’s slightly captivating when an actor is so active that s/he not only speaks with his/her mouth, but with his/her whole body.

When he responded to my question regarding Duke’s inexplicable horror at Audrey’s mercy kill request in “The Farmer,” Emily gave him a little look. Clearly, he discussed this point ad nauseam and Emily was prepared for the accompanying physical gesticulations. “So, OK. I’m so happy to talk abut this. I read the script of that episode and went ‘I don’t get it.’ I was like ‘why is this a big deal. This make’s no sense to me. You’re wrong. Duke’s killed people before. He is a morally questionable person. This is not a hard choice.’ I was pissed. Then, Sam in his wisdom and Matt in his wisdom said ‘you missed the point. It’s about his choice.’ His whole reality right now is fighting his so-called destiny. It’s not the killing part that’s hard for him. It’s the inability to get out of the maze. The idea that he doesn’t have control of his fate that became really what the turmoil was about.” If you’re interested in seeing his full response to the question, it starts around minute 8.

But, as you can tell, Emily isn’t any slouch in the mental department. To be an actor, let alone a convincing actor, requires determination, talent, professionalism, and intelligence. Emily clearly thinks about items from an actor’s perspective and a gendered perspective.

When we begged her for spoilers she pointed out that we really don’t want her to spoil it for us. She’s right. We, as writers/bloggers/journalists/fans, like begging. We like the tidbits. We like the hints. But, we also like the utter gobsmacked feeling of surprise when something kickass happens which we experience for the first time through the show. The one thing that disconcerted me about Haven’s third season surrounded Audrey’s sudden display of fear. I still complain about the number of times professional writer Rick Castle rescues honored police detective Kate Beckett in Castle, while using her gun. Haven actually provided a heroine who always rescued her town and colleagues and rarely, vice versa.

So, this season, watching Audrey’s early PTSD and relying on Nathan\Eric for support discombobulated me, as a viewer who enjoyed watching strong female characters. However, Emily enjoyed the new development: “I love it. It was one of the main things that was presented to me when I was there sitting trying to get answers from our writers. ‘So what’s her arc this season? Where’s she going?’ And, I didn’t really get anything except for an external threat which would shake her up and she would feel was always around and how did she handle that threat. Instead of her trying to figure out the mystery of herself. How did she react when there’s something actually not just going after people that she can help, but her specifically. It happens in her apartment. It happens in a place that she’s safe right in the backyard of one of her best friends. She’s used to being protected. And, all of that’s stripped away now too. I, as an actress, love that.”

For video and photos click to the next page! Don’t forget to check out our other New York Comic Con coverage!

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Basically, everything you’d expect from a young, interactive cast and writing staff happened in the New York Comic Con Haven panel. Everyone just relaxed and let their hair down. Eric Balfour (Duke) and Lucas Bryant (Nathan) fist-bumped each other. Cast and crew all pretended they didn’t want Stephen King (whose novel started it all) on the show. Of course they do! Charles Ardai is still working his magic. The producers joked that Nathan is better looking than Lucas while Lucas casually lounged against Emily’s chair.

I always like panels and in-person interviews because you get a chance to see how actors tick. No matter how press-prepared they are, their feelings towards certain events always leak through. Emily literally glowed while describing her love of the Sarah character. Eric Balfour might be pretty, but, he isn’t a pretty boy. Mentally, he fires on all cylinders. He complimented Adam (aka the Edge) as proving a better actor than wrestler. And he meant it. Basically, if you think Edge is a kickass wrester, wait until you see him act. Speaking of Eric Balfour, why is our favorite long-haired hippie growing his hair out? To play the original long-haired hippie, Jesus, in a zombie flick.

The cast further showed their enjoyment with the audience by answering which Haven character they’d become. One of the producers identified with Nathan, the strong silent type. Charles Ardai (who I interviewed two years ago) aspires to reach Haven’s red-shirted victim infamy by dying on-screen in a gruesome manner. Two of the producers aligned themselves with the dialogue-oriented brothers, Vince and Dave Teagues. Adam Copeland (Dwight) feels Dwight is slowly morphing into Vince while declaring his unabashed love for the two Teagues brothers. Emily Rose (who I also interviewed last year) detailed her love of season one’s Eleanor Carr. And, I wholeheartedly agree. I loved seeing a strong woman who played to her personality and not her looks. And, as an avid TV-watching female, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that. While Emily loved Dr. Carr’s ability to be strange, she also respects Mary-Colin Chisholm’s longstanding career – a performance longevity she hopes she’ll share.

I enjoyed the incredible comfort the male cast members exhibited with each other. Eric thinks he could play Audrey so he would finally get to kiss Lucas. Adam joked that it’s tough controlling his character’s facial expressions opposite Lucas’s hotness. Mocking his transition from performative wrestling to scripted TV, he claimed he always wants to beat his chest and bug his eyes out whenever Lucas turned him on. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to see Eric, Lucas, and Adam in a three-way make out? I’m currently penning the 579^th fan-fiction on that. Fun fact, did you know that Eric and Lucas starred in a 2005 UPN TV show, Sex, Love & Secrets, with Denise Richards, Tamara Taylor (Camille in Bones), and Omar Miller (teddy bear Walter in CSI: Miami)? I didn’t until right now. Eric was also in Veritas: The Quest with How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders. Thank you IMDb. Is Eric Balfour the new Kevin Bacon? Maybe google will do a six-degree of Balfour separation some day (not that anyone would ever want to separate from Balfour’s abs).

Despite the light-hearted panel environment, the cast’s favorite episodes varied from the quirky to the sad. Lucas loved the creepiness of episode three, “The Farmer,” and the utter fun of episode four, “Over My Head.” One of the producers admitted that the original final scene in “The Farmer” (3.03) included more dialogue, but they kept removing lines until settling upon Duke’s wordless eyes. Most described episode seven, “Magic Hour,” as their favorite. Although Emily loved episode nine, she and Adam described episode thirteen, the season finale, as incorporating multiple emotions. All I can say to Haven fans is we’re in for a world of hurt, so get out your handkerchiefs and cross your fingers.

The panel returned to its playful vibe when the group described their ideal super powers. Emily wants teleportation (to escape TSA lines). Eric wants instant Panda Express invocation capabilities (um, Eric, it’s called a phone!). Edge wouldn’t mind rocking Colossus of the X-Men’s rock hard steel (yes, Lucas joked about the “rock hard” line). And, Charles wants mind control (to extend Haven to 11/12 seasons).

During the panel, I realized why Balfour’s fans love him. He’s giving. Eric complimented his fans for remembering roles he didn’t and for asking intricate questions that would’ve had William Shatner crying “get a life.” To the guy who asked, Duke receives super strength when troubled blood touches him. Enough said. At the end of the day, rather than getting angry at fans for following his career or for spending time learning about his characters, he’s grateful they care that much. That’s why people follow him and love him. He gives back what he receives. And, clearly, I’m a fan myself. At the end of the day I noticed I wrote Duke, Nathan, Audrey, or Dwight in my notebook, as opposed to the actors’ real names. And, I’m not-so subconsciously a fan of Lucas Bryant’s married DILF-prettiness. A lot of my notes detailed his beautiful blue eyes, well-worn leather coat, and knit hood. It goes without saying Eric is just as pretty, but let’s not pen either as the pretty boys next door. Sure, Eric was in a lot of short-lived TV shows, that I wasn’t a fan of, but he was also in 24, Six Feet Under, and Life on Mars.

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I learned that Taraji isn’t the statuesque amazon I always expected. Although Taraji plays incredibly strong female characters, like Lucy Lawless, she herself is not six feet tall. Quite the opposite. Taraji isn’t just petite, she’s elf-like. Seriously. Check out the side photo. Two of the bloggers at the table came from a hip hop gamer site and brought their prize belt for Taraji to try on. As you can tell, the belt is ten times bigger than Taraji herself. She might be tiny in size, but she definitely makes up for it with her larger than life personality. When she appeared in the press room photo line, she flipped around joking that everyone wanted to see her best side. And, yes, half of the male bloggers fainted. That clapping you hear in the audio is the male members of my table (including the married man) giving Taraji P. Henson a standing ovation.She’s clearly more out-going than the Carter character. While she wouldn’t mind if her character dressed more like Taraji P. Henson, Jonah emphasized the need for reality in the role. And, could you see Carter wearing a cross-back beaded fringed dress? Of course not! She talks more about her character and learning about her character’s son in “Get Carter” in the clip. Despite the overwhelming male accolades, I did manage to ask her about the Reese and Carter match-up. And, as you can hear from the clip, while Carter might be all business, Taraji is definitely all party.

An: What’s happening between Reese and Carter this season?
Taraji: I know. Everyone’s saying they want a love interest, which I’m totally open to, but it’d be kind of weird kissing Jesus. I guess, you know what know that we’ve done a whole season and Carter’s gotten to know Reese. And, they’ve developed an incredible friendship. They really care about each other. I honestly don’t think he’s capable of giving himself. I don’t think he’s available, Finch either. But, I think that they are so driven by their mission that love would get in the way. What you’re starting to see is a friendship develop and all relationships start somewhere. I have nothing. I have no information. I just don’t really think they can. I’m not saying it’s because of me, I don’t think they can in any capacity because the mission is so broad.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-x4lx2ihUc

I didn’t expect to interview Amy Acker at all. My table was the last table before most stars hit the video camera row and Amy started at the camera row. Additionally, my table had dwindled as people left for other press rooms; but, when the PR person asked if we had time to talk to Amy Acker, star of Angel and other shows, of course I said, “HELL YES!!!” Because of the intimate table size, it came across more as a casual conversation. But I won’t lie; it was more like a casual conversation with geek gushing thrown in.

I didn’t have that many questions for Amy on her character. Let’s be honest. Root is the root of this season’s evil and her character is unabashedly bad. There are only so many questions you can ask about Root’s craziness. So, we talked more about her burgeoning career and what’s on tap. Amy Acker is exactly what you’d expect. She’s incredibly down to earth and absolutely adorable. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup (truthfully, none of the actresses I interviewed at NYCC did), but she gives off that Ivory girl feel. She reminded me very much of Amber Benson at Philly Comic Con. Amber wore a casual shirt, jeans and carried a back pack. Likewise Amy did the same. I suddenly realized that both Joss and Jonah enjoyed working with down to earth actresses. There’s a point where Jonah walked over and invited Amy to dinner with his wife. You’ll know it’s Jonah because you can’t hear him.

She told stories about her Person of Interest casting, admitting she cut her hair a week before they called her for Root and credits makeup with replicating her old hair. So far, she’s only filmed two episodes. However, Jim briefly spoke to her husband on the phone stating he enjoyed working with her on Person of Interest. Unfortunately, the connection was bad and her husband thought James was a would-be kidnapper.

I literally ran out of questions towards the end and forgot to ask if her character would return to Once Upon a Time. However, I’m looking forward to Joss’ Much Ado About Nothing which comes out in the Spring featuring Amy as Beatrice. Although strong-willed, sharp-tongued Beatrice is different from the flower-child personality Amy generates, considering I’ve seen her play a terrorist, a female spider, and a lovelorn fairy in the past year, I’m pretty certain she’ll rock Beatrice as well.

An: Hello. Thank you for joining us.
Amy: Thank you for having me.
An: I’m so glad to see you on Person on Interest. I loved you on Angel and was afraid you’d disappear, but this year you’re just blowing up. Everywhere I look around from Grimm to Once Upon a Time to Person of Interest and there you are.
Amy: You know it’s funny because it really goes back to Angel. Jonathan Nolan and his wife were Angel fans so they thought of me because of watching the Fred/Illyria switch. And, all of the writers from Angel have gone on to make their own shows. So, Jane is on Once Upon a Time. David Greenwalt on Grimm. I feel really lucky that all of these writers who I’ve had relationships with are remembering me and casting me in all of these different, fun roles.
An: I have to admit I was worried when they cast you. Elias did a great job last year and you’re doing a great job with Root. but, with every great villain they eventually have to get caught.
Amy: Maybe I have a change of heart.
An: What can we expect from Root for the future?
Amy: I’m excited to find out, too. They really haven’t told me much. I think it’s pretty obvious that Finch is in love with me. Maybe a wedding or I don’t know. The problem is what you’ve said. The problem that I’m afraid of. I’m obviously bad. At some point, I’m going to have to be pretty smart to get away from them, if that’s possible.
An: That would be lovely.
An: Did you create a backstory for your character for episodes 201 and 202?
Amy: Yea. What I was mostly trying to figure out is because I’m not computer-savvy is what does that mean and what do I know what to do and how did I learn it? I do feel like they are going to answer those questions more clearly. So, they were sketchy about what information they were going to give me. Then they gave me that script. You can loosely make something and kind of go with it.
An: What else is on your plate?
Amy: I have Much Ado About Nothing. Joss Whedon shot it at his house. It was at the Toronto Film Festival and was picked up by Lionsgate and will be out in the Spring. It’s all Nathan Fillion. I play Beatrice. I’m hoping that gives me the chance to be … it’s funny and person of interest is a really funny show. So, it’ll be good, I’m excited.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5U8CR2TXvI

What you see is what you get with Kevin Chapman. Kevin’s a straight up Boston guy and sounds like a New York cop by way of Massachusetts. Considering he has three cops in the family and did ride-alongs in Baltimore, Boston, and LA in his past career, it explains why I find Fusco so believable. He’s definitely a fan of the work and remembers everything about his character, down to the episode. He’s aware of his character’s shortcomings (and his own), but views his character as a good cop who got lost along the way. As a person, he’s also solicitous. Most of the people at my table managed to throw out questions save the other female blogger at our table who fell silent when he appeared. Before the PR people moved him to the next table, he asked if she had any questions to throw his way. Was that a Fusco move? Probably not. But that was a genuine Kevin Chapman move all the way. You can tell Kevin loves his job (and co-workers). Come on, check out that glance he threw to his co-star as she shook her money-maker for the appreciative press room. Clearly, he loves what he does. If you want to hear about Fusco’s relationship with Carter and if we’ll ever see him inside the secret lair, listen to the clip!

An: Can you explain why Fusco views Reese as a friend considering Reese blackmailed your character, forced your character into HR –
Chapman: And I saved his life not once but twice.
An: Can you explain why Fusco views him as friend?
Chapman: Well I had to remind him that I was still here. I think the dynamic is kind of a big brother-little brother. I think he would be the big brother and Fusco would be the little brother. Fusco is a tad conflicted. I think what makes the character so interesting is he has a sense of duality. You don’t know if he’s a good guy doing bad things or a bad guy doing good things.

My approach to the work is I try to play it as truthfully as possible and leave that entirely up to the viewership. And that’s what is so interesting playing Fusco for me as an artist is he’s not a very defined character. You put it out there and let the viewer decide whether they like him or dislike him. I think the dynamic between Reese and Fusco … if you look at us we’re two very different people. He’s tall lean, classically handsome; I’m short, kinda squatty and look like a Coke machine with a head on it.

I think that’s what makes the show very interesting. You have four very conflicted and flawed individuals who come together and create this unit that fights crime effectively. I think that whole thing is what makes it all work.

An: I always thought that Fusco’s anger at Reese for never acknowledging him would force Fusco to go to the other side.
Chapman: No, I don’t necessarily believe that. By Reese and Finch coming into Fusco’s life, it gave Fusco the once heroic image that he had of himself. At some point in his life, Fusco had this heroic image of himself. He was going to become a police officer. And, then somewhere along the way, he got lost on the path. By having Reese and Finch coming into his life, it brought him back to that path. At first he was apprehensive and rebelling against it. And then as the story continued on he started to embrace the idea of it. But, I think eventually his skeletons have been piling up in the closet. He’s going to have to sort it out.
An: Fusco is almost like the Machine. You think he’s a dumb gun and that he’ll always do what you say, but he’s always thinking against you and he’s always noticing. Will we ever see a scene where we see Fusco using his knowledge that he’s gained against them?
Chapman: Fusco got an education in the streets. He’s been a cop for a long time. He didn’t make detective grade because he wasn’t a good cop, in the sense of police work. I don’t think Fusco’s ever going to sit down and have a conversation about world economics. He’s a blue-collar cop, a meat and potatoes guy. Every facet of society has that. There are the thinkers and then there are the workers and that’s kind of how he’s viewed.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNdEXrNub8U

What did I learn about Michael Emerson? Michael was incredibly quiet, introspective and impeccably well dressed. In his glasses, well matched three-piece suit and highly thoughtful comments I could see where he pulled parts of himself into the Finch character. The one thing I loved about him — which I didn’t expect — was his awareness of the writing staff’s patterns, particularly when it comes to the female characters. One of my pet peeves surrounds shows that focus on the looks of its actresses over making their character believable. But, Person of Interest doesn’t pretend that a working mother would rock 3-inch heels, a mini-skirt and chunky jewelry to work. However, I’m surprised and impressed that Emerson, as a male actor, noticed and appreciates what makes Person of Interest different gender-wise.

An: I love the outfit.
Michael: Thank you.
An: Last year, the cast was more machine-like, but this year the Machine is more humanized as the cast becomes more human, especially Finch. Was that a deliberate writer’s arc?
Michael: No one ever talked to me about it, but it does seem to be drifting that way. I think the writers having solved some of the mechanical problems of storytelling are now able to indulge or focus on character work and I think it’s a really smart idea to begin to humanize or personify the Machine.
An: I like how it’s going and I like your interaction with the Machine.
Michael: It’s cool seeing how Finch reared the Machine. Trained it. Sort of took it through its more elementary phases. Always getting more sophisticated.
An: We just saw a clip where you go to Elias for help. Since it hasn’t aired yet, can you can couch it in vague terms and tell us why Finch would need Elias’ help?
Michael: I’m happy to couch it vague terms.
An: Excellent.
Michael: Finch and Reese get into a situation where they need help that could only be provided by someone with clout in the criminal world.
An: In what episode does that happen?
Michael: I’m thinking the fourth.
An: I notice there’s a pattern of Finch getting kidnapped by women and now we have the same with Root. Is that a deliberate gender role reversal or to balance you more against Reese? Can you talk more to that?
Michael: I actually have it in my contract. But, it’s fun. What I like about Person of Interest is the showy roles that they write for women. I think that many of our best guest persons are women.
An: I like the gender dynamic.
Michael: I like how our show is cast. I like that they’re more concerned with a dynamic woman and a thinking woman than they are with cosmetics. Which is not to say they aren’t all beauties. The smart, dangerous girls.

I learned that Jonah took programming classes in college and ran websites, which explains his tech attraction and background knowledge on the show. Honestly, I just wanted to talk to him tech-to-tech. He loved Man on Fire with Denzel Washington and feels it influenced him with Person of Interest. I also learned that he has a sense of humor. He dropped hints about the show where Long Island doubled as Texas and joked that a number will never appear in NJ because they don’t have a tax credit program. He’s clearly an old hat at this. When a journalist/blogger/writer *cough* me *cough* asked him a question that went counter to his original intention, he just complimented the person on the thought. You might have to increase the sound for this clip due to Jonah’s voice. You can tell that Jonah is the writer who spends more of his time behind his laptop and less talking to crowds of people. When I first started performing at ren faires, I used to lose my voice at the end of the weekend because I ran around shouting at hundreds of people for 12 hours a day. Then, I realized I didn’t need to blow out my vocal chords and started doing more vocal exercises. So, you’ll notice that Jonah, after a day of interviews and autograph signings, sounds slightly more hoarse than the rest of his cast. So pump up the volume so you can hear his words of wisdom!

An: What made you decide upon the name of Root? I love the idea of root as the root of all evil, the root directory and if you’re the root user then you can do as much bad stuff as you want.
Jonah: You just answered your own question much more eloquently than I would.
An: OK. I’m done then.
Jonah: We love that. We love the intersection of it. I was a coder in college with C++ and Java. I made a living building websites. I was plugged into so much of it. It’s the ground floor.
An: Last year, I noticed the characters were machine-like and this year the Machine is more human-like, was that deliberate?
Jonah: When someone credits you with a good idea, always say yes. I’m always interested in the question of Artificial Intelligence. I feel like with our show to keep it grounded, to keep it relatable, I take it very very slow. We endeavor to make all the technology you see in the show as real as possible. A writer has an idea for how Finch or Reese get onto someone’s computer/their phone, they have to justify it with existing technology. So, we always wanted to raise the gate in terms of asking questions in what is the Machine.
An: I notice that you’ve been revising the formula, what else do you have in store this season for revising the process?
Jonah: One of these things that I was excited about with the idea of the show. There are so many different ways in and out of it. So, we keep trying to reinvent the formula in terms of what are they looking at? What mistakes are these guys making along the way? But, also trying to cook humor into the pilot and every episode after. We have to keep ourselves interested and amused as writers and hopefully the same’s true for the audience. We always try to have moments of humor, moments of darkness, moments of light.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ixSpyqoui0