Alphas' Rachel Pirzad (Azita Ghanizada). Photo copyright of Syfy.
It is back to nature on this beautiful sunny spring day in May for Alphas’ Azita Ghanizada and the rest of the show’s cast and crew. They are at a campground in suburban Ontario to do some location filming for the season two story Alphaville. In one of the scenes being shot today, the actress’ character of Rachel Pirzad and her teammates are being given a tour of a commune where a group of Alphas, included Skylar Adams, played by returning guest-star Summer Glau, are living away from prying eyes. Spending some time off the beaten path seems to be appealing to Rachel as well as Ghanizada.
“This is actually a lighter story for me, which is a bit of a welcome break because the first five episodes this season had Rachel all over the place,” explains the actress, sitting down for a chat in-between takes. “I was swimming underwater, doing rig work, running barefoot through hospital corridors and really exploring the limits of my character. For example, in episode four, Alone, something happens so explosive for Rachel that it could dissolve an entire relationship within the Alphas family.
“So I think Rachel is happy to be out here in the forest, and it’s very appealing to her to see this little Alphas commune where everyone is like her. For my character, meeting people who are like her helps reaffirm the fact that she’s not a complete outcast, which is why Rachel clings closely to her Alphas family and is very comfortable there, more so than anywhere else.
Agent John Bennett (Steve Byers) and Rachel check out an Alphas "Fight Club." Photo copyright of Syfy.
“We’re in Ancaster, Ontario today, which is doubling for upstate New York, and it’s really peaceful here. Unfortunately, where Alphas go trouble usually follows, which is true here and they have to try to resolve the situation. Something quite special happens to Rachel as well in this episode and her entire world opens up. So beginning with Alphaville and continuing through the rest of season two is going to be interesting for my character because she’s going to be even more in control of her Alphas abilities and much more capable of using them than ever before.”
When it comes to Rachel’s Alphas power, she has the ability to magnify her five senses – sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste – so even the most minuscule sensation is greatly enhanced. It is not an easy ability to control, and Rachel was struggling with it until she met Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn). He guided her through that learning curve, and in Alphas’ first season, she and her teammates helped Rosen track down rogue Alphas, many of whom were misusing their abilities. In the second season, Rachel and the others are left on their own for a time, and returning to the role was at first a little daunting for Ghanizada.
“Starting work on the season two opener [Wake Up Call] was a bit scary,” she recalls. “I put on Rachel’s ‘skin’ if you will for five or six months last year, stepped away from it during the hiatus, then put it back on this season. Things have changed, though, since season one. Rachel affects me a great deal because the character is so sweet, fragile and sensitive, and last year she began to gain more confidence in herself as well as her abilities. Unfortunately, Rachel then had this big setback once the Alphas were exposed and Dr. Rosen made their existence public knowledge in the season one finale.
“The team subsequently dissolved and Rachel spent eight months not being able to control her abilities. She became overwhelmed and rather infantile. It was almost as if my character had regressed way past the point where Dr. Rosen had first found her. So when we begin season two, you find her broken down again and not wanting to be a part of society. She’d rather hide in the comforts of her own personal safety zone at home, which is like going back to being a kid again as far as her family relationships are concerned.
Rachel and Dr. Rosen (David Strathairn) in "When Push Comes to Shove." Photo copyright of Syfy.
“That’s something Rachel does not want. She’s a grown woman and wants to be treated like an adult, but, again, you see her regressing. A situation comes up, though, in the second season opener that reunites the team. They go on a search and rescue, which is kind of what they do as Alphas. There’s a huge prison break involving some crazy Alphas and you see whether or not Rachel and the others are going to function as a team again. Ultimately, they’re a dysfunctional family and it becomes apparent as to how or why that dysfunction brings them back together.”
As the team reassembles in the second season of Alphas, each member begins to fit themselves back into that dynamic. In returning to the fold, they work not only to reestablish relationships amongst one another, but also regain the sense of balance achieved last year insofar as being an Alpha and still living a “normal” life. Not surprisingly, the latter is easier said than done for our heroes, including Rachel.
“My character experiences a number of emotional arcs this year, one of which involves a love interest,” says Ghanizada. “That’s something she doesn’t exactly know how to handle as a woman. Because her senses are so acute and she’s still learning how to control them, being intimate with someone is a frightening prospect for Rachel. She never really had a lot of ‘practice’ with a relationship such as this, but decides to take a leap of faith and then wonders if she’s doing the right thing.
Can Rachel and Nina (Laura Mennell) mend their friendship? Photo copyright of Syfy.
“As Rachel goes through these emotional arcs, you see her grow stronger and more confident, and I think just getting back together with the team helps reaffirm that strength and self-possession. She’s learning to speak up more, although sometimes inappropriately because Rachel isn’t 100% sure of herself yet, and she puts on a bit more false bravado in every episode to help push her forward on that journey to becoming the strong, independent New York woman that she should be.”
Among the relationships put through the proverbial wringer this season on Alphas is the one between Rachel and Nina Theroux, played by Laura Mennell. “There’s a big fallout with Rachel and Nina,” reveals Ghanizada. “Nina really lets Rachel down and it’s out of Nina’s control, because she’s out of control and rather lost at the beginning of season two. Rachel tries to anchor Nina down, but instead is betrayed in, I think, the most harmful way that a person could betray her. Nina just goes for it, and as a result you see the dissolution of a friendship.
“Now that we’re in the middle of the season I’m curious to see if they’ll ever be friends again,” continues the actress. “My character isn’t letting Nina off the hook, either, because she feels so strongly about this betrayal. Yes, Nina is trying to deal with her own issues, but she’s someone who Rachel genuinely looked up to and admired. She really pulls the rug out from under Rachel and I think fans are will go bananas when they see how far Nina takes it.”
Besides the emotional acting hurdles associated with playing her character in season two of Alphas, Ghanizada has also been put through the physical paces with Rachel. “One of the things I found most challenging this year, and also the most exciting, was acting underwater,” she says. “That’s very difficult, and I realized after my seventh dive that I’m not a stunt diver and there are people who get paid a lot of money to do that particular job very well.
(L-R): Cameron (Warren Christie), Nina, Bill (Malik Yoba) and Rachel in season two's "Falling." Photo copyright of Syfy.
“It’s very technical and extremely specific. It’s like, OK, swim up to the camera, I need your eyes to open, start struggling and gasping for air, etc. At the same time you’re thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I can hold my breath that long.’ The day after we did that scene, we were starting work on a new episode where I was in eight pages of back-to-back scenes. So you’re exhausted but at the same time you feel a sense of accomplishment as well as disappointed that you couldn’t shoot a 10th take underwater. However, you have to get ready for the next morning and a new episode with an entirely different set of challenges and a whole other emotional arc for your character.
“There’s another episode this season where Rachel is completely taken over emotionally by something that doesn’t exist. She’s out of her mind and ends up getting injured again. Then there’s this really cool Fight Club-type episode [Alpha Dogs] where a group of Alphas are beating the daylights out of one another. It was shot in a very dark and sexy way and there’s all this macho stuff going on and a lot of aggression, but you also have this very sweet B-story involving Rachel to balance things out.”
At that moment, Ghanizada and Laura Mennell are needed back on-set to do another take. Along with both their characters, Alphas fans can look forward to seeing even more girl power on the show this season. “We have a new gal onboard, Erin Way [Kat],” notes Ghanizada. “She’s really spunky, fun and cute, not to mention shorter than I am, so I’m really stoked that there’s a more petite Alpha on the set,” says the actress with a smile.
“Then, of course, we’re lucky to have Summer Glau back with us again. The episode she was in last year [Catch and Release] was more about her character’s relationship with Nina, so it’ll be fun to play with Summer this time around. Laura and I have to play with the boys all the time, so I’m very pro-Alpha female. There are some bad Alpha gals out there, so I’m thrilled to have Erin here as well as Summer.”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, all photos copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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