Cast of Almost Human: (L-R): Michael Irby (as Detective Richard Paul), Minka Kelly (as Detective Valerie Stahl), Michael Ealy (Dorian), Karl Urban (Detective John Kennex), Lili Taylor (Captain Sandra Maldonado and Mackenzie Crook (as Rudy Lom). Photo copyright of Fox.
Crime has been around for a long time, and as criminals have become more adept at their chosen “profession,” law enforcement agencies have had to grow with the times in order to try to keep one step ahead of the bad guys. Set on Earth in the year 2048, Fox’s new hit Sci-Fi TV series Almost Human shows the police using all sorts of advanced technology to assist them in their job. This includes pairing officers with humanoid looking robots or MXs that are designed to help protect their flesh and blood counterparts.
Even with all the high-tech gadgetry at their disposal, none of it can take the place of time-honored detective skills and good old-fashioned gut instincts. Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban) uses a combination of the two, while his MX partner Dorian (Michael Ealy) provides superhuman backup and emotional support. Adding to the human equation are Detective Valerie Stahl (Minka Kelly) and Captain Sandra Maldonado (Lili Taylor), who is in charge of the police precinct where our heroes are based.
Last week, Lili Taylor and Minka Kelly took some time out of their day to speak with journalists about working on Almost Human. The following is an edited version of that Q &A. Enjoy!
How did you both originally become involved in the show?
Lili Taylor: For me it was rather interesting because the Maldonado character was originally conceived as a man, and my manager suggested (to the show’s producers), “What if you thought of Maldonado as a women and what if it was Lili?” They were open to that, so I went in and read for the part, and I think it felt really like an interesting way to go for everybody. I was interested because of (executive producer) J.J. Abrams and (series creator/executive producer) Joel Wyman. They’re very creative and have a lot of creative autonomy as well, so all that combined made it interesting for me to join up.
Minka Kelly: I was one of the last ones to be cast. I auditioned and a couple of days later I was flying out to Vancouver to shoot the pilot. I also was attracted to it because of the people making it, J.J. and Joel. I’m big fans of theirs and I had a strong feeling it would be something very interesting to work on because they, along with the cast, are so smart and creative. The cast was already set in place and so I was really excited for the opportunity to work with these people.
Not everyone obviously has Kennex’s back, but both your characters seem to be supporting him in his comeback and what he’s doing. What is it about your characters that make them sort of be advocates for him?
LT: One thing specific to Maldonado and Kennex is that they share a bond because they went through a tragedy together, and I think that’s something that seals the bond between them. Secondly, I think Maldonado appreciates how Kennex thinks outside the box. Yes, it’s sometimes frustrating, but it’s also what makes him special because he’s sort of the renegade and a maverick as well as intuitive and willing to take risks. That’s also his blessing and his curse, but with the robotic nature of things in the show, it’s important for my character to have someone on her team that’s a little bit unpredictable.
MK: As far as my character goes, as you see in the pilot, Valerie meets Kennex for the first time, but she’s known of him for years and has been waiting for him to wake up (from his 17-month coma) because she’s such a huge fan. When it comes to sort of sticking up for him, she has a strong sense of compassion for all beings, but especially for Kennex just because she holds him in such high regard. She has always admired him and looked up to him, and I think that’s why she’s supportive of him.
Lili, with your character originally written for a man, how did you approach the role? Did you draw on past characters that you’ve played?
LT: I re-watched a lot of Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren, the original BBC show, and that helped a lot. Of course, Aliens and anything else that had a woman in charge in that sort of patriarchal context was interesting to me,too. I also went back and looked at the old Lethal Weapon films and other classic buddy/cop shows and movies. The Wire, of course, helped a lot, too. I love The Wire; it’s one of my favorite shows because the level of veracity in it was so strong, and that helped me a great deal just in terms of the humanity and kind of the messiness of it all. It’s important to remember that Maldonado is a three-dimensional human being and not just this one-dimensional person in-charge. I also tried to bring the qualities of a more receptive leader to the character and play her as someone who is more of a listener and a collaborator instead of like an aggressive sergeant.
Minka, can you speak about any possible romance between Kennex and Stahl?
MK: I don’t know yet. I think they’re sort of flirting with the idea, but I don’t know how long that may or may not take to actually act on. Right now they’re maybe just having a little mutual admiration, I guess. I don’t know where it’s going to lead, though.
I imagine that while growing up you watched a lot of cop television shows and movies. Taking that into consideration along with all the episodes of Almost Human you’ve shot so far, how has your perspective of being a cop changed?
LT: That’s a good question. I’m sure Minka has a different answer, but for me, my character is a captain, so I think the experience is more boring than I thought because she’s always in the precinct and doesn’t get out much. She’s dealing on more of like the administrative and political levels. I would love to be able to get out and do stuff, but the realities of a captain is that they just don’t get to experience as much excitement, adventure and danger as those officers out in the field, like Minka’s character.
MK: The thing I take most from my experience of playing a police detective is when my character is interrogating suspects and trying to find different ways or angles to get them to give me the information what I want. There’s a great deal of psychology involved in sort of figuring out who you’re dealing with and what level of compassion you have for these people and knowing who is good and who is not. That’s been really interesting as well as fun.
I know you can’t be specific, but what do we have to look forward to as you guys go forward this season from your characters?
LT: Well, here’s the thing, because it’s the first season, the focus really has to be on Kennex and Dorian, so in some ways if the show does well and is picked up, I think it’s going to be in season two where we learn more about the supporting characters. But overall, what it’s been is like for me is more of just watching the development of the relationship between Kennex and Dorian and how that has become much more poignant. They push each other’s buttons and what comes out of it is this friction but, again, this poignancy and humor, too. I didn’t know it was going to be to that extent, but I’ve seen it happen as the episodes have gone on. That’s one of the main things that I think people are going to find interesting as they continue to watch the series.
MK: I have to agree with everything that Lili said. The focus really is on the two guys and getting into their back and forth with each other while our characters help them figure out and solve these cases.
Lili, you’ve worked in Sci-Fi and Horror and such before, whereas Minka, I think you’re kind of new to it. I’m wondering what each of you like most and dislike most about working in this genre?
LT: Well, for me it’s more interesting when the story is grounded in relationships. I’m actually a little Sci-Fi illiterate, so I need to educate myself on that, but as an actor, if it’s not connected somewhere in the characters or the relationship then it doesn’t really resonate for me. What I find interesting about Almost Human is it is so grounded in the characters. It feels character-driven, so the context then becomes interesting to me because it has meaning, I guess, and it’s not just sort of all about things like the props, cool gadgets or techno speak. This is all sort of coming from some deeper place, which is why it’s working for me.
MK: Yes, I’m very new to the Sci-Fi world and also rather Sci-Fi illiterate, so it’s a lot of work for me to really understand what’s going on here because there is so much more than just the words on the page. So it’s more of a challenge acting-wise to ground these words and find the meaning to what’s going on, what I’m saying and why I’m saying it as opposed to being in front of the camera and having an emotional sort of experience with another actor about a relationship. That’s what I’m used to. So this is a whole new world for me, and it’s exciting as well as a real joy to dive into it and learn how to use and exercise these new (acting) muscles.
As noted above, photo copyright of Fox, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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