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Sanctuary's Agam Darshi Nominated For Constellation Award

Actress Agam Darshi. Photo copyright of The Promotion People.

Captivating Canadian actor Agam Darshi has just been nominated for a Constellation Award, honoring the best in Science Fiction film and TV, for her role on the hit Sci-Fi series Sanctuary. Agam is nominated in the Best Female Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode for her portrayal of Kate Freelander in the Sanctuary episode Penance.  The Constellation Awards are the only Canadian Science Fiction film and TV awards that allow the viewing public to select the nominees and winners in all categories. Also nominated are Sanctuary leading lady Amanda Tapping (Dr. Helen Magnus) as well as Robin Dunne (Dr. Will Zimmerman) and series creator/writer/executive producer Damian Kindler. To vote please visit http://constellations.tcon.ca/vf.shtml 

As noted above, photo courtesy of and copyright of The Promotion People, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary Begins Production On Season 3

Amanda Tapping and the rest of the Sanctuary cast return for season three! Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

THE Syfy Channel's groundbreaking hit original series Sanctuary, commenced production on its third season in Vancouver on March 15th. The one-hour drama's 20-episode season is slated to return to Syfy this fall.

Sanctuary is one of television's most groundbreaking series, shooting almost entirely on green screen. The series was the first in North America to use the RED camera exclusively, and its stunning visual effects were nominated for a 2008 Emmy Award. Season three picks up from the adrenaline-fueled action of season two, which raised the stakes for the brilliant scientist Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and her team, who use their unique combination of instinct, medicine and cutting-edge science and technology to find and aid a clandestine population of beings that the world refuses to believe exist. Sanctuary also stars Robin Dunne as forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman, Agam Darshi as the quick-witted Kate Freelander, Ryan Robbins and tech wiz Henry Foss and Christopher Heyerdahl as the sinister John Druitt.

Created by Damian Kinder (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis), Sanctuary is produced in association with Syfy and is distributed by Tricon Films and Television. Season three of the series will be executive produced by Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood, Keith Beedie and Tricon Films.

As noted above, photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions, so please no unauthorized copying or duplciating of any kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary's Alan McCullough - The Write Touch

Writer/co-executive producer Alan McCullough in his Sanctuary digs. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

When Stargate Atlantis' TV run was brought to an end after five years, series writer/producer Alan McCullough, who had previously served as a writer/story editor on Stargate SG-1, relocated from the Pegasus Galaxy to take on a new creative challenge. He joined Sanctuary as a writer as well as co-executive producer and penned four scripts for the show's second season. In his first one, Hero, Chris Gauthier, best known as Walter in Eureka, plays an ordinary man who is transformed into an unlikely costumed crusader against crime in the show's fictional New City.

"Hero was a really fun script to write," says McCullough. "It's a fast-paced and humorous episode, which I never really had the opportunity to do on Stargate. There was always humor embedded in the dialogue in Stargate, but it was rare that I got to write a comedic script. There were people who were sort of the go-to guys for that; Martin Gero and Brad Wright, in particular, and Rob Cooper also wrote a couple of great comedy scripts and Carl Binder wrote one, too. So when I came on Sanctuary there was a chance for me to do the same.

"In Hero, our people are on a mission to track down an Abnormal when all of a sudden they're thwarted by a guy in a neoprene suit. He drops out of the sky, grabs the person we're chasing and flies off, so we're left wondering where the hell this guy came from and how he can fly. He's apparently human and appears to be wearing a homemade outfit, but nevertheless seems to possess miraculous powers. Chris Gauthier played the part to a tee. He was hilarious in it and brought so much to the role.

"The actual shooting of this episode was difficult because there were a lot of stunts. We actually brought in a flying rig which, I believe, is one of the most advanced ones you can get. I'm not well-versed in the technology of it, but you sit in front of a giant computer screen and program in all the moves you want to do and draw all the vectors on the screen. The operator then turns the rig on and it flies you around in the exact way that it was programmed to. So they did a full day of shooting just with that rig and came away with some fantastic stuff, including a scene where, at one point, our superhero has to fight a monster.

"Again, it was a fun episode and Chris has a blast and we had a blast working with him. It was a nice break, too, in the season. We had just come off shooting the two-part End of Nights, which is an energetic and tension-filled story where we're fighting for the survival of the Sanctuary, and if you saw the episodes you know that something big happens to one of our characters at the end of part two. Then in the following story, Eulogy, we're dealing with the death of a character. It's a very poignant episode, so it was good to then come in with episode four, which was lighter in tone and a total breath of fresh air. Personally, I think Hero is one of the best scripts I've ever written and one that I'm really proud of."

There was a very specific idea in mind for McCullough's next Sanctuary script, Veritas, but, as is often the case in the world of TV, it eventually evolved into something quite different. "We started out with marching orders to come up with a background story for Bigfoot [Christopher Heyerdahl]," explains the writer. "We pitched story after story to the Syfy Channel but there was always one thing they didn't like, so we would go back and try to retool the script. However, by pulling out that one thing, the whole story collapsed.

"So we'd start fresh, and ultimately we came up with a story that the network loved but that had nothing to do with Bigfoot's back story whatsoever," chuckles McCullough. "It does, however, involve Bigfoot in a very major and pivotal way. At the very beginning of the episode, Will [Robin Dunne] arrives back from a trip and he's frantic; he's been told that Bigfoot has been killed. Will goes to the morgue where he finds Bigfoot lying there with two bullet holes in his chest, and we further learn that Magnus [Amanda Tapping] is the prime suspect.

"From there, it becomes a bit of a murder mystery that takes place within the context of the Sanctuary. They have specific charter rules for how they deal with situations such as this, including summoning what's called The Triad, which is a group of telepaths that arrive on the scene and start questioning people. Within the Sanctuary network we have individuals with these incredible abilities, so why not use them to solve crimes. Will, of course, sets out to prove that Magnus had nothing to do with this, but the deeper he digs, the more evidence seems to mount that she actually did shoot Bigfoot.

"It's a real mindbender of an episode where, quite honestly, all is not revealed until the very end. We designed it so that at every single turn you think, 'Oh, they're going to tell us who really did it,' but you get no satisfaction until the story is nearly over. This was another fun episode for me to write and, coming off Hero, much more of a subdued, emotional type of potboiler. We had a great guest-cast, too, including Erica Cerra [Deputy Jo Lupo in Eureka], who did a fantastic job playing one of the telepaths. And Amanda Tapping did an incredible job directing the episode."

The writer's third Sanctuary script, Penance, reunites Helen Magnus with an old friend, Jimmy, played by Tapping's former SG-1 costar Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson). Although it would have been tempting to pair them up on the screen, Shanks actually shared the majority of his scenes with the show's newest castmember, Agam Darshi, who plays Kate Freelander. Writing-wise, this one was a bit of a whirlwind for McCullough.

"We received notes on the outline last Friday night from Syfy," he recalls, "so I started writing the script on Saturday and Sunday and, hopefully, I'll finish it up today [Monday, June 1st, 2009]. It's certainly the fastest that I've ever had to turn around a script. This one starts out with a really action-packed teaser where our characters are in Old City to meet an Abnormal who's a 'mule.' By that I mean he has a pocket in his body that can transport hazardous or very sensitive material, and in this case he's carrying a container for us in his belly.

"So we get there, but, of course, the bad guys are on our tail and all hell breaks loose. Our people get separated and Kate and Jimmy end up trapped in a derelict hotel room. Kate has been shot and the two of them spend a considerable amount of time together getting to know one another. In the process, Kate opens up to Jimmy and we discover a great deal about her past, including how her father was killed. With Kate being a new character this season, we felt this was a good opportunity for audiences to learn more about her. Meanwhile, Magnus and everyone else are out there looking for Kate and Jimmy, and it's a bit of a chess match to see who's going to arrive first and save the day.

"The neat thing about this episode is that we're going to be doing some location shooting. We do almost all our filming downstairs in the studio, much of which is using a green screen, and we also shoot outside on the studio lot or in the nearby streets. We usually don't have trucks to go out on-location with, but for episode eight [Next Tuesday], we're packing up all our equipment to go film at a pool. Thanks to some scheduling magic, we have the truck for the rest of the week, so we're taking advantage of that and going to shoot for two, possibly three days on the old Watchmen set. At least that's the plan. We went out to look at the set, which is on Marine Way, and we're going to use that as Old City. It's perfect because the story has a lot of skulking around as well as gunplay and a bit of a car chase, so I'm really excited about that."

Despite being a freshman with Sanctuary, it has not taken McCullough long to find the voices of the new characters he is writing for. "Obviously I'd worked with Amanda before, and although this is Helen Magnus and not Sam Carter, I still hear Amanda's voice in my head, so it's just a matter of finding the right words," says the writer. "Ryan Robbins, who plays Henry, has a very distinctive voice, so I seem to be able to hear his voice quite easily, too.

"The character I struggled with the most was Will. I've since found his voice a lot more, but with my first script, Hero, I really struggled. Ultimately, I don't think anyone picked up on that. The episode moves so quickly and there's so much going on that I don't think you would have the time to sit there and think, 'Hmm, that didn't quite sound like something Will would say.' I noticed it, though, and when I'd write a line I'd think, 'That doesn't sound right,' so I'd delete it and write another one. So it took me a while to get Will's dialogue to sound right, but episode seven is wall-to-wall Will and I think I found his voice a little better for that one.

"It helps, too, that Damian Kindler [series creator/executive producer] is always around, and we go through the scripts with a fine-tooth comb. We'll look at each line and if there's one that bothers any of us, we'll find another way to say what it is we're trying to say."

The writer's fourth and final contribution to Sanctuary's second season is part one of the show's two-part season ender, Kali. The germ of the idea for this episode came from a prior one, while the setting was the result of a previously discussed story that never came to be. Catching up again recently with McCullough, he was happy to talk about Kali's development.

"Earlier in the season we were breaking a story called Justice," recalls the writer. "It was set in a small town, which is tough to do on our show as we don't have suitable sets and didn't want to go out on-location. So Martin Wood [executive producer/director] proposed setting Justice in a Mumbai slum, as that would be relatively easy to re-create. We loved that idea so much that we decided to save it for the [season] finale. Unfortunately, Justice never got produced, which is too bad because it was a great story.

"The idea for Kali came partly from Veritas, where we introduce an Abnormal called Big Bertha, who is capable of creating earthquakes. I'm pretty sure it was me who suggested that we use Big Bertha in the season finale as well. I proposed that Magnus had lied to the heads of the Sanctuary network about destroying the creature and secretly kept her alive in an enclosure at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. And then later on in the writers' room, we came up with the idea for the Makri, the small spider that telepathically links to Big Bertha.

"We went back and forth for weeks with this story," continues the writer. "It's probably the toughest one I've ever had to break. We knew we were on to something and felt like it could be big, but we just could not find the story for the life of us. Eventually, and after numerous rewrites, we shaped the story into Kali, parts one and two. Later in the process I was reviewing part two, which Damian wrote, and went to him with a logic problem. Basically, something Will was doing made no sense. And I distinctly remember what followed next; Damian sat back in his chair, thought about it for a long time, and then said, 'I think I know what to do - Will has to dance a Bollywood number.'

"I nearly fell off my chair. He was exactly right, of course, but I thought we'd be marched right out of the TV business for good if we tried to do a full-scale Bollywood number in a Sci-Fi show. Luckily, Mark Stern [Syfy's Executive Vice President for Original Content ] bought into the idea and off we went.

"Also late in the game, Damian, Martin, Amanda and Robin were invited to Tokyo by Syfy Asia and decided to take advantage of the exotic locale to shoot a scene for the show. We brainstormed and felt it belonged in my episode, and it turned out to be a great way to start things off. Shooting the Mumbai sequences took place on our [studio] backlot, which is where we built a massive labyrinthine Mumbai slum, and it looked photo real. To top it off, it was over 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 Farenheit, pretty much the whole week we were filming. Everyone was dying from the heat, but it helped with the authenticity. I'm not sure how we're going to replicate that in part three, which will likely be shot this coming February or March."

Having thoroughly enjoyed his first year with Sanctuary, McCullough is eagerly awaiting the start of work on season three. "I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge of us doing 20 episodes and really pushing the boundary with our season [story] arcs," he says. "And also somehow getting ourselves out of the conundrum we created at the end of Kali, Part 2."

Steve Eramo

As noted above, photo is by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary's Robin Dunne - A Will Of His Own

Robin Dunne as Sanctuary's Dr. Will Zimmerman. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

It was not that long ago that forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman crossed paths with Dr. Helen Magnus, but was it fate or happenstance that brought them together? It was, in fact, no accident that the scientist sought out Will and offered him the opportunity to become her protegé and part of the Sanctuary team. His curiosity got the better of him and he accepted. Since then, Will has been helping Magnus protect one of Earth's oldest and sometimes most dangerous inhabitants, creatures called Abnormals. In Sanctuary's first season finale, Revelations, a mysterious group known as the Cabal set a plan in motion to turn Abnormals against humankind. Unknown to our heroes, this was the prelude to something far bigger, and for the actor who plays Will, Robin Dunne, it marked the end of what had been a challenging first year on the job.

"I had never done a full season of a TV show before, and certainly not one like this," says Dunne during a break in filming on Sanctuary's Vancouver set. "I loved it and it was so much fun doing the things that we did, but it was tough, too. There were some very demanding episodes, so by the end of last season I felt like I'd just crossed the finish line of a marathon. It was great to get to the finale, where we were wrapping stuff up and bringing in other characters. Not only did I get to work with our core cast - Amanda Tapping [Magnus], Ryan Robbins [Henry Foss], Emilie Ullerup [Ashley Magnus] and Chris Heyerdahl [John Druitt/Bigfoot] - but also Jonathon Young [Nikola Tesla], who came back for a visit, and Peter Wingfield [John Watson]. It was such an amazing story and brought together a number of loose ends.

"Things felt like they were going so fast last season, and then we kind of hit a wall and stopped. It was strange for me because this show was, and still is, a huge part of my life. I was here every day and we were so immersed in the series and believed in it so much that, after we wrapped, I'd initially wake up every morning and think, 'What am I going to do now?' or, 'How come I'm not in the Sanctuary?' On top of that, I was on pins and needles wondering if that [first season] was going to be it. That's another strange thing about doing a TV show and bringing its characters through all types of cliffhanger situations where certain things are left unresolved with them. We didn't know for sure if we'd be able to resolve any of these situations. So it was amazing and weird all at the same time.

Will and his new "boss," Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping). Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

"I remember on the final day of filming, I saw Martin Wood [executive producer/director], Amanda Tapping [executive producer] and Damian Kindler [series creator/executive producer], or the Holy Trinity as I call them, together in one of the offices. I thought it would be a good time for me to go up to them and thank them for the amazing thing they'd done for me as far as giving me a part on the show and having the faith in me that I'd be able to do the job. Within 10 seconds of me going into my, 'Hey, thanks guys...' speech, I was bawling. And suddenly I looked around at Damian, Martin and Amanda, and all four of us were standing around that office in tears. So it was a swirl of emotions and, thankfully, we're back here and getting to do it all over again. And as you watch season two, you see that there are some big changes. There are ripples that began at the end of last year that have turned into huge tidal waves for us here in the Sanctuary."

In the aforementioned Revelations, Ashley is captured by the Cabal, who uses her to steal a vial of pure vampire blood that Magnus, Will and others risk their lives to obtain. With that blood, they are able to manipulate Ashley's DNA and that of five others, changing them into super Abnormals. In Sanctuary's season two opener End of Nights, these Abnormals almost bring down the entire Sanctuary network. Magnus and her people manage to stop them, but not without great personal sacrifice. As they struggle to deal with their losses, they must also repair the damage done to Sanctuaries around the world as well as continue with their ongoing mission. No longer a newcomer, Will must step up to the plate even more as Magnus' second in command.

"The responsibilities that my character has are far greater this year because of what Magnus is going through and the things that are pulling her in all different directions, which is especially true in the first three episodes," notes Dunne. "My approach to Will and the way he was written last season was sort of tentative. He was between two worlds and wasn't sure if he really belonged here. The Sanctuary was intriguing to him, but at the same time there was the pull of his old life. So there was just a little bit of uncertainty with him, but that's gone this year, and I think there's more of a dive-in approach and aggressiveness to Will. He has a greater confidence in himself and feels without a doubt like he belongs here.

Out in the field. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

"What's gone as well are any of the situations you saw last year with Will being out in the field and going, 'But I don't want to use a weapon.' He's now resigned himself to the fact that, yes, he's got to go out on missions, and, yes he's got to be armed when doing so, and he's just going to have to deal with it. There's a 'hardness' with Will, and that's because it's crisis time. There's no place for any of this, 'Oh, God, what am I doing here?' He and his teammates are dealing with some major Armageddon issues and it's all business.

"Also in season two, when Will has something to say to Magnus, he says it," continues the actor. "There are times this year where there has been a slight butting of heads between the two, but not in an unfriendly way or one which suggests that they're not getting along. My character is definitely the vice president if you will, and he's not afraid to step into the president's office and say, 'Look, Madam President, you need to do this; you need to do that.' He has some very strong opinions and there's no longer any of that social etiquette or politeness between Will and Magnus. These are just two people who are pretty much in-sync most of the time and really speaking to each other and telling one another what they need to hear, whether they like it or not.

"It's funny how sometimes things are parallel in the fictional and real worlds. In the real world and with the making of this show, I feel like, OK, this is season two. We've cleared the hurdle of being a new show and now we've arrived. And I would guess that Damian, Amanda and Martin feel the same way, too. It's like we belong a little more, and stylistically you're going to know that you're watching Sanctuary this season. There is some visual stuff that really pops out at you. So the overall feeling was one of, 'Hey, let's just go in there and blow the lid off this thing,' and it's exciting. Look, I hate to be one of these bumbling, overly positive Ed Flanders-type of guys, but you know what, we loved this program so much last season, but this year it's gone to a whole new level. We're like, 'Wow, there's Kismet in the air,' and I think we're doing something pretty cool."

Will Zimmerman, Sanctuary's "vice president." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

Among the lives lost in the effort to save the Sanctuary from falling was Ashley, who sacrificed her own life to save that of her mother's. Will also lost Clara Griffin (Christine Chatelain), the granddaughter of Nigel Griffin, who, together with Helen Magnus, was a member of The Five. Clara inherited her grandfather's power of invisibility and died helping defend the Sanctuary in End of Nights.

"There was definitely a little bit of a spark and an attraction between my character and Clara," says Dunne. "Unfortunately, poor Will doesn't have much luck as far as women go. When the world constantly seems to be falling down around you and you're trying to hold it together with some glue and dental floss, your love life tends to suffer. Sadly, this is one chapter in my character's life that has come to an end."

While no one could ever replace Ashley, Will and Helen have added a new member to their team this season, former con artist Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi). Having been involved with the Cabal in a scheme to double cross Dr. Magnus, Kate ends up joining the good guys when things backfire on her. Because of her past dealings, though, it takes a little time for Will and the others to completely welcome Kate into the fold.

Will and his new co-worker, Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi). Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

"It's an odd relationship that Will and Kate have," explains Dunne. "It's a slow build. At the beginning, there's no real trust between either of them at all. They're two very different people. Will is not someone who reacts to things without thinking them through first. He will analyze all the options and then try to make the wisest choice. Kate, however, has more of a knee-jerk reaction to things. She does what she thinks is right on the spur of the moment. So Kate and Will clash, and at first he's not even sure whether or not she's going to be around for long, or if she really belongs in the Sanctuary. But over time, there's kind of a mutual, if not maybe a little distant, respect that develops between the two. Agam has brought a wonderful new energy to the show, while her character of Kate has really shaken up the team dynamic."

When it comes to the writing for season two of Sanctuary, Dunne does not hesitate to give it high marks. "One of the many great things about this show is the fearlessness and courage that Damian, Martin and Amanda as well as the writing staff have. Then there's the Syfy Channel, who are right there supporting these ideas," says the actor. "There is never a time where it's like, well, let's not push the envelope. Whenever you pick up a new script and start reading it, you're thinking, 'Wow, I can't believe they're doing this.'

"Last year, Amanda and I did a couple of two-handers and it was a really terrific experience. It's like doing a play in that we shoot them in sequence, which is fantastic. So in keeping with that theme, we have a couple of two-handers this season as well, one of which is set in the future and is called Pavor Nocturnus. In it, Magnus is basically 'infected' by this Abnormal that gives her a glimpse into the future. Needless to say, the future hasn't gone particularly well, and when we meet Will in this episode he's changed. He looks nothing like the way we know him to look, nor acts anything like the way we know Will to act.

"It was a terrific thing for me to be able to do, and at the same time a pretty tricky acting challenge because it was almost like playing a new character. A great deal had happened to Will; he'd seen so much tragedy and had to deal with a number of things. It was really quite daunting for me to do these scenes, and when they'd say, 'Cut,' I'd say to Marty, Damian or Amanda, 'I don't know what this is going to look like. It's possibly going to come out looking terrible.' As always, they were extremely supportive and said to me, 'It's great. Just don't think about it. Just get out there and do it,' which I did, and I think it turned out pretty well. It was just weird to take a character that you know and know how to play and try to approach it in a way that you've never played him before."

Will is not quite himself in "Pavor Nocturnus." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

At the time of this interview (June 2009), the Sanctuary cast and crew were shooting the season two story Veritas, in which Dr. Magnus is accused of murdering Bigfoot in cold blood. Besides playing scenes in front of the camera with Amanda Tapping, Dunne joined his fellow castmates in being directed by her as well.

Executive producer/director Martin Wood and executive producer/Sanctuary leading lady Amanda Tapping during a read-through for "Veritas." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

"We've been having a good time on this one," enthuses the actor. "Amanda is amazing to work with as an actor as well as a director, and it seems like our team here is getting to the point where it's almost non-verbal communication. By that I mean everyone is so in-sync that not a lot needs to be explained. If, for instance, Amanda calls, 'Cut,' and starts walking over to me, before she even says anything, I'll be like, 'I know, less of this and more of that.' She'll say, 'Yep,' and then boom, boom, boom, we're back to it. I think that's the cool thing about working with such a tight-knit group of people. We're all on the same page and believe in what we're doing and know the show so well.

"Again, this is season two, right? So not only do we know the program that much better, but the relationships between everyone are that much stronger, too, and that goes for us as people as well as our characters. Last year was smooth, but this season is that much tighter and more solid."

While working on Veritas, the actor was also busy prepping to shoot episode eight, Next Tuesday. "The next story is another two-hander where Will and Magnus are trapped in a helicopter that crashes into the ocean and they're dealing with giant squids and all kinds of stuff," he says. "The two characters are also having a difference of opinion on certain matters.

There's water, water everywhere for poor Will in "Next Tuesday." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel.

"The fact that this episode takes place in water is a little intimidating, but at the same time totally exciting. I spent all day yesterday at the bottom of a pool learning how to scuba dive. It's going to be five days of wetsuits and us floating in a water tank. Again, we're just constantly pushing the envelope and crossing boundaries insofar as telling these stories."

Although Sanctuary still had a couple of months to go before wrapping for its second year, Dunne was thinking about one or two projects he was looking forward to during the hiatus between seasons two and three, including one of his own creation which is slated to start shooting in Spring 2010. "I wrote a feature film script last year that I sold to a company in Los Angeles," says the actor. "It's called B.F.F. and basically it's a comedy about two girls who are best friends in high school. Then, however, one goes to New York and becomes a hotshot lawyer, while the other one stays behind in this small town. Ten years later she decided to go to New York to find her best friend, but their lives have taken different paths and they're not the same people they once were. It was neat to write a sort of girl buddy comedy because you don't see many of those. I think the script turned out pretty good and I'm really interested to see who they cast".

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos by Jeff Weddell and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary's Martin Wood - Season Of Change

Martin Wood (front left) on the Sanctuary set. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Having honed his craft directing such Sci-Fi TV shows as Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Andromeda, Jeremiah and Earth: Final Conflict along with helping produce both Stargate series, Martin Wood has brought all those years of experience to his role as an executive producer as well as writer and director on Sanctuary. Debuting last fall on The Syfy Channel, Sanctuary began on the Internet as the story of Dr. Helen Magnus, who operates a worldwide network of facilities, or Sanctuaries, that were established to provide shelter for, and in some cases imprison, creatures called Abnormals. The series returned this past October for its second season, and while its overall premise remains the same this year, it has further grown and developed, as Wood explains.

"When we came back this year and talked about where we wanted to go with the second season, we all knew that we now had an idea of what this show could be," recalls the director. "The direction that Damian Kindler [series creator/executive producer], Amanda Tapping [who stars as Dr. Helen Magnus and also serves as an executive producer] and I wanted to go in was to make Sanctuary bigger and better. And everyone here took that to heart and ran with it, which I think is great.

"We went through a whole range of different things as far as how we were going to start the season and what we were going to do. That included looking at a bunch of audience reactions to season one, because we wanted to react to what the viewers felt. As a result, we decided, 'We have to shake things up a little bit.' You know my philosophy on major characters; I always feel that they have to be expendable because the only thing that keeps a TV show alive is if its characters are in real jeopardy. If not, every time one of them gets into a dire situation, you know they're going to come out OK on the other end.

Emilie Ullerup (as Ashley Magnus) and Martin Wood. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

"We decided to take the Ashley [Emilie Ullerup] character and 'Sci-Fi' kill her, meaning she could come back in other episodes and different incarnations. After all, we have a 158-year-old Magnus, so her daughter could possibly come back. There are a number of things we could have done in terms of introducing jeopardy into our story; this is the way we wanted to go and Emilie embraced it with both hands. She was outstanding," praises Wood. "In the first two episodes, she utters one word, 'Mom.' That's it. The rest of her acting is done with just her face, which is tough, but Emile did it beautifully. I told her at the end of shooting the second episode [End of Nights, Part 2] that it was some of the hardest acting she had ever done on the show and she did a terrific job."

At the end of Sanctuary's first season, Dr. Magnus' chief rival, the Cabal, manages to turn Ashley against her mother and everything Magnus stands for. In the two-part second season opener, End of Nights, Ashley and five other individuals are transformed into super Abnomals and used in a campaign to bring down the entire Sanctuary network. Wood was given the monumental task of directing this story, which, among other things, has a fast-moving action sequence featuring new series regular Agam Darshi who plays con artist Kate Freelander.

"I thought, 'If we're going to open things up, let's really open it up,'" says Wood. "I said to Damian, 'We need to have a car chase,' so in the script he wrote the words Magnus chases Kate. Then we decided that Henry [Ryan Robbins] needed to be there, too. OK, Magnus and Henry chase Kate, but in two separate cars, and Magnus had to drive something hot. So I asked Damian if we could use his BMW and he said, 'Sure.'

Martin Wood (back to camera) with Amanda Tapping (Helen Magnus) and Robin Dunne (Will Zimmerman). Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

"The idea was that if it was a sunny day we could have the top down on the car and Magnus with her hair blowing in the wind and driving this convertible. Then we found a place where we could actually shoot the scene, and without Damian knowing it, I set up this type of camera called the Ultimate Arm, which is a Mercedes SUV with a giant crane hanging off the side of it. You can stuff six people into this thing, and as the director I get to sit in the back sideways, because there's a little hatchback in the rear. We travel twice as fast as the cars in the scene in order to beat them and get in front of and beside them. By doing it this way, we could have Amanda driving Damian's car, Ryan Robbins driving a car, and Agam Darshi driving a car as well.

"So we were able to drive beside them like that, but when we got into the hot and heavy stuff, Amanda said to me, 'I'm going to keep driving.' She's used to driving a sports car anyway, so that's what we did. We were shooting for about six hours and halfway through the day, Damian came out to see how things were going. The first words out of his mouth were, 'My car!' as he watched Amanda winding around a corner. And he had just put on his good tires, too," chuckles the director. "Damian had no idea it was going to be a minute-and-a-half chase sequence, so that was fun to do."

Although it has been known since season one that Magnus' Sanctuary organization is a global one, it was felt in year two that this fact needed to be visually reinforced to the audience. Wood and his fellow executive producers also wanted to give Abnormals a greater onscreen presence this time around. "One of the things we decided to do in season two was put more Abnormals into everything we did," says Wood. "So, for example, in the season opener there was the fight with the big giant Abnormal. We had a huge stunt guy dressed in a green suit. He was only half the size of the Abnormal you see on the screen, but we still had more stunt guys jumping on top of him during that scene. It was pretty cool.

Martin Wood running through an action sequence with Robin Dunne. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

"We also showed our Sanctuaries in London and Tokyo. We had talked about them before, but now we were actually in them. There's that great scene with the nine monitors and Magnus talking to nine different Sanctuary heads, including Medusa in Japan, who you see after the Tokyo Sanctuary is attacked. There's also the actual attack, where Ashley and two other super Abnormals drop through the skylight. I had talked with Lee Wilson [visual effects supervisor] about doing that practically. We went through all the machinations of what the set would look like and all that, and he said to me, 'You know what, just let me do it [using VFX].' Lee then took it and just ran away with it, and it was so amazing. It really was a remarkable visual effect for something done completely through a computer, and the entire process took about two weeks, too.

"That's something else that happens with our show. We end up getting so little time to do feature-film-like effects. You hear some people saying, 'But it doesn't look like it does in the movies,' but it sometimes takes up to a year to do movie VFX. That's why these sorts of things aren't done very often on TV, because of the time involved. Sometimes I'll be sitting with our visual effects guys, who will show me things on the computer, and my only reaction is, 'Oh, my God, that's so cool. OH, MY GOD, THAT'S SO COOL!' And I'll keep amplifying that response until everyone in the office is hearing me. They never hear me say, 'Oh, that doesn't look that great.' We're fortunate to have some really good [VFX] artists working on Sanctuary. I love the fact that in our first two episodes alone this year we have half the number of visual effects as we had in all of season one. That's one of the ways we ramped up the show this year."

In End of Nights, Wood enjoyed the opportunity to direct some complex fight sequences, including one where John Druitt (Christopher Heyerdahl) battles Ashley and two other super Abnormals. "Damian said, 'I'd like to do a sword fight,' and I said, 'OK.' So we set it up as a serious sword fight with Chris using two swords, and that came from our fight coordinator, Rob Hayter, and our stunt coordinator, Marshall Virtue," notes the director. "It was one of those things where you get into the shooting of it and think, 'This is either going to be the coolest fight we've ever done, or the most unbelievable one.'

Setting the stage for the big fight sequence. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Chris Heyerdahl (John Druitt, dressed in black, back to camera) in "action-mode" with Martin Wood right beside him. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Martin Wood (right) checking out the shot. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

"Chris Heyerdahl came in and started rehearsing, and on the day leading up to the sword fight, whenever he had a break, he'd walk over to the side of the set, grab the practice swords and fight. He had the [stunt] guys there the whole time so he could practice, so when the time came to shoot the fight, it was mostly Chris doing it. Mike [Desabrais, stunt player] and the two stunt doubles were there for a couple of shots for when it got really violent, but otherwise all the activity you see on the screen is Chris. When we cut it together and I watched the scene for the first time I was like, 'This is definitely worth it.' It was very convincing and unlike any fight I'd ever shot before."

In the final moments of End of Nights, Ashley regains control of herself from the Cabal just long enough to save her mother's life, but in order to do so, she must sacrifice herself. Not surprisingly, it was an incredibly moving moment for all involved. "Damian, Amanda and I massaged that scene in so many ways," says Wood. "We sat down and looked at all the different scenarios for how Magnus could come across Ashley and how she couldn't shoot her. Amanda then came up with the sequence of events, and then I said, 'Well, Magnus has to put her gun down at some point.' And that's how that whole scene came together - the three of us sitting in Damian's office and deciding how we wanted to play it out.

"Then during the actual shooting of the scene, Amanda collapsed on the floor like she was supposed to, and I was standing behind the cameraman, who I kept pulling further and further back. It was so hard to watch Amanda cry like that. She was so distraught [in the scene] and the entire crew was waiting for me to yell, 'Cut!' Amanda was also looking at me as if to say, 'Why aren't you saying, 'Cut!' But I just kept pulling the cameraman back and having him continue to shoot way longer than is comfortable in a situation like that. I really felt, though, that that's what was needed at the end of this episode where Magnus is saying goodbye to her daughter under the most heinous of situations. It was very emotional and we don't shy away from that on our show. We allow that to happen as opposed to keeping it light."

Green screen work on the Sanctuary set. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Following Sanctuary's season opener, Wood directed episode four, Hero, in which a very ordinary man is unexpectedly thrust into a very extraordinary, and life-threatening, predicament. "This story shows us that, yes, human beings can 'fly,'" says Wood. "It's an amusing romp as well as a standalone story and a chance for our characters to take a bit of a breather from all that's been happening to them.

"Damian wrote a Stargate SG-1 episode called The Other Guys, and it was the first story of his that I directed. It was a great deal of fun, so he did the same kind of thing with Hero.  It's like Sanctuary's The Other Guys. Chris Gauthier from Eureka guest-stars in it, and his character [of Walter, "The Adjuster"] is one that we would like to bring back in the third season.

On-location with Martin Wood. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

"We've done a lot more 3-D creatures as well in season two, and Hero has one in it called a Coleanthropus, and it looks great. The first time you get to see it in all its glory is in-between two garbage bins. Then it stands up and you're like, 'Yikes!' There's a huge fight with it during the climax of this episode that's neat."

The director had been slated to shoot the episode Pavor Nocturnus, but the schedule subsequently changed and Brenton Spencer, another name very familiar to Stargate and Sanctuary fans, directed it instead. "When we finished the episode, we looked at it and said, 'It doesn't quite end the way we wanted it to,'" says Wood. "So we rewrote the final two scenes to give the story a bit more of a twist and I then shot those. Brenton did a fantastic job of directing what is a really, really dark story that includes a scene where Magnus gets physically abused.

"My next episode was number eight, Next Tuesday, which is this year's Requiem [referring to a season one story], and it's Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne [Dr. Will Zimmerman] in the borehole of an oil rig in a crashed helicopter. They spent five days with me in a pool of water that was 72 feet across and 20 feet deep. Everything was done with Amanda and Robin, no stunt people, and it was quite incredible. I wanted to see one morning how long I could tread water without holding on to anything - I went four-and-a-half hours directing from a treading water position. And Amanda and Robin were in and out of the helicopter, in the water, underwater, you name it. It was a very hard shoot for them, but it turned out to be a beautiful episode."

Martin Wood directing Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne in "Next Tuesday." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Something nasty is lurking behind the door...Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Behind-the-scenes shot from "Next Tuesday." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Wood's final directing credit for season two of Sanctuary is the show's two-part season finale, Kali, and it might surprise some viewers to learn that the episode has a Bollywood dance sequence in the second half that feature Robin Dunne. "It's very much part of the story and it comes off perfectly," says Wood. "I think episode 13 is probably the best show we've shot so far. And we actually did some filming in Japan for episode 12 as well. We were invited over there for a quick press conference and were going to be in Tokyo for a little over 72 hours. I looked at Damian and said, 'Let's shoot something while we're there,' and he said, 'Sure.'

Singer, songwriter, artist and industrial designer Tatsuya Ishii, Robin Dunne and Amanda Tapping shooting in Tokyo. Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

On-location in Tokyo with Robin Dunne and Damian Kindler - who have been up for 74 hours. Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

"We'd been flying for 11 hours and after arriving in Tokyo we went on a little tour of the city and thought, 'OK, we can shoot something here, and we can shoot something there.' We even arranged to use a celebrity from there, Tatsuya Ishii; he's a pop star as well as a Renaissance man, a beautiful sculptor and just a really cool guy. We wanted him to play the head of the Tokyo Sanctuary.

Martin Wood, the director, as the cameraman ("I was the only one who knew how to use the RED camera"). Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

Damian Kindler, Martin Wood, Robin Dunne and Amanda Tapping in the pouring rain! Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne shooting in Shabuya. Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

"Damian wrote two scenes, and when we got to the filming location there was a soundman along with a camerman, but the cameraman didn't know how to operate the RED camera [ultra high-definition camera] that we use. So it kind of fell to me to say, 'OK, I'll do the shooting.' Damian was sort of wrangling things from a production assistant standpoint, so we filmed the scenes and just had a ball."

More shooting in Shabuya with Martin Wood. Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

Final touches! Photo courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood.

With a second season of Sanctuary under their respective belts, Wood and the rest of the show's cast and crew cannot wait to start work on number three. "This year has been just spectacular," enthuses the director. "Amanda Tapping went further [as an actress] than I've ever seen her go in anything before. Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Chris Heyerdahl, Agam Darshi, Robert Lawrenson, who plays a new character, Declan Macrae, and Jonathon Young, who came back a couple of times as Nikola Tesla, all really pushed themselves creatively as well and I loved that.

Sanctuary DOP (director of photography) Gord Verheul and Martin Wood. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

"As for season three, we've talked a lot about that already and are very much looking forward to it. In the meantime, we couldn't be more pleased with the show, and the fans seem to be happy with it, too, so it's all good."

Cut and print! Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions.

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all Sanctuary photos by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions, and all on-location Tokyo photos courtesy of and copyright of Martin Wood, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of ANY kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary ' s Ryan Robbins - Wolf In The Fold

[caption id="attachment_4562" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Ryan Robbins as Henry Foss in Sanctuary. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] When it comes to tackling problems of a technical nature, Henry Foss is your man. Whether it's cracking a multi-digit encrypted code or breaking down a seemingly impenetrable firewall, there is no one better qualified or more likely to get results. However, as a member of Dr. Helen Magnus' Sanctuary team, Henry is more than just a gifted cyber-hacker. A descendant of her father Gregory's first weaponsmith, he has designed many of Sanctuary's weapons and is in charge of its defenses. Our beloved techie also has some hidden "talents" that he calls upon only in the more extreme of situations. Introduced in the Sanctuary webisodes, Henry made the leap last fall to the Syfy Channel's TV incarnation of the show as a recurring character, and this (second) season is now a regular on the series. On this particular Monday afternoon in June, actor Ryan Robbins, who plays Henry, has been tapping into his character's techie side while filming the season two episode Veritas. Although the dialogue seems to roll effortlessly off his tongue, it took a bit of practice for him to get to this point. "To be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking at first because of the nature of Henry," says Robbins. "As the tech and weapons guy, my character has a lot of tech-talk and scientific babble, which was initially intimidating for me. Also, he was supposed to be the comic relief, and while I'd done comedy before, having to get a handle on being the funny guy in an otherwise dramatic series was, for some reason, difficult and I put some pressure on myself. [caption id="attachment_4563" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="On the job with Henry. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "Prior to this I'd been playing a lot of bad guys and killers, so this was a wonderful opportunity and a terrific acting challenge for me. So I just went with it and committed to the material and let myself have a good time, and so far things seem to have worked out. "Henry changed quite a bit from the webisodes to the first season of the TV show. In season one of Sanctuary there was definitely more depth to my character as well as an air of mystery. Then later on, there was also a darker side to Henry that was revealed, with him being an Abnormal and having the werewolf beast inside him. That was a part of him that he couldn't control and it gave me even more levels to play in terms of relationships with the other characters. "So there were a lot of different directions to go in any given scene, which is a gift as an actor. Henry is such a neat character because he's so complex and his humor comes out of , not necessarily positive things, but rather from his efforts to overcome certain obstacles. What's the saying, 'Tragedy plus time equals comedy,' and I think Henry is the epitome of that in a lot of ways. It's almost like this running joke that he always has to be overcoming something, otherwise he's not Henry. Things can't always go right for him, you know? So many things just go wrong, but he's constantly trying, and that's what you've got to love about the guy - he just won't quit. At the end of the day, he's going to take care of business, but it can't be easy for Henry." [caption id="attachment_4564" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="There is more than the eye can see with Henry Foss. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] Having first directed Robbins in the two-part Stargate Atlantis episode The Storm and The Eye, Sanctuary executive producer Martin Wood later called the actor about playing Henry in Sanctuary's two-hour Internet pilot. "My Atlantis character [Ladon Radim] was only supposed to have a two-story arc and then get killed off," recalls Robbins. "However, Martin told me, 'I like you, and I don't want them to kill your character off.' So instead they killed a background character, and I stayed on. Ladon ended up becoming the leader of the Genii people, which was great and a lot of fun for me. "Martin directed most of my Atlantis episodes, and when Sanctuary came up, the story is that he told [series creator/executive producer] Damian Kindler about this guy named Ryan Robbins who he should cast as Henry. And Damian was like, 'Ladon from Atlantis? But he's not funny,' but Martin said something along the lines of, 'But the guy who played him, Ryan Robbins, is kind of an oddball. He would be perfect for the role.' So they phoned me and I thought it sounded really cool, and being part of a show that was groundbreaking seems like a good idea, too. Then, of course, we wound up getting a first season on Syfy and now we're doing season two, so hopefully we'll be around for a while," says the actor with a smile. During season one of Sanctuary, Henry worked with Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), her daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), Magnus' former patient and longtime friend/confidant, Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl), and her new protegé, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), in the preservation and protection of centuries-old creatures called Abnormals. In the episode The Five, the Sanctuary itself falls victim to a series of mysterious attacks. The culprit turns out to be a snake-like creature, and in order to stop it, Henry reveals that he, too, is an Abnormal, more specifically, a werewolf. Before shooting this episode, did Robbins have any idea that his character harbored a hirsute alter ego? [caption id="attachment_4565" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Henry and Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) try to work through yet another crisis facing the Sanctuary. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "We talked at the end of the webisodes and leading up to season one about this being a potential storyline for Henry in the future," says the actor. "Although it remained kind of vague for a time, I started off in season one playing Henry as having some sort of mystery, because I think characters with secrets are always more interesting to watch. So when it eventually came out that he's a werewolf, it seemed very natural and not entirely surprising. "If you go back and watch previous episodes, you can see that Henry is maybe hiding something about himself, and I love it. I think it works really well and creates lots of dynamics. For example, people living with an illness or other difficulty might go for days and days laughing an enjoying themselves just like everyone else around them. However, when they are reminded of that illness or situation they're in, they will fall into a funk and realize, oh, yeah, I've got to deal with this. For the most part, though, you try your best to get on with life. Originally, I feel Henry looked at his condition as being some sort of disease, but he's since been able to embrace it. I still don't believe he's entirely comfortable with it because he's still learning how to control it." The following episode, Edward, - for which Robbins won a Canadian Leo Award for Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series - finds Henry contemplating surgery as a way of exorcising his werewolf persona. He changes his mind, though, when his abilities help him and his colleagues save the life of a fellow Abnormal. "I really enjoyed Five and Edward because they were quite dramatic and, again, interesting background stuff. I'm a comic book fan and I love origin stories, and it was cool to see a hint of an origin story for my character," he says. [caption id="attachment_4567" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Henry at work on yet another invention. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "I also had a lot of fun shooting Nubbins, which was directed by Peter DeLuise. I just felt like was taken to comedy school in all the best ways, and gratefully and happily so. Peter knows comedy so well when it comes to timing and rhythm and sticking to it. I can't begin to explain how much I learned from him about hitting comedic beats, including stuff that you never even saw on the screen." In Sanctuary's two-part season one finale, Revelations, Helen Magnus' archenemy, the Cabal, unleash a biological weapon designed to turn Abnormals against humans. Ashley and Henry are captured when infiltrating a Cabal weapons facility to try to stop the development of the bio weapon, and the Cabal attempts to permanently turn Henry into a werewolf. "Man, were those ever intense episodes, especially the torture scenes with my character," notes Robbins. "It was weird because although I don't have a fear of needles, I don't especially like them. There's this scene where over and over again this woman had to inject a needle into Henry's arm, and I just kept thinking, 'Jeez, I know they're prop needles, but if that thing seizes up even a little bit, then it's going into my arm.' So it wasn't hard to play the fear of the needle," chuckles the actor. "On top of that, I'm strapped into this chair and here's Alex Diakun, who is a sweetheart of a guy, doing such an incredible and convincing job of playing the creepy and menacing doctor." [caption id="attachment_4568" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ashley (Emilie Ullerup) and Henry are cornered by the Cabal in "Revelations." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] Thanks to Henry's Abnormal abilities, he and Ashley are able to escape from the Cabal, but not before the organization turns Ashley against her teammates. At the start of  Sanctuary's second season, she and five others are transformed into super-Abnormals whose sole purpose is to bring down the entire Sanctuary network. Despite the dire circumstances facing their characters, Robbins and the rest of the show's cast as well as crew could not wait to return to work. "When we came back for the second season, it felt like coming home," enthuses the actor. "There was this level of confidence and one of, 'OK, people dug what we did last year, so let's keep going.' So I think we all felt like we were maybe able to take a few more risks. Last year was one of discovery for all of us, and the episodes were written that way. In season one, Will Zimmerman was not only the new guy, but also the viewers' reference. He was seeing everyone and everything for the first time, and in doing so, we were introduced to other characters and discovered things about them for the first time through Will's eyes. "Well, this year, we hit the ground running. I mean, Will is here and he's one of us. Now we're a real team and we're moving forward with a fury and on-fire. In the season opener [End of Nights], the action, the tension, the storytelling, everything was ramped up. Season one was cool, but season two is exceptionally cool. [caption id="attachment_4569" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Henry and Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) working side-by-side. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "As for Henry, I feel like I have an even better understanding of him this year," continues Robbins. "I love playing this character and I feel now like I can trust in my acting as well as my instincts and not have to worry about whether or not this or that comes across or if my subtext shows. I actually like watching Henry on the screen, and that's a big deal for me because I don't like watching myself all that much. "We just finished shooting a wonderful Henry episode called Fragments, which was directed by Steve Adelson and guest-starring Anne Marie DeLuise. To tell you the truth, all the episodes have been really good so far. There have been some nice Henry/Bigfoot and Henry/Magnus moments this year. We've played it that Bigfoot has always known Henry's secret, so they've had a very close connection. And now that my character has embraced his Abnormal side and is trying to deal with it, there's this amazing bond that has developed between them. Henry has an amazing bond with Magnus as well, and now he and Will get to be buddies, too." In the aforementioned season two story Veritas, Henry helps Will and new team member Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi) find evidence that will prove Helen Magnus is innocent of murdering Bigfoot. The episode is Robbins' first time being directed by Sanctuary's leading lady, Amanda Tapping. [caption id="attachment_4570" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ryan Robbins and Anne Marie DeLuise in "Fragments." Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "She's a tyrant. There's the cracking of the whip and all the screaming and yelling, not to mention the potty mouth. Other than that, it's been fun," jokes the actor. "Seriously, Amanda is awesome. I'd work with her again as a director in a heartbeat and without question. Amanda is an exceptional and wonderful individual in everything she does, acting, producing, directing, it doesn't matter. She's one of a kind, and it's completely inspiring to be around her. And the crew really loves Amanda, too, especially today. It was only a 10-hour workday instead of a 12-hour one. Look how happy these guys are to be getting out of work now in this fantastic weather." Robbins was 12 years old when his desire to become an actor surfaced, but like most people that age, he did not know how to go about it. "I went to a very progressive arts-oriented high school with an intense theater program, and there was a teacher there named Drew Kemp who was sort of the catalyst that inspired me to pursue acting," he says. "My first big job was as a circus performer, and following that I moved back to Vancouver where a friend of mine who was a stuntman, suggested I try that as a way to break into acting, especially given my circus experience. I had a martial arts background as well, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, it's not a good way to break into acting, at least it wasn't for me. I had an accident and ended up compressing my spine. From there, I helped form an experimental band called Hellenkeller, which took off. We had a good run for about six years, and during that time there was a filmmaker who was also a fan of the band and she put me in one of her movies. [caption id="attachment_4571" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl) and Henry. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "I guess I did OK in the film because from there I got an agent and began getting acting jobs. When the band eventually broke up, I was working as an actor, so I feel that perhaps it was meant to be. I just kept following my gut. I don't like to say no to any opportunity, so I had a series of opportunities that presented themselves and I just wanted to seize them. Fortunately, they led me to where I wanted to be, so here I am making a go of things." Walking Tall, Catwoman and Passengers are among the actors' feature film credits, while on TV he has appeared in several made-for-TV movies as well as guest-starred on such series as Dark Angel, The Outer Limits, Smallville, Supernatural, The Guard and Battlestar Galactica. "I actually worked as an audition reader for the Galactica miniseries," says Robbins. "That's where I got to know [producer/director] Michael Rymer, and he offered me a role, which turned out to be at the very beginning of the miniseries. I'm the old man at the armistice station, and Number Six [Tricia Helfer] comes in and asks, 'Are you alive?' My character tells her, 'Yes,' and she says, 'Prove it.' So they kiss and then the place blows up and it starts a whole new war. Forty years of peace ruined by blowing me up. [caption id="attachment_4572" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="A contemplative moment for Henry Foss. Photo by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions"][/caption] "I kept in touch with Michael, and in the show's third season he brought me in to play a bartender called Charlie Connor, which I did on-and-off for two years. It was a blast and that show is one of the best experiences of my career. That cast was amazing and the crew was phenomenal. Mary McDonnell [President Laura Roslin] and Edward James Olmos [Admiral William Adama] are incredible forces. They love this craft along with the environment of being on a set, and I learned a ton from my time on that show. In years to come, I think people will look back and realize what a relevant piece of history that program was, even though it was set in the future." Besides Sanctuary, Robbins can also be seen in the web-based Sci-Fi/Fantasy series Riese and in episodes of the upcoming Syfy Channel series Caprica. He recently completed two films, Smile of April and The Masculine Mystique, and will soon start work on Wrecked. It has been a busy year for the actor, and that is music to his ears. "I never had a back-up plan and I don't have a retirement plan either," says the actor with a smile. "I don't want to retire. I want to drop dead on a film set when I'm 100 years old. I believe in my heart and soul that I'm supposed to be doing this and I don't ever want to stop." Steve Eramo As noted above, all photos by Jeff Weddell and copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions, so no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary ' s Damian Kindler - Creative Spirit

[caption id="attachment_4260" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sanctuary creator, executive producer and writer Damian Kindler. Photo courtesy of Damian Kindler"][/caption] Last fall, The Syfy Channel added a new face to their stable of strong heroic female characters, Dr. Helen Magnus of Sanctuary. As head of a global network of facilities, or Sanctuaries, she as well as her daughter Ashley, techie Henry Foss, and forensic psychiatrist Will Zimmerman, risk their lives to protect humankind from creatures called "Abnormals" and vice versa. Created by Damian Kindler and executive producer with Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping (Magnus), the series made the jump in October 2008 from web-based to the small screen. Season one was a hit, and earlier this year, Kindler was back on the show's Vancouver set with the cast and crew to start production on year two, which began airing back in October. As with the first season, the prep process was an involved one. "Alan McCullough [series co-executive producer], Sara Cooper [consulting producer], James Thorpe [creative consultant], who came to us a bit later on, and I spent last Christmas as well as this past January and February developing story ideas and inching towards Bethlehem if you will. And sure enough it all eventually came together," says Kindler, taking a break in-between production meetings. "So we went forth and came up with this big two-part second season opener, End of Nights. We're very proud of the episode and the performances in it are amazing. Our story opens six weeks into Helen Magnus' search for her daughter Ashley [Emilie Ullerup], and it's quite revealing about the way the Sanctuary works in a larger sense. You actually get to see other Sanctuaries around the world because there's a global threat that's made very real. We're also made privy to how the Cabal plays its hand, which affects our heroes in a bad way. Essentially, it's a giant kind of worldwide James Bond-ish, action-packed chess match between Magnus and the bad guys. There are some really cool human moments and Martin Wood just directed the hell out of it in a very short time. "At the end of part two, people who are interested as well as invested in the show are going to be blown away because things careen into this incredible shock. Look, this sounds like I'm playing up the PR spin on the show, but we've literally pulled our heads up from the rabbit hole recently, looked around and said, 'The first four or five episodes we've done are terrific.' Season two is rolling out in such a smooth and heightened way, and the network has been incredibly generous with their feedback and saying how there has been a quantum leap in the way Sanctuary feels and in the entire creative process. "The episodes are ramped up, revealing and really good character stories with cool monster beats. I think the show has definitely hit a very important stride right out of the gate in season two, and I don't say that because it was all part of the plan. I thought we'd just continue on, but there was something about the wind at our backs when we sailed into season two that was extremely confident. We had been given this chance to come back and do this all over again. It was such an amazing life-changing experience doing the first season and everyone was so excited about doing a second season that they've brought their A+ game to the table." Last season, Kindler and his fellow writers established Sanctuary's main characters, and this year they will be building upon those foundations with some big twists and turns to come. "This season really is about the characters," notes Kindler. "In season one we played through the growing global threat and shift in power. It was all very Lord of the Rings-like. This time around, though, I felt that we really needed to get to know not just our characters individually, but how they work as a group and how they like or don't like one another. "There are changes that happen to our heroes in the first three episodes this year that are profoundly dramatic. I mean, at the end of the season opener Ashley is killed - she dies saving her mother. During the final moments of End of Nights: Part 2, Magnus watches as Ashley is blown up and the screen then goes black. So viewers are left with this very harsh vision and they subsequently need some sort of 'let down,' which comes in Eulogy. One of my favorite episodes this year, it's written by Sara Cooper and has Magnus and Will [Robin Dunne] playing out the possibility that Ashley could have survived, but in the end, coming to the realization that she is, in fact, gone. "When I initially showed the ending of this episode to a few people there wasn't a dry eye, and there are two reasons for that. One being that there's an actual memorial service for Ashley, and then there's a little bit of a ghostly visit where Magnus has a vision of her daughter and they say goodbye. Also, there was a woman named Nora O'Brien who worked for both Syfy and NBC and who died suddenly. She was very close friends with a lot of us here at Sanctuary, so Martin, Amanda and I came up with the idea of dedicating a story to her this season, and we all agreed that Eulogy would be the perfect one. "This is one of those episodes where I believe Sanctuary is at its finest because it deals with the characters in such a human way. The thing is, it's cool to have a very structured plot, a clever plot twist or high-concept idea, but if it doesn't service the characters, then it's not going to feel like a Sanctuary. It's going to feel like a CSI only with monsters. There are moments in this story between Will and Magnus where you expect things to get overwrought, but, instead, they become quite realistic. Eulogy also features a really neat hunt for an escaped Abnormal. So it's fun, too, and it serves to sort of reset the series if you will. "I've just written an episode called Next Tuesday where Magnus and Will are stuck in the central well of a decommissioned oil rig. They've been trying to transport a sea monster to the Sanctuary, but their helicopter becomes tangled up in the guide wires hanging above the well and this creature escapes. And to make matters worse, there's a second monster, too. We shot the episode on this cool set where we got to spend some time with Magnus and Will. I wanted to give you a chance to watch these two people bickering about their lives. Yes, there's a monster and how are our heroes going to get out of there, but more important is the question of what happens when you spend 30 or 40 minutes of almost real time with your two leads talking to each other as people. Our goal was to have an ongoing personal conflict between Magnus and Will and watch that get resolved while being sure we told a cool monster story." As if Ashley's death is not enough to deal with, the dynamic between our characters is further turned upside-down in season two of Sanctuary with the introduction of a new character, con artist Kate Freelander (Agam Darshi). "I'm going to totally mea culpa here and say that every show runner is like, 'I want a Han Solo on my series,' and that was our idea with Kate," admits Kindler. "There are obvious ways you can go with a character like this. You can make her tough, but there was something cool about making Kate a bit like Ferris Bueller, where she's working for the bad guys because that's who's paying her. Deep down, though, she's really a hero who has sort of been in denial and hiding for a while. All she needed was to find someone who she could trust. "Kate Freelander is an opportunistic freelance operative who has been working for the Cabal as well as other people. She knows about Abnormals, is very good at what she does, and crosses paths with our gang in part one of End of Nights when she kind of mucks things up for our heroes. Basically we're trying to get to an Abornmal before the Cabal does, but Kate spirits him way before we can do that. There's a big car chase - they used my car, by the way, and drove the heck out of it - where Kate is eventually caught and interrogated by Magnus. There's a very kind of gripping scene where Helen is pretty out of control when it comes to dealing with her. Kate manages to escape, but she eventually ends up at the Sanctuary, a bit out of an attraction for what they are doing, but mainly out of desperation because the Cabal has put a hit out on her. "She's somewhat reluctant at first to help Magnus, but slowly becomes more cooperative," continues the executive producer. "Kate is sort of the person in the middle and you can't quite trust her. She's an opportunist who has a very selfish way of working, but she's changing. Kate is inspired by our heroes, but she has a different style, and that's important when it comes to our storytelling. She thinks outside the box. Where we might take a very scientific, academic or particularly structured approach to a problem, she'll be like, 'Why not just call this guy. He has what we need. Who cares where it came from.' Kate gets stuff done, and I like that because it shakes up some of the pomp and circumstance of our story, making it a bit more streetwise and fun as well. "We had auditioned Agam Darshi for roles in the past and had always been impressed with her work. She's a great actress who brings a lighter, edgy, interesting, mischievous tone to a lot of the stories that we're doing. At any given moment, Kate could potentially steal something for money and then turn around to Magnus and the others and say, 'But I never saw it.' Again, though, she slowly begins to realize the value of the work that the Sanctuary team does." Kindler chuckles when asked to talk about some of the more memorable episodes from season two of Sanctuary. "More memorable than hanging a real helicopter over a pool of water?" he asks with a smile. "Well, our season opener has something like 400 VFX [visual effects] shots, and Eulogy is beautifully done and well-directed. Episode four, Hero, is, I think, the first openly amusing episode of Sanctuary that we've ever done. Anyone who is a fan of comic book heroes will love this one. I'm guessing it will be a fan favorite; I know it's one of ours this year and it guest-stars Chris Gauthier [Vincent] from Eureka, who is a wonderful actor. It has some really good monsters in it as well as some funny, rather poignant beats, and overall is just a good, back to basics fun romp. "Episode five [Pavor Nocturnus] is an unbelievably unique experience. It's what looks like an alternate future gone to hell. Magnus wakes up in the Sanctuary and it has literally been abandoned for years and years, and the outside world is in such disarray. The story is dark and strange and has elements in it that are very disturbing. There's an interrogation/torture scene that some people will watch through their fingers. Fragments is a neat episode, too. It's a strong Henry [Ryan Robbins] story that was directed by Steve Adelson, who did Instinct last year. "The episode we're currently filming [early June], Veritas, which was written by Alan McCullough, is wonderful and Amanda is directing it so well. She's an incredible director, and that's beyond just delivering cool visuals and amazing performances. Production-wise, Amanda is bringing this story in under-budget and early, which is very difficult to do on our limited budget. "Like I said, I'm so happy with how things are going this season. Again, the show has found its groove, and it really had to because it's been paired with Stargate Universe. So Sanctuary can't sort of just keep bubbling its way upward. It had to find its legs and run, so the pressure is on for season two, and so far so good." Launching Sanctuary's original two-our pilot on the Internet was a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with the show, and then bringing it to TV was yet another major creative hurdle surmounted. It has proven to be a great deal of work, but you will not hear anyone complaining. "We're all exactly where we want to be, doing exactly what we want with exactly the people we want to be doing it with," says Kindler. "As sugary sweet as that sounds, though, the truth is there's nothing better than appreciating what you have. It's been such an amazing, crazy train ride getting her, and there were so many moments where it should have gone off the rails and crashed into the river, but it didn't. "Every time there's a problem, like, oh, boy, here's another late night at the office, or, here's another weekend I have to spend writing, or whatever, you realize what enormously high class 'problems' these are. This is what we want to do. We don't have any big plans for global domination...yet," jokes the executive producer, "but if the series could just keep building upon its fan base that would be great. That's all we ask." Steve Eramo As noted above, photo is courtesy of Damian Kindler, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sanctuary ' s Agam Darshi - Beneath The Surface

[caption id="attachment_3826" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Agam Darshi as Sanctuary newbie Kate Freelander. Photo copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions/Jeff Weddell"][/caption] First impressions, you either love 'em or hate 'em. Sometimes they're good, other times not so good. Kate Freelander knows that only too well. This young and beautiful con artist hardly endears herself to Dr. Helen Magnus and her colleagues when she first crosses their paths. In fact, Kate quickly discovers just how far Helen is prepared to go when she wants information, especially if it has to do with someone she cares a great deal about. Surprisingly, Kate is able to turn things around in her favor when it comes to relationships with our heroes on Sanctuary. That is a big step for this newcomer to Dr. Magnus' world, as actress Agam Darshi, who plays Kate, explains. "First of all, Kate is an amazing character," says a smiling Darshi, taking a break in-between shooting scenes for the season two episode Veritas. "I really enjoy her just because she is so complex. Kate comes across as really tough and sort of a smart-ass, and it's not crystal clear whose side she's on. Does she work for the Cabal? Does she work for the Sanctuary? You're not quite sure, but as this season progresses, we start seeing this vulnerable side of her. You don't see that very often, but when you do, I love those scenes because that's when my character really starts connecting with people. "So she's slowly developing relationships with people around her, and each relationship is very different from the other. For example, things with Kate and Henry Foss [Ryan Robbins] are somewhat lighter in tone, but with her and Will Zimmerman [Robin Dunne] it's more cerebral because she wants to [mentally] challenge him and be taken seriously in the Sanctuary world. So the trickiest acting challenge for me this year has been figuring out how my character interacts with everyone while also revealing more of who this tough girl really is beneath the surface. "When I read the [audition] sides for Kate, I immediately connected with her. I knew just where she was coming from. I think the danger when playing a character like this is going too far and making her, again, too tough and serious. Kate is also very funny and has a softer side, so I'm trying to show all those aspects of her. I did that in the audition room and everyone seemed to really like what I did, and I'm hoping the audience will as well." [caption id="attachment_3827" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kate - tough, clever, opportunistic, but deep down also has a conscience. Photo by Sanctuary 2 Productions/Jeff Weddell "][/caption] In Sanctuary's two-part second season opener, End of Nights, Kate is working for the Cabal, a powerful and mysterious organization that is plotting the downfall of the global Sanctuary network. While en-route to deliver a "package" to her employers, she is intercepted by Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), Will and Henry. They believe Kate has information that can lead them to where the Cabal is holding Helen's daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup). After a high-speed car chase, Kate succeeds in making her delivery, but in the process is caught by the Sanctuary team and interrogated in a nearby warehouse. "I'm pretty sure we filmed that warehouse scene on my first day of work," recalls Darshi. "It was really cold and I was overwhelmed because it's such a big show. I mean, this is an amazing cast and there are also a lot of terrific behind-the-scenes people here who used to work on Stargate. So I was excited, but at the same time I felt like a deer in headlights. I had to try to balance my emotions and give myself confidence as well. Obviously, I understood this character, so I just went with my instincts and things worked out great. "I had never held a gun before coming onto Sanctuary and I had to fire one in this episode, so I practiced on a gun range beforehand just to get the hang of it. The physical stuff that Kate does has been something else I've had to get used to, but I like to go to the gym and do all sorts of tomboy stuff, so that's been a positive challenge for me. We did a ton of green screen work, too, in End of Nights and have since then. This is my first time working so extensively with green screen and it feels a lot like doing theater, which is where I started out. It's just you and the other person and it gives you the chance to really connect and use your imagination." During the climax of End of Nights - Part 2, Kate runs some interference when Ashley, who has been turned into a super-Abnormal by the Cabal, tries to kill Helen. With the Cabal hunting for her, Kate needs a safe haven and ends up staying at the Sanctuary. When, in the following episode, Eulogy, Helen and Will focus on trying to find Ashley, Kate gives Henry a hand trying to find a runaway Stenopelabilis. [caption id="attachment_3828" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Henry (Ryan Robbins) reluctantly accepts Kate's help in "Eulogy." Photo copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions/Jeff Weddell"][/caption] "There's this fantastic B-story where Henry and Kate are trying to find this Abnormal that's just been born and is growing at an incredibly fast rate," explains Darshi. "In one of the scenes, my character is by herself in one of the Sanctuary labs and looking at these tusks on an Abnormal who she thinks is dead. The tusks are worth a lot and Kate is always looking for things like that so she can sell them on the black market. All of a sudden, I'm blasted by a bunch of goo and this little baby Abnormal pops out of the mother Abnormal's stomach. My character then has to crawl around on the floor looking for this little creature. It was fantastic because I felt so in the moment," enthuses the actress. "When you have a scene like that, you can't think about it, you just have to react. "We dealt with a lot of goo in this episode, along with a lot of rolling around and French fries. It's a long story," she says with a laugh," but I would go home at the end of the day with French fries literally stuck in my hair from all the goo. It was so much fun." Despite initially being at odds, Helen seems to think that Kate is capable of turning over a new leaf, but she's going to have to earn everyones' trust. "There's a lovely scene between these two characters that takes place a few episodes into the season," notes Darshi. "Basically, Kate thinks that she's in trouble and is going to get kicked out of the Sanctuary because she sort of went behind Magnus' back. However, Magnus turns around and says to her, 'If you want to stay, I'll have Henry put your things in a more permanent part of the Sanctuary.' Who knows where that's going to lead? You don't know if Kate is actually going to stick around for long, but after that scene it looks promising. At least it was a chance to bring out a side of my character where she can express thanks, in her own way, to Magnus. She and Kate don't have a lot of scenes together, and this is one of the sweeter ones between them. It says a great deal about what Kate wants and how Helen feels about her." Having graduated with a major in visual arts and photography from the University of Calgary, Darshi once considered pursuing a career in photography. However, one of her teachers suggested that she should get an agent and give acting a try, so she did. [caption id="attachment_3829" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Uneasy allies - Kate and Bigfoot (Christopher Heyderdahl). Photo copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions/Jeff Weddell"][/caption] "That was six years ago and I've been working ever since," says the actress. "I feel very lucky to be doing this because it's what I love. My first job was a recurring role on a TV show called Renegadepress.com. It was shot in Regina, Saskatoon, which I'd never been to before. I was pretty nervous, but it was one of those situations where it couldn't have been a better show for me. It was about young people in high school, so it was a very safe environment, and being my first gig ever I just tried to absorb whatever I could from the other people my age." Although she has only been in the business for a short time, Darshi has already amassed a long and impressive resume. Final Destination 3, Snakes on a Place, Deck the Halls, Watchmen and the upcoming 2012 are among her feature film credits. The actress has also appeared in several made-for-TV movies and done guest-spots on such series as Reaper, Kyle XY, The Dead Zone, The L Word and two episodes of Stargate Atlantis, including Suspicion, where she first worked with Sanctuary's Christopher Heyerdahl (John Druitt/Bigfoot). "I only had one or two lines in that episode and Christopher [Halling] happened to be in the same scene," says Darshi. "He's so kind and there were so many extras there and he was trying to explain the story to them so that they could react appropriately. I remember thinking to myself, 'Wow, you usually never see these big stars explaining anything to anyone.' But Christopher was so into it and really believed that these extras, who sometimes tend to be ignored, deserved a chance to know what was going on and feel part of the scene." When she is not in front of the camera, Darshi wastes no time when it comes to her craft. "I've written three short films and produced them as well," she says. "I find writing incredibly challenging, but I love it. Sometimes this industry can get a little crazy; sometimes you have work, sometimes you don't. So it's always really positive for me to feel like I'm putting energy into other creative outlets, and writing is one of them. It's something I'm relatively new at, though. I know I can write a good short story, but can I write a good feature? That's something I'm still playing with and learning about. [caption id="attachment_3830" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Come on, make my day! Photo copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions/Jeff Weddell"][/caption] "I've always been a very creative person and it's important for me not to slot myself into one compartment. I can't just be an actor. I feel better when I'm an all-around artist, whether it's writing, producing or even things like taking photographs or playing the guitar. It doesn't really matter. Whatever I happen to be doing at the time makes me feel so much better. And what's neat is that you learn from the different types of art. The skills you learn as a writer can help you as an actor, the skills you learn playing music can help you write, etc. That's why I like to do it all." Steve Eramo As noted above, all photos copyright of Sanctuary 2 Productions and Jeff Weddell, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!