Ep 14 - Izadora, I Adore Ya (interview with Emilie Leclerc)

On this episode we welcome a very special guest - the multi-talented actress Emilie Leclerc, who plays the fan favorite Izadora on Motherland: Fort Salem. We talk about her acting background, her time in the theater, and what it was like auditioning for MFS. We talk a lot about how she crafted the character of Izadora, and do some light theorizing about the nature of Mycellium. We also discuss her special training in the art of fire twirling, clowning, and more, before we answer some fan questions and then let Emilie turn the tables on us.

For real, though... could we love Emilie anymore? Give her a shoutout on Twitter @em_leclerc123

Emilie recommends you Necros out there take a listen to this Ted Talk by Paul Stamets entitled 6 Ways Mushrooms Will Save the World if you want to know more about the real life magical powers of mycellium networks.

As always, hit us up on Twitter and talk with us about the show! You can find us at @FSWitchingHour or @mad_typist and @DJaedyxe.  

Transcript

Episode 14: Izadora, I Adore Ya (Interview with Emilie Leclerc)

July 15, 2020

The episode begins with the title theme of Motherland Fort Salem. Podcast begins at 0:26.

Jessie:         Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Fort Salem: Witching Hour podcast. This is a fan-run podcast all about the amazing show Motherland: Fort Salem, airing on Hulu and Freeform. I am your trusty host Jessie, and with me - as always - is the excellent DJ. Hello!

DJ:        Hello!

Jessie:        DJ, you and I could not be more excited for today's show, I think. I actually had nerves all day long trying to prep for this. [Laughs].

DJ:        I think mine have been building up over the course of the week. 

Jessie:        Yes, and our fans have been going crazy. There’s a lot of anticipation for today’s show, so without further ado, I want to welcome to the show the amazing Emilie Leclerc. Hello Emily!

Emilie:        [Excitedly]  Hello! Thank you so much for having me.

Jessie:        Thank you for joining us! You mentioned this is your first ever podcast, so wefeel very honored.

Emilie:     Yeah, this is my first ever podcast! I’m really happy to be breaking the ice with you. 

Jessie:        Yes, excellent. Amazing! Well if you listen to this show, you’re probably familiar with Emilie’s work. She is better known as the character Izadora on the show, the amazing Necro teacher. But Emilie, as we were getting ready to prep for the show, is actually so amazing as an actor; she does so many more things other than just the show. So, it was actually really nice prepping for the show, getting to know some of your other other work, Emilie. We’d love to hear about some of that as we go as well. 

Jessie [Cont.]    So I’m going to read your bio real quick, which you provided to us and then we’re gonna get into all of the questions we have, ‘cause we have so many questions.

Emilie:        Okay, perfect!

Jessie:        Alright! Emilie Leclerc is from a small town in Quebec, Canada. She spent her early adult life backpacking the world, volunteering for NGO’s in rural Panama and El Salvador, and completing a B.A. at McGill University in International Development Studies and English. 

She graduated from Studio 58’s prestigious acting training program in 2008, and quickly became an active member of the Vancouver theatre community. Her work as a theatre co-creator and actor brought her to multiple stages across Canada, France, Australia, and South Africa. 

A Jessie Award recipient- I like that there’s an award named after me, by the way- she works professionally in both English and French.

So, I couldn’t think of a better person to win an award named after me, so there you go! Welcome to the show, officially. [Laughs]

Emilie:     Thank you so much! [Laughs]

Jessie:        Well, DJ is gonna kick us off here, and we’ve got a whole bunch of questions about your career and the show. Our fans submitted a bunch of questions, so if you’ll indulge us, we’ll get right into it.

Emilie:        Perfect, let’s do it!

DJ:        It was actually kind of fun when I was going through your resume, because I did theatre in high school and college, and the first one that I performed in, as a choir member, was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Emilie:     Oh, fun!

DJ:        It was my sophomore year, if I remember correctly. So it was really fun going through there. I’d also been in Guys and Dolls too, which was also super fun. So what kind of first drew you to theater and acting in general?

Emilie:        I think I started making plays in my parent’s basement when I was like, six or seven years old? From a very early age, I remember my sister was playing piano at the time, which is something I picked up later. Whenever we would have guests over, we would go in the basement- all the kids- and we would paint our faces, put on funny hats, and I would almost like, direct people what to do. I really wanted to make people laugh. That started from a really young age.

I’m from a small town, so the first chance I had to be in a play was at the age of 15, in high school. At that point, I had picked up classical piano, and I felt very restricted to be in front of an audience behind an instrument. I had such freedom being on stage with just my body, and trying to make people laugh. When you’re in a play, you’re always part of a team. It becomes kind of like a second family. That really drew me into theatre and acting in general.

DJ:        I can definitely agree with that. When I was in high school, it was all the same theatre kids. We really became a little bit of a family, which was needed during that time period.

Emilie:        I wasn’t the sporty-type, or I wasn’t the pretty/super-popular-girl-type, so the theatre department was really a place for me where I could be my nerdy self, and have fun and experience being part of a team where I felt like I belonged to. 

DJ:        Awesome. So, going through your resume-

Emilie:        [Interrupting, laughing] I’m kind of nervous where you found this resume, ‘cause I feel like I haven’t updated- 

DJ & Jessie:     It’s on your website!

Emilie:     [Laughing] It needs an update! It’s a couple of years old. 

DJ:        Oh, so there’s more!

Emilie:     Yeah, there’s more plays. 

DJ:        So, kind of going off of that, what was the first [play] you ever acted in? You said you started at 15, officially?

Emilie:        Yeah! It was actually Romeo & Juliet, you know, classic. And I was Juliet’s mom, so Lady Capulet. Somehow, because I’ve always been this lengthy, tall person, I got cast really early on playing the status or the “mom” roles. Even from that age.

But my first play, professionally, was in 2011. I was a lead in a play called Problem Child by George F. Walker. I played Denise, who is the young mom whose two-year-old daughter has just been taken away by child services. She is in this dodgy hotel with her boyfriend, waiting to meet the social worker, in hopes of convincing [her] to give her daughter back. 

That was the biggest character I played right out of professional theatre school.

Jessie:        That’s ironic that you got in for comedy, and that does not sound very funny as a role.

Emilie:        I’m hoping to develop that skill, but somehow I just do better at serious stuff I like to think that I’m funny- I even did clowning school  [laughter]- but I don’t think that was a super big success. Somehow, I’m really better at being in grounded and dramatic parts. But I’m hoping to expand my skills for TV into the comedic realm at some point. 

Jessie:         That’s incredible. Well, I noticed on your resume you have a “skills” section. Which maybe needs updating now, but you did have fire twirling as one of your skills, and I have to know- what is the fire twirling about? Why do you know how to fire twirl, and have you ever used that professionally?

Emilie:     [laughing loudly] Okay, so this needs an update. This is part of my previous life. In my twenties, when I travelled the world, and backpacked, and worked for NGO’s, and completed my first degree, I learned how to do poi, which is from a Māori tradition, I think.

When you are backpacking on the east coast of Australia or Thailand- at that time anyways, because it has been a while- you learn how to manipulate poi balls, and you can buy them and light them on fire. It’s something I’ve done on beaches in Vietnam, or Thailand, or Australia, and I really liked the danger of being surrounded by fire, and the sound that it makes when you twirl those poi. I have never used it professionally, I will take it off my resume, but I have

Emilie [Con.]    I used it in a few shows though, where we needed some acrobatic tricks. I would use the ball ones. Not real fire, obviously, and I would just do a little stint of twirling. 

Jessie:        I feel like you should bring that back. Izadora could maybe show off some new fire spells. You could help the special effects department if you could just do the balls.

Emilie:        I think so! I still have them, so hopefully Eliot will listen to this and it will give him some ideas. [Laughing].

Jessie:        If you’re out there, Eliot, I am pro-fireball. I think the community would be very into some fire spells from Izadora. It’s a multi-talented character. I think you’ve done like everything on the show so far, so why not get into the fire twirling?

Emilie:        Yeah, I do feel that way with Izadora. I’ve been lucky to go through a whole bunch of scenes and scenarios, which has been a real gift.

DJ:        You mentioned about wanting to break into the comedic side of TV a bit more, but when you were adapting from acting on a stage, what are some of the things that you were able to adapt from the stage for TV? And what are some of the things you were able to take from TV to stage?

Emilie:        Well, I feel like acting is acting. So all the work that goes into analyzing your script, your relationship to space, your relationship to others, your relationship to your story as a character, your role in this overarching story that we’re  telling as a group- I think all these things are the same. I think there’s two main differences. The stage, obviously, is a bigger space. People are not seeing just your face, you know, in a huge close up. 

Sometimes you have the liberty of being a little bit bigger with your facial expressions. You can be a bit more embodied, I think. Which is something that I had to work on before TV, because a lot more stillness is involved. Standing on your mark, making it look natural.

Even vocally, I think. You know, if you’re on a stage in front of 500 people, it’s not the same as how quiet you can be on TV when you have a mic that’s right there, and the screen is so big in your face.

Emilie [Con.]:    The second thing is like, when you work on a play, you know the end of the play. You know what’s going to happen to your character. You can make decisions along the way. I had been on one other TV show previously, and it was quite a while ago and it was small.

To be involved with Motherland has been a real gift, and also you’re learning that you don’t really know what’s gonna come, or what part you’re gonna play in the next episode, because you’re not in the creators head. You don’t know what your arc is, so that’s different. You just have to be willing and ready to play, and know your character so well that you can be thrown in any situation and it’s gonna make sense.

Jessie:        Probably a good place to segway. Even if your resume is out of date, you have extensive theatre experience, but not as much TV, so you’re getting into that now. I’m so curious about how the sausage gets made of television, so what was the casting process like for the role? What drew you to the role, and what information did you have going in? You hear a lot of people come in and do an audition on a “fake” scene, so they’re not quite sure what they’re getting into and then they arrive and it’s different. I’d love to hear how you sort of ended up playing Izadora.

Emilie:        Yeah, of course! I mean I can talk a lot about the casting process. If I’m giving too much details, tell me it’s enough.

Jessie & DJ:    [Assure her it’s totally fine.]

Emilie:        It was a regular casting process for TV in the sense that a casting director will send a call, and then agents submit. Casting directors probably receive all the way to 500 submissions for one part. From your pictures and your resume, depending on what they have in mind for the character, they select maybe 30 people, and those 30 people are invited to audition. Already, to have an audition, you have to have success in this process.

Interestingly enough, this was my third audition for Motherland. I had auditioned for the role of Barryessa previously. The audition went well, but I just wasn’t a fit. I love that they decided to go with Jill. I think she’s doing an amazing job. 

My second audition for Motherland was the aquafit teacher, in I think episode 2 or 3, when the Spree freezes the pool. It was just a one-liner audition and it had gone so poorly. I had forgotten my line! I was so happy to get a call to audition for Izadora because I thought for sure this casting director is never gonna call me back because I did really poorly on the one-liner. But she’s so kind and was gracious enough to call me back for Izadora. 

When you get an audition, you usually only have one day to prepare. If you’re lucky, you have 48 hours. I had to prepare both scenes with Porter, so the teaching scene where I’m preparing his body, and the small interview scene when he’s being resurrected.

I was so grateful to have the chance for this casting director again after having done so poorly the week before that I gave it my all. I prepared well, but also, once I got to the audition, I had this centered, laissez-fare, what-has-to-happen-will-happen-will-happen attitude, which is what I think we need in this acting world. Trust the prep, and then be free in the moment. I felt very good in the audition- like it was magical. I felt like I could see the bird, I felt all my senses were so on. I felt really, really happy to the point where I got out of that room and I thought, “Even if I don’t get it, I really did my job here and I feel very good about it.”

It took maybe a week? And then my agent was like “you’re on hold.” That means you’re getting approved by the producers or the network. They might put one, two, or three actresses on hold at that point, and if you get the part, then you get the part and the dream starts!

It was really interesting to work on Motherland as a new series. Izadora arrives in episode 4, but I had no idea- you know, you only get your scenes and a little character description. What I remember from the description was that she was a powerful witch, she’s a Necro teacher, and she has a maternal force. Those are the three things that were used to describe Izadora. From there, I decided to make choices that I thought would make sense.

Jessie:        That’s amazing! Actually, as it turns out, flubbing that one line was probably the best thing that could’ve happened, because I can’t imagine anyone else playing Izadora. It’s such a perfect fit for you, and that character is such an interesting character. 

Emilie:        Yeah, I think everything happens for a reason, and I got really lucky there for sure. I’m really grateful to this casting director for giving me a chance to come back!

Jessie:        As the season evolved, how did your understanding of Izadora change? Even the word “necro,” were you plugged into what that meant? You were probably like “Well, it’s something to do with the dead,” but did you have a sense of the magic society and everything going in, or did you get to set and sort of pick up-

Emilie:        Yeah! I hadn’t read episode 1, 2, and 3. I remember my first day on set I was quite nervous. I hadn’t been on set for five years, and this was a big scene, teaching the Necro students. There were a lot of people involved and it was a big set- I think we were upwards of two hundred people that day. I remember meeting Amalia and just like, loving her, and asking her questions so she could help me with the scene. The person who wrote that episode was on set that day and gave me a few hints, and so did the director.

To answer your question, I researched necro on my own. I didn’t meet Eliot until later on that summer. I just had to make my own choices. Working in that space with the amazing work of everyone who made that space so real- like the props department bringing me a very intricate water bottle to spray the water on Porter’s eyes. The tremendous work that goes into all of the other departments that we maybe don’t think about when we see an image really just made it come to life for me.

And working with a bird! How many people get to do that?

Jessie:        It’s a pretty crazy scene! I remember watching the episode being like “What’s happening? Oh my god!” It was really good special effects, however they did that. It looked incredible!

Emilie:        I know, right?

Jessie:        It went down the throat! Like, how did they do that?

Emilie:        So, we had two cages. We had a cage with a real bird, and a cage with a fake bird. There’s a person who’s there just for that prop. We would do a wide take where the bird is alive, and other takes where it was the fake bird. At the end, there’s a special effect person that comes on set and uses a 360-degree ball

Emilie [Con.]    made of [what looks like] mirrors. They shoot the trajectory of the bird with that ball, and then go into special effects and replace the image. I’m talking like I know anything about this. [Laughs.]

I don’t know anything, I’m just reporting what I saw. That 360-degree  mirror-thing is something they can go back and edit.

DJ:        From the entire season, what was your favorite scene?

Emilie:        That’s a tough question. I have two. 

DJ:        We’re fine with two!

Emilie:        I can have two? Great. I really appreciated the one-on-one scene with Raelle when I tell her that Scylla’s dead. Taylor is an amazing actress and I felt like there was unspoken communication and strength uniting us. I felt deeply connected to her in that scene, and I think it shows when I watched the footage. Even though Izadora is lying to her, she’s a compassionate person and is very empathetic. It was hard to have to lie to her knowing how much it would hurt.

My second scene is the linking lesson! That was my favorite day on set. It happened at a moment in the season where I had already shot episode 4 and 6, so I was a bit more relaxed. People start recognizing you and you feel a little more at ease. The nerves of being back on set were gone, so I was just really present. It’s thrilling!

 I got to work with special effects. There were people there just for the blood, and I got to work with a stunt coordinator for the knife. It was also my first and only scene working with the full trio! Other than Libba’s funeral, it’s the only scene where I get to interact with Tally and Abigail. It was really great to be able to be on set with everyone.

I know it’s controversial, because Izadora’s so kind and then she’s slitting someone’s throat, but she made her point. Linking is very important. Nobody in that class is going to forget about it.

DJ:        They’re also never going to volunteer again.

Emilie:        Yes, perhaps. But, you know- [laughs.]

Jessie:        What was your reaction when you got the script? 

Emilie:        I think I was shooting episode 6 when I got the scene for episode 7. I only pre-read for twenty minutes while having my lunch break, because I was shooting episode 6, and we were going in to read for network for episode 7 in the afternoon. We usually take like one hour- from like 2-3 on a Friday afternoon- and then the episode starts shooting on a Monday. I was like, “Oh, that’s great! I’m gonna be in this episode.” 

And then I’m flipping through it and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, what’s happening?!” You know? I’m trying to have lunch and then I was like “I can’t eat! What’s happening to Izadora?” But it’s so great that I get to experience all of these different facets of her.

Jessie:        The scene you were mentioning in episode 6, with Taylor, I think what you felt watching it was how we felt as an audience member. That’s where I felt like I really noticed Izadora for the first time, because you are so dynamic in that scene. At the end where you come in, complicit in torturing Scylla, I was like “Oh, that bitch!” I was so upset!

Emilie & DJ:    [Laugh.]

Jessie:        I knew Anacostia was in on it, but Izadora had been so kind to Raelle that you totally had me fooled. My mind was blown when Izadora strolled in at the end   of episode six.

Emilie:        I think Izadora is very aware of rank, and she is really devoted to the army. It doesn’t change the fact that she is a very kindhearted and empathetic person. even though she has to do things sometimes that she doesn’t feel like doing. Like we saw in episode 8, in the war room. Or when she brings up the box- the Camarilla vocal cords- to Alder. She’s really aware of her rank, but she has a kindness to her. Which I think is important, because other characters in this army world don’t all have that.

DJ:        Speaking to that kindness that Izadora has, what are some things that you

would like your character to develop, if we are so lucky, for next season? What

are some things you’d like to explore with her?

Emilie:        Well, I am very curious to what’s going to happen to my mycelium experiment.

I think there’s great potential there. I love seeing Izadora in relationship to the

cadets and her Necro students. On the other hand, I would love to be in the

battlefield!

DJ:        Because Necro is so unknown, there’s so much we don’t know about it. We’re

creating all these headcanons. Being able to see what they have designed on

how a Necro does perform in battle- or adjacent to it- would be amazing.

Emilie:     Yeah! This is just a crazy dream of mine, but I would really love that. Or to be

able to see Izadora’s past. We see she has intuition in episode 6, when she

goes for the mark on the body. She’s not sleep induced like the rest of the

students were by Raelle. She’s an extremely powerful witch, and I’d love to see

her in action a little bit. I’m curious what that means.

Jessie:        Have you started slipping Eliot notes like, “Hey, it’d be cool if…”

Emilie:        I know nothing about season two. I have absolutely no idea. It’s not even like,

“Emilie, you can’t give spoilers.” I. Have. No. Idea. What’s going to happen.

DJ:        They’re all in his head in the writer’s room.

Emilie:        Yeah! And I have to say, I really think he’s a genius for having created such an

intricate and interesting world.  Whatever he decides to do, I trust him.

Jessie:        Like you said, you joined the show in episode 4, so you hadn’t seen the other

episodes. Did you go back and watch the whole season from a fan’s

perspective? Did you watch all the episodes?

Emilie:        Yeah, I did! I wanted to see them. It was so interesting for me to discover,

because I had no idea up to episode 4. And even though I was in it, we only

shot two days for my scenes, so I had no idea what would be happening or

what locations they’d choose.

I was so happily surprised! I really think this is a stunning show from a visual

perspective. All of the outdoor scenes, and the greens, and direction of

photography is quite mesmerizing. 

Jessie:        Were there any surprises? There were whole other side arcs you weren’t in at

all, so you may or may not have seen them on set. When you were watching as

a fan, what caught you by surprise?

Emilie:        From episode 4 onwards, I read them all. So I kind of knew where we were

going, but it was always a surprise. How they did the dungeon scene, Raelle

and Scylla’s reunion, the beach scene, and the whole helicopter sequence. I

was like, “How are they gonna do that?” So many things where I had no idea

what it would end up looking like. It’s one thing to read it on paper, but to

experience it visually later on is a whole new world.

Jessie:        I think the finished product really speaks for itself. I think it’s why so many fans

are so passionate about the show. I’m not sure if you saw this on Twitter or

not, but we ran a poll and said “Who is your favorite secondary character in the

cast?” Overwhelmingly, our fans voted for you.

Emilie:        [Sweetly shocked.] Really?

Jessie:        I’m not lying! You were number one on top of all our polls, so many people

replied saying, “I loved Izadora, Izadora cutting that girl’s throat was amazing!”

there’s just this huge excitement about your character. Even with your limited screen time, you’ve made a huge impact. Have you been surprised about the reception of the show and the enthusiasm on social media, and the outpouring of support for Izadora from the fans?

Emilie:        Yeah! Obviously the listeners can’t see this, but this makes me super happy. It

warms my heart. It’s one thing in the theater world when you do a play and

experience people in real time with you. You kind of feel their vibe, they

applaud for you at the end. You go into the theater lobby and meet people and

maybe have a drink with them. There’s an exchange.

        That’s something that I’m experiencing on a whole different level with this TV

world. I’m feeling the love and the fans on Twitter and on Instagram. It’s very

overwhelming. I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m very grateful for it.

Jessie:        If the world ever gets back to normal, and it’s safe to be in spaces together, I

imagine if you went to a fan convention you’d have a lot of activity at your

booth. 

Emilie:        We could talk about Necro, we could talk about mushrooms. I mean, there are

so many things to unpack.

All:        [Laugh.]

Jessie:        Fans like giving gifts, and I’d bet you’d get a lot of mushroom themed gifts.

Emilie:        There we go. Well it’s a whole world, this mycelium. Wicca, and paganism, and

Mycelium research, and Necro. They’re all big subjects that I obviously have

started to study, but I just feel like I need years to keep expanding on these

subjects.

DJ:        Bringing up the research, and trying to combine all theses different aspects-

it’s a very unexplored topic in the show. I’m sure that’s done on purpose,

because fans are fiending for more information on that specialty. Did you,

either on your own or with fellow creators or castmates, create any

headcanons about what it means to be Necro?

Emilie:        I think being Necro means being fascinated by the cycle of life. I think death

and life is in this cycle. In this everyday world, I’m still discovering what that

means. There’s the resurrection aspect, the being able to communicate with

ancestors and ghosts of people who have passed, but beyond that I’m not

sure. Sorry, that’s a boring answer!

Jessie:         What’s one random fact that you learned in your research about mycelium?

tell us about mycelium. I gotta know.

Emilie:        There’s this really interesting person- I don’t know if Eliot is aware of him- but

his name is Paul Stamets. He has this Ted Talk on YouTube that is like, “Six

Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World.” Mycelium is super interesting, because    it can hold water, it can be an antibiotic, it can absorb radiation. He did an experiment where mycelium absorbed oil, and from there a beautiful mushroom emerged. After the decomposition process was completed, life started reemerging. 

Mycelium is extremely powerful. In one cubic inch of soil, you can have 8,000 miles of mycelium- I think that’s what it is. So it’s just a very powerful organism. It feeds plants and trees, and it’s how they communicate.  We call it “Mother Earth’s Internet.”

Emilie [Con.]:    Eliot, in one of his “After the Storm” videos said that Fort Salem sits close to a

large patch of this mycelium organism. I think it’s very exciting. I think there’s a

direct connection between being a Necro and wanting to investigate life and

death. I feel like this is part of the whole cycle. Did I answer the question?

Jessie:        Yes, you surpassed my expectations. That’s an incredible fact. 

Emilie:        Watch the YouTube video of Paul Stamets, who talks about the six ways

mycelium can save the Earth. It’s fantastic. In this alternate Motherland

universe, who knows? Maybe mycelium will save the Earth!

Jessie:        It’s my working theory that it at least saved Raelle and Abigail at the end,

whatever that was. I assumed that was the mycelium doing it’s thing.

Emilie:        I’m crossing my fingers. 

Jessie:        Alright, cool! A lot of folks sent in questions, so we’re gonna read of some

questions now from the fans. Our first one comes from @majesdane,

otherwise known as Raylla Rights. 

She said, I’d be curious to know who she hopes Izadora gets to share more or new scenes with. And then- there’s a couple of parts to this question. Who would you like to play if it wasn’t Izadora? She also wants to know if you ship Raylla.

Izadora:    [Laughs.] I don’t really have any one-on-one scenes with Scylla. I think that’s

something I’d like to explore. What was their relationship? Obviously, if we ever

see that in season 2, it would be informed by all the stuff that’s happened since.

        Being on set with Alder and her biddies- being in the presence of these seven

matriarchs- is extremely powerful. They are like Alder’s tentacles, you know

what I mean? They are wonderful humans. I would like to be in more scenes with Alder and the biddies. [Laughs.]

Jessie:        There’s a new biddy now, too. And you haven’t had scenes with her either.

Emilie:        Right! I’m super excited for this new relationship with Tally as a biddy, and how

it will influence the whole power structure and Alder. That would be my

Emilie [Con.]:    answer, I guess-

Jessie:        Yeah, that’s perfect.

Emilie:        If I wasn’t playing Izadora… well, I really like Anacostia.

Jessie:        It’s a quality role. Demetria is so good in that.

Emilie:        She’s so fantastic! I would never want to take her- let’s just say I want some

more scenes with her.

Jessie:        There’s some decent Anacostia/Izadora shippers as well, so I mean they’ll be

happy to hear that.

Emilie:        There we go! Oh yeah. [Laughs.]

Jessie:        This next question is from Sofia, @sofiaares97. And they said, How did you

prepare for the role of Izadora? Did Eliot talk about Necromancy with you, or

did you do that research yourself? You’ve answered some of this a little bit, so

maybe, at some point, have you sat down with Eliot to talk about Necromancy

or Izadora as a character?

Emilie:        Not much! I think there’s a difference between the six leads. Because they’re

involved from the beginning and they’re way more present, I think there’s

more decisions being discussed. When you’re a secondary character, unless

you have questions, you do what you think is right. I had the chance to chat

with Eliot towards the end, which was lovely. But we didn’t talk about

Necromancy in particular.

Jessie:        I’m curious, you mentioned you talked to Amalia to get a little bit of info about

what she’s thinking. Do you sit around with some of the other characters who

are doing magic and try to compare notes? Like, “I think magic kind of looks like this, what’s your read on it?” Or do you just kind of wing it?

Emilie:        Yeah, I totally did! Instead of bothering the cast, who sometimes need to be in

their headspace or are learning lines- you know, everyone has a routine that

you need to be aware of and respect. I just started chatting with the sound people, or the wranglers, or the third AD, or whatever. And just asking, for example, when I communicated in the war room in episode 8, what’s that head

Emilie [Con.]:    tilt? Just to try to quiz people. And people were so nice on this set. It was a

dream come true of a job. Everybody was so kind! From the food truck people,

to the makeup artists, the sound people, and the grip- everyone was so helpful

that after a few days, I worked up the courage to ask my questions, and

everyone was super kind.

Jessie:        It must be interesting to be on such a female-centered show. There’s so much

female energy. It’s like an inverse Bechdel test; it’s all women talking about

everything but men.

Emilie:        It was beautiful! It was mostly female, but like, no drama. No drama queens.

Everybody working together telling a story that we care about, right? It was

just so lovely. I remember working with Demetria. Working with Lyne Renee, I

was a bit intimidated in the beginning. I was like, “Oh my god, she’s such an

amazing actress.” Such a big deal. And they were the kindest people ever.

They’re so wonderful and helpful. It was highly inspiring, I have to say.

Jessie:        I went to a women’s college, so I feel you. DJ, you’ve been talking with Doc a

bunch on Discord. Do you want to read her question? I’m gonna yield the floor

so you can read her question.

DJ:        So this is from Hey, Doc @whythefrostnot. The first part is, Izadora is one of

my favorite characters. You gave her such a mysterious, intimidating,

sometimes terrifying, but alluring edge. How did you approach Izadora’s

character? Was there anything in particular you were channeling to create

her dynamic?

Emilie:        I think Izadora is a highly centered person. She is very strong, but somehow

grounded in the earth. She spends a lot of time alone, with her experiment, or

in the Fort Salem archives. I feel she’s got this introverted energy to her. 

I don’t think I was channeling anything specific to create her dynamic. It just

had to do with who she was. It comes back to Izadora being very

understanding of the structure of the military. So if she comes in a class, like

episode 7, she knows she has to be in charge of this space and these young

women. She doesn’t have any problem taking that space. 

Whereas if she’s in a scene of the biddies and Alder, she knows that she’s

below them. I just feel like she’s always conscientious of the space that she

Emilie [Con.]:    needs to occupy. Sometimes that means large, and sometimes that means

super little- alone in her lab dissecting a mushroom. She has no problem

molding to that. A bit like mycelium. [Laughs.]

I just think that she’s highly adaptable. She has no problem spending lots of

time alone, and she has no problem taking her space when she needs to.

DJ:        That is awesome. Kind of speaking to the mycelium part, the “MFSRI: Necro

Department” is now obsessed with mushrooms and their intimate connection

with death, to the point where people have bought little boxes of mushrooms

that they’re growing at home and eating.

If we could spend hours researching them in the Motherland universe, what

type of research do you imagine the Necros doing with the mycelium prior to 

Raelle touching it? What are their research goals. Also my own little add on:

what is that little thing that you pulled out of the mushroom.

Emilie:        I think the department should look into that Ted Talk I was talking about earlier.

I think the kind of things they’re looking at are like; what can emerge from it?

When is a mushroom actually growing? What can it absorb? Because we see

that it absorbed Khalida’s sickness. When I dissect the mushroom and pull out

a small, black heart, and go to attach it to the mycelium, we see that there’s

black webbing on it, which comes from Khalida. What can the mycelium

absorb, and what can it give is what’s interesting in this experiment. 

I think when someone touches the mycelium, there’s an interdependency that

happens. I think that’s something that Eliot explains in the “After the Storm.”

The mycelium gives that person some if it’s DNA, and the person gives the

mycelium some of their DNA.

    I think that the mushroom bursts, and inside is a tiny, black heart, still beating.

Barely. I don’t know, but I feel like that represents Raelle’s heart. Which has

been hurt, because of what’s happening with Scylla. 

DJ:        A little piece of DNA, basically.

Jessie:        That’s amazing!

Emilie:        It’s a black heart! A shriveled, small black heart. I wanna go attach it to the

mycelium, and I see that there’s black webbing. And I am not the one who

added that intruder into my experiment, so I’m trying to understand what’s

happening.

Jessie:        Incredible. So, our next question is @captain[unknown], from Tumblr. And

since you were talking about how Izadora is quite conscious of her place in the    hierarchy, do you know what Izadora’s rank is? Is she a general, a captain, a colonel- have they explained that to you yet? What’s your role within the Necro department? Are you the head, or just an important teacher?

Any fun insights or background info you came up with? It sounds like you have a really intimate understanding of Izadora as a character, so have you thought about her childhood or her time as a cadet, and how that might inform who she is?

Emilie:     Izadora’s rank is ever made clear in the first season. In the script, she’s not

Petra. Petra is a general, and it’s clear. Sergeant Quartermaine. Izadora is just

“Izadora” in the script. There’s no title attached to it. I feel like she’s probably

maybe a sergeant like Anacostia, but I don’t think that she’s higher than that,

personally. I’m not sure. It’s never been really clear where she stands. So, TBD.

And then the other question was about insights about her personal story. I

think we make decisions that make sense for us as actors. I’m gonna see if my

personal story makes sense as things unfold. I think that Izadora has probably

lost a younger sister or somebody she was really close to as part of her squad

when she was training. There’s a loss there that happened on a personal level

that makes her more empathetic to those young women who are going

through what they’re going through.

Jessie:        Cool! Our next question comes from Beebo in Salem, @lostlittlelamb on

Twitter. She wants to know if there were any cool props or tools in the Necro

building that you wanted to take home from set.

Emilie:        The little spray water bottle that I used to spray Porter. I don’t think I would

have taken it home, but it was very, very nice. The little teacup and the pot that

we used for episode 6 for the scene with Raelle was nice. There’s just a

beautiful environment created. My office was so warm and cozy. It was a

small, maybe 10-by-10 room. Just the two camera men and Taylor and I in this

Emilie [Con.]:    room, and everybody else had to sit outside because it was this really

contained space, and there was this little bit of smoke added on.

So yeah, so that. The teacup, the teapot, and the spray bottle. [Laughs.]

Jessie:        Very useful! DJ, do you want to read our last question from Anna?

DJ:        Yes! So Anna Nicole Pascual, @AnnaNicolePasc1 asked, In case of another

coup in the military between Petra and Alder, based on season 1, which side

would Izadora pick?

Emilie:        Oooooh… I don’t know where she would go! 

DJ:        She is so in tune with both sides. Helping Petra discover these witches were of

her line, but then also being so close and trusted by Alder.

Emilie:        I think she would choose whatever side seems right for her. Depending on

what she had discovered in her research. I think she stands for the truth. No

matter if she came to that conclusion dissecting bodies, or her mushroom

experiment, or going through the archives at Fort Salem. If she knows what

the truth is, then she’s going to go for either side. She’s very respectful of what

should be done. 

But, on the other hand, she does understand her rank. So I don’t know. I think

science first for Izadora.

Jessie:        I love that answer. That makes a lot of sense! I think Izadora is really

fascinating utility character. She can slot in an do these different roles, we’re

never really sure where her head’s at. I think it will be interesting to see the role Eliot has in mind for you for season 2. 

Alright, excellent! We have a few final questions. If you’re listening, Eliot, the fans want more Izadora. DJ?

DJ:        What are some things that you’ve been doing with everything going on? I know

in Canada, they’ve been pretty strict about social distancing. What have you

been trying to do to keep busy?

Emilie:        Well, I’m trying to stay happy. [Laughs.] I think that in itself is important. I’ve

been working on a lot of personal goals. I think I’ve been isolated since

mid-March. I feel like time is moving really slowly in the sense that I want to

get back to work, back to auditioning, and seeing more friends. On the other

hand, I feel like the days are flying by. In a good way.

Everyday, I have a physical practice where I either strength train, or go for a run

or bike ride. I’m also learning Mandarin, practicing my Spanish, and listening to

TV shows in Spanish. I have a friend in Mexico who I do a language exchange

with. 

I’m also reading a lot! I’m reading everyday; I educate myself about anti-racism

and what’s going on in the world. I go for walks, try to go for hikes when

possible. A lot of reading, a lot of cooking, and learning. I feel like an

elementary school student right now, where I break up my day in four or five

different time periods, where I give myself a goal for each of them. 

[Laughs.] That’s kind of what my life looks like.

DJ:        What are some of the things that you’re passionate about?

Emilie:        I’m always cared about social justice, with my background in international

studies. That’s kind of what drew me to that in the first place. I’m quite

disciplined in myself, both physically and spiritually, to try to be the best

version of me I can be. Just so I can have a positive impact on my community

and the world at large. I know it sounds like an umbrella term, but it means

keeping myself in check with my patterns, trying to be as healthy as I can, and

being open to differences.

I started dancing with an [unintelligible] group, and I did a summer solstice

medicine wheel celebration. I’m really grateful to be living on the [unintelligble]

Land of the [unintelligible] people here in Vancouver, so I’ve doing a university

of Alberta indigenous Canada course, where I’m learning about our history of

the first people of Canada. And discovering my own personal history in relation

to that. My settler’s ancestors, and how I also have a few indigenous ancestors

from far. That’s part of our history that has been taken away from us.

Jessie:        That’s a great answer to end on! I think we can wrap on our questions there.

We have one little thing at the end we call “Game Time,” and we thought we’d

Jessie [Con.]:    play a little game called “Turn the Tables,” where we put the mic in your hands,

and you ask questions for the fans. Like you said, you have this moment in the

theatre where you get instant feedback, but obviously with us it’s kind of a

lagging thing. So, if you have any in mind-

Emilie:        Okay! I’m curious what people think about what Izadora’s personal life looks

like. We don’t know that much. What do you think her background is?

Jessie:        Do you want to go first DJ, or should I?

DJ:        Some of the theories that I’ve helped put forth, or other people in the Necro

department have put forth are that Izadora was maybe part of Anacostia’s

unit when going through basic. Now that I think about it, were there any

Interactions on screen?

Emilie:        With Anacostia?

DJ:        Yeah!

Emilie:        Other than the torture scene with Scylla, I think that was my only scene with

Anacostia.

DJ:        Well, there we go. Based on their characteristics- the almost maternal feelings

you have for your students- you and Anacostia have a close friendship. You

both care about the unit and squads and whatnot. And, honestly, just being a

dedicated Necro practitioner. You mentioned Izadora is very connected to her

thoughts, her studies, and her connection to the earth. The main thing that she

wants to be able to share that.

Jessie:        I don’t really know why, but I think something in your performance makes me

think that Izadora is a survivor. She’s very pragmatic. She’s got some

objectives in mind, and she kind of does what she needs to do to continue

towards that objective. So it’s like, “I gotta cut a girl’s throat today, I’m gonna

cut a girl’s throat today.”

I think that she’s so versatile. Something about her past makes her adaptable,

so I think something has happened to make her sort of stay scrappy. I don’t

know if I have a headcanon yet as to what that was. I wonder if she has seen

combat. I think that would be an interesting thing if they wanted to explore

Jessie [Con.]:    that in season 2. She strikes me as someone who stays back in the lab and

does her experiments, but maybe isn’t doing a ton of fieldwork kind of

character. I could be wrong, but I think it could go either way.

DJ:        Some of the thoughts we’ve been putting out about fieldwork are expeditions

out into the wild with the Necro department, and living off the land for several

days. From Scylla’s scene in episode 2, when she has the mushroom come up    out of the dead bird, exploring what Necros connection is with death. 

As Izadora said, having a fresh body is a very rare thing. You would still have to figure out ways to explore your specialty with those field exercises.

Emilie:        You have great ideas! I have to say, I listened to two or three of your episodes

and I was like “Wow, they know so much about this world! They know just as

much as I do.” 

What has surprised you the most about Izadora in season one? And where do

you think season two is going?

Jessie:        I guess I’ll go first this time. What surprised me the most about Izadora was…

she was closer to the center of power than I expected. When you first meet

her, she’s kind of doing her CSI Necro business with the bird, and then all of a

sudden she’s showing up in the war room with like, the biggest general. I’m

like, “Oh, Alder trusts her! What’s this all about?” So I thought that was really

interesting.

I suspect [in season 2] the mycelium wall is gonna be really important. I’m

hoping Izadora’s character is gonna be tied into exploring what’s going on with

the wall. Maybe even having some scenes with Raelle and Abigail,

Because, like I said, I think that their witchbomb powers is tied to the

Mycelium.

I’d almost love to see her sort of Dr. Frankenstein, pushing the boundaries. “For

the science, I’m going do this morally questionable exercise.” To your point, she

does strike me as a truth-seeker. Someone who’s so excited about the end

result that she might push some boundaries that other people might be

uncomfortable with. I would love to see that dynamic, and I think it would

dovetail nicely with all of the shows other plots. I think that’s where the show

needs to go.

DJ:        Kind of to Jessie’s point, episode 4 placed Izadora as an instructor type. As we

started seeing more of her in episode 6 and 7 though, I don’t know why but for

some reason I had the feeling that Izadora was the Spree double agent.

Someone obviously came in and had to fix Scylla’s mess with Porter. Who

better to do that, than the Necro instructor? Maybe alter his memories, or

something to that effect. That was sort of where my thoughts had been, but

seeing her interaction with Raelle, given that she is kind of lying to her, being

able to communicate the care that Izadora still has for these circumstances. 

In my head, when Scylla was pretending she was Helen Graves, and saying

that she was the best Necro student in her year, I figured she would have a

close relationship with Izadora. For Izadora then having to lie to someone that

she feels her student is very close to, and still show that care to, just pulled the

heartstrings.

Emilie:        I love all of this.

Jessie:        I can see Scylla coming into play with Izadora. I do agree that she was probably

a star student when she was in class with Izadora. Now that Scylla’s out in the

world doing her thing with the Spree, I think that’s another place where they

might turn to a character like Izadora and say, “Tell us more about how this kid thinks, or where her head is at,” you know? She’d probably know her better than some of the other instructors. I’d love to see that.

DJ:        Honestly, just more Scylla and Izadora scenes.

Jessie:        Flashbacks, whatever. Like I said, we were so excited when you said yes to

being on the show, and I couldn’t think of a better first guest for us. Thank you

so much for taking the time! Your performance has had a major impact on the

fandom. You should be really proud of the work that you, the rest of the cast,

and the showrunners have done. There’s something really special in this show, and we’re all like, seven seasons and a movie, fingers crossed. [Laughs.]

Emilie:        Well, thank you! Thank you so much for your amazing work and dedication.

Thank you, also, to all the fans and the research Necro department. I’m just so

overwhelmed with all the love pouring in. It feels so nice to get all that support.

I just want to thank everyone for showing their love. All the Switches! [Laughs.]

Jessie:        Switches nation! Well, we’re excited to see what you get up to in season 2.

Thank you everybody out there in the fandom for listening! If you like the

show, we’re gonna Tweet a whole bunch of links about this. You should be

following Emilie on Twitter anyway, but if you’re not, we’ll Tweet her profile.

We’ll Tweet out a link to the YouTube talk, so you all have homework. Go watch

the Ted Talk about mycelium. 

    You can follow us on Twitter @FSWitchingHour. Give Emilie some love! Thank

you so much for being a guest again, we really appreciate it. We hope you all

have a terrific day out there in Fort Salem Nation, and we hope you enjoyed

this amazing hour plus with Emilie. Much gratitude.