Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Exclusive Interview: Lauren Cohan

Photobucket
Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester
and Lauren Cohan as Bela Talbot.
Photo courtesy of the CW.

We interrupt Margie and Edna's regularly scheduled foolishness to bring you the following special presentation.

Jane and Beth, as well as Margie and Edna, are huge fans of Supernatural on the CW. Therefore, we are honored to present this exclusive interview with Lauren Cohan (Bela Talbot) who was fantastic in Supernatural's third season.

Whether you loved Bela or hated her, Lauren is a beautiful, talented actress who played the role of Bela to perfection. We thank Lauren for taking the time to answer our questions and we wish her much continued success.


1. When did you realize you wanted to be an actress? Are there any other actors in your family?

This is a funny one to answer because I don’t recall ever deciding to pursue a career in acting. I did theatre originally because I liked creating; going to school for it then moving to London felt like a natural progression. I’ve had times where I stop and think about this whole crazy playground, but as long as it continues to be fun and fulfilling, I’ll continue to not question it.

2. From the moment Bela made her first appearance on Supernatural there was a definite chemistry between her and Dean. Was this as apparent to you and Jensen Ackles as it was to many viewers?

There was a funny recognition on set when Jensen and I had the shoot out at Bela’s apartment where he, myself and the crew laughed at the tension of the scene and the fun chemistry between Dean and Bela. It was a great start to those two characters’ relationship.

3.Were you surprised by some of the negative reactions fans had to Bela? Do you think some of that was caused by their perception that you might be a love interest for Dean?

I can’t say I was surprised. Learning what I had about the fandom of the show and the fact that there weren’t many female regulars before Katie (Cassidy) and I, it made sense that fans would be protective of Sam and Dean. It's like anything, throw something new in the mix and people get to debate and ascertain their viewpoints.

4. Have you heard about the Bela Talbot movement started by some of your fans to get Bela brought back to Supernatural? Would you return if asked?

I hadn’t until now, that’s very flattering! Of course I’d return if the opportunity arose, I had a great time being Bela.

5. You are an extraordinary actress and your portrayal of Bela is fascinating. Was Bela difficult to play? What did you most enjoy about the role?

Thank you so much. I’d say the most enticing part of Bela was being mischievous; it was also the most challenging. It's hard to be mean… it's fun to be bad.

6. I saw a lot of possibilities for Bela had she remained on the show. Did you ever think about the directions she could have taken? What would you have liked to have seen her do?

See a big bag of money and not take it.

7. How far ahead of time were you aware of Bela's backstory; that is, when did you find out about the demon deal, and what she'd endured as a child? Did it change how you felt about Bela?

I thought her backstory made for a chilling and believable layer to Bela’s character. Despite reading the script, the finished episode still seemed so new and revealing. I really enjoyed it.

8. What would be your dream role?

There are so many parts I am excited to play as my career progresses. The kooky social outsider, the non-conformist, the best friend, Juliet, Cordelia and, definitely one day, the action heroine.

9. What do you like to do in your spare time?

See my family, that is the most important. Otherwise, anything that involves bicycles, peaceful venues or the big wide open.

Do you have anything you would like to add?

I’d like to thank everyone for taking such an interest, in me and in the show. It’s been great to witness and be involved in these passionate debates over the last year. And for those of you that I’ve received mail from or met at a convention, thank you for all your kind words and encouragement!

You can see me in the first episode of the CW’s Valentine which should air in September.


*** Lauren also appears in the upcoming film "Float."***

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll miss her...I thought she was really good... :(

AmyV said...

Great interview; but I stopped reading when I came to a question that might spoil things for me, as I am still in Season 1. :-)

auntvonna said...

Great interview! I haven't seen Supernatural, but I've added to my netflix. WTG Margie and Edna (and Jane and Beth)!

gLoR!e said...

i honestly dont recognized them..im just a poor of celebrity:(

have a great day to both of u!:)

terocious said...

I used to believe there were monsters in the basement. Now I am sure of it. :-)

-Cousin T

HawgWyld said...

Very, very cool to get the chance to interview her. Impressive!

Visit The Natural State Hawg!

Anonymous said...

Lauren seems like a lovely and intelligent person and I hope she goes on to brighter and better things -- but let's face it, Bela as a character stank it up. She never fit into the canon of the show, and the fact that the writers continued to forcefully shoehorn her in anyways made it even worse. I chalk the failure of Bela up to the bad writing that permeated every layer of season 3.

Margie and Edna said...

Beth/Edna here. Everyone, thank you for coming and commenting on this interview. Miss Cohan was very gracious in consenting to be interviewed, and Jane and I consider ourselves lucky to have been able to present this to our readers.

I apologize in advance for the length of my comments. :)

taylor, I'll miss her on the show too; as an actress, she did justice to a what can best be called a difficult part.

Amyv, sorry about the spoilers! But come back and read once you're done with season 3. Oh, and definitely don't read any farther in these comments, there be spoilers ahead. ;)

auntvonna, you won't be sorry that you decided to give Supernatural a try, trust me. This is an awesome show.

glor!e, that's okay that you don't recognize these people. Supernatural is a popular show here in the United States, maybe it's not over there in the Philippines. But thank you anyway for coming to read and leaving a comment. :)

terocious, you are indeed right: themonster has taken up residence here in the basement, and I for one am very glad. ;)

Mr. The Hawg, we also thought it was very cool and impressive. Exciting, too.

anonymous, I agree that Lauren is indeed a lovely and intelligent person. Classy, too. However, I respectfully disagree with your comments about Bela. Granted, I am not a big Bela fan; I was willing to give her a chance in the beginning, but her main failing was that she never became likable as a character. By the time we were asked to feel sympathy for her (when her childhood molestation and subsequent demon deal were revealed), the negative aspects of her character had been too well established for the audience to embrace her. I strongly believe that had her childhood been revealed earlier than it was, Bela would have been much better received by the audience. Bela was a victim of timing, too; it didn't help that her story line was one that was truncated (and subsequently, poorly handled) due to the writer's strike. Finally, I have to disagree that every layer of season 3 was permeated by bad writing. (You do get extra points for using the word "permeated," though.) I will say that I don't think season 3 was the strongest season of SPN. Season 2 still holds that honor in my mind. However, season 3 had too many strong episodes to generalize that the whole season was a victim of bad writing. (Bad Day at Black Rock, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Mystery Spot, Jus in Bello, and Time is on my Side were among my favorites). The writers and production team were forced to make some difficult choices due to the writer's strike, and I'm willing to forgive them for some of the poorer choices they made. And I'm definitely sticking around for season 4. Are you? :)

Anonymous said...

OMG AWESOME INTERVIEW!! BTW do you know if lauren is in going to appear in some show / movie? Uncounting with float
*hugs*

Margie and Edna said...

leonor, thanks for visiting and for your comment. :) All we know about Lauren's upcoming work is what we reported: she's appearing in the movie "Float" and in the first episode of the CW's new show, "Valentine" (debuting 9-21-08). We'd suggest keeping an eye on Lauren's imdb.com entry for future work beyond that. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1659348/

Anonymous said...

Thanks girls =P

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

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