Orphan Black in the Media

[Haleth]

I was just talking to Paramitch about this elsewhere:  we've both watched BSG and are no strangers to an actor really bringing it in clone/multiple copies of themselves roles.  It was't just that challenge that impressed the living hell out of of me about Maslany, in fact, I had a sort of blase "eh, yeah, I've seen that..." feeling before I actually saw it.  Then it was a case of "Oh holy living acting gods, this woman is beyond gifted, I honestly forget it is the same actor in each clone role at times."

 

Yep, Tatiana Maslany out-Helfers Tricia Helfer, the last actor I'd seen to give nuance to several characters.

[Ailianna]

Is there any way to know which episode was submitted for her consideration to the Emmy voters?

[shapeshifter]

Is there any way to know which episode was submitted for her consideration to the Emmy voters?

I just learned this on the Emmy thread:

No one officially submits anything until after they are nominated. Then they submit one episode, which is supposed to be the sole basis for judging.

where, BTW, I posted:

...I was about to post something like: I guess Tatiana will have to prove her talent to the Emmy folks after OB is over and she gets cast in another role--and then I realized how laughable that was....

(because she's already played how many roles on OB?) Edited July 12, 2014 by shapeshifter

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Haven't seen this show, but heard how great the lead is.

Like another poster stated, SciFi and horror gets no emmy love.

Only exception I can recall, is when Gillian on Anderson won Lead Actress in the late 90's.

[Catch 22]

Hi stillshimpy:

 

I understand that a tongue-in-cheek tone is difficult to transfer into text and, however unfortunate, that's more of what I was attempting to do. Simply making silly little remarks on the whole sci-fi genre by bringing in the "out of this world, one dimensional, mind-meld" terminology. Just me having a bit of sardonic fun with the whole "oooooh it's sci-fi" bullshit since it's been stated as being one of the main reasons Tatiana Maslany hasn't been able to get an Emmy nomination.

 

Am I disappointed that Maslany wasn't nominated for an Emmy? Sure. But it's not going to make the world come to an end nor obviously have the slightest effect on my life. If truth be told the entire acting community gives far too many awards to themselves and many of them for the exact same thing. So, yay for them I guess. But in that vein, I'm disheartened by the fact that some genuinely excellent work wasn't recognized, since that's the purpose of these awards in the first place.

 

Regarding acting opposite a tennis ball, that comes not from me but specifically Maslany herself, as she's discussed it in mulitple interviews for Orphan Black. She also discussed having to act opposite the standard X on the wall and/or just thin air when necessary. There are even some behind the scenes photos of her acting with said tennis ball on the BBC America website, so truly it was not an uninformed opinion I pulled out of my ass. "Frequency" is the operative word here and as to that she's never mentioned it in the various interviews I've read and seen.

 

But Kathyrn Alexandre, her acting double, is well known to anyone who has watched or read some of Maslany's interviews. She makes a very deliberate point of discussing Alexandre and how invaluable she is to both Maslany and the show.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Catch 22

[stillshimpy]

Regarding acting opposite a tennis ball, that comes not from me but specifically Maslany herself, as she's discussed it in mulitple interviews for Orphan Black. She also discussed having to act opposite the standard X on the wall and/or just thin air when necessary.

 

Oh that's interesting, I didn't realize that.  I'd just seen a picture of Tatiana Maslany with two of her stand-ins so I assumed Orphan Black had always been doing it that way, since that's the way Battlestar pulled that off with their clone scenes.   I apologize, my mistake.  I didn't realize they hadn't always been working with the stand-ins.   However, I haven't watched Maslany's interviews, I've only read several pieces and clearly, she'd know.  

 

One of Tatiana's stand-ins actually had a role in the second season actually, from what I'd read.  She played one of the cult wives, mothers.   It was sort of startling to me when I read that, because the actor looks nothing like Tatiana Maslany.  I'll see if I can dig up the picture I just saw the other day and link to it.  Sorry for making the wrong assumption about the picture. 

 

Edited: Here's one of the pieces I read and saw, where one of her stand-ins discusses what she does and says it's so Tatiana doesn't have to act off an X on the Wall or a tennis ball.    I didn't realize that she actually meant "so she doesn't [always] have to act opposite a tennis ball or X on the wall, which was probably what Tatiana Maslany's interviews covered, that she sometimes does have to. I'm still looking for the other picture with the second stand-in, who I think is a more recent addition to the case. 

 

Aha! Then here's a link to an interview with Maslany from the first season talking about how in the second shots they are using a tennis ball from the first season.      I had noticed that they don't actually do a lot of shots where  one of the clones' face is obscured entirely (you know, lot of "here's the back of the head" so the process they're using has to be pretty freaking exhausting, which makes it that much more impressive.  

Edited July 13, 2014 by stillshimpy

[dampfire]

Haven't seen this show, but heard how great the lead is.

Like another poster stated, SciFi and horror gets no emmy love.

Only exception I can recall, is when Gillian on Anderson won Lead Actress in the late 90's.

 

Hard to argue with that.  And I'm not about to.  It's a shame.

 

The biggest irony here is that labeling OB first and foremost "sci-fi" is pretty misleading.  It's really more a thriller.  And moreso even than that, it's a grounded, contemporary, multi-dimensionally character driven story.  (Plus it's fucking funny!)  The sci-fi elements (so far at least) have been, for the most part, peripheral and ancillary.  And, insofar as it is sci-fi, it's not at all fantastical.

 

Cloning's possible.  It's been done.  As far as we know, it hasn't been done (and can't be done) with humans yet.  But it can be argued that a good part of the reason for that has less to do with scientific feasibility than it has to do with other mitigating factors.  Ethical issues and religious opposition are but two. 

 

If, however, human cloning had been enthusiastically greenlighted by TPTB as a scientific priority (think Kennedy's call for a manned moon landing...or Salk's polio vaccine...or even the Manhattan Project), I think it's not at all impossible that human clones would already exist.

 

That, of course, is where OB comes in.  With a twist.  Instead of Sarah, Alison, Cosima, Helena, Rachel, et al being the prioritized "products" of an openly sanctioned scientific venture, their collective existence is the result of something decidedly more clandestine.

 

I'm not really a dedicated sci-fi fan.  By that I mean that I don't go out of my way to search it out.  Nothing against it.  And no qualms about giving it a try.  With OB, I'm sure as hell glad I did.

 

I do though have a question for any among you who are involved and immersed more comprehensively in the sci-fi genre.  As but a self-professed fence-sitting sampler myself, when I think of sci-fi, I generally (but certainly not exclusively) think of things that are futuristic or other-worldly.  What I find particularly intriguing about OB is that its sci-fi elements are significantly and pointedly rooted in the PAST.  How common is this in sci-fi?

 

Lastly, MRB, I want to make it clear that I'm not saying (or even implying) that Tat is more worthy of an Emmy nom or win because OB is essentially sci-fi lite.  Just sayin' that, sadly, she'd probably have a slightly better shot if she didn't have to contend with that bias.

 

I feel for those of you more diehard sci-fi fans who have, no doubt, cynically reconciled yourselves to the fact that Emmy love for anything even remotely identified as sci-fi would immediately register on Mulder's and Scully's radar and prompt an exhaustive X-Files investigation.

 

Scully: Did you watch the Emmys last night, Mulder?  Some actress who's in a sci-fi series actually won an Emmy.  And her name.  Strange.  Tat...Tati...Tatya Something.  Sounds alien.

Mulder:  It doesn't just sound alien, Scully.  It IS alien.  Canadian.  Pack your bag.  We're going to Hollywood.  The invasion's already begun!  And things are about to get much, much worse.

Scully: I don't understand.  How could things get worse than an alien invasion?

Mulder: Meryl Streep's position of preeminence may be in serious jeopardy!

 

 

Myself, I wouldn't care if Tat was playing a dozen hybrid aliens in a dystopian society in the distant future...on a dying planet...in a galaxy far, far away.  In such a scenario, if Tat was doing anything close to what she's doing currently on OB, her tacit claim to an Emmy WIN would be every bit as indisputable as it is now.  It is (to repeat) just so ironic that whatever pretzel-logic it is that feeds and fuels the "Academy's" prejudice and aversion to sci-fi (and other genres)...has, in truth, next to no bearing on OB...or, even less so, on Tatianna Maslany's transcendent performance(s).

Edited July 14, 2014 by dampfire

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Emmy voters are lazy, so the usual suspects and current darlings just keep getting noms.

While shows like OB, TWD, Hannibal, The Bridge and others are paid DUST.

Look at Downtown Abbey, I'm a fan but S1 was the only emmy worthy one.

Plus I've been told Homeland went to shit after their stellar freshman year.

[Inquisitionist]

Plus I've been told Homeland went to shit after their stellar freshman year.

 

This is pretty much true, but the series was not nominated for Best Drama, Writing, or Directing this year.  Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin do fine work with what they're given, so I don't begrudge their acting nominations (but would prefer to see Caplan or Wright win the Actress category).

 

I've just binge-watched the first season of OB, and I can kind of understand why Tatiana Maslany doesn't register with Emmy voters: they aren't watching.  It took a lot of prodding for me to give this series a try, and while I liked a great deal of it, there was also a lot of what I'd term silliness to get through.  Overall, OB doesn't have the gravitas that Emmy voters seem to consider necessary when nominating someone in the lead acting categories (male and female) for drama.  Before jumping all over me, MMV, of course, and I'm not taking anything way from Maslany's performances.  :-)  Just saying it doesn't surprise me all that much that she hasn't been nominated for an Emmy.

[Dionysa]

While I don't think every single thing makes sense as everything develops, I disagree that there's "silliness" to get through. 

 

Any missteps seem awkward and sudden, much like real life, imo. 

[Boundary]

For the record, I was too pissed to post in here and I'm still pissed. But many of you have expressed more eloquently what I also feel. The Academy voters are lazy at best, but more likely they're simply hostile. It's the only explanation I can think of. In addition to TM, there's consensus on Kerri Russell, Mathew Rhys, The Americans and my current fav Masters of Sex and Michael Sheen. The voters know this and are aware of it, but they are waiting for Mad Men, The Good Wife etc to get cancelled, because - seemingly - once you're in, you're in until cancellation. I would really love it if the winner of Best Actress would state in her speech that they wouldn't have won if the person everyone knows was snubbed had been nominated.

 

 

I've just binge-watched the first season of OB, and I can kind of understand why Tatiana Maslany doesn't register with Emmy voters: they aren't watching.  It took a lot of prodding for me to give this series a try, and while I liked a great deal of it, there was also a lot of what I'd term silliness to get through.  Overall, OB doesn't have the gravitas that Emmy voters seem to consider necessary when nominating someone in the lead acting categories (male and female) for drama.  Before jumping all over me, MMV, of course, and I'm not taking anything way from Maslany's performances.  :-)  Just saying it doesn't surprise me all that much that she hasn't been nominated for an Emmy.

 

The outcry is the snub for Tatiana in the Best Actress category, I don't see a demand for the show itself to be nominated. 

Edited July 15, 2014 by Boundary

[Inquisitionist]

I think you missed my point.  I wrote:

Overall, OB doesn't have the gravitas that Emmy voters seem to consider necessary when nominating someone in the lead acting categories (male and female) for drama.

 

Emmy voters (like Oscar voters) seem to consider the type of show you're in/character you're playing when voting on acting nominations.  Not saying this is fair, but I do believe it happens.

[beedub]

I think you missed my point.  I wrote:

 

Overall, OB doesn't have the gravitas that Emmy voters seem to consider necessary when nominating someone in the lead acting categories (male and female) for drama.

 

Emmy voters (like Oscar voters) seem to consider the type of show you're in/character you're playing when voting on acting nominations.  Not saying this is fair, but I do believe it happens.

I could tell what you were driving at, and I agree with that view, that the context seems to be paramount when it comes to the Emmys for acting. Almost as if they consider the show first, then look for which performances they like within it.

 

And if I may, I also think I see what you meant about "silliness", if by that you were referring to the comedic elements (courtesy Alison and Helena) that might be too jarring a shift in tone for Emmy voters looking for that weighty, serious piece of drama to consider for the dramatic acting category.

Edited July 15, 2014 by beedub

[Wilson Cat]

Beedub wrote:

 

And if I may, I also think I see what you meant about "silliness", if by that you were referring to the comedic elements (courtesy Alison and Helena) that might be too jarring a shift in tone for Emmy voters looking for that weighty, serious piece of drama to consider for the dramatic acting category.

 

 

Ah....but it is in no small part this, the Alison and Helena factors, which makes me love OB as much as I do.  IMO this show is first a thriller, somewhere down the line sci fi, but also at times, a delightful comedy.  Who can ask for more.  (Ahem......Emmy voters.  You losers.)

Edited July 16, 2014 by Wilson Cat

[Inquisitionist]

And if I may, I also think I see what you meant about "silliness", if by that you were referring to the comedic elements (courtesy Alison and Helena) that might be too jarring a shift in tone for Emmy voters looking for that weighty, serious piece of drama to consider for the dramatic acting category.

 

You nailed it.  The potluck sequence at Alison's had me rolling me eyes, as did some of Helena's seemingly super-natural aspects. 

[beedub]

Ah....but it is in no small part this, the Alison and Helena factors, which makes me love OB as much as I do.  IMY this show is first a thriller, somewhere down the line sci fi, but also at times, a delightful comedy.  Who can ask for more.  (Ahem......Emmy voters.  You losers.)

 

Yup. And let's not forget Felix's snarky one-liners. Enough reason to watch on their own.

[Dionysa]

I don't think I've ever missed an Emmy broadcast, but I'll be passing on this one this year. I've been annoyed before, but this takes the cake. 

 

I believe even Mr. Rogers would agree with my opinion of the Emmy voters' omission:

 

[LoneHaranguer]

I gave up on the Emmy's a long time ago, but I can't begrudge anyone tuning in for the fashions or hoping to see celebrities screw up on live TV. Do the Emmy voters realize that with more and more people connected on the net, more and more people notice when they've blown off their jobs?

[Coop33]

Orphan Black is getting a comic book series!

[The Crazed Spruce]

IDW does some great licensed comics, so if anyone can pull it off, it's them.

I usually wait for a sale or a price drop before I get comics on my ComixOlogy app. This might be one of the few comics I pick up the day it's released.

[Wilowy]

I can't seem to find who did the cover art. *crosses fingers that it's Jo*

[The Crazed Spruce]

The article said it was drawn by Nick Runge.

[Wilowy]

I read it but missed that somehow. Thanks, TCS.

[beedub]

This may be old news now, but it looks like no repeat for TM at the Television Critics Association Awards.

[JKG]

Here's a great summary of what was discussed at the Comic Con panel today: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/orphan-black-brings-tatiana-maslany-friends-to-comic-con-live-blog#1kIsRqALh6MKZqSV.99

[Sakura12]

Nerd HQ Orphan Black Panel

 

[RachelKM]

I think I just fell in love with Kristian Bruun while watching him describe learning Donnie was going to shoot Leekie.  That was the best thing ever.  His willingness to drop trou was hilarious but almost anticlimactic after that.

[Sakura12]

I just love how the rest of the cast talk about how amazing Tatiana is, like we as fans do. 

[maraleia]

I am falling in love with Maria Doyle Kennedy watching all of these Comic Con videos. She just seems well ... cool I guess is the correct word to describe her.

[Bort]

I caught a tweet by Lee Pace today:

@leepace: .@tatianamaslany hi. We meet on a freight elevator at comicon. I checkdd out #OrphanBlack on the flight home. Wow. You're incredible.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Great!  Now Tatiana just needs to meet every other voting member of the Academy in passing while they're on the way to a long, boring plane flight, and next year's nomination is a lock! :)

[LeighAnne]

Orphan Black panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con:

 

 

 

 

TV Guide magazine had a "Fan Favorites" panel.  Jordan Gavaris was one of the panelists:

 

 

 

 

[Loandbehold]

Sarah Shahi also tweeted about Orphan Black including saying that she's a member of Clone Club.

[DioxinBlues]

And, of course, Sarah Paulson fangirled out over Tatiana before their ComiCon "Women Who Kick Ass" panel with a couple Tweets: 

@MsSarahPaulson @tatianamaslany do you know how excited I am to meet you? I hope I don't faint. #fangirling

 

and

@MsSarahPaulson Oooh LORD. Bow down to the queen @tatianamaslany

 

with this adorable pic: https://twitter.com/MsSarahPaulson/with_replies

 

I love it when other actors flip for her like the rest of us because they, of all people, can appreciate the difficulty of the job and how well she performs in it.  

[Ankai]

Here's a great summary of what was discussed at the Comic Con panel today: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/orphan-black-brings-tatiana-maslany-friends-to-comic-con-live-blog#1kIsRqALh6MKZqSV.99

Not really relevant to anything, but the last poster in the discussion seems to hope that maybe the panel for next year gets bumped to Hall H, which I gather was where the Women Who Kick Ass panel was held. Am I right? A six-fold increase in the size of a room in a year seems to be a bit to ask for, but I would not be surprised if the fans could fill it next year.

[Wilowy]

Right, when Graeme and John were here for the ATX TV Festival, the OB panel was one of the first to sell out, and that was at one of our historic theaters, The Paramount. 

[Coop33]

The Women Who Kick Ass Panel is finally online: 

 

[Kaboom 2.0]

Thank you for posting that, Coop33!

 

As if I couldn't love TM more than I already did after viewing the Women Who Kick Ass panel...she mentions Leela from Futurama as a sci fi role model with the equally awesome Katey Sagal sitting right there. Love!! :-)

[Sakura12]

I think I fell more in love with Tatiana with her role models being cartoon characters like Leela and Raphael. 

[ALenore]

Nice article in the LA Times on Orphan Black:  'Orphan Black,'Emmy Snubs and Questions of Identity.  http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-orphan-black-20140728-column.html?track=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=89281

[Wilowy]

NICE article indeed, @ALenore! Thanks, I shared it on fb. 

 

Also is your icon the awesome Lying Cat from Saga? 

 

[ALenore]

Also is your icon the awesome Lying Cat from Saga?

 

No, actually my icon is a painting by my husband, Tom Kidd, it was a title page illustration for  Weird Tales.  Here's the whole image. 

 

[stillshimpy]

Nice job by your husband, ALenore, that's a very evocative image.  Gives a nice sense of the creeps without trying overly hard (no decapitated creatures to add atmosphere, just the tail curling around that thing behind it, as if it's poised to strike with it).  Nice work.  

 

So about that Nerd Herd link.  Thank you so much for that, I really, really enjoyed that panel.  It weirdly made me feel a little sorry for the actor playing Paul.  He was trying so hard, seemingly compensating for -- what, maybe nerves? -- by being super-caffeinated ON and since everyone else was being so natural and easy, he just seemed so forced.  He also seems like a decent guy, just trying to make sure the audience had a good time, so I appreciate the effort, but it sort of clearly illustrated the talent gap I sometimes thought was there between that actor and the rest of the cast.  

 

He just seemed to be having a mild form of nerves, making him overdo it.  

Edited August 4, 2014 by stillshimpy

[Loandbehold]

stillshimpy, I thought he was the same way in last year's Nerd Machine panel, which was just him TM and JG. He does come across as trying too hard, trying to be well-liked.

[stillshimpy]

Yeah, he's just sort of obviously "On" the entire time.  It's not obnoxious or anything, it's usually the mark of nerves.  Something you sort of a associate with plays in college, you know?  Live performance jitters that lead to that BIG, BROAD personality.   It's not bad, just markedly different from the other cast members.  

 

So this is kind of nice.  Even Kerry Washington thinks it's a travesty that Tatiana Maslany wasn't nominated.  Article here and it literally opens talking about Tatiana Maslany.

[Mabinogia]

Yeah the Paul actor was weird in that, but OMG I just fell in love with Christian. What a fun, cool, adorable guy! I LOVED his reaction to Donny killing Leekie because that would totally be my reaction.

 

Most interesting thing about that panel...staring at Tatianna and not really seeing her as any one of the clones. I was looking and looking and I'm like, she doesn't really remind me of Helena, or Sarah, or Rachel or even Cosima which just goes to show how truly amazing she is as an actress. She's far too good for an Emmy really, because that shit is just the cool kids crowning their BFF as Prom Queen. It has nothing to do with talent. She should, however, get a Screen Actors Guild award, which is given by her peers who, unlike the Emmy voters, can respect what she does. (I say this as someone who actually voted for the Emmy's once. And yes, I picked my favorite shows and favorite actors rather than sifting through the many tapes and judging accurately on performance alone. It's kind of human nature. I was an assistant of someone who didn't want to bother voting and gave me the chance to vote for her. It was kind of awesome to get to do that, but it also made me see what a joke the Emmy's actually are). She is phenomenal and honestly, I bet this Emmy snub is getting her more attention that if she'd been nominated. I doubt a lot of industry people watch or know much about Orphan Black so if she'd been nominated they'd be all "who's that" in a dismissive, she stole my favorite's spot kind of way, but now, with even nominees saying she was snubbed, they are more "who's that" in an intrigued way.

[JKG]

New interview with John & Graeme by The Seventh Art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS-f0A1SuNM

 

We sat down with the duo adjacent to the Orphan Black writers room to discuss the growth of the series, plans for the third season and how they developed the show's look.

 

 

[Ailianna]

Tonight's Jeopardy! had an Orphan Black clue!

Category--Canadians on TV

Clue--Tatiana Maslany plays Sarah, Cosima, Allison and Rachel, all members of the clone club on this BBC American series.

Answer--ORPHAN BLACK!!

[Ankai]

Did the person answer correctly?

[Ailianna]

Yes she did, and very quickly, so there's no way to know if the other two contestants also knew it.