By Lauren Davis, Jul 28, 2010.
Syfy's remake of Being Human already underway, we asked the BBC's vampire, werewolf, and ghost for their advice to their American counterparts. They also tease what's to come and discuss whether Being Human could ever crossover with Doctor Who.
We caught up with Being Human stars Aiden Turner (Mitchell), Russell Tovey (George), Lenora Crichlow (Annie), and Sinead Keenan (Nina), as well as creator Toby Whithouse at Comic Con. We asked them about their thoughts on the American version of the show, and what advice they have for the cast:
What would you tell the actors who are playing [your counterparts]?
Tovey: Put weight on. Don't wear makeup.
Whithouse: Don't bother learning the lines, 'cause you guys don't.
Crichlow: Mumble.
Tovey: Yeah, don't learn the lines. Just be as terrible as possible.
Turner: Look down the lens of the camera as much as possible.
What would you tell them about your characters?
George: Nothing. Find out for yourself.
Mitchell: Do the homework, you'll be along.
Annie: We did.
Mitchell: And stop calling me.
George: We did. We did everything ourselves, so.
Nina: Get the box set!
Annie: But we're really supportive.
George: Don't try and copy what we're doing. Find your own path.
[They pause, then begin laughing]
Annie: Print that.
George: It's a joke. I think we would say enjoy.
In all seriousness, they were pleased Syfy has decided to adapt the show:
Tovey: We're very proud Syfy is doing it. It builds up the brand of Being Human…. We're pleased, because hopefully people will know — well, people do know we exist — but hopefully more people will know we exist, because they're making comparisons in everything I've read about it. And I don't know about you guys, but in everything I've read about it, they've said the English version is there and the Americans are doing a version of the English version.
Crichlow: So we've been acknowledged and appreciated.
Tovey: We've been nodded at. We've been given a nod.
British audiences have already seen the second season of Being Human, but the cast gave some insight into what's to come for American audiences:
Tovey: I think if you've fallen in love with the characters, which a lot of people have, thankfully, you're going to just follow these characters on their next adventure. The first season finished in such a dramatic way that was really startling and shocking and so a lot of people are intrigued to see what happened to Nina after she had been scratched.
Crichlow: The implications of the scratch.
Tovey: And George, discovering that George's friends are a ghost and a vampire, the implications of that. And these characters sort of go off on their tangents.
Turner: Mitchell has to sort of pick up the pieces after Herrick's been killed. He fills almost solely responsible I guess for what's happened. So he has to look after the household and make that no harm comes to his friends, and the only way he can sort of do that is to step into Herrick's shoes almost. And unknowingly, he does that. And that kind of interferes with his road to recovery and all the other things that he's trying to juggle. So from Series 1 to Series 2 it's just this progression straight in for him, his continued journey to be the better person and try and maintain his friendships and all the important things in his life.
They also teased a bit of what audiences can expect from Season 3, which is now filming in Cardiff:
Crichlow: Season 1, the threat was the vampires. Season 2, the threat was the humans. Season 3, the threat is from within…. But what does that mean? Within what? You know, within yourself…
Tovey: Within reason…
Crichlow: Within reason, within the cupboard, within the house…
Tovey: We don't know. It's a mystery. But it's going to be good.
Now that the show's action is moving from Bristol to Cardiff, we couldn't resist asking: Is there any chance that the supernatural foursome will run into the Doctor? Whithouse had our answer:
The thing about Being Human is that Being Human takes place in our world. That's what we've always tried to do. There are no plans for werewolves and vampires being revealed to the people of the world in Being Human, because the moment that happens, it stops being in our world and becomes in a different world. And with Doctor Who, Doctor Who exists in the Doctor Who world in that the world knows about the existence of aliens, they get invaded every Christmas. So that's a very different world. Being Human is much more rooted in our world. So I don't think it could happen.
