San Diego Comic-Con 2012: Exclusive Pressroom Q&A with Lost Girl stars Ksenia Solo and Kris Holden-Ried, and Executive Producer Jay Firestone

Hey Lost Girl fans!

This year at San Diego Comic-Con we were at an exclusive pressroom Q&A session with Lost Girl stars Ksenia Solo (Kenzi) and Kris Holden-Ried (Dyson) along with Jay Firestone (Executive Producer).

They dished about everything Lost Girl including character relationships, clothes, set pranksters, and the Fae. Check out the transcripts below to gain new insight about these topics and more.

Q to Kris: What did you do to channel Kenzi during the body switching episode (Original Skin)? Because you did that so fabulously.

Kris: One, I have an amazing actress to study who was so generous with me. I would actually go over to Ksenia’s house and we would do the scenes together and we would videotape each other doing our lines. So, I got to get some of the intonation from that and you know there’s a couple little dance moves that I’ve seen her do over the years, and I just incorporated them into my own dance style.

Ksenia: The craziest part about that was when KC (K.C. Collins) and I had to kiss and I had to be him kissing Ciara, and me and KC would get them to do it over and over again and see where does his hand go, how does he kiss her, how does he look at her. We would film it and analyze, analyze, analyze.

Kris: It was so funny because I’m taller, so I’m holding Lina (Lina Roessler) in a certain way

Ksenia: And KC’s like way up here

Kris: And KC of course is such a dude, he’s like, I don’t bend like that. It was a lot of fun. It was a great episode for us.

Q: Is there a difference between what is allowed to be shown in terms of censorship and editing in the US?

Jay: No, actually I get in trouble for this a bit apparently, but SyFy is a minute and a half shorter, so I have to cut out a minute and a half out of every show, which is torture, absolutely torture. And sometimes one character loses a minute, sometimes another character, sometimes the story changes, but SyFy has been super supportive. It’s an effort every time to keep the exact same story. I don’t cut sexuality, I don’t cut any of the things that are worried about. It’s tough to tell the story a minute and a half shorter, but I think we’re pulling it off.

Q: Is the minute and a half back on the DVDs?

Jay: Yeah, the minute and a half is back on the DVD. And actually it does make a difference sometimes, but we get the same story each time.

Q: If you had an opportunity to air this on a premium cable channel, what level would you take it to?

Jay: We would be stepping it up. When we originally started this thing the rules were tougher than we thought as to what we could do and it’s very funny to say you can show this much of the top of the butt.

Ksenia: You have to measure it every time, it’s really awkward.

Jay: And I can see him (Kris) having to say, oh I’ve got to cover her here.

Kris: It’s strategic arm placement.

Jay: And the girls are doing this and everyone’s watching what they do. So that is hard to do, and since it’s very important to the show that the sexuality gets shown each week. I think we pull it off, but it would be nice if we had a little less restriction.

Q: So Kenzi and Hale, more friends, friends with benefits? There’s definitely a chemistry there. Can you give us a hint of where it’s going?

Ksenia: I can’t because then I would ruin where it’s going. They have a special bond. I think they connect on many levels, and they’re there for each other. And they have fun, and they tease each other and challenge each other. As far as where it’s going to go and who feels what, I don’t know if I can reveal that.

Jay: Good girl, good girl.

Q: In season three, what are we going to see with the dark Fae? What kind of sinister characters are we going to have?

Jay: We’re shaking it a bit up in season 3. You’ve seen a lot of the light Fae world and we’ll show you a bit more of dark.

Q: Ksenia, you are obviously the only one who does not have any powers. You’re not Fae.

Ksenia: Don’t say that like it’s a bad thing.

Q: A lot of these Sci-Fi shows will turn a human character, would you want to see her go down that road to somehow get some powers, or would you rather stay human?

Ksenia: You know, I think I’ve had a good taste of being the human and having to rely on Kenzi’s courage and fearlessness. I feel like that’s almost her power in a way. I won’t lie. I think it’s really exciting, the thought of having a Fae power and being able to play around and kind of, you know, be on par with all my Fae friends and be able to do more stunts and more action in that way by using some sort of Fae power when they’re put in these crazy situations where we have to fight. So yeah, of course I’ve thought about it, and you know, we’ll see.

Q: What would that power be? What would you want?

Ksenia: That’s a very good question that I never know how to answer. Something awesome. In a perfect world, I feel like Kenzi’s power would be used for good. If she could like stop a war with a joke, I mean that would be pretty nice. So, I’m not sure.

Jay: I got begged in one of the interviews to not let Kenzi ever have (powers)

Ksenia: Yeah, someone was very upset.

Jay: The response that I got was that she is more impressive than everyone else at times because she has no powers and she stands her own.

Q: One of the things that makes Lost Girl are the one liners (to Ksenia) what is your favorite one and have you ever come up with one yourself?

Ksenia: There’s been some ad-libbing. Sometimes it’s kept, sometimes it’s not kept. But if I’m really in the moment sometimes something comes to mind. I’ve had so many and they’ve all mixed into one with how many episodes we’ve done, but something that stands out that someone actually reminding me about yesterday was an episode where Anna (Anna Silk) and I did the speed dating and Kenzi sits down in front of this unassuming gentleman and he asks her what her favorite quote about regret is, and she goes “my favorite literary quote about regret, hmm, let me see. Well, as the great poet Ludacris once said regret is for suckas, for suckas, for suckas, for suckas. Regret is for suckas…Bitch.” And she just thought she was pretty smart in that moment. So that was one of my favorites. It was so fun to film those scenes.

Q: For Dyson, it seems like, and this is a two-part question. With Trick there seems to be a lot of history with you and Trick. You’ve obviously known each other for centuries. Is there going to be more revelations of how much you and Trick know, especially about Bo’s background, cause obviously Trick knows something that hasn’t been revealed yet. Obviously we’re getting really deep into season 2 here, so is that going to be revealed either later in the season, or in season 3?

Kris: We have talked about this, and we have ideas about more period, more of the flashbacks, where they meet. Because in (episode) 205 we do the brotherhood of the wolf. You see Dyson go off and he’s basically unaligned, so we don’t know when Trick (Richard Howland) and him actually started, when he gave his allegiance to Trick.

Jay: And at the same time in season 3 we start to give you a couple hints that Trick has chosen Dyson.

Q: And then the second part of that question is also with the Ash, there seems to be a lot of contention between Dyson and the Ash, even though he’s trying to do his duty because he’s the leader of the light Fae. Where is the contention? Is that going to be revealed where the contention is coming from, because it’s obvious that you’ve known him before?

Kris: Dyson just doesn’t trust Lachlan (Vincent Walsh). He doesn’t think he has Bo’s best interests at heart. In his core, he’s a protector. That’s one of his base character traits. So he will act aggressively towards anyone that he thinks is a threat towards Bo.

Q: What are your personality traits that you bring into your characters?

Ksenia: That’s an interesting question. I’m obviously a huge Ludacris fan. My whole performance is based on my love for Ludacris.

Kris: You know what though, Ksenia’s a massive lover of music, and that definitely is part of Kenzi.

Ksenia: When we started the show I always felt like I, how are they going to cast me. I’m just so not funny, my entire career I’ve played very dramatic roles and I’m so, the comedy aspect was like so overwhelming and challenging, and it’s just something that I had never done before. I didn’t know that I had a sense of humor. Comedy or laughing, obviously I laugh and I love good jokes, but I feel like the more I play Kenzi, the more almost I become her in my own life. And I’ve realized that I love to laugh and I love to make people laugh and comedy has kind of become such a huge love of mine. So I think it kind of works both ways. Kenzi gives me that and I feel like maybe I give Kenzi a sense of loyalty. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my friends and family, and I cherish them with every fiber of my being. And I understand that loyalty, so what she feels for Bo, I feel it and I can understand it. I hope that answers the question.

Kris: My turn.

Ksenia: He’s broody and sexy in really life, so…

Kris: But I’m also a total goof-ball.

Ksenia: Him, as Kenzi, in episode 209 (Original Skin), was actually the real Kris. His real self finally got to come out.

Kris: That’s pretty true. Dyson is…I think what I truly focus on with Dyson is that he is a millennia and a half old, and so I really pulled from the more serious parts of myself, which has been nice to focus on. You know, Ksenia’s not joking, I like to have fun and I’m a bit of a scoundrel sometimes.

Ksenia: You’re Kenzi.

Kris: Yeah, I’m Kenzi inside. So to bring out the integrity, I think I am a man of integrity, so that’s kind of what I grounded it on. The seriousness that experience can bring you, that nothing really surprises you, that you consider all aspects and you have seen as many perspectives as you possibly can. A wisdom, I think, that’s what I sort of grounded him in.

Q: For Ksenia: Both you and Anna Silk have the most spectacular collection of clothes on the show. Do you get to keep any of them? There also seem to be a lot of shots of boots and shoes in the show. Is this on purpose or not?

Jay: The boots and shoes are on purpose.

Ksenia: The boots have a life of their own on the show.

Jay: I got to write an episode once and I made them insult her boots.

Ksenia: Which did not go that well, at all. Our wardrobe is so amazing Jozi Conte who was our wardrobe designer for the first two seasons just, I mean, we are so lucky, from tailor fitted leather vests for Chris, and jackets and pants and she’s just…I don’t think anybody else could have created the look of the show. For myself, every time I have a wardrobe fitting I’m like, oh my god, can you guys buy me one of these so I can take them home? The shoes, Kenzi can’t live in flats. So no matter what it is, even if you know we have episodes where I’m like have to be running through the forest, like gravel. It doesn’t matter. If I had to be running through a volcano I would still be in like high-heeled shoes. It’s separate pieces like jackets. I have this one great jacket that’s very Lady Gaga-esque. I actually went out and bought that jacket for myself, and I wear it in my real life. Kenzi’s jeans, I have these really cool jeans called heart attacks, and they’re red and they have laces and zippers. So everything she has is very not your typical standard look, a really eclectic mix of so many different styles. All the time, I’m like, I wish I was cool enough to wear this in my real life. That piece maybe I can pull it off, maybe can’t, but I always want to take everything home. You know, maybe one day in the future when we’re done with this crazy show Jay will.

Jay: Far, far in the future.

Ksenia: Actually, he’s been stealing all our clothes all the time. He goes to the wardrobe office.

Jay: I have to lose weight to steal his.

Ksenia: He’s always stealing our clothes. That’s why we can’t take them home.

Q: How has it been working on a show that has had sexuality without decoration? Bo has a relationship with two different people, but it’s never sort of the situation of asking the question of sexual orientation. How has the reaction been?

Kris: I think it’s pretty evident, just in our fan base, in who’s enjoying the show. We’re not a gay show, we’re not a bi show, and we’re not a straight show. We do touch on all these sort of worlds without judgment. And I think that that is definitely one of the beauties of the show, and also one of the truths of relationships. It’s not about what sexual orientation you are it’s about how you love, and if you can, how you do that. I really like that about Lost Girl. I was hoping for a few more threesomes myself this year.

Jay: Next year.

Kris: Maybe next year.

Q: Do you guys gather a lot of you background and your future of the episodes from a lot of that genre that has already been out there dealing with the Fae. Do you guys personally look into it yourselves?

Jay: We have a big challenge for the writing department because every episode we try to take a social issue or relationship issue or an emotional issue, and we try to match it up with a mythological creature, and that’s a really huge challenge. We had a creature who wants to live off your feeling of shame, you know, so we had to deal with people who had some self confidence issues, some insecurities, and this guy could feed off them. And we did some father-son relationships, we did some best friend relationships, and we’ve had creatures that have challenged those. I think it’s one of the special about our show. We’re actually not copying anybody else’s things because that matching of a social issue, a relationship issue, an emotional issue with a creature, I don’t think anybody’s ever done that.

Q: Are there any scenes that you guys have actually filmed that were deleted or removed that you wished had been put into the episode?

Ksenia: There’s one that actually pops into my mind. I always think about this one. In the body switching episode, there was a scene where Kenzi, as Dyson, goes to the Ash’s compound and one of his workmates one of his police friends, is there standing guard and Dyson, oh god this is so confusing, Dyson as Kenzi, has to go and talk to his friend. Obviously this friend just thinks it’s a human standing in front of him and he’s not very nice and Dyson, in this awkward state, tries to seduce his friend so he could let him in. The scene was just, I was very much looking forward to doing it, unfortunately because of time restrictions we had to cut it out of the episode. But it’s just one that I always think about and I think, oh my god it would have been so much fun to be Kris. He’s touching his shirt and he feels so awkward in this body and looking at Kenzi.

Kris: And flirting with a dude.

Ksenia: And flirting with a dude that he works with.

Kris: I remember that we worked that scene together and talked about it. It was, it would be great.

Q: It seems that Bo and Dyson are fated to be together. A lot of times in other shows someone else comes along to get between them. Do you think that will happen, or are they fated to be together?

Kris: No, from Dyson’s point of view, I think he’s sure they belong together, and I do to. But, it’s TV, you gotta make things interesting. So if we were just together and happy you wouldn’t have much of a show. It would be the Brady Bunch. I’m sure they had some marital disputes too, though I can’t remember to be honest. But I think that’s part of Dyson’s core character arc, or his sort of truth is that. We’ve explored it a bit you know, that wolves mate for life and the sort of one love. No matter what happens it think that there will be always something definite between Dyson and Bo. Whether it does end up going that way, or not, who knows? See how many seasons we get.

Q: What is the most challenging set that you have worked on on Lost Girl?

Ksenia: For us, at Lost Girl, we’re very unlucky with the weather. It’s either like below 30 degrees Celsius and Anna and I like in little skirts and like freezing to death, or it’s like so hot that our makeup is just like running off our faces. We’re all in leather; we’re standing in like the blazing sun. Weather-wise, it’s always kind of a challenge. We’re never lucky with like the perfect, sunny day with crisp wind, it never happens. That’s something that we’re always facing.

Kris: We don’t have challenging sets. Our sets are awesome. Production design on the show is done by Ian Brock and it’s brilliant. Without a doubt, he deserves some recognition and hopefully he wins an award soon.

Q: Who’s the set prankster?

(Ksenia and Kris look at each other)

Ksenia: I think it’s a tie.

Kris: Yeah, we’ve got a few. There’s me, there’s Zoie Palmer

Ksenia: Oh Zoie, yes. Zoie makes us all laugh and then roll and we’re like laughing hysterically and she’s all like in character.

Kris: Zoie does the intellectual, the witty sort of, the witty stuff, and I basically walk in with my pants down and playing guitar.

Ksenia: That’s totally true, and me and Kris are always like tripping over each other somehow. For season 1 for one of our first episodes, we sat on Bo and Kenzi’s couch and it completely flipped over and we fell and we thought, well, this is going to be the future of our relationship. So anytime we’re together it’s like a hazard.

Kris: K-star and I are always dancing together. We’re the revelers. Unfortunately, Anna has so much work on her plate that we try not to distract her.

Ksenia: But she’s hysterical in her own right, a great sense of humor.

Q: How do you guys spend your time in between seasons? Are you working on other projects?

Ksenia: Last year when we finished season 2 we really had no time at all. We were lucky to just take a breath and go swim in the ocean and just relax and get some rest so we can go back to work and not feel like we’re gonna die.

Kris: We had two months of downtime, and that was it, so you don’t really have time to do anything. Basically get your taxes done, try to get some sun.

Ksenia: Kris had a film come out, Underworld (Underworld: Awakening), which is really exciting for us. We all went to see it. So that was nice, but it’s hard when you don’t have much time to fit other projects in.

Kris: But this year we’ll have a little more time.

Ksenia: So Hollywood, watch out.

Make sure to check out new episodes of Lost Girl on Syfy Fridays 10/9c.

We hope you have enjoyed this article. As always we thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Please feel free to share this news article by clicking one of the social media icons below.

You may also leave a spam free comment or question here, or feel free to visit and chat with us on Twitter by clicking our avatars or the text links in this news article.

Thank you

XO Rachelle Smith, Ph.D. & Anne Lamsa