2018 New York Comic Con
Day 3 (October 6, 2018)
At this year’s New York Comic Con, we got a chance to speak with Brianne Howey and Vincent Piazza, the stars of the upcoming FOX show, The Passage. The Passage, based on the 2010 sci-fi, dystopian, monster horror novel by Justin Cronin of the same name, premieres on FOX on January 14, 2019.
Brianne (who plays Shauna Babcock) and Vincent (who plays Clark Richards) were great and sat with us for a long time. They spoke on a number of things during our roundtable, including the enthusiasm for the show; how the writers have made a vampire-genre show relevant to 2018; the use of time and flashbacks in the storytelling; character development and character-specific episodes over the season; and getting to work on their own stunts.
“It kind of plays on truth and fiction, as well. Leading into a genre world. It’s interesting. I love the set-up.” ~ Vincent Piazza
After the jump, check out transcribed excerpts from the interview with Brianne and Vincent, as well as video of the full unedited interview!
On the fan reaction they’re already getting for The Passage …
VP: “I love it. Its nice to see passion. And fandom and enthusiasm for our work. And the lore. It’s just great. I love the atmosphere.”
BH: “It’s fun to be a part of a series that’s so beloved because the fans are energetic and passionate which makes it a lot more fun. For us.”
On how The Passage incorporates the vampire genre but also differentiates itself …
VP: “It incorporates it in now. It’s dealing with today versus lifting it into something that we can identify but feel removes from reality. Liz has done a wonderful job of making it so painfully 2018. And where we are and some of the things we read about in the papers or coming through on social media. And, you know, that kind of thinly veiled thing that we kind of hear about that the government may or may not be doing. What’s the lie, what’s the truth. And even in the Pilot episode, just seeing the news reporting about this guy that has abducted this young girl. And then understanding what the story is, it kind of plays on truth and fiction, as well. Leading into a genre world. It’s interesting. I love the set-up, is what I find most unique about it.”
On character development across the season …
BH: “They do a great job in the writing. In exploring each character’s backstory. Every character will have an episode where they kind of flesh it all out. And you learn more about where they came from and why they ended up there.”
On how the show plays with time and the passage of time …
VP: “The use of time, the title of the novel itself, deals with the passage of time and she deals, she being Liz, deals and the writing team deals with time in a very unique way. How we weave and move in and out of storytelling and flashbacks and getting to know people’s live and relationships.”
On “Shauna’s” attributes that stand out for Brianne, drew her to the character …
BH: “A lot of the characters kind of fell through the cracks a little bit as far as society goes. The people that were supposed to have their back, didn’t have their back. And that’s really devastating and frustrating and so, there is a lot of emotional layers. Shauna, she’s angry, she’s frustrated, she’s resentful. And they tied her all up in this interesting package.”