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Since the show [Helix] is based in real science, there are real-life epidemic scares out there, throughout history, where there are these huge viruses that have wiped out huge populations. So, we're dealing with something that the CDC hasn't seen before, but it comes from a virus. That's something that's based in reality, and then you put the science fiction on that and it's a really interesting combination.
I love the psychological thriller piece of it. Because we are trapped in this isolated environment with a deadly virus, what's really interesting is that everyone's darkness comes out because we've got these life-and-death stakes going on. And then, there're these interesting relationships going on, but we can't quite deal with the relationship right now because we've got something better to do, which is survive.
But, it takes some of the characters to some very dark places, and they start doing things that they might not do, if they were in regular circumstances. Their true humanity comes out - the good and the bad. Something else that was fun was that every director would come in so excited to go with their own creativity.
Sometimes directors get hired into TV shows, and it's so formulaic and they're a slave to whatever everybody wants them to do. But everyone came in with their own style, and it blended together with the Helix style that was set, and at the same time, they're bringing their own ideas and their own input. It was really fun working with all of them.
For me, the thing that I love about the show is the psychological thriller aspect of it. It's frightening and it's scary, and there are all these things that happen. You have these really dramatic scenes, and then you get in a scene with him and I can't tell you how many times I would start cracking up.
There were a couple of times that we did end up moving the set [of Helix] outside to shoot some of the outside scenes, just because we needed a bit more space, and that ended up being a little bit more helpful and easier to breathe, when you're dealing with some of the fake snow stuff. It was a lot of fun, and it looks amazing.
I think the other side of that is embracing the claustrophobia, and that's what a huge piece of this show is, just watching people go through having to be stuck in that. I think the audience is going to feel some of that. It might not be comfortable, but it's really cool to just be experiencing that along with the characters that you're watching.
But in the beginning, when you're looking at this and you're thinking about it, the CDC gets brought up to this place to deal with this virus and it's something that they've never seen. That, in itself, is quite frightening in a story because real-life epidemics are something that happen, all the time. I think there were just a couple of reported cases this last week in Vancouver of some people passing away with H1N1.
People are trying to make decisions about whether they should vaccinate their children or not, which is still a big debate. It's something that is a true fear for people. So, when we were getting into the story, in these first few episodes, and you're seeing these people who are at the top of the CDC, they should have every answer. It's almost like a God complex.
