Buffy and Angel - Fred/Amy Appreciation #7: a little kooky, a little nerdy... but she walks with heros! - Page 3

**crazy_diamond** · 05-11-2004, 11:01 AM

Thanks for the link to those images

justsmile · 05-13-2004, 06:57 PM

From Zap2it

Amy Acker as Fred/Illyria on "Angel": I�ve always enjoyed Acker�s cute, giggly Fred. But as Simon Cowell would say, if I�m going to be perfectly honest, I never really gave her much thought. Her performance as Illyria has been chilling. I never once thought she had this in her. She changed her voice, her movements, the whole way she carries herself. Her entire body was transformed. If I didn�t know better, I honestly would have thought a different actress was playing the role. Seriously, they didn�t even have to dye her hair blue. The full breadth of Acker�s ability was demonstrated last week when she flip-flopped back and forth between Illyria and Illyria pretending to be Fred (it reminded me of the nuanced performance David Boreanaz gave when he was Angel pretending to be Angelus.) Of series creator�s Joss Whedon�s many talents, one may be his ability to recognize that this kind of greatness exist within his stars.

justsmile · 05-14-2004, 09:45 AM

Interview W/ Cast... Amy Quotes... hints at spoilers <-

**crazy_diamond** · 05-14-2004, 09:57 AM

Cheers for that Meg

Here is the Amy interview that was in my latest Angel mag, enjoy, I know I did

In her three year tenture as Winifred 'Fred' Burkle, the Angel scriptwriters have provided Amy Acker with plenty of juicy twists and turns to explore with her quirky character. From slave girl to the head of the Wolfram and Hart Science Division, Fred's evolution, while far form earth-shatterig, has definately been dramatic and frequently touching. So, leave it up to Joss Whedon to rip the rug form under Fred and trun her world upside down in the span of an episode. In "A Hole In The World", the sweet brainy Texan, who so gracefully came into her own this season, was yanked from this world in a shocking death that rendered fans speechless and more than a little teary-eyed. AMy took a break from shooting episode 18 to give us the inside scoop on the history of Fred's demise and her new incarnation as Illyria, an Old one reborn.

Still dressed in her Illyria costume, complete with blue heair, Amy relaxes in he trailer revealing when she first learned about Fred's fate. "Joss gave me a little bit of warning last October that it was going to happen. He called me to meet him for coffee and I thought, 'Oh no!, Am I in trouble?" she laughs. "Joss said I'm killing Fred", and then he didn't say anything for a second and then added, "But you're still on the show'. I was like, "Huh?". He explained he wanted me to be this alien princess woman who was very different - the opposite to Fred".
While initially surprised, Amy was also intrigued at the prospect fo playing a darker character.
"When I was reading Eve's part in 'Conviction', I was like, 'I wish I could be Eve!. She's cool' And then watching Wesley turn bad, I wanted to be cool like him", she smiles. "So, I asked Joss if he would write me a scene or two so I could think of ideas and he did it the next day so I had a few months to think about it. Then he had Alexis and I over to his house for dinner and we worked on the new character".

That character, Illyria, literally kills Fred from the inside out, taking over her mortal coil to house the ancient being's life force. Looking lie a cross between a blue space alien and an X-Men character, Illyria is a far cry from the character Amy is used to playing. "This is probably the most challenging thing I've done just because I was so comfortable playing Fred", Amy shares. "At this point, to do somethign so different form anything that has been done before on the show had me really nervous. This new character is a big transformation. Fred was always the goofy person hanging out with everyone. Now I'm very still, with an almost insect-like character that has these wierd movements and everything is very foreign to her. I'm still trying to figure it out. THe first scene that Joss have me in October was the first scene we shot of her and I felt very comfortabl, but the next time I got new words I was like 'I don't know what to do!". When Amy sought some inspiration from Joss on hwo to construct Illyria, he gav her an intresting analogy on which to base the character. "His original thought was he wanted it to be Queen Elizabeth meets The Terminator", she laughs.
Amy continues, "I think it's hard because doing a part for three years, I felt very comfortable coming into work. I felt liek I knew where they were going when they wrote something and how it sounded in the writer's head. Like now, if I go on an audition for something else I feel very comfortable doing this Fred thing and it's almost scary doing something different. But having this new character has helped me break that and to remember it's acting and I can do lots of different things. I now remember doing Fred at the beginning was new and different".

The look of Illyria, with her blue locks, eerie eyes and funky costume, has been one of the beiggest helps to AMy in making her character come alive. "Outside of the episode I did in Vegas and a little bit of prosthetics, this is by far the most make-up I've had to wear. It's interesting, like I'm doing rehearsals without the costume and hair and make-up, it feels liek I look stupid. But whe you have all th stuff on, you become the person, so I think it's great, It's cool costume. It took us a while to get it so it wouldn't break every time I sat down. I'd move around and it would crack all over. It's a unitard that has all theis different stitched stuff all over it"
As for the make-up effects, Amy says she has an earlier make-up call now, but she still get's off easier than Andy Hallet. "I only need two hours [to put it on], but I'm not a morning person", she laughs. "Still nothing is too bad and it's nice make-upwhich is easy to get on and of. It was supposed to fade more, but they decided they like it liek this". She does add that initially they spray painted her own blue hair, which took sven washings to get clean, but she still stained her sheets and pillowcases blue each night. " Now I have a wig", she chuckles.

Considering her deep fondness and attachment to Fred, Amy was okey with letting Fred go, mostly because Joss was the one to write and direct her swansong episode. "We were so lucky because Joss was supposed to so Episode 22 and then some stuff came up and her had to pull out, so Alexis and I asked if he could do 15 ['A Hole In The World']. Joss said he couldn't do and we kept calling him for three weeks asking 'What if you did do it?. Seriously'. And then the day before Chrsitmas, he called saying 'Merry Christmas! I'm doing 15'. So having him do that last episdoe with Fred felt good and being able to work with Alexis was great. We had a whole day that was the hardest day I've had on the show. We were crying for like 12 hours. Joss pushed us farther and I felt he knew what Alexis and I were ab;t to do, so he made us go a lot farther than we would have with someone else who would be willing to accept less. It was so hard and emotionally draining, but if it hadn't had been that way, I would have been uncomfortable about that being the end of [Fred]".

Amy does share one small regret in that Fred and Wesley's just burgeoning relationship ended so quickly. "I knew that with Joss he wasn't going to let us be together for long. Their relationship was something Alexis and I hoped would happen so we would get more scenes together, and it seemed like it was meant to happen, but then I didn't think it would be as short as it turned out. Three years for that!" she laughs. Yet Amy is pleased that Wes and Illyria are still tied together in the final episodes of Season Five. "I think Wes is able to see Fred in Illyria and I think the only reason he lets her stay around is because he hopes Fred will come back. Illyria uses that to her advantage and then somehow finds a loyalty to him and uses him to find her place".

Amy also confirms that Fred truly is dead, as they revealed in "Shells" "If we had another season, I would have been Illyria and not Fred. Joss talked about doing some stuff where she was almost like Superman/Clark Kent type thing, where they woudl switch personas so more of Fred would come out in her own time. It sounded really intresting, but now thayt we have such limited time left that probably won't happen". But Amy does add we haven't seen the last of Fred yetr on Angel. "Luckily, last episode I did a flash back to Fred and I think there will be a couple more, so I'm getting to do both characters. They are so different and when I did the Fred flashback the other day the whole crew said "We're so glad Fred is back!. She's so much nicer than that other girl!' she laughs adding, "Fred is so much more like who I am".

Reflecting on the other major changes of the season, prior to Fred's death, Amy has nothing but positive things to say about the fifth season, including Fre'd galm makeover. "I like Fred in jeams and a T-shirt and tennis shoes, but they called me before the seaosn started and said they wanted to make Fred more sexy and flirty in how she dresses. IT was fun for me because it was different. Normally in my life, I wear jeans and a T-shirt, so I was getting to dress differently and I could mention to the costumes, 'Oh , I really like [designer] Betty Johnson", she laughs.

As for Fred's shiny new lab, Amy was also pleased to spend a good bulk of the season among the beakers and microscope. "We spent a lot more time there than I thought we would. They build the set and it was a cool place that wasn't office space, It seems like a lot of cool stuff and intimate scenes have gotten to happen there. I loved the episode "Hellbound" and the scene swith James in the lab. I hardly knew him at all and it was exciting because I felt very comfortable becaue I sort of was like Fred with im. I ended up liking him in the same way she liked him".

While she missed working with Charisma Carpenter throughout the season, Amy was happy to get to know the new women on the show Mercedes McNab and Sarah Thompson. "It was exciting becasue MErcades is really funny and it's nice to get a comic girl to work with. 'Harm's Way' was a lot of fun. Sarah is great too and I like having both of them around. I never got to work with Julie Benz, but we have always had these strong recurring female characters like Lilah. It's fun to have these actors around so much that they feel like they are part of the show".

Sadly, the news of Angel's cancellation broke two weeks before this interview and the cast and crew were all still reeling from the news. "After we found out about the cancellatio, I was really upset and I was talking to my husband and he said 'You have to realise the show was on for five years and most shows aren't on that long'. I know that, but coming here feels lie ht ebest job ever. It's a job, but it never felt like it was going to end because we all love being around one another and there never was any wierd tension. We came her and everyone was always professional and working towards the same goal, so it was a little bit shocking.

Amy adds that she defaintely felt ther was anothe season left in teh series, 2I heard all of the ideas Joss had for next season and I just started doing this new character and I feel like I'm barely understanding where it's going to go. I'm still trying out new things every episode so I was excited to have another year becasue I felt like there was a lot of stories left to tell. The hsow this year clicked and it was fun being able to do things like the puppet episode ['Smile Time']. It was unexpectd and said, but David and James and Alexis have been all doing the same characters for seven years, which is a lot longer than my three years.

Reflecting back on those three years, Amy is greatful for the variety the series has afforded her. "When I first auditioned for the part, it was a different character. Her name was Logan and she ws a librarian. Then I met up with Joss and David Greenwalt and we talked. I'm from Texas and somehow it came out that I like Mexican food and all of a sudden I get the script and now it was htis girl from Texas named Fred that likes Mexican food, so they put me in there. I always played the ingenue roles and it was really exciting for me to play this character who was quirky, but hides a bigger personality. I fell like I've become more like her in my real life over the years.

Asked about the possibiltiy of returning ot make Angel movies for the WB next year, Amy isn't sure yet. " The only thing Ive' heard was a possible movie. Hopefully, what Joss said about evryone having other jobs will be true. But, I think it would be fun because you always say 'Oh, we'll keep in touch and you never know if you will. So I would do it in a heartbreat if they aske me to.

For the immediate futrue, Amy's place will be on the Angel set finishing the last episodes, "It's always in teh back of your head now, but we are all still truying to do our best for the writers and Joss". She hopes that the legacy of the show continues on long after the last episode. " I hope people will always remember it and with the DVDs continue to enjoy it." She adds with a shy smile, "The show is so human, but filled with all these demons, and it's excting to be on a show that people care that much about".

justsmile · 05-15-2004, 11:19 PM

thanks tracey

You Guys if you'd like you can now Try and Buy Fred's Shirts from Lineage & And one of Season 4 episodes <- can't recall which one it was.

Acker de monsieur dans "Le Punisher"

~*Magical*~ · 05-15-2004, 11:27 PM

Tracey: I was lurking on the thread and I saw that article. There is some great stuff in there about Amy's transition from playing Fred to Illyria. Thanks for bringing us that!

**crazy_diamond** · 05-16-2004, 04:21 AM

No probs

Ooh I wish I had the money for the those EBay items

Here's another article that I typed up from my Angel mag. It's a set report of 'A Hole In The World', few Amy bits. Enjoy

Joss Whedon wanted to write and direct Episode 15, and he had some thing special in mind. Entitled �A Hole In The World�, Angel and Spike bicker, Wesley thinks they�re both crazy and Gunn sings Gilbert & Sullivan. Yep it�s another day at Wolfram & Hart until Fred is taken ill, having come in contact with a mysterious sarcophagus. Teleporting via the sarcophagus is a warrior king form the demon age, named Illyria who eventually takes over Fred�s body and kills her.
Back in October 2003, Joss got the idea to create something special which Amy Acker could really sink her teeth into. Having worked with her in his Shakespeare readings, he knew that Amy had an acting range beyond what Angel fans have witnessed. �Fred�s cure and I have great affection for Fred, but at the same time, Amy has another side to her that nobody on the show has really gotten a chance to see�, says Joss. �And I wanted for her to be able to explore the more regal and morally ambiguous side�. As a result, he created the role of Illyria.

�What�s gonna happen with Illryia is that she will be a character as textured as any of them . It won�t just be a cardboard villain to knock down�, Joss explains. �She�s actually a very fascinating person to me because hs does represent the world when it loved in myth, in a time that�s only been described to us.� Illryia is said to be among the �Old Ones�, the original demons before mankind. The term �the Old Ones� was, in fact, used by Joss in the early episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but never explained; and he may get the chance now on Angel. In the meantime, there is plenty to explore with Illryia. �She has an extraordinary kind of poetry to her, which makes her very interesting�, reveals Joss. �She may end up killing everybody�.but in an interesting way�, he says, joking. Or is he?

The episode centres on Fred and because of it, we see just how integral she is to the group. �The exciting thing about Fred is, she is maybe the one thing that everybody in that group agrees about�, explains Joss. �The other thing is it galvanises people � the loss of her makes them realise exactly what they�re dealing with and it means it�s not fun and games anymore.�
For now, the are fun and games on set. For a scene involving Knox and Fred at the lab, the crew rearrange the lab counters and bring in the aforementioned sarcophagus. The video playback monitors are set up just beyond the double doors that boost �Wolfram and Hart: Division of Practical Science � Restricted Area�. Amy turns to Joss and asks, �Are they going to play the Dixie Chicks at my funeral?� Joss responds, �Oh I can think of a few songs.� Meanwhile the case and crewmembers are making fun of Jonathan Woodward (Knox) as his hair has been tousled after a lunchtime nap.
When the cameras are ready, Amy, Jonathan and Joss step onto the set. In the scene, Fred reaches for a jewel on the sarcophagus, which prompts an iris-like opening to unlock and let out a burst of air. Both actions are effects. For the first, the scene is done with the iris closed, and at the end of the camera take, the actors hold their places as digital effects supervisor Rocco Passionino pulls the iris out. Though presently it seems rudimentary, the folks at Zoic Studios will computer-generate a basic morph to make the iris look like it opens on its own. For the bit of air blowing at Fred, Joss requests that it be a puff of air and not �a burst or a gale force wind�. The special effects team obliges and brings in an air-gun that spurts puffs of air into Amy�s face.
Later in the evening J. August Richards comes to do the scene with Jonathan. This is the moment when Gunn realises Knox is up to no good. They rehearse a couple of different blockings as Joss reassesses their movements coupled with cameras. At the end of every take, Joss goes in to offer notes on the actors deliveries. As we get closer and closer to finding out what Knox is really all about, his tenor in the scene becomes increasingly important. Joss yells cut and J. pretends to beat up Jonathan, all in the name of love of Fred.

Going Well

By Day Six of production, things should be working like clockwork, however, there are numerous elements in play, not to mention a lot of ground to cover. The majority of the day�s scenes are of Drogyn, the guardian to the Deeper Well where Illyria has been kept in death till now. Played by Alec Newman, Joss describes Drogyn as �someone we would believe ultimately. And the idea that he has a history with Angel is intriguing and that�s something we�d sort of like to play out bit by bit�.
Drogyn�s commanding presence is not unlike another long-haired noble. �For Drogyn, my main visual was Aragorn [from Lord of the Rings], but then it was looking too much like him, so we had to pull way back�, explains costume designer Shawna Trpcic. �He looked too clean nd too noble, but by wrapping pieces of leather and fabrics around his boots and his arms, it brought him down a little bit [from that look].�
Drogyn leads Angel and Spike through a corridor and into the Deeper Well, an endless chasm through the centre of the Earth filled with sarcophagi of the remaining Old Ones. Coming up with the Deeper Well is a marriage of efforts by the Art Department, construction crew and the visual effects team. �Very often, these kinds of shots, sets that we build, are sort of a combination between the physical Art Department and the virtual Art Department,� explains production designer Stuart Blatt. The practical or physical set is a three-quarter view of the chasm. Then, on the floor beneath the set piece is a large green screen.
�What we�re going to do is ,we�re going to replace that green screen with a matching 3D model of a chasm; and we�re going to decorate that chasm with other little nooks and crannies and holes and we�re going to put a series of coffins� the floating caskets that contain all the demons of all time that go on forever and ever and ever�, visual effects supervisor Lon Peristere. �That�s pretty big effect because what we need to do is, we need to exactly match the texture, scale and size of the practical walls that have been built there.�
AS the camera crew set up a crane shot, Joss works with Alec Newman, David Boreanaz and James Masters, who stand atop a bridge across the chasm. Joss suggests to Alec that since Drogyn is probably used to talking to himself, he can pace and not necessarily make eye contact with David and James. Meanwhile James goes through his own blocking and asks for the beam he�s going to punch to be covered so it doesn�t injure his hand.
By mid-evening, there�s still a sequence in a basement to shoot. The cast and crew assemble in there to watch the actors block their scene. Joss articulates what he wants for the scene as everyone takes note. Soon after, producer Kelly A. Manners, unit production manager David M. Burns appear on set, and when they do, it usually means the clock is ticking. That is, production is vastly going into overtime and that means spending more money than the producers had budgeted for the day.

The scene is set for Fred and Wesley to blast away nasty bugs with a flamethrower, while Angel complains to Spike intentionally skewers a bug through his back. David garners laughs when he comes out with a sword sticking through his chest and a bug impaled behind him. David and James are done with their day at eight o� clock, but there�s still more to shoot.
The crew warmly welcome the chicken dinner that arrives and everybody grabs a plate. Back on set, Chris Nelson from special effects ties explosives to a bug creature on the wall. Earplugs are distributed to everyone on set and when the cameras roll, the bug explodes. Robert Hall, whose make-up effects shop Almost Human fashioned the bug, takes the creature and walks it over to the trash bin. Everyone takes a gander, and as he tosses it, Rob says �Polo anyone�?. The trashed bug does look an awful lot like a rubber chicken; and all of the sudden, the chicken dinner everybody�s consumed doesn�t sit so well in the stomach.

Flame On

Next is the flamethrower scene and first assistant director Ian Woolf ensures that only the people who need to be in the basement are there. Everybody else clears out of the way. Amy gets a safety demonstration of the flamethrower. It�s a wonder that a stage filled with wood doesn�t burn down.
�Whenever you do sets that involve fire, we get involved specifically with special effects co-ordinator Mike Gasper and his needs. He�s in charge of all the aspects as far as safety and any effects like that, but especially fire�, explains Stuart Blatt. �We�ll put dry wall down on the floor and we�ll patch up all the seams so the fire can�t lick its way through part of the walls and up the back because our sets are still constructed out of wood as a framework. Then, we spray a flameproof material over everything once it�s done�
Even so, it�s natural instinct to panic at the sight and feel of fire. As soon as Amy wields the flamethrower, the entire stage (large enough to contain Lindsey�s apartment, the basement and the chasm) lights up and heat emanates into the far reaches. After two takes, Amy steps off the set looking sunburnt Make-up artist Dalia Dokter turns to Amy and quips, �Do you still have your eyebrows?�. A few people look up at the ceiling and notice fixtures still flapping in the wave of heat, but still at last, the day is done.
�There�s always a day that�s going to drive you completely nuts. And if there�s a flamethrower on the call sheet, it�s probably going to be that day�, says Joss. �It�s just when you combine a lot of green screen and a lot of practical effects and all that stuff with something I insist on, which is acting, inevitable, there�s a couple of unmakeable days, but hopefully it evens out.

Day Of The Dead

At the end of the shooting schedule, Joss has saved the best till last. The crew walks quietly and speaks in hushed tones, some carry sullen faces. Today is the day that beloved Winifred Burkle dies. If there is any question where Joss�s mind is at, he confesses, �It�s fear, because it�s a lot to live up to. It�s very intense stuff, but it�s about whether you can, first of all, block it and figure out how to shoot it and all that good stuff, but also if you can create a space where the actors are comfortable enough to get into what is a very, very personal and creepy space�.
Ian Woolf periodically urges the crew to keep the noise-level down, while Joss reassures Amy and Alexis Denisof that if at any moment they need a breather from the weighty scene, they should voice their concerns. Though the mood is more subdued than usual, the crew go about their business.
Ironically, this is the first time we see Fred�s dwelling sine she became a Wolfram and Hart employee. �What Joss asked for was something slightly bohemian, but a little more on the sort of lush, romantic side�, Stuart Blatt says of Fred� bedroom. Though the scene between Fred and Wesley is heartbreaking, it is also romantic, and the warm colours in the room highlight the quality of the scene and Fred�s character.
Fred�s illness progresses during the day. At 6:30pm, the doors in Fred�s bedroom close. Joss rehearses the intimate, emotional scene with Amy and Alexis alone without the crew. Director of photography Ross Berryman and his team watch astutely at the playback monitors trying to anticipate the camera and lighting needs for a scene as Joss and the actors create a sequence of actions with which they are comfortable. Joss mimics the motion of the camera and first assistant cameraman Adam Ward looks at Ross � �Uh-oh, we�re going to need a crane�. Shortly afterwards Joss bellows from inside the room, �We�re lonely in here!�. The crew then joins them and Joss goes into greater details about what he needs for the shot.
At last, the death scene. Wesley tries hopelessly to put on a brave face, while Fred tries everything to fight death � but she looses the battle. Fred goes limp in Wesley�s arms and he bursts into tears. At the end of the scene, the crew collectively gasp, �Wow�. Production wraps for the day and everyone breaths a sigh of relief and contentment. �Just when I thought [Alexis and Amy] might be tapped out, and maybe we should leave out of the scenes for the next day, they did that last scene and blew me away�, muses Joss.

Looking back, Joss admits, �The things I was afraid of were scary, but it was more unexpected happiness like how much things were working and much David [Boreanaz] made me laugh and how much the stuff that was supposed to move me moved me�. For such a demanding episode, Joss is pleased with how people rose to the occasion on what will undoubtedly be a very memorable episode. �Everybody just really came up and a lot of people were doing stuff that hadn�t been asked to do before and every one of them sort of accomplished it�, he recalls. �It was a time of joy with incredible sadness�.