If you thought last season was tense with the werewolves facing off with blood feuds and the struggle for alpha control, wait ’til viewers see how the action cranks up in Season 2 of BITTEN. There will be witches, werewolves and even more things that go bump in the night. But the one thing fans can look forward to is more sexy scenes with co-stars Laura Vandervoort and Greyston Holt as destiny propels their characters Clay and Elena closer and closer together.
In a press call, stars Laura Vandervoort and Greyston Holt talked about the supernatural changes ahead and the fun they have working on all the intense stunts on the show.
Can you talk about kind of your character’s experience being with the witches and how it’s going to kind of change Clay this season?
GREYSTON: It broadens all of our horizons a little bit. It’s a big bomb to drop in our world that there were others out there with supernatural abilities and there’s a whole new world that’s opened up and I think it’s just kind of made all of us a little more accepting and trustworthy of the world around us.
Laura had said how on set sometimes you guys joke that it would be nice to see them just go out on kind of a normal date. So my question is, what do you two think that would be for them?
GREYSTON: Yes. What would be a normal date? Like normal for us or?
LAURA: I mean I guess for the characters like we’d go to some restaurant that serves raw meat and maybe go see Werewolf in London at some old theater and…
GREYSTON: [Laughs] Oh, you’re really hitting on the nose there.
LAURA: Yes, and then go – and I’ve thought about this for Elena for a long time – and then have a nice little fire at StoneHaven.
GREYSTON: Yes, and ‘Hungry like a Wolf.’
LAURA: [Laughs] Yes.
GREYSTON: Yes. It sounds about right.
Getting into a little more of the witch aspect, can you talk a little bit more about how that relationship sort of evolves with the witches? It seems to begin at sort of an enemy of my enemy is my friend. But can you talk a little bit about how that changes over the course of this season?
GREYSTON: I think initially the werewolves, the pack, we are obviously very weary of the witches and their intentions. But as the season progresses there’s another darker force out there that we realized and we also realized that we need to – we need their help and they need our help in order to deal with this new enemy.
LAURA: Like what Greyston said, the witches are a whole supernatural force that like most of the world with us didn’t know existed and it’s not something we can really go up against. I mean, we have brute force and the pack mentality and pack law, but when it comes to their abilities, we really have no way to counteract them. And it does seem like they are our enemies but that I think eventually we choose to work together because there’s strength in numbers and combining our abilities to help solve the problem we’re trying to solve this season.
GREYSTON: Yes. And I think it’s really interesting dynamic that season two is kind of like what Laura was touching on there was – is that, yes, the werewolves, we deal in physicality and strength. And the witches deal in magic and spells. So to see those two sides kind of butt heads and come together is a really interesting dynamic this season.
Does it help Elena at all to sort of have this feminine energy introduced as well since she’s really the lone woman in her pack?
GREYSTON: [Laughs] Hey, Clay has a feminine side.
LAURA: He does. He is concerned about his hair and does take a while to get ready before we go out to hunt.
GREYSTON: Yes.
LAURA: It was personally nice for me to have female energy on the set because as much as I love the boys, I would tend to always be the only girl. So it was nice to have these wonderful actresses on the show. And then for Elena as well, the three witches, she has great relationships with throughout the season, they sort of develop. But there’s a young witch that she sort of takes on a mothering aspect with and has sort of a protective vibe with her throughout the season that just gets stronger as they are sort of forced to be together and to take care of one another. And so that’s a thing that’s the nurturing side of Elena because last season she was an unsure woman who didn’t know where she belong. This season, she sort of very certain as to who she is and her future and is very violent in ways, but then to juxtapose this little girl brings out the warm side of her.
At the end of the last season, Elena and Clay finally reconciled. Can you talk a little bit more of what to expect from this relationship going into the new season?
GREYSTON: A lot of the big things are out of the way relationship wise but we’re back together that’s definite. But there are a lot of obstacles that we have to face this season. I think Clay is taking a step back and just kind of letting Elena deal with some of her issues this season.
LAURA: Her issues?!
GREYSTON: [Laughs] Issues, yes. It’s not euphemism by the way.
Are there going to be any other more differences going into season two? Anything that may be different now that you’ve done first season?
LAURA: I mean, speaking for myself, but I think at the beginning of this first season we were all a little bit nervous to get it right and make the fans happy because the books existed before, we were recasting the roles and it’s important to the fans. So we wanted to get it right. And I think now that they’ve accepted the show and they’re happy and the fan base has been growing, it sort of gives us a little more freedom to play with the characters and we’re more comfortable. We were always comfortable with one another but the comfort factor is a lot higher and this season it’s a darker show with witchcraft, and it’s gorier. So I think this season we just feel more comfortable to expand our characters’ minds a little bit more and the writers always give us great material. So we are following the books in a way but taking a lot of liberty.
In season two we see that what Clay thought about his childhood and how he came into the Danvers family wasn’t exactly correct. Will that weigh on him through the course of this season now that he has more information about his human family?
GREYSTON: Yes, definitely. I mean, that was a huge, huge blow to Clay. I mean, it’s everything he thought that was, wasn’t. And I think it just set in stone in Clay’s heart just what it needs to be done and that going to be the bottom of this and capturing Malcolm is just priority number one and putting him to justice because he is not a good dude. And it’s the thing we’re all chasing is Malcolm. We all have our individual reasons why we want to bring Malcolm to justice and basically squash him, kill him.
Is it physically challenging to do all the action on the show?
LAURA: I think we’re all very eager to do the action. I think all of the guys actually are very capable of doing all of their own stunts and I wanted to keep up with them. And I think it’s a nice break – we have very dramatic, heavy emotional scenes every week. So when we get an opportunity to be physical like that, I think it’s a nice break for us. And we do rehearse on weekends with our stunt coordinator John Stead who is amazing and comes up with these fight sequences, especially this season, will blow the audience’s minds I think and he always seems to incorporate the animalistic side of wolf fights within our fights. So I think we enjoy it. It is tiring but definitely worth it. And I think it’s better for the audience because they can actually see our faces and it’s more believable. We do have amazing stunt people who step in for us when it’s rather dangerous or we’re not able to do it. But it’s nice for the audience to see our faces while we’re fighting.
GREYSTON: Yes. And it’s definitely a catharsis because we go through so many different emotions and it’s such a mentally demanding show, in that respect but it’s nice just to shut the brain down — plus we need the brain for the choreography. But just the outlet physically is a really nice thing to do every couple of episodes. And it’s fun. Like this is the first time I’ve really done extensive stunt choreography and it’s kind of like a dance, once all the moves and the hits and the punches you’re proficient at it, it’s a lot of fun and it’s nice to come home – most days you come home from set, you’re emotionally drained, but it’s nice to like come home after you are just beaten, bruised.
LAURA: [Laughs] Yes. I’m usually the one that’s extremely bruised.
GREYSTON: Yes, you bruise easy. I think it’s the way you fight too.
LAURA: I think I just don’t know how to hit lightly.
GREYSTON: Your fights are a lot different.
There’s going to be so many changes especially in the characters coming into this season. What can you tell us about how your characters finding these new characters and are you guys as actors enjoying having more people playing in your universe?
GREYSTON: Yes. I mean obviously it’s just nice to have this female element introduced to our show and then Laura, of course. Yes, I think it’s been really great for her to have this female presence around. But it’s been an interesting when you think that you’re the only ones that exists in this in this world and then you find out there are others with powers and abilities, I mean it kind of shocks your world, right? And it’s been really interesting and challenging to incorporate these witches into our world and just to interact with them and see how we interact with them and, personally speaking, the only interaction I have with females on the show is with Laura and she’s like my one true love. But it was interesting just to have other women around and I didn’t even know how I was going to react to having them around on camera and with my character. So it was kind of just finding the moments and the beats and seeing how we interact. But it was very interesting and challenging.
LAURA: It completely changes the tone of the show. From the first season to this season, not that it’s a completely different show, but the look and the material that we’re dealing with is completely different. And for the fans of the witches, they certainly get their share of them this season. And it’s not just the female witches, there is a bad presence that is after the pack and they have to deal with that and you’ll discover who that is as the season goes on and it’s just someone that they really have no way of dealing with. Last season, our threat was either ourselves or the humans and the mutts, this season, it’s a whole new realm of possibilities and dangers for the pack.
GREYSTON: That we didn’t know existed until now. So it’s a shock.
LAURA: Yes.
You guys play a werewolf couple, what advice do you think modern/human couples could learn from Clay and Elena?
LAURA: Passion.
GREYSTON: Passion, yes. That we all have secrets and sometimes you need your partner to help you keep it secret. I don’t know.
LAURA: Or to help you get through it. I mean their relationship is a little in flux season one and you have to look at it that Clay is her one true love and she’s destined to be with him and she was fighting that. And maybe human relationships need to look at what their heart is really telling them and to listen to that, because I think we’re all looking for the right fit and sometimes the right fit is the wrong fit and it’s someone not just you truly are in love with and have fun with, and that was Clay for her and she tried to deny that. She tried to check off the boxes of what she feels a woman needs in society as a human. But maybe as human relationships in the world need to look at passion and what your heart is truly telling you and not try to check off those boxes.
GREYSTON: Yes. Nailed it. You nailed that answer.
LAURA: Yes. Nothing really more to be said. That was a pretty perfect answer.
In the first few episodes, we don’t see as much of the wolves. Is there going to be more spacing out throughout the season where things are sort of consciously. Was it a creative direction or special effects direction that some of the fight scenes early on you would think at least one of the pack would wolf out to participate in the fight but everybody stayed human. Can you talk a little bit about how that will change between season one and season two?
GREYSTON: Yes, there’s definitely some wolfing out that happens as the season progresses. But in the beginning it’s it’s about introducing these this new world, the witches, right? But there are definitely some fights coming up that involve like actors in wolf form so.
One of the other things, we see early on in the season that Clay sort of gets into investigative mode as wearing his doctor hat. Do we see more of that throughout the season. Will we see him use more of those skills throughout the season?
GREYSTON: Yes, you definitely do. And it’s definitely like an investigative element to this season. Like a true detective vibe. And Clay definitely calls upon his skills and his knowledge as an anthropology professor and anthropologist to help get to the bottom of this. So I think it’s an interesting turn this season, right? It wasn’t just about a wolf instincts, it was about using our brains and really figuring how to deal with this new world of the witches and it’s kind of an unknown world. I mean at first we’re not really sure what to expect and what it is and it’s a lot of just deciphering and decoding the world around us and I just happen to have good set of skills in this case to help deal with that.
LAURA: But what’s funny, Greyston is as you said that this season that the wolves are using their brains more, I feel like Elena’s using it less this season.
GREYSTON: Yes, totally.
LAURA: The previous season, it’s like Queen Elena has change in a way like this season she’s just very animalistic and in kill mode. I mean, she does use her brain at all times obviously, especially when investigating the dark presence.
GREYSTON: I think what’s driving you this season though is more of the blood lust.
LAURA: Yes. I think that.
There’s a scene where Elena has a long overdue conversation and you just almost vibrate at the table because you’re so angry. She really is almost feral this season because she’s so hell bent on correcting what happened at the end of last season.
LAURA: Yes. And that’s to be expected because this season takes up three days prior to the finale and as we all saw in the finale, Philip’s head was in her bed , so she’s still seeing red and it’s a nice change for me too because season one, I was just so emotional and, “Oh, where do I belong?” And this season, it’s just go time and that was a lot of fun for me especially I am separated from the pack mid season. So she is on her own and very instinctual with the young witch and with protecting herself and this young girl, so.
How does working on a show that’s based on a 13-book series kind of affected your approach to playing the characters, or do you just try to focus on like what’s on the page and kind of leave the books to their place?
GREYSTON: Well, initially I think we all obviously drew from the books as a sort of base knowledge. But it kind of becomes its own thing after that. You make some choices about your character initially, first season and then – and then you really just have to ride out the show, like the show like kind of becomes its own thing after that. And this season, we’re stepping a little away from the books. So it’s for me at list. I don’t know if I can speak for the rest of the cast. It’s about what’s on the page at this point. Whereas initially, it was – it was about researching the characters. But you have to kind of take some creative license and liberty to make it your own. But, there we go.
LAURA: Yes. He kind of said what I was going to say. For me, I read the first book when I was cast just to have an understanding and spoke to our executive producer, but I think, yes, it’s about what’s on the page, it’s about what we’re creating as a show and we want to make the fans happy but at the same time have to work within the realm of what our writers are coming up with, which is always fantastic and shocking and bloody and amazing. So the books are a source I guess if we want to go to to see sort of what the future might hold, but other than that, I’d like to go by the script and be pleasantly surprised.
Are there any other kind of pairings on the show that you’d like to see get together or any kind of love connections that you guys as actors would like to see those characters get together?
GREYSTON: Jeremy, I think – I can’t believe I’m forgetting the police officer in the first season.
LAURA: Yes. They need to get together or I think we need to try to bite a female and help her survive for Jeremy or just find a human. He needs a little loving too.
GREYSTON: Like what is Jeremy doing like to quench his sexual appetite? Like I don’t know. We don’t know.
LAURA: Well, I have a pretty good idea, but he’s our father. We can’t be thinking about that – he’s changing. He’s getting his frustrations out wall painting and we haven’t seen him paint in a while so who knows
GREYSTON: Sure. We know what he’s doing in the painting room.
LAURA: We know what he’s really doing.
What is the most fun for you guys on the show?
GREYSTON: Lunchtime.
LAURA: Greyston likes the food. . . I think for me, it’s working with all the guys. I mean obviously we love our characters in the show and playing out these characters and all the different scenarios that they have to deal with and watching them grow as we grow, but I just love working with the guys, we all miss each other when we’re not working and we have a lot of fun and we learn from one another so.
GREYSTON: Yes. I’d have to say the same thing. Like just our family. Like we’re so fortunate too being in a show where – and I know I can speak on everyone’s behalf that we all look forward to coming to work in the morning and just hanging out and then getting to act together and work out scenes and everyone’s very supportive and we go through a lot of heavy emotions in the show and it’s nice to have a group of people that understands the emotions and is there for support. But at the same time like we – because we like each other so much we keep it light. we’re always laughing and having a good time. So it’s a great thing.
LAURA: I don’t think any of us have ever gotten into like a fight or there’s never been any awkward personal problems with the cast. We all support one another and after scenes, we’re all congratulating each other on the work that they’ve done or there’s never been any bad intentions on anyone’s behalf which is really nice because actors can be fickle people and you never know when you put a group of them together what will happen. But in this case, it’s been a dream.
GREYSTON: Yes. There’s never any me or I, it’s always like, us the pack, we, us going through it together.
Greyston, did you work with the boy who played you in the flashbacks at all?
GREYSTON: Yes. Clay goes very internal and we call it the mind palace and he’s kind of trapped inside his mind and deals with some of his demons from past and we do have some interaction in that. I don’t want to give to much away about how that comes to me but, yes, he’s very sweet kid but that’s the interaction I had with him on the set.
What can you guys share about the like enhanced side of the horror that we’ll see this season?
LAURA: I mean this season, the horror definitely adds up. There’s much more blood and gore, but Elena is separated from the pack a few episodes in and ends up at a compound and sort of – there is a character that has the ability to get into the minds of our pack and sort of put the characters into a mind palace with their worst fears coming true and they have to deal with them. And for Elena, you can imagine there’s a lot of things that she’s had go on in her life and guilt and all that that she’s got to basically confront within this mind palace and we’ve got insane explosions and fight sequences, because Elena is sort of in this assassin mode, she’s ripping body parts off and it did get intense this season and actually I’m just looking at a photo where I’m covered in blood that I think I’m going to be posting soon. So I had a lot of fun doing that this season. I’m a huge horror fan and one of our writers Wil Zmak is aware of that so he wrote an episode I think specifically for me to quench those needs and I had my own little horror movie in one episode which was a lot of fun.
GREYSTON: Yes. I guess, the other person does what you want to say like, “Ooh, I love that.” But, yes, this is definitely a darker, more heady season. It really kind twisted and really affects you in a mental level. There’s a lot of unknown forces around us happening and it’s trying to figure out what’s happening in this world, because our world is physical and this new world is very supernatural and magical and fantastical and it’s really thrown us for a loop. But it’s definitely a bloodier, sexier, more violent season. And it just has – we have a new director of photography this season, Boris, and he’s really put a dark tone on the show. He has this thing called the dark side where you’ll notice in this show more specifically on the interior scenes. There’s a further shot on half of our face and it really kind of add to this dramatic tone. So visually this season, I think affects you more. Visually, it looks really appealing, it’s just very rich and dark.
LAURA: It’s very cinematic this season. It does look like it should be on the big screen like a horror film.
GREYSTON: Yes. All of my friends who have seen any bits of it say that too. It’s like, yes, just looks like a movie that’s.
LAURA: Yes.
GREYSTON: Hey, Laura.
LAURA: Hey, Greyston. What’s up? What’s up?
GREYSTON: What’s up? And then I guess – I mean one of the other key things – I mean everyone knows the premiere date obviously.
LAURA: April 17th. And we’re very excited.
GREYSTON: April 17th, two-hour premiere.
LAURA: Yes, I was going to say it’s great that it’s a two hour premiere because I know that the American fans have been dying to see it and trying to avoid the spoilers on social media. So they get to sort of get caught up within the two hour premiere.
GREYSTON: And these two episodes really do play well. I mean, the whole season plays well as a whole but these two episodes really I think it was smart to play them back-to-back, just artistically and plot-wise it’s like it really kind of go together as a nice little unit, like a two hour premiere. So it will be two hours of edge of your seat TV.
LAURA: Yes.
GREYSTON: Or hiding under your pillow TV. It’s pretty twisted and scary. It’s dark.
LAURA: And the finale, you’ll be using the Kleenex.
GREYSTON: Yes. Oh, yes, God, the last two episodes there’ll be some tears, I’ll say that.
LAURA: I feel like we’re just having a phone conversation with each other talking.
GREYSTON: Yes. We need to do this more often, Laura, just talk about the show. I’ll call you and we’ll just talk about it.
LAURA: I know. It’s like what you had for breakfast.
GREYSTON: Yes.
To find out how the witches and werewolves find a way to work together and what new villains rise up in Season 2, be sure to tune in for the 2-hour premiere of BITTEN on Friday, April 17th at 8:00 pm on Syfy.
