It is rare to see a couple blossom so fully in a supernatural story as much as Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner). But the tale of a blutbad falling for a fuchsbau has captivated fans and all were rewarded by the wedding of Monroe and Rosalee in the Season 3 finale. Yet as fairy tales go, the happily-ever-after can be hard fought for. First of all, they are friends with a Grimm. Second of all, the Wesen world is not quite ready to embrace mixed-marriages.
In a press conference call, star Silas Weir Mitchell previewed some of the challenges that both Monroe and Rosalee will face as the fourth season continues. He also talked about the joy of working on such a fun show as GRIMM.
A couple episodes back we saw a couple of troublemakers sitting outside of the Spice Shop. What can you tell us about those guys and what their intentions might be?
SILAS: It’s been pretty sweet for [Monroe] and the lady. The only hiccup really was [Monroe’s] parents being a little old school as far as the inter-Wesen relationship and [they] got over that hump pretty well. But I think what went down at the wedding has sent a kind of a bat signal now out in the Wesen world. They know what’s going on and I think there’s a lot of people who have issues with it. And I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as it was convincing people that [Monroe and Rosalee are] okay as it was to convince [Monroe’s] parents. So I think there’s a target on [their] backs, basically.
How does GRIMM tie all its stories together so well so that nothing is really watered down?
SILAS: That’s a really good question. It’s interesting because at this point now we are in the middle of Season 4 and I don’t take a macro a view of things because I’m really invested in my life as Monroe more than I am invested in the overarching narrative structure. So I can answer your question only from my point view and through my lens. But what I see in relation to that question is first of all the showrunners David [Greenwalt] and Jim [Kouf] really have a very, very strong sense of what makes the show work. The mixture of dark story lines and comedic elements and marrying the real world that we live in with the world of Wesen’s who represent elements of our psyches — and they have a way of marrying these two things so that when more people are involved I think what happens is they are such good writers that they’re able to integrate these people into the world and the world is more important than anything else. They’re invested in it in a way that when new characters are introduced, they distill things further rather than dilute them. I know that’s some kind of magic trick of writing because I know what you mean. They don’t dilute it, they don’t diffuse it. Somehow they use the new characters really well in order to clarify story lines rather confiscate them. And I don’t know how they do it except that they have a very strong grasp of what makes the show work. Right now it feels as though we have about six storylines chugging along, and each story line is very, very tightly wound. They choose when to integrate those story lines with each other or when to keep them separate. Like Adalind (Claire Coffee), I don’t’ really know what’s going on with Adalind. But she goes away and then she reintegrates into the other storylines and they’re just very good at doing this dance. I don’t know how they do it, but they do it.
You mentioned obviously people are going to have a problem with Monroe and Rosalee being married. But can you talk about is that going to make it hard on their relationship or does it not bother them too much?
SILAS: I think it’s one of the things that again as I was saying to the last question; one of the things that these writers are able to do is marry the world that we live in, you and I, with the world of GRIMM where you can paint these psychological social issues with a kind of richer brush than you can if you’re completely bound to reality or our reality. So this mixture that they’ve come up with allows for this type of storytelling and I think that it will be complicated for us as characters. Because that’s true to life. Even though we’re in this other we’re in this imaginary world.
How will GRIMM going to keep the Monroe-Rosalee storyline exciting now that the will-they or won’t-they storyline is resolved?
SILAS: I think that it wasn’t the will-they or won’t-they for [Monroe and Rosalee] was pretty much not even will-they or won’t-they. It was kind of like: when are they? And people still seemed interested. So that’s a good sign right there because I think the will-they or won’t-they is something that sustains shows to a fault sometimes. Where it becomes just a big tease, and I don’t think we did that really. We didn’t do the big tease thing. We sort of did these people falling in love thing, and that’s a different story. It may not have the cutesy will-they or won’t-they, but it holds a different kind of interest for people. And I think that if people are interested, even though they know what’s going to happen, which is that [Monroe and Rosalee are] going to be together and I think people pretty much knew we were going to be together, then I don’t think they’re going to have a hard time being interested in the complications that follow. And there will be complications and they’re not going to soft-peddle them. These writers are interested in real stuff. Even though the show is “a fairy tale” show, our writers are very interested in real human stuff — and that’s what makes the show interesting.
What are your feelings about Wu (Reggie Lee) and him beginning to question what he’s seen and now with trouble staying with Nick? Do you think that they should tell him what’s been going on and kind of clue him in or do you think they should try to keep him in the dark about it?
SILAS: Well, that’s a good question. I mean I think in a lot of ways Wu, he’s already been through the wringer pretty big time as far as having his mind really messed with when they were dealing with the Aswang because of the Filipino nature of that myth that he always thought it was a fairy tale. Then he starts to see that maybe it’s actually true. So, in some ways, the soil has been there’s a fertile ground there for him maybe being able to deal with these things in a way. But, on the other hand, it could send him over the edge. So I just think that whatever happens Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) will have to be very deliberate as far as how they handle it with Wu. He obviously keeps pushing. So they’re going to have to make a decision, snd the decision’s going to be based on what’s going to be best for Wu. Because will he lose his mind completely or will he be able to handle it? Because he’s already sort of been down that road.
What are some of the challenges of being on a show in its fourth season? Good challenges and what are the great parts of being on a show that’s lasted this long?
SILAS: I would say mostly it’s great stuff because what’s great about it is like a manifold of reasons why it’s great. Primarily it’s that we’re a pretty well-oiled machine now. So there’s not a lot of distractions. You can economize the way you work in the sense that you know where all the locations are. You know the city, to get around the city. The crew is really at the top of their game. So when the machine is humming along it makes it easier to do better work. So that’s one of the great things about it. And the only real challenge about it — and this isn’t a challenge that I face — it’s for the writers to keep the thing fresh. And I think they’re doing a bang-up job of that. But that’s not my problem so to speak. I take what they give me and I do my best to make it real and have fun with it. But I don’t have to worry about storylines. I just live the life they give me to live. So, for me, it’s really all upside.
Is it difficult to have to play the character that is being persecuted for this inter-Wesen marriage?
SILAS: No, it’s not. It’s exciting. Because it’s a different. I’s a different life experience that I’m getting to live and that’s the fun of the whole game. It’s just living different life experiences. I mean that’s the fun of being an actor. So, to me, I was looking forward to things getting sticky and difficult because, like I said earlier, I think the only the only real hiccup last year on the way to the altar was [Monroe’s] dad being a jerk, and that’s not that big of a deal. And this is a much bigger deal. I tell you a lot of things that are smaller in magnitude than having a Grimm be on the altar with you at the wedding have happened that have led to terrible things. So I think that’s a big deal. When that gets out in the world not only the inter-Wesen thing, but the fact that [Monroe and Rosalee are] friends with a Grimm, and if that gets known, it’s trouble. So I think it’s just going to be ugly and I’m excited about it that’s fun to play.
Through the years you have played several mentally unstable actors. Is that a coincidence or do you pursue these types of roles?
SILAS: I think it’s more of a coincidence than anything, but I have to admit that I find it very interesting to live a life that is very other than the life I live as a man when I’m in stories. And I think that one of the things that makes a person’s life very different is what goes on inside their psyche. So it may be partly coincidental, maybe partly just because of the way I look. But I don’t seek it out per se. I don’t seek it out, but I find it fascinating and I do enjoy it. I don’t know if you’ve seen the film “Birdman” yet, but that is also investigating the inner-life of a person who is seeing the world in a very unique way. I just find that very exciting as an actor.
Is there somebody in particular that maybe you haven’t had a lot of scenes with that you’d like to get to work more with? Or even maybe a guest star that you like to get a chance to?
SILAS: Definitely, and the two would be Sasha [Roiz] and Reggie [Lee]. I’ve worked even more with the Captain than I have with Sergeant Wu. I remember the first scene that the Captain and I had together and it was so much fun to get these two people with completely different energies who’ve never been in the same room together practically – like when he came to the Spice Shop to get some stuff to keep him from being in love with Bitsie’s [Tulloch] character, Juliette. It was a delight to get to have Monroe and him in the same room. It was really fun. And I think that it would be fun to get more with Wu and Monroe just because: (a) Reggie’s fantastic and we work in similar ways and we haven’t had a lot of stuff to do together. We were actually in the same class in Los Angeles when we both got this job. We were working together on a scene from a play. So we know each other pretty well and it would be fun to actually get to work with him more.
What was it like to play the dynamics between Monroe and Nick, when Nick was not a Grimm? Has that been fun to play as well?
SILAS: Oh yes. It’s been totally great because there are so many issues arise in the absence of his powers for [Monroe] and Rosalee. I mean he got [Monroe] into all this crap and now he can’t protect [Monroe]. [Monroe] loves the guy, but now [Monroe is] kind of out on a limb. He felt bad and [Monroe] felt bad for feeling angry. And [Monroe] feels bad for him. But [Monroe is] also scared and angry and it was great. There was a lot of stuff swirling around in the soup. Again it’s just the writers are finding ways of re-imagining things so they’re still fresh. And if it’s fresh and still interesting for us, it is hopefully for you guys too. And definitely I enjoyed playing the dynamic of Nick is a broken-man. It was fun.
I love the relationship between Monroe and Rosalee. The chemistry between you and Bree Turner is fantastic. Can you talk about working with her and how that’s actually developed over these four seasons?
SILAS: It’s just one of those things where you’re lucky to get to work with someone which you work similarly, and we’re both invested in having a real experience. The story is the most important thing. And it’s fun to play pretend at a high level. We play pretend until it becomes real on a certain level and it’s just nice to have a partner who shares that ethic. That’s just the luck of the draw really. But it’s been delightful. I mean it’s one of those things where it could have gone either way, and luckily, it went the way of two people who work well together. That’s just luck really. You’ve got to credit casting. They put a group of people together that do well together. I mean all of us do well together. There’s no strife. People show up to work and have fun doing it and we respect each other. It’s a nice brew of psyches in there. And we’re there too and she’s just one element of it.
What makes GRIMM attractive for people in different places of the world? What do you think is the main attraction of GRIMM?
SILAS: I think there are two main reasons why Grimm has a global following, if one could say it in those terms, and that is first of all it deals with universal themes. Because everybody has these elements of their psyche. GRIMM deals with mythical issues in a very detailed and human way. So that’s one reason: that the themes are mythical and universal. The other reason is that it’s using fairytales from different cultures, and every culture has its own myths. Every culture has its own fairytales. Every culture has its own spooky stories. Its own creature stories. So this is sort of the sub-set of the universal thing. It’s everybody has it. It’s not a show about the fashion industry on the Upper East Side of New York City, which only a certain sub-section of society knows or cares about. It’s dealing with something that every culture deals with, which is myth and storytelling and it’s appealing for that reason to a pretty large set of the human population.
To see what additional trials and tribulations Monroe and Rosalee will face this season, be sure to tune in for an all new episode of GRIMM on Friday, December 12th at 9:00 p.m. on NBC.
SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER | Tiffany covers events such as San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon and press junkets, as well as covering events at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills. She has a great love for television and believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored. Tiffany is one of the newest members to the prestigious Television Critics Association and is happy to be able to share her passion for television shows with an even wider audience of fans and her fellow critics..
