Interviews
[San Diego Comic-Con ’12] Cast and Creators Talk “666 Park Avenue”
The Woman In Black writes in: With horror being the hottest trend on TV, ABC brought “666 Park Avenue” to the San Diego Comic-Con, where we had a chance to watch the pilot and panel and then chat with the cast and creators of the show. Color us definitely intrigued by what we’ve seen so far!
The stars of “666” – Rachael Taylor as Jane Van Veen, Dave Annable as Henry Martin, Vanessa Williams as Olivia Doran, and Terry O’Quinn as Gavin Doran – were at a bit of a disadvantage during our interview since up to this point they’ve only shot the pilot and haven’t even seen the script for the next episode so we didn’t get a lot of information about the show from them; but writer/executive producer David Wilcox and executive producer Matthew Miller did shed a bit more light on things…
Taylor won us over right away by saying what a big fan of the supernatural she is and how anxious she was to land a part on a genre TV show. She considers Jane to be curious but innocent, and she suspects during upcoming episodes she and her boy friend, Henry, will be “tested and tempted”. When asked about the horror content of the show, she said it’s full of tension and creepiness, more supernatural than shocking. Annable concurred with her assessment and mostly is happy to be playing Henry because he’s such a change from his character on “Brothers and Sisters”. He joked that finally he can act more like a man!
Williams compared “666” to The Shining and said The Drake (the building in which most of the action takes place) is the main character in the show. O’Quinn, who was making his first Comic-Con appearance, echoed her sentiment and added that it’s a little “Twilight Zone”, a little Rosemary’s Baby, and even a bit like Little Shop of Horrors where the building consumes you. He admitted he hasn’t really figured out the character of Gavin yet. Is he the devil, or does he work for the devil? Has he maybe made a deal of his own? Even more intriguing, it could be that Olivia is the “bigger bad” in the relationship.
The show is based on a series of books by Gabriella Pierce, and Wilcox and Miller said they took the novels’ world of mystery and evil and mixed it with their influences like the aforementioned The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby along with The Omen. They consider “666” psychological horror rather than focusing on spectacle and a lot of special effects. Henry and Jane are the prism through which the viewer sees the show, and a key aspect is whether they’ll be able to survive temptation.
In the pilot the history of The Drake was touched upon, and we’ll learn more about it, including through the use of a few flashbacks. We’ll also see how Gavin is connected to the building and provides it with the souls it requires. Each episode will be self-contained, but there will also be an overarching mythology from week to week. They want to keep it from being formulaic and will try to avoid a “Tenant of the Week” type approach. Mostly the focus is on the universal theme that everyone has a price – but what is it?
The series will premiere this fall on Sundays on ABC.
“At the ominous address of 666 Park Avenue, anything you desire can be yours. Everyone has needs, desires, and ambition. For the residents of The Drake, these will all be met, courtesy of the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn). But every Faustian contract comes with a price. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces within the building that imprison and endanger the lives of the residents inside. Sexy, seductive, and inviting, The Drake maintains a dark hold over all of its residents, tempting them through their ambitions and desires, in this chilling new drama that’s home to an epic struggle of good versus evil.“
As the inaugural season of Apple TV+’s stellar new series “Widow’s Bay” barrels toward its finale in two weeks, the latest episode gives Kate O’Flynn the spotlight as her character revisits her trauma with the Boogeyman.
“Your Baggage“, directed by Andrew DeYoung (Friendship), sees O’Flynn’s scene-stealing Patricia once again renew her fight with the Michael Myers-like stalker that slaughtered her peers during her adolescence. Thrillingly, it makes for one extended chase sequence that sees Patricia trying to warn others, while evading the undead killer.
In short, this episode’s incredible riff on Halloween and the slasher subgenre transformed Patricia into a fierce Final Girl.
“Well, that felt like a bucket list that I didn’t know was on my bucket list until I did it, but when I did it, I just lapped up every minute,” O’Flynn tells Bloody Disgusting of her triumphant turn this episode. “It felt fantastic for her to get that moment where she is becoming a badass. That was amazing.”
The actress turned to a few notable references for her performance. “Horror-wise, I go back to my youth, which was referenced in some of the episodes: Wicker Man, Carrie, and Rosemary’s Baby, that sort of thing is my kind of vibe.”
O’Flynn also notes how the series’ unique tone allows for so much creative freedom to make bold swings. “There’s something very freeing about it. Every moment is up for grabs, so it’s like we don’t have to totally land in one direction or another. It keeps it alive.“
Patricia is the eccentric assistant to Matthew Rhys‘ Mayor Tom Loftis, who’s at the forefront of trying to solve the island’s pesky curse predicament. Rhys felt the same about “Widow’s Bay” and its rare ability to make you laugh and scream in equal measure, stemming from series creator Katie Dippold.
“The mandate was, ‘It’s a real world with real people. You play for real.’ There’s no playing for comedy or horror,” Rhys echoes O’Flynn’s sentiments on how freeing the series’ tone has been.
New episodes will release every Wednesday through June 17 only on Apple TV+.
Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming on Apple TV.
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