Emmy- nominated Tatiana Maslany talks ‘Orphan Black’
And judging Air Canada enRoute Film Festival
“Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany has often been called the hardest-working woman in television. A month into the taping for season 4 of the sci-fi clone series, she’s proving that theory once again.
The Regina native says the presence of male clones on the Space/BBC America series now doesn’t ease the load as she plays over seven characters, each with wildly different personalities and accents.
“It’s pretty full-on for me this year,” Maslany, who was recently nominated for an Emmy Award, said this week from the set.
“All the characters are going through major shifts and big storylines, which I won’t really be specific about. But it’s a fun season. I love the writing this season. I’m really excited about it.”
Maslany said she did manage to take one month off recently to “just lobotomize” herself and watch movies for this year’s Air Canada enRoute Film Festival for emerging Canadian short film talent.
The 30-year-old actress led a judging panel that also included Catherine O’Hara, Francois Girard and Ron Mann.
Winners announced this week included Caitlin Durlak of Toronto for best short film for “Persistence of Vision,” and Catherine Dubeau of Montreal for the animated “Kaleidoscope.”
Viewers can catch the festival films on Air Canada flights until Dec. 31.
“I’m always interested in what enRoute is programming, because I fly so often,” said Maslany. “I really like catching up on things that we’re doing in Canada, and so often you don’t get access to that stuff.”
Maslany has starred in two short films and loves the genre so much so that she’d like to make her own short one day.
“I think telling a story in a small way like that is really compelling,” she said. “I remember growing up with ‘The Big Snit’ ... the NFB cartoon. It was my favourite thing, it’s still one of my favourite pieces of work, ever, and it’s Canadian.”
So, what kind of short would she make?
“I’m always interested in (having) two people to sit across from each other and the relationship is specific and personal,” said Maslany.
Despite having a fully formed idea for a short, she laughs “there’s no way” she’d have time to make it in the foreseeable future.
After all, she’s due to star in at least two films next year and is in talks to star alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in a film about a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing.
“I can’t really speak to that yet, but we’ll see,” she said. “I can only hope that that happens to me. It’s an amazing story.”
And, of course, there’s “Orphan Black,” which just started filming its fourth episode with Peter Stebbings as director.
Maslany couldn’t say much about the new season, but she did say her Sarah Manning clone character (who is central to the show) returns to her roots.
“She’s sort of had to become this unwilling leader of a group of people who really depend on her, and that’s not really her nature. She’s sort of a lone wolf and kind of self-destructive - and just destructive in general - so it’ll be nice to kind of go back to that core of who she is.”
All work does not mean no play for Maslany.
On her Instagram account, she recently posted a photo of herself dressed as Tobias Funke from “Arrested Development” for Halloween.
“Greatest night of my life! I love that show,” she said. “I love it so much and I think David Cross is a genius, so it was nice to just get to be him for one night.”
Maslany said she also busted a move at the “amazing, boiling hot” Emmys in September, where she wore a white pantsuit and was “dripping sweat.”
“There was some dancing. There was definitely some dancing,” she said, noting the fabric tape on her plunging blazer was “barely holding” because of the heat.
“I just feel like somebody who got access to a world that you dream about but you don’t really think it’s real.”