‘FATE: THE THE FIVE WINX FAIRIES OF SAGA’
With “Fate: The Winx Saga,” showrunner and writer Brian Young (“The Vampire Diaries”) took the magical world previously seen in the Nickelodeon cartoons “Winx Club” and reimagined it for a slightly older audience.
And he has succeeded, based on how the show has shot straight to the No. 1 spot on the Netflix charts in so many countries, including the Philippines. “Fate: The Winx Saga” tells the story of five fairies who are learning to master their powers at Alfea, a magical boarding school in the Otherworld.
“I think that this show really does a good job of portraying the good, bad and ugly about teenage years and also showing young men and women that it’s OK to go along with your journey and to be patient in your journey and to really dig deep into who you are, and accept who you are,” said Abigail Cowen who plays Bloom, a fire fairy raised by human parents. “I love the theme that your difference is also your superpower. What makes you unique is your superpower.”
ABIGAIL COWEN PLAYS BLOOM
What were the challenges of playing an already beloved and established character?
The pressure that I definitely put on myself and the level of responsibility. I really wanted to make the fans happy and I wanted them to feel like they had the Bloom that they grew up with. It was definitely a journey.
How similar to or different from Bloom are you?
I have a lot of similarities to Bloom, her stubborn nature, how she’s very impulsive, very emotional. When I was her age, I was an emotional wreck. But she’s more tough than I am as a person. I think I’m more sensitive than Bloom is.
How did you keep Bloom both fresh and familiar to fans of the cartoons?
I definitely wanted to pull some things from the original Bloom and then also incorporate my own twist to it as well. Brian had a vision for who he wanted Bloom to be. I decided, going into it, that as much as Bloom is going through such a hard time… I still wanted it to be somewhat lighthearted because that is how the original is. She’s just fiery and full of energy.
How does it feel to have the show be embraced by fans so quickly?
It’s a load of emotions. It’s just surreal. I should probably journal about this today so I can actually process my feelings. I don’t think it’s set in yet.
Why should people give this show a chance?
Brian does such a great job of making sure that the realities of life and of teenage years are portrayed. We also show a bunch of really powerful young women coming together and conquering sh-t. I think that is so special in our day and age to see. We have so many different themes in the show. You have your humor, you have your almost horror, you have the moments that pull at your heartstrings and make you cry.
What was the atmosphere like on set?
It was amazing. Anytime all the girls and guys are together, it’s so much fun. We’re all such good friends. By the end, we were all like sisters. I feel very fortunate to have such amazing, amazing people around me. It just makes for a really great work environment.
If you could choose one of the fairies’ powers to have as your own in the real world, which one would it be?
I would say it would be Beatrix. Her powers are really cool because she can control weather. That would be really great while we were filming because it can get really cold. I can make it a nice sunny, warm day.
HANNAH VAN DER WESTHUYSEN PLAYS STELLA
What did you find the most challenging about playing an already beloved and established character?
One of the biggest challenges is that she is so iconic and she is so established. The “Fate” version of Stella is not quite as kind to begin with as the original. But I think what’s nice is the fans have been so open-minded. I like to think of it as like her journey toward becoming the character that everyone knows and loves so much.
How are you similar to or different from your character?
I like to think I don’t have too many similarities to Stella at the beginning because she’s a troubled soul. But I think we both have fashion in common, I really enjoy dressing up like she does. I think I equally can be really plagued by caring too much what other people think of me. With Stella and how cool she is, I sort of drew on people who weren’t particularly nice to me when I was in high school. It was quite therapeutic to sort of figure out the reasons why people have these barriers up and lash out at other people and push them away.
What was it about this crazy epic fantasy world that excited you?
It’s the reality of the relationships and being a teenager and all of those very human aspects in this magical fairy world. I had such a rough time when I was that age and I was thinking, “Oh, imagine if I also had to learn how to control light and the elements.” I mean, that’s a lot.
How did you build that chemistry that we see among the five fairies?
I think it was just such a joy. From the moment we met, we clicked and just hit it off so quickly. We really explored Ireland together and just hung out. We’d spend like 12 hours on set together, go home and then have a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the evening. It’s like we didn’t want to leave each other alone.
Are there are any secrets from the set can you share with us?
Stella wears a weave. The hair is fake, very fake. And it would fall out all the time.
(laughs) I was really bad. If you can’t tell, I don’t like having much hair so that was a real shock for me. There was just a lot of silliness. It’s a blessing and a curse to film with your really good friends because you have all this natural chemistry for free but also, the closeup would be on you and you would just see someone giving you the side-eye and trying to make you laugh the whole time. We had to work hard to remain professional.
PRECIOUS MUSTAPHA PLAYS AISHA
Can you talk about your decision to keep a diary as your character in preparation for the role?
I thought that’s something that Aisha would have, being so rigid and someone who’s such an overachiever. I did that at the beginning before we started filming and I would just go back to it whenever I needed to when we were filming. I thought it was helpful.
Why should viewers give this show a chance?
It’s just amazing escapism and it’s exactly what we need right now. I think it would be great if people felt like they could escape through these characters and see themselves in these characters who are very complex and are going through things that our teenage selves can relate to.
How did you bond with your costars?
It was so organic and it was really nice because I think this is the first major thing that we’ve all done. And so we kind of had this “we’re all in this together” mentality. We did loads of stuff, we had dinners together, we all lived in the same apartment building so it felt like a dorm which was the vibe of the show anyway. We just naturally became friends.
Did you watch “Winx Club” when you were younger?
I have two younger sisters and they were obsessed with “Winx Club” and so it was always on in the house.
How did your sisters react when they found out you were going to be part of the show?
I got a call and I got told I got it and I just remember screaming. We were all just screaming in the house. They were super excited.
ELISHA APPLEBAUM PLAYS MUSA
How did you make sure that your portrayal of the character of Musa is both fresh and familiar?
I watched one season of the animation and realized that she’s very different. She’s got a completely new power. So a lot of my research was done by meeting someone I knew who would wear headphones all the time and trying to understand why they wear them and why Musa would do the same. It was a lot of finding out new things and doing my homework.
How are you similar to or different from your character?
I am, in some ways, quite similar to Musa especially when I was her age. I would hold back a lot of my feelings and keep up a massive wall so that no one can get in. Even now, her safety net is her headphones and my safety net would be my bedroom. But in other ways, I think I’ve worked out a lot more than she has because I’m a lot older.
If you can play any of the other characters in the show, who would you want to play?
I probably would have gone with Beatrix. I think she’s so sick. She has the best outfits. She’s so powerful, it’s incredible.
How does it feel for the show to be doing so well in so many countries?
We are so grateful to have such open-minded fans. We’ve taken such a big leap from what the animation is, so for people to open their minds and actually enjoy this just as much as they enjoy the animation is incredible. So we couldn’t be more grateful for them loving what we’ve done with it.
What do you want to tell fans of the show?
And we notice all of you, we notice all your love, and we just want to say thank you, because we can never have done it without all of you.
ELIOT SALT PLAYS TERRA
Unlike the others, yours is actually a new character that was introduced in the series. How did you approach your playing Terra?
I think I was quite lucky in that I was able to build the character into what was already written and how I saw her. I like to do a thing where I just have the character in my head for however many weeks before filming. If I go and order a coffee, I’ll be like, well, what would Terra want? And what would she be thinking if this happened on the tube? I think that’s what I find most useful.
Can you talk about how close you’ve gotten to your costars?
We all got really, really close kind of straight away. We felt really lucky because we all just clicked. We did an escape room which I always think is a real test of friendship, if you can [do it] and not a cross word was spoken. And we made the leaderboard.
Did you watch “Winx Club” when you were younger?
Me and my sister really missed out because I think we were totally the wrong age or we didn’t have the right channel. We can blame my mom and dad but we missed it. I had no idea how huge it is. I wish I’d known but I’m [also] quite glad [I didn’t] because I think I would have been absolutely terrified.
What do you hope the audience takes away from your character?
It’s important, as well as trying to be kind to everybody, obviously, to acknowledge your own strengths and your own good traits and not apologize for yourself too much. I think that’s something I didn’t realize until I was older—that no one really wants you to say sorry for existing. So don’t do it.