Witchbomb Sunday part 3. The Ashley and Emilie panel and closing ceremony

Ashley and Emilie panel

Question. If you were not acting, what would you be doing?

Ashley: directing acting
Emilie: direct. Directing in theatre. Bring people together to create a world. Not ready to direct in TV yet

Question. If you got magic, what would you be, a hero, a villain or an anti-hero?

Emilie: an anti-hero, you answer to your own values. Decide the good and bad in everyone

Ashley: agree, but might be more hero

Emilie: villains are not sure they’re good and vice versa. Like a grey zone

Ashley: Villains always have a reason, we need to know their origin story

Question: If you were in a London musical theatre production, what would you be in?

Emilie: [she sang a few bars of a song] Hadestown. Went to see it, last row only about the last ticket left. The music comes together. Quite cathartic

Ashley: Hamilton. Angelica Schuyler

Emilie: still thinking. The Boyfriend. Madame Dubonnet. Don’t know. Janet in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. A maternal phase. Like Ursula in Little Mermaid, I would have tentacles

Question. What is an experience that you wish everyone would go through, to make the world a better place?

Emilie: got lost in the ocean. Went scuba diving in her 20s. Was an international student at the University of Australia. Just certified to dive. Lots of waves, and lost her dive buddy. No oxygen, needed buddy to help. Lost the dive buddy, so looking for bubbles, which is what you are told to do if you lose your buddy

Ashley: your bubbles?

Emilie: they were random fish. Was at 25 metres, but was only certified for 18 metres. Where was the top? Which way was up? Could die right now. Had to be calm and centre myself. Remember the light. Stay calm and go up to the light. Came up to the surface and was about 1 km away from the dive boat. The dive buddy was wondering where she was. Lost me. She found them. That was very formative. To be alone and scared.

Ashley: sounds traumatic. Everyone needs to go through something. Lots of things in my life. Had trauma therapy. Learn to process. Helps to be more open with people. Get traumatised and do the work afterwards.

Question: What do you think your characters would be doing, four years after the end of the show?

Ashley: Abigail starts her own militia, to help the world. Adil would be ‘let’s make babies’. Need to help the greater good. She doesn’t believe in everything about the army

Emilie: In a similar place. Happy as head necro, in the lab, teaching, still in that basement. Fascinated by something new. The office still has posters of fungus. Watering plants, drinking mushroom tea. Perhaps into airy stuff

Question. What types of scenes did your characters have together?

Ashley: We pulled up some season 2 scenes, like the gas scene. And when I come with Adil in season 3

Emilie: 4 years later, would have moved up in rank

Ashley: I need your help – fungus. Create a decomposer fungus for me. Need a fungus attack

Question. Quote a meme you live by.

Emilie: walking in London, thinking about this. ‘Take pleasure seriously’. Continue to find pleasure in the little things. Play.

Ashley: On home screen, have Chadwick Boseman ‘When I stand before God, I will say that I used everything I was given’

Question. If you had more seasons, what is one thing you would change?

Ashley: If I had more seasons, the gassing scene, I hate how I sound. I would redo it differently

Emilie: I need to rewatch. As an actor, sometimes you make the wrong choice. You have to let go of critical thinking. There are so many moments that I want to reshoot. Beauty is not perfect. You can only control the moment. Let go. There are 3 things I would change. More scenes with the Core Four. More seasons. Expand this beautiful world.

Ashley: I am hypercritical. It is how I perceive myself, not others.

Emilie: Tell the story

Question. 3 items you might purchase from a grocery store, that might get strange looks from the cashier?

Ashley: anything sexual – everyone looking at me

Emilie: not items – quantity. Carrots. Carrots and eggs. Home depot? Shovel, big tubs, duct tape, saw… like a murder

Question. How do you play a character with a duality, like carer / nurturing. Like Khalida or Penelope?

Emilie: It is multi faceted, who we are. Not stereotypes. Encompass different qualities. Part of who she is. Get to be nuanced and real. Could be a CEO with a big teddy bear. All weird.

Ashley: Bringing Khalida into it, realising that she wants a family. Feel every emotion. Hide, vulnerable. Opened Abigail’s heart

Question. Something that was intrusive was done, but ended up being the best thing?

Emilie: The scene with Hearst, the maniacal laugh. Wanted to seduce him, get into his face. Lure him into the actor’s action – not intrusive. Get a relationship going

Ashley: many intrusive thoughts Taylor, Jess and I did that brought us closer. Tay and I touch tongues everyday. Season 1

Emilie: Covid

Ashley: her tongue touch

Emilie: I am learning stuff

Ashley: Covid meant masks and visors You have it, I have it

Question. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

Emilie: Japan. Everyone seems to be going there. The food

Ashley: If I could teleport, Japan. See the Hello Kitty shop. Italy for the pasta. Greece. Different architectures.

Question. Were you told the reason the show was cancelled? If it was released now, would it get more seasons?

Ashley: we weren’t told. Shows have a longer life on streaming. Now the network we were on doesn’t even exist. We could have got 6, like Outer Banks {??} with the promo that show got

Emilie: Copy and paste what she said. On a different platform we would have got more. It is different for the leads – get to know or ask ahead of time. Guests know later. I was invited to join season 2 only 3 or 4 weeks before shooting began. At the salon, having a haircut, I was crying. I was happy for what we got. Would be wonderful for 6 seasons

Ashley: bought the show on iTunes, only the buy now

Emilie: talked this weekend, some people only discover the show this year or even this weekend. After it has been finished for 4 years.

Question. Here it was shown on the BBC. If it was put on Netflix and said to carry on, where would you want the story to pick up. Would you say yes?

Ashley and Emilie: Yes

Ashley: At the end when they say Khàsémé àvá and everyone is a witch. We should pick up from there. Trying to harness powers, now they can

Emilie: trying to remember. I rewatched season 1 not season 3. There is always evil to conquer. Rewatching and talking about reality is indirectly talking about the US now. In season 1, Alder says there is war in the Ukraine, before it started. America now and in the future, in a different way. Inspired by what happens today.

Ashley: So true. Witchplague is like covid. The protest scene, with the masks. Had to film during covid. Even though we were filming outside, masks were needed for that. Made it look like part of the protest

Question. Was it always intended to be Abigail and Adil, or did that evolve?

Ashley: Adil was supposed to be a F*ck buddy. It was meant for Jess and Gerit to be the big relationship. The network didn’t like it, but did like Adil and Abigail. I wanted her to be a man eater for a bit longer. Everyone who can impress me, can go to bed with me. I love Tony, he was always there for me. On set he asked what I needed. There were some tough days.

Emilie: Surf Bay. Tony is the lead in that. He is so very different. Low key Bohemian surfer dude {note, Emilie is also in Surf Bay]

Question. In the zombie apocalypse and the guests here, who dies first and who survives?

Ashley: Taylor would say that I die first. But I’ll live. I’ll cuss them out

Emilie: Sylvia is good with an axe [I don’t even what to think how Emilie knows that about Sylvia. What are they talking about backstage?]

Ashley: Taylor dies first. She would want to make friends with them, they are good people. Amalia would try to reason with them, be political

Question. Was there a movie you watched that was so bad, you are still mad about it?

Emilie: Amelia Perez. Couldn’t watch it

Ashley: It won an Oscar. I’m scared

Emilie: my eyes bled

Ashley: I was part of a nominating committee, so I had to watch it

Emilie: couldn’t finish it. She won an Oscar. So much music / TV content, not bad art, just needed a different audience.

Ashley: Lyrics

Emilie: it was so stereotypical, no shade, no ambiguity

Ashley: she is a great actress. Hated the film Dallas Buyers Club, Matthew McGonnahey was really good. [and something about chicken wings that I didn’t understand]

Question. What would be your joint karaoke song?

Emilie: are we going to sing?

Ashley: Need a playlist. Like to sing. Love on top – Beyonce. High range, Whitney Houston

Emilie: need another convention to go to. Same as 2 years ago. Me and my brother singing Janis Joplin. Reminds me of my dad with the guitar. Like a prayer, Madonna