NYCC 2014: Interview with ‘Sleepy Hollow’ star Sakina Jaffrey and executive producer Mark Goffman!
My adventure at the Sleepy Hollow press room continues! At the monstrous 2014 New York Comic-Con, I was joined by actress Sakina Jaffrey and producer Mark Goffman about what’s to come this season on FOX’s smash hit, Sleepy Hollow.
Sakina Jaffrey, who plays newcomer Leena Reyes, the replacement of disgraced Irving at the Sleepy Hollow Police Department, is utterly cheerly and bright, a contrast to her no-nonsense demeanor on the series. She notes that the press round tables are like speed dating.
“Okay, so who are we going to date?” she asks, to the delight of the press table.
Joining her immediately after is showrunner Mark Goffman, one of the show’s executive producers.
(Note: The following interview was conducted on a press room round table. Not all questions were mine, but all questions have been slightly paraphrased and edited to fit an easy-to-read Q&A format, as much of the round table happened conversationally. No drastic changes were made in the questions and the meaning and integrity of each question has been retained.)
For Mark, going into season two, what were some of the things from season one that you wanted to build upon?
Mark: Once we introduced John Noble’s character, Henry as this mastermind, was really fun and we wanted to do more with that. So in season two, he’s in every one of the first eleven episode episdoes and just so much fun and really getting to have a character who thinks so far ahead and is so brilliant is a lot fun to kind of craft and weave into our story. For Crane and Abbie, I wanted them to get a little bit more ahead of the game. I feel that season one was so much more about just catching up to this incredibly crazy world they find themselves in that for them to get a handle on it and embrace it, I think is a lot of fun for sesaon two. So as crazy as it is or it became in season one, it gets crazier and they try to get a jump on that.
For Sakina, what is it going to take for your character to believe?
Sakina: I think the only point of vulnerability that you see with Sheriff Reyes is the fact that she has a connection to the [main characters as] children, to the kids. And it’s something that only happens when you encounter vulnerable children. And they stay with you. And I feel that all these characters — the questions of who the parents are, who’s the mother? Who’s the father? Who’s the guardian? — I think Leena thinks she’s taking care of this community. And she takes care of the girls. I imagine if there’s a point of entry it would be with Abbie, but I have strong feelings of wanting to care for both the girls for sure. And on that John Noble thing, having done scenes with Kevin Spacey, I thought, “Oh, I’ll never get this again.” And then I’m in a scene with John Noble and that sort of, not Machiavellian thought and so smart, and the way he handles language. I thought, “Oh, I have to be on this show. It’s too much.”
What was it like coming in as a fresh face onto such an established series?
Sakina: As I said, I was surprised to be the resident evil. I didn’t expect I was going to be this huge party pooper. But, that was a little bit of a shock! Because I read it and I thought, “Oh my God. Yeah!” [laughs] I was so excited to be here! They gotta respect me and it’s like, oh no, not really. I like playing these very ballsy women who have the courage of their own conviction who believe they are doing the right thing. And if you look at a situation where you got this girl with a gun and this guy with the uniform, and it’s all chaos. And I need to put an end to that.
But on a personal note, people were really sweet. It’s a really loving set. The cast and crew work so hard. I look at Nikki and Tom, and the weight they’re carrying, I mean you guys get to see all the fun, but they’re working their tails off. And I have such respect for their acting, but also that they’re carrying such a tremendous load. And I love the writers. I didn’t think that I would find a show where it’s so smart. And I think we all want really smart material. So have the humor and the horror, but also it’s so psychologically grounded. So you’re not in Neverland, you’re actually completely grounded and these characters as manifestations of a psychological moment in the lives of these characters really come to life.
Fans’ response to Reyes as been mixed, to say the least. How do you feel about playing such a divisive character?
Sakina: As I think was intended! Yeah. Ask him. [points to Mark] I want to know! I just want them to believe she has as much, not reason for being, but I think she thinks she’s doing the right thing. And when you see her come up against these characters, of course you’re going to feel for your beloved characters, your hero. But I think everyone is on a mission. And she’s on a mission that has merit. Let’s just say that. What do you think? Tell me, Mark.
Mark: Save for the demons, she’s absolutely right. About everything. If it weren’t for the apocalypse. But I believe that and introducing her as somebody who is not in that world, also gives us an access for the audiences who — you know, she’s someone who can come into this show and say, “This world is insane.” And I believe that, and everything I’m seeing [from her] there’s a justification for. Her interaction, the fact that she knew Abbie and Jenny’s mother, is going to factor in to the rest of the season. I think it will make an interesting bond there. Even if it cuts against her grain as a soldier, a warrior, in this war against evil. I think there’s a really fun arc she’s going to go through this season. I’m excited to let you see that!
Sakina: Yeah, all of them are great characters and you have no idea [each] week from the next which character is going to be doing.
What is it like being one of the leads of a show that has such a powerful female presence?
Sakina: It was nice actually, for me, to come in immediately at a point of authority rather than have to win it over or to prove myself. In fact everybody has to prove it to me, what their worth is. And that’s pretty much a luxury. I mean, I walk around with a stick up my ass [laughs] but I don’t mind! I don’t mind. What I love, with Nikki and I combined, we’re probably not much more than ten feet. We’re tiny, but don’t trifle with us. Thank you Mark for making short women powerful.
Mark: I believe it. She comes in and, you as an actor, you have such authority that it’s really, I think, exciting. It’s really organic to the world of the show. We weren’t trying to make a point, like “Look, another powerful woman.”It’s, here’s another person, a character, who’s very powerful and authoritative, and happens to be a woman.
Sakina: And is on a mission! Like every single character on this show. And like I keep talking about and find so interesting, is the idea that every character has suffered loss. And how they carry that burden. And, in the history I was given of Leena Reyes, there’s some loss in her life too. We all carry it differently and it’s sort of a reflection of a lot of interesting things that are played out in season two.
Mark: We’re going to get to know more about that this season as it plays out.
Sleepy Hollow has gained a reputation for having one of the most racially diverse casts in network television. Did you expect to have that reputation? How do you feel about having that responsibility, and did you ever intend to?
Mark: We never set out to like, part of the mission is to create a diverse cast. Let’s cast the most interesting characters, let’s cast the most interesting actors that we can find.
Sakina: I was so hoping he was going to say that.
Mark: But it’s true! I was lucky when I saw House of Cards. That’s when it really became, you know, recently familiar with your work. I said, “That’s who we want for this role.” And we went after her. And we’ve done that with Orlando, Lyndie, they’re just phenomenal actors and talents. That’s waht we looked for in casting the show. But we did want it to look like America. Part of the fun of this show is the character Ichabod Crane, who’s from 1776 from the Revolutionary War, is showing him what America looks like today.
Sakina: Look around the table. Sorry. This is it. Hello! This is Sleepy Hollow!
Will we be seeing any more Horsemen?
Mark: Good question. Well, two is a lot. So I feel that [we will] explore them for awhile. We are ramping towards an apocalypse. The Bible says there’s going to be at least four. I hope that if the show does one thing, it surprises, so I wouldn’t have any expectations. Just let it come. But, yeah, I hope we’ll surprise you with the way the whole apocalypse plays out.
One of my fellow press writers tells the table they did not expect to see Henry be the Horseman of War.
Sakina: That was the most ingenious thing ever.
Mark: We came up with that fairly early. And like for this season, we know how it’s going to end, and we knew before we started the series. So getting to plan that really helped us in laying these Easter eggs throughout the season. And it was hidden well, in the fact that Henry is so much older and, you know, we worked hard to hide the fact that he was his son.
Sakina: Did you tell the actors? John knew.
Mark: Oh yeah. John knew.
Sakina: Did the others?
Mark: Yeah we told them halfway through. This season we have another surprise coming in our midseason finale in December. Which I hope will be as suspenseful and as interesting as we have before.
Sakina: What’s interesting is that when you look back, you’re like, “Oh right, that, that, that, and that.”
As the session comes to a close, Sakina has a bright idea. She asks again. “Okay, so who are we going to date?”
Sleepy Hollow airs Mondays at 8 PM EST on FOX.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyl95obG0ac
