Source | At the time of ‘iZombie‘ Season 2 is being broadcasted in France, Rose McIver have been interviewed by a French journalist for this occasion. The interview has been translated by us, thank you to credit us if you share the translation.
As ‘iZombie’ season 2 actually airs on France 4 every saturday, LCI talked to Rose McIver, who plays Liv Moore, the heroine of this fantasy show adapted by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero (‘Veronica Mars’).
LCI: What do you like about ‘iZombie’?
Rose McIver: I like the fact that a woman is allowed to be vulnerable, to play a variety of different personalities. When we are children we dream it, to make as many interpretations, have fun with. This is the way to pick in a box different disguises. I love discovering new characters each week and embody someone different.
LCI: Is it difficult to play so many different characters?
Rose McIver: It’s not easy, of course, change skin like that so often and don’t necessarily know in advance who you’re going to play. It’s even possible that I discovered on the day of filming an episode, that I am an expert in kung fu for example. So sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s one of the most exciting aspects of this business, this kind of challenge, it allows to keeps surprises and bring freshness.
LCI: How to find the perfect balance between drama and comedy?
Rose McIver: It’s primarily a work of Rob Thomas and Diana, their scripts are perfectly balanced. They know how to place a joke at the right time, bringing a lightness welcome in a tense moment, we don’t have to do much at this level. But for example, it’s a joy to work with Rahul Kohli (who plays Ravi, ed) because we always have times where we can improvise, and he does it very well, he will always try to find the right word, even in the most dramatic moments.
LCI: In ‘iZombie’ we are in a world of zombies and there is very many dead, how Liv manages it?
Rose McIver: It’s a hidden reality in the series, this is treated as ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘ could do: when someone is killed, we tries to hide the reason for people who have no idea that this world full of zombies can exist. For Liv, there’s a lot of drama happening around her, but she works in a morgue so she manages to stand back, she knows how to protect herself. But she can also count on the presence of her friends, like Clive, Major or Ravi.
LCI: One of the strengths of the show are the different dynamics between Liv and Ravi, and Blaine, and Clive or Major…
Rose McIver: I have a lot of positive feedback on the fact that I play many different characters in the show, but we must also congratulate those who are around me and need to adapt to these personalities, who pretend to believe that their character sees no alteration in the character of Liv, as Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin) for example. She is her teammate and he need her, in the investigation she helps him, despite her erratic behavior and immature most of the time. That’s why I want to congratulate them because they make it so believable.
LCI: How important is it to have a show with a woman at its head?
Rose McIver: Liv is a vulnerable character, as I have said, and strong at the same time. She is a complex character and that’s important. Sometimes; some series show a bad ass heroine, kicking ass, something a bit exaggerated and stereotyped. For ‘iZombie‘, we have a sensitive character but also its resilient, open to the world and people around her. She is a heroine in three dimensions, and that’s what I look for in the television landscape and film, creating women simply human, in actions, reactions, emotions. And that they have enough screen time to explore their history.
LCI: To work on your character, do you just follow the script to the letter or do you have other references?
Rose McIver: In preparing my character, I listened to a lot of David Bowie, because there is something fantastic in the fact of celebrating difference, that hidden part of you that does not adjust to society. And I watched many series, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘ for example, but also movies of zombies, ‘Shaun of the Dead‘ and I try to see how this kind was declined in all these works… even if ‘iZombie’ is not a show 100% about zombie. In addition to the script, to have these images in mind, the music… It helps me get into my character.
LCI: What can you tell us about season 3?
Rose McIver: Season 3 will continue to follow the formula of the first two seasons, namely an investigation and a new personality a week, but they will have an impact in the main story. For example, Liv eats the brain of this fan of ‘Dungeon & Dragon‘ and she manages to handle brilliantly information, which will be useful not only for this episode, but for the rest of the plot. Her actions and decisions will have consequences.
