Amazon Original 

Carnival Row 

Interviews Part 1: Tamzin Merchant, Andrew Gower, and David Gyasi

Interview Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2019

It’s a very warm day as I pulled up to the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills (which sounds totally L.A.) and my nerves are shot to hell. Full disclosure, I am always a nervous wreck before meeting with actors because I’m not the most eloquent speaker, and my Southern accent becomes more pronounced. While some would say it’s adorable, which, let’s be honest, it sort of is; it often leads me to getting tongue tied when trying to ask questions. Thankfully, there is no audio, all transcribed.

I digress.

As I get off the elevator, I am greeted by Faeries, Fauns, and other creatures. It’s a lovely way to be welcomed to the Carnival Row press day. I check in and patiently await my turn for the first round of interviews.

CARNIVAL ROW Press Day Interviews Part 1: Tamzin Merchant, Andrew Gower, and David Gyasi

Tamzin Merchant (TM)

Many of you may know Merchant from Showtime’s The Tudors and WGN’s Salem. On Carnival Row, she plays Imogen Spurnrose, a prim and proper lady whose high standards and prejudice will be cut down to size.

Andrew Gower (AG)

Gower recently played Prince Charles Stuart in Starz’s Outlander series. He plays Ezra Spurnrose, the somewhat protective older brother to Imogen who’s desperate to keep the family name prospering despite their dwindling fortunes. 

David Gyasi (DG)

Gyasi will be in the new Disney film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and I first came to know him from The CW series Containment. On Carnival Row, Gyasi plays a newcomer to the affluent neighborhood known as Finistere Crossing, Mr. Agreus Astrayon, a very wealthy creature known as a Faun, which humans call “Pucks” as a crass slur. Agreus will forever change the lives of the Spurnrose siblings in ways they never imagined. 

Below is my interview with these three incredible actors who divulge about their characters, what drew them to the series, and so much more. And they all had the most amazing accents…I felt at ease knowing I wasn’t the only one. (haha)

Judy: The show is absolutely magnificent; I absolutely loved it! I love the different textures and feel of the series, in general. It [Carnival Row] has so many great costumes and fantastical creatures; so many different elements. It also feels like a mix of Baroque, Industrial, and Victorian eras all meshed together, on top of this little mythical fantasy. When each of you were presented with the script or were approached with this project, what was it about your specific character that drew you in? Was there anything specific about the script that called to you? 

TM: For me, I was really drawn to —  I’ve done a lot of period dramas but I’ve never done a drama where Faun, or Puck, are having a tea party; you know, that kind of Jane Austin type [of tea party] with a different type of creature, or intelligent life or being. And you can’t call him a human because you’re [looking at David Gyasi] not human. So for me it was this idea of blending what was quite familiar to me, which is sort of period drama / drawing room and tea parties with something that is completely new. That twist is what makes it for me. 

DG: [to Tamzin] Although, when you got to the end of it, did you start to see Agreus as human or were you just able to see him for what he was, a Faun?

AG: [oh and laughter] I absolutely did not [from Ezra Spurnrose’s POV]. 

{Laughter breaks out} 

AG: I can say 100% that I did not. 

TM: I think seeing him [Agreus] as human from Imogen’s point of view would probably be a bit reductive. Seeing him as a person; I think, as human beings, as homosapiens, we so often use the word ‘human’ in a sort of humanizing sense. Actually there’s something very dark about humans so I think it’s interesting to look at that word ‘human’ and what it means. So maybe I saw him as a being,  as a sentient kind of creature who then becomes something much more.

AG: It’s very interesting what you [Tamzin] said as well, the connotation of being a ‘human’ and the kind of failures of mankind, which this show does include the other, whatever that other is; I think, more than any period drama that I’ve done, or any show that I’ve done, this show [Carnival Row] really does emphasizes, I suppose, the failures of humans because there is the ‘other.’

I guess you get that in sci-fi as well, but this version, this script Travis [Beacham] has written is a totally different take on it because we [humans and creatures] actually exist with each other and you land in a world where we are hand-in-hand in the same city and it’s the norm. It’s just a really interesting take on humans. 

DG: [to Andrew – going back to my question] Was that one of the things that helped hook you in [to Carnival Row] or was there something? 

AG: Yeah. The initial thing that hooked me in straight away, and I can remember specifically, was the scene where the boat washes up; I was hooked. In the news [on the show], there has been a boat that washed up and the poor child that washed up on the beach, and how that was considered front page news, but also news for one day and then gone. That was just literally…I had to do the show; I have to be in the show. That was the kind of hook.

DG: You know [to Andrew], we’ve never spoken about that before but that’s exactly what hooked me. That’s exactly what hooked me and what you said, Tamzin, about the darkness of humans and what not, I felt like this, so much so that I actually stopped reading the script and phoned my agent.

I said “I’m in love with this story but how were we able to; how was Hollywood able to react so quickly to what’s going on in the world?” My agent, she was like ‘What are you talking about; this was written 10 years ago?’ I said, “What?” But of course it was written 10 years ago because it was still relevant back then.  

TM: And humans never change.

[All of murmur in agreement]

Judy: Yes, and that leads me to my next  question regarding the tonality regarding the treatment of people who are different or anyone who has differences other than what is considered “the norm” in society. It is  portrayed so brutally eloquently in the series.

As I was watching it, because being in Georgia for 25 years, and being of Asian American descent, I wasn’t always welcomed. Before I left [GA], I was still called “yellow” and in watching Carnival Row, and seeing how the Fae and Fauns/Pucks, and how the different slur names they give them: Pix, Critch (for Creature), I’m very curious to hear from each of you regarding that type of tonality? Was that aspect also something that pulled you in to entice you to want to be part of the show? Each of your performances is absolutely brilliant…

DG: Even Ezra (Andrew Gower)?

[laughter breaks out]

Judy: Yes, well, because he [Andrew as Ezra] has to be that type.

AG: I have to be that guy. 

Judy: He has to be that person in society…that group he’s representing.

AG: And we [Andrew and Tamzin] spoke about being odious and not very likable…

TM: As both of us [Ezra and Imogen] really start out as quite a horrible pair but that’s important. 

AG:  As an actor, you play somebody that’s unlikable but then you can also add things in there and you can almost make the audience feel uncomfortably sympathetic towards you. So saying, I mean we can talk about Brexit or write about anything that’s happening around the world, it’s very important to see to see somebody like my character behave in that way.

I found it very important to play this character with the ignorance, with a kind of circumstantial ‘Oh he’s been brought up this way, as is my sister [Imogen], so it’s as important to show the other side and how they [creatrues] are treated by humans. But also to show that human side which I found I really wanted to take somebody who is well rounded in that aspect. 

TM: Yes, it’s so easy to shy away when you get a script and say ‘oh how can I make my character more palatable, more likable?’ Actually, it was really fun for me to get a character you read and you go, ‘Oh God, she’s awful,” and actually I really loved starting in that place because it was really fun not to play a little…she’s [Imogen] very prim but she’s savages as well.  [Smiles and laughs] Because she’s this woman keeping like a bonfire out of control; she’s furious…

Judy: Well, you can’t be Georgina [from Pride & Prejudice] all the time.

TM: No, exactly.  And the problem is, and what I liked about the script, you know there are so many period dramas where the girls are like wearing pretty dresses and have pretty personalities and they are pretty; it’s so reductive. 

To be able to — every woman on the show, all of the female characters are complex and multifaceted. There’s noone being like ‘Oh I’m the pretty damsel.’ She [Imogen] can seem that way, but she’s actually doing something horrible; she’s trying to oust someone from their house, so it’s really fun to have that aspect portrayed.

Judy: [to Tamzin and Andrew] I think when you spoke of the complexity of your relationship as brother and sister,  and about being unlikable, there are moments throughout the series, in certain little aspects where humanity is shown.

An example is when Imogen and says “thank you” to Ezra and he gives her this look because he’s not trying to hurt her, he’s just trying to keep the family afloat.  As you said, Ezra only knows a certain way because that’s the only way that he knows how to be, that’s the way he was raised. But there are pieces of humanity that peek through and it’s one of the things about the series that is brilliant.

The way that it’s [Carnival Row] written and the characters are so complex, so well developed; it’s one of the things that I really love.  

I want to ask [David] about Agreus. He comes in, he’s obviously fully aware that he’s not going to be welcomed. When you approach this character, was there anything that you wanted to bring to the character that wasn’t already established? 

DG: Oh, good question. Well let me start by saying that these two, Tamzin and Andrew, had a different starting point for their characters where they were able to say “I don’t really like these characters from the outset.” If you were to take a picture of all three characters together, you’d probably react well to the look of them, Imogen and Ezra, and then look at Agreus and say ‘Oh, what are those horns about?’

So, it’s kind of the opposite; kind of understanding what lies underneath the outward appearance of him [Agreus]. What makes his heart beat? What makes him tick? And actually what you what you have underneath that was someone who was like ‘I just want to be.’  His being there is saying ‘I can be as good, as great, as bad, as sour, as whatever as anyone of these people.’ 

So that was nice to kind of sit in that and be secure and have a strength, and that for me — There’s a Jay-Z album called “4:44” and I was listening to that at the time that I read the script and preparing for it.

There’s something about that album, specifically “The O.J. [The Story of O.J.]” track and the “Family Feud” track where Jay-Z talks about dealing with pressure. The O.J. track is about O.J. Simpson and it starts with Jay-Z singing “I’m not black, I’m O.J.”  I’m like OK; and there’s something in that, in dealing with the daily pressure of being an outsider [regarding his character Agreus], considered an impostor and being able to hold your head up high and manage that. I’m so interested in that because all my life, probably like you [Judy], you see people that look like you, that are doing their thing and it’s just so inspiring . 

[David looks to Andrew] We were in Prague filming when Black Panther came out and it floored me. I was just like, “I’m 38 years old and yet to see that many people that look like me on a screen still amazes me.” 

Judy: Yes; it was Crazy Rich Asians for me, minus the rich. 

[Laughter all around]

AG: And it’s mad to think that that we are talking about, [looking at David] you are 38 years old and you’re talking about now and there are still people who are not represented on TV you know. I know Muslim actors who feel like there’s nobody really who is paving the way yet which is mad because we’re talking about a huge, huge audience in the world. 

DG: It’s interesting too because I get to watch it [Black Panther] with my son and he says “Oh dad, do you remember when we wore something like that to grandad’s funeral?” And he’s [David’s son] seeing himself reflected; that is such a joy. To go ‘you won’t even have that thing;  you’ll just be able to go and pick up a script like Carnival Row and go ‘this is amazing.’

I’m just going to delve into that because you know what we haven’t spoken about yet is the make-up, and the hooves, and the horns, and his [Agreus] legs. 

Judy: I was going to end on that – like what is your [Tamzin] favorite dress and for David, how long it took for the makeup processes…

AG: For all of the enjoyment of working on the characters, those guys make our jobs so much easier.

TM: Yeah, so detailed.

Judy: Yes, the costumes, the makeup, the visual effects, cinematography, the set design; everything is just fantastic. So I just, I was going to end my interview with that. I don’t want to say we are ending on a better note because the tonality of the show is very important.

I’m so thrilled that there is a show, even if it’s set in a mythical, fantastical world, it really harkens on issues that are happening in the world today and that will resonate with a lot of people which will propel the show. I know this is going to be a huge hit on Amazon. But to end, I wanted to talk about the costumes, make-up, everything is so fantastic; Is there anything you can about costumes you get to wear? 

TM: I said in the Comic-Con panel, it’s very hard to have an argument when you wearing a corset.  Have you [Judy] ever worn a corset? 

Judy: No, no I haven’t. 

TM: Congratulations, because they suuuuck. They [costume designers] got my waist to like 25″ or something, and you can’t breathe. It was very helpful for the character but I hate wearing corsets. It was helpful because it makes you sit upright and you’re like propped up; you can’t move, your almost like a doll, and there are literally some dresses that I was standing straight up in because that’s how Imogen is supposed to look – with a tiny waist where she can’t take a full breath.  

The costumes are beautiful and Joanna (Joanna Eatwell, costume designer) did a great job. Joanna did an amazing job. What’s incredible about them [costumes] is [looking at David] is your hat, for example, was made especially for Argeus. It’s like she had this vision of taking what we all know of Victorian-like society and making it making evolved so that Creatures of different races and species can wear them…

AG: And I like how Agreus’ suit is slightly off. It’s just a bit off because of his legs, being a Faun.

DG: Yes, you’re right; it’s about the shape of the suit to match the character’s legs. Joanna’s a genius. The period that it was set, which was kind of Dickensian, there are certain cuts to Agreus’ suit you don’t historically see in that period, you see it a bit later, and Joanna was like ‘I think this guy’s a bit forward thinking’ so all of his suit designs are double breasted because you haven’t seen that yet but this guy is just setting the tone.

TM: Yes, yes. It’s being ahead of his [Agreus] time. Even with his electric lamp (seen in episode 7). We’ve only seen a Faun in popular culture, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Loin, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you know, Mr. Tumnus. And he just wears a scarf…

[Laughter]

TM: This is a children’s show, put some pants on Mr. Tumnus. 

[Laughter]

Judy: Well, maybe it was a cashmere scarf?

AG: Or maybe he went to the [Harry] Potter store and picked up a Gryffindor scarf?

[Laughter] 

DG: Hmm, would Agreus ever wear a scarf? 

Judy: He would probably would wear an ascot. 

[Laughter]

TM: The fact that Joanna invented this whole new styling, and that he’s [Agreus] a very stylish Faun, it speaks to her incredible vision; she’s a visionary. 

AG: Yes, a very, very cool team.

Judy: Well, the show is brilliant. I’m so excited for everyone to see the premiere and fall in love with it like I did.  

DG:  And can I just thank you [Judy] for what you said about us and the show; it means a lot. So thank you. [Tamzin and Andrew both add their thanks as well]

Judy: Absolutely, you’re welcome.

At the end of our interview, I asked them for a photo (just the three of them) to include with my interview. They happily did, but then a publicist asked if I wanted to be in the photo. I wasn’t going to ask because I didn’t want to impose but Tamzin, Andrew, and David all insisted I take a photo with them as well. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled. One, for being in the same room with them, and the fact that they were just tremendously genuine people. 

And my thanks to the team at Sunshine Sachs for facilitating the interviews on behalf of the show.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Carnival Row interviews with Arty Froushan, Jared Harris, and Caroline Ford.

Carnival Row available on Amazon Prime Video starting August 30, 2019. 

“Some Dark God Wakes” Series Premiere Review

Creators/Writers: Travis Beacham and René Echevarria

Starring: Orlando Bloom (Rycroft Philostrate aka Philo), Cara Delevingne (Vignette Stonemoss), Jared Harris (Chancellor Absalom Breakspear), Indira Varma (Piety Breakspear), Arty Froushan (Jonah Breakspear), Tamzin Merchant (Imogen Spurnrose), Andrew Gower (Ezra Spurnrose), David Gyasi (Mr. Agreus Ashtrayon), Caroline Ford (Sophie Longerbane), Ronan Vibert (Ritter Longerbane), Simon McBurney (Runyan Millworthy), Karla Crome (Tourmaline Larou), and Alice Krige (the Haruspex).

Photos: ©2019 Judy Manning/Your Entertainment Corner. All Rights Reserved.