Only in STAR: Diversity in Hollywood is improving

MANILA, Philippines - About a month ago, this writer was invited to the press launch of Season 2 of Blindspot, the thrilling television series about a mysterious and heavily tattooed woman who suddenly appeared in the middle of Times Square with zero memory of her identity. As Season 1 progressed, the FBI team investigating her case discovered that each tattoo contained a clue to a crime they would have to solve.

Australian hunk Sullivan Stapleton and American actress Jaimie Alexander star in the one-hour action thriller from Berlanti Productions (The Flash, Arrow) and writer/executive producer Martin Gero. Sullivan stars as hardened FBI agent Kurt Weller, who is drawn into a complex conspiracy involving the mysterious Jane Doe and the intricate cryptic tattoos all over her body. Jaimie plays the woman at the heart of the mystery.

In Season 1, as Kurt and his teammates at the FBI began to investigate the veritable road map of Jane Doe’s tattoos, they found themselves drawn into a high-stakes underworld that twists and turns through a labyrinth of secrets and revelations — with each information they gather leading to a much larger conspiracy of crime and bringing them closer to the truth about Jane Doe’s true identity.

The drama continues in Season 2 with the revelation of an ever-widening web of corruption and the truth behind Jane Doe’s real identity. With the death of Bethany Mayfair (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a new character will be introduced with explosive secrets of her own. Emmy Award-winning actress Archie Panjabi joins the series as Naz Kamal, the head of a secret division of the NSA that has been tracking the Jane Doe case from afar.

Archie is one of the few actresses of Asian descent to have found incredible success on American television. She just recently concluded her critically-acclaimed (and sometimes controversial) turn as the intriguing and mysterious Kalinda Sharma in the hit series The Good Wife, which ended its six-year run last year. The show earned Archie an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2010 and additional nominations in 2011 and 2012.

On the big screen, she was recently seen in the hit Warner Bros. film San Andreas, opposite Dwayne Johnson. Archie made her film debut in the British hit East Is East and starred in the award-winning films Bend it like Beckham, The Constant Gardener and Yasmin, which earned her the Best Actress Award at the Reims Festival and the Shooting Star Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Apart from her showbiz success, Archie has also gained worldwide recognition for her contribution to diversity in the media as well as for her philanthropic endeavors including partnership with UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, the CDC and World Health Organization for the This Close international campaign to eradicate the last one-percent of polio left in the world. And, in support of women’s rights, she has partnered with Amnesty International to head their Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

Archie is not just popular, she’s also widely respected. And this writer saw it first hand with how she was warmly greeted by US television critics during the launch and how journalists swarmed her after the press conference.

Below are excerpts from the general press conference with the beautiful Archie and my brief chat with her after.

When you left Kalinda (The Good Wife) behind, what were you looking for in terms of a continuing role and getting back into series work?

“Well, I’ve always loved to do stuff that is completely out of my comfort zone, and I have always wanted to do an action based TV show. So when the inquiry came in for Blindspot, my first reaction was, ‘Oh, gosh. I would be terrified to do something like that,’ which is why I finally decided I wanted to do it.”

Kalinda always had this sense of mystery about her. How much are you building on that in creating this new character?

“I think you will have to watch the series to see if there is any mystery or what the character is. I really like the character. I like all the characters in it, but I can’t give away too much. She is tough. She is tenacious. She is wild. She’s unpredictable. So I hope you enjoy watching it.”

The show is very physical. How has that been so far for you?

“Pretty good, I’m looking forward to having my fight with him (referring to co-star Sullivan.)”

Could you set the record straight about the green screen in your final episode of The Good Wife and whether there was any reasoning behind the amount of time you and Julianna Margulies did not share a scene together?

“I loved playing the role of Kalinda. I had such a great time on it. It’s something that’s very special to me. I’m so thrilled to be on another show. In terms of anything that happened on The Good Wife, I think it’s only respectful for it to stay on The Good Wife. It was time for me, for many reasons, to unzip the boots and step onto another show. What I can tell you for those of who you miss the boots, I do wear a pair of knee-high boots on Blindspot!”

Continuing below are excerpts of our brief interview after the general press conference concluded.

Did you watch the first season of Blindspot?

“I watched episodes of it and then, when I knew I was doing it, I went through the whole thing.”

Is that how you prepared for Season 2?

“I watched it to get to understand the characters a bit more but prepping, I kind of did it on the phone with Martin trying to map out what this character was.”

How much of a road map ahead did he give you about your character?

“I had a lovely conversation with Martin and he gave me a general direction and he had very clear vision of the show and the character — I can’t disclose that but I really like what he was telling me.”

Can you describe your rapport with Jaimie?

“There’s something magical about this group of actors. They welcomed me the day I came in. I thought I had to establish a relationship with them the first day and it became really easy to do.”

In your craft and career, was acting school very important to you and would you recommend it to people who want to go into acting?

“I came from a family that was very encouraging of having an education first and pursuing acting on the side. I think each situation is different. I have always had a passion for acting. I would have liked to go to a drama school but I am grateful my parents encouraged me to do both.”

Bend it like Beckham was a wonderful film. Have you ever met David Beckham since that film came out?

“I would love to meet him but I haven’t. It was a great film and we had no idea that it was going to be such a successful film.”

Are you based in the US now?

“Yes.”

How does it feel about an American president being a woman?

“I think right now, there are women everywhere. A woman in England has just become the new prime minister. It’s a great time for women. In terms of living here, I was largely unknown before coming to America and America has kind of opened its arms up to me and because of the love and affection I have received from the fans and the critics I’ve been made to feel very, very welcome here.”

Can you comment on the issue of diversity in Hollywood?

“It is changing. When I started back in 2009, there weren’t that many people from diverse background so I think the studios are changing and it’s nice to see, hopefully in time, people from many different backgrounds.”

(Season 2 of Blindspot premiered last Sept. 15 and airs thereafter at 10:40 p.m. (SG/HK) and 9:50 p.m. in the Philippines on Warner TV.)