Tamara Podemski in ‘Murderbot.’ Photo Courtesy of Apple TV+.
Canadian actress Tamara Podemski chatted about starring in “Murderbot” on Apple TV+.
“Murderbot” follows a rogue security unit as it searches for the meaning of life. In a high-tech future, a rogue security robot (Alexander Skarsgård) secretly gains free will.
To stay hidden, it reluctantly joins a new mission protecting scientists on a dangerous planet…even though it just wants to binge soap operas.
Playing Bharadwaj in ‘Murderbot’ series
On playing her character, she said, “I liked that she was out of her element. Bharadwaj is most comfortable in a lecture hall with students probably on her planet. I think adventure is not in her job description.”
“For me, it is quite funny when you take a character and put them in an environment that is totally not comfortable for them,” she admitted.
“That is where all the humor comes and so much of her particular trauma because she is thrown into a situation that is way beyond her level of comprehension or even life experience to be able to prepare her for how to deal with that let alone recover from it,” she elaborated.
Lessons learned from this screenplay
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, she reflected, “I think the scripts are very much a reflection of the books by Martha Wells. I read all seven books and I just love her books.
“The books themselves are this proof that if someone —like Murderbot — who hates humans as much as it does is able to soften towards us, there must be something we have,” Podemski noted.
“Even if this weird group of space hippies represents the last decent card of humanity in 2000 years. If Murderbot can see the beauty in us, that’s what I am reassured by,” she elaborated.
“That we are worth fighting for despite much of the behavior that we are exhibiting currently, I do believe that we still have goodness,” she added.
Working with Alexander Skarsgård, David Dastmalchian, and Tattiawna Jones
On working with Alexander Skarsgård, David Dastmalchian, and Tattiawna Jones, Podemski said, “We basically met each other, and we screen-tested on day one and then, we were inseparable from then on.”
“It does not happen like that all the time, and I think this was a very special situation. As much as we can credit casting for choosing the right people, it is really left up to luck at some point,” she said.
“We were all each other’s cheerleaders and the fact that we all chose to sit in the green room day after day after day, that says a lot about how much we enjoyed each other, even on our weekends too. So, we liked each other a lot,” she noted.
New York premiere at Regal Union Square
Most recently, on Monday, April 28th, Apple TV+ hosted the “Murderbot” red carpet premiere at Regal Union Square in New York City. “It was a very fun reunion for all of us.”
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Podemski said, “A TV show like this would not happen without all of the technology available to us. What I do appreciate though, when you are on a big streamer like Apple TV+, you have so many things available to you and you can do those big, flashy visual effects, and we had the choice to shoot on location.”
Podemski continued, “While all the stunt people were there, we wanted to be able to embody the intensity of that environment. The production design team showed us so much of what it was going to be like so that we could have a realistic response to the world and all the other creatures in it.”
“It was even great to see the puppet makers up close, who were working on some of these creatures,” she said.
“Puppetry is one of the oldest art forms in the world, so to be able to see that before you get to all the fancy, digital stuff was really great. I like being reminded where everything comes from,” she elaborated.
Advice for young and aspiring actors
For young and emerging actors, she said, “Play, play, play wherever you can.”
“Play in improv classes, watch old movies, get out to your local theater, and learn. Just surround yourself with all the different ways to perform,” she underscored.
“The more plays you read and the more scripts you read and the more content you can absorb that is what is going to inspire you and help guide you as to what kind of stories you want to tell and in what kinds of mediums,” she elaborated.
Podemski defines success
Regarding her definition of the word success, she said, “Success is horizontal ascension, where you are seeing how far you can reach to hold someone’s else hand: it’s on a community level and a grassroots level. I consider success how far you can reach horizontally.”
“At the end of the day, you turn the Wi-Fi off, and all our phones don’t work, so who and what are you reaching for? All the people around you,” she explained.
Closing thoughts on ‘Murderbot’
For fans and viewers, she stated about the show, “First of all, I would love for everyone to read the books by Martha Wells, who has created an unbelievable world. They are nice, short reads.”
“It is a stunning new perspective in the world of sci-fi through the lens of the most judgmental robot (Murderbot) out there, who says the worst things about us, many of which are true,” she acknowledged.
“I want people to know that if Murderbot can learn to love humans and be reminded that there is still some goodness, then don’t give up hope because we can still do something good, especially if we find like-minded people that believe in the good values,” she concluded.
To learn more about Tamara Podemski, visit her official website, and follow her on Instagram.
Content shared from www.digitaljournal.com.