Are you ready for another episode of Cloak and Dagger? To get you in the mood for the episode today, check out our interview with Ally Maki.
Question: What does playing an original character, allow you personally to bring to the Marvel Universe?
Ally Maki (Mina Hess): I owe so much to Jenny Klein, she’s our writer and is the pure essence of the character. All the environmental issues, she really cares about, and what is happening with the environment is all very near and dear to Jenny’s heart. So she was a major creative input to the character, so I’d like to say that she brought the science, and I brought the heart. We have so many cry sessions together, talking about the things we are passionate about. She’d tell me about environmental issues, and I’d tell her about being an Asian-American woman in the industry, and there was always these heartfelt emotional conversations, all the time. She is such a wonderful woman.
Question: Speaking of the science, I love that it’s something that Mina and Tandy bond over at first, and then they have all these other connections. Have you gotten any feedback as a woman scientist characters, from girls or women who are excited to see that represented?
Ally: The coolest thing is, that Jenny called me after the episode, that a friend of hers called. The friend said that her daughter who is 14-15 years old, after watching the episode, watching Mina and Tandy, has now changed her Major and wants to be an environmental engineer. Which is so incredible that we cried again. Someone else told me that on twitter, that some of the “Save the Bees” campaigns are resurfacing and are tweeting it. It’s why I have a “Save the Bees” shirt on. So it is actually making an impact. We need more woman in the field in general. People think it’s a boys club, and that girls are not into it, but that’s not the case. There are studies showing that more women are actually interested in the field, but once they get there and see that it’s really a boys club, it goes to such a deep level. I think characters like Mina can show that you can be a woman who is brilliant and well rounded, with a family and still love science and do it for a career. It makes me cry, cause it’s awesome.
Question: You get to be a mentor to Tandy, you guys come off as very sister like, and that’s something that Tandy hasn’t had. Can you talk a little about how that will play out over the season?
Ally: Yeah, first of all, she is like a soul sister to me now. When we were filming, I think we knew we were doing something that was going to be impactful. We knew it was hopefully going to change women’s lives around the world. Hopefully change a profession that is very underrepresented. So I think that will hopefully has shown through on the screen, because behind the scenes we had such a special relationship. Working with her was incredible. So, yes, Mina and Tandy have a beautiful female friendship, and I think that’s important because we don’t see that enough on television, women supporting one another, without feeling in competition, without trying to get the upper hand. However, now that Ivan is awake it’s going to shake things up again. Now Tandy will be forced to see what she could have had with her dad, and it’s heart breaking for her to watch. It’s a bit torturous. For Mina it’s wonderful to have her father back. She has been forging her path all alone, and working with Roxxon who is not the best, so to say. Having Ivan back will really shake things up.
Question: Roxxon corporations is the marvel punching back for evil corporations, right behind Hammer Industries, and really the shows main villian in the first season. How does it feel to be the character who also works for the shows villain?
Ally: I think it’s so cool, inserting Mina in there, into what you’d think is this evil conglomerate, but she is really working from the bottom. She has the intent to cause change, and she is passionate about these issues. I think it’s a really cool spin on it. Putting her in there with with these, well I don’t want to say all men, but these guys are cutting corners, taking the easy way out. They’re going more of the evil route. It’s fun because you get to see her stick it to them.
Make sure to tune in tonight for the season finale at 8pm Central on Freeform!
Additional, we will post another interview, tomorrow morning, with Emma Lahana who plays Detective Brigid O’Reilly, from Cloak & Dagger.
Facebook Comments