FlashForward
Interviews

Christine Woods plays Janis on FlashForward.

A couple weeks ago, the character was gunned down on the street and we surmised that it would help shake the series up if Janis died, thereby proving that not all future visions come true.

Janis is alive and almost fully well, though - but her co-worker Al jumped to his death last week. How will this affect the show? Woods spoke to TV Guide about that storyline and more:

On the fallout of Al's death: "In terms of the flashforward and changing the future, he gave us a lot of hope. It's sad in a sense that he's gone, but now things could possibly change."

On the return of Janis: "She'll be back this week. She is back at work, business as usual. She's a little taken aback by what's happened with Al. I think that when you almost die, you question a lot about: 'Am I in the right job? Do I have the right life choices? Am I doing the right things with my life?' She questions, but she stays at work."

On Lloyd and Simon: They're the delicious center of the cookie but you see a lot more of them coming up. [Fans will] feel satisfied with how much you get to know them in the next few episodes.

On FlashForward spoilers: "We pump them for information constantly. I think sometimes they just lie to us to put us off the scent a little bit."

On this week's episode of FlashForward, viewers bid farewell to Al and said hello Blue Hand associate Jeff Slingerland (Callum Keith Rennie).

The latter won't be the final new character introduced on the series, not by a long shot, says creator David S. Goyer. He told MTV:

"We're introducing quite a few new characters down the line. We have already written [the Somalian boy from episode three] as an adult. We're hoping to have a certain actor play him. We haven't nailed it down yet, but we're crossing our fingers."

Goyer also hinted that Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire) would take on that adult role, which would be incredible.

Then there's Miles Fogel a new addition to be played by Michael Ealy.

"He effectively becomes a series regular with [episode ten]," Goyer said of Fogel.

Goyer also confirmed that Slingerland would turn up a couple more times this season; and that episode nine will take Bryce to Japan (as hinted at last night).

"That's the subject of episode nine, which is almost entirely his episode," said Goyer. "We introduce another of our cast members in that one — her name is Keiko. She's from Japan, and I can't say too much more about who she is, but she's involved in Bryce's story."

One major problem we've had so far on FlashForward is the one-dimensional characters on the show.

Joseph Fiennes' Mark Benford is incredibly stuff; Courtney B. Vance's Stan Wedeck is over-the-top and not believable as a boss.

But we've loved Sonya Walger's portrayal of Olivia Benford from the beginning, as the talented actress actually makes us feel Olivia's pain as she struggles with the possibility that she'll have an affair with Lloyd Simcoe.

In an interview with Zap2It this week, Walger gets us excited for tonight's episode, which delves deeply into her vision and storyline. She says:

"It's a big episode. It's one where an awful lot of what she's been battling against really comes to a head."

Other excerpts from the article:

On playing a character that has seen her future: I feel like there's an enormous amount of fierce determination not to let the flash-forwards happen. I actually think Olivia's not that confused - I think she's just stubborn. She's not even countenancing the alternative. I think in episode four, she had to really face losing [a patient's] life or giving up her -- what would be the word? - her loyalty to Mark and everything ... she chose his life, but that was only when the odds became that extreme.

On a confrontation with Mark: I think Olivia is justifiably outraged that she's being punished for a crime she hasn't committed, and all the time, Mark has had this information about his flash-forward that he hasn't shared with her. I think the inequity of that is justifiably really irritating to her.

Every week, our staff recaps and reviews the latest FlashForward episode. Come back tomorrow morning and see what we have to say on "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps."

Dominic Monaghan made his long-awaited debut on FlashForward last week.

The former Lost star shocked viewers when he appeared as Simon, spoke to Lloyd over the phone and seemed to confirm that this pair played a significant role in the global blackout.

As for what's to come on the popular ABC series, Monaghan told E! News he's currently shooting episode 11 and:

"We're just gonna go a little further and further down the rabbit hole, and then as we get closer and closer to the finale, things will start to come back together... I like playing characters that are messed up. And that seems to be where we're going with Simon."

Sources say Monagha's character will be featured promiently on the October 29 episode of FlashForward.

She's Olivia on FlashForward.

She's Penny on Lost.

When it comes to mythology-heavy dramas, Sonya Walger is an expert. In a new interview with TV Guide, she speaks on each show, teasing fans with a possible return to the latter; and with more about her vision on the former...

On Olivia's flash forward: In the flash-forward, the bit that you have seen is that Lloyd gets up from the bed and gets a text message from someone. The person he gets a text message from is very, very unexpected.

On what's ahead for Olivia: I think it's completely fascinating that just the ghost of this might be what undoes their marriage, or it might be what strengthens them and keeps them together. It might be the tension of it alone [that] drives Mark to drink... It may well be that they get to a breaking point and then say, 'No, this isn't happening to us. We're going to make this work.'

On whether Penny should die: Are you saying in a sacrificial way, Penny needs to die? I hope not because Penny's so great. There would be mass outcry, but you know what, they killed off Charlie, so anything can happen. I feel like her dad should be the one to bite it. I am not kidding.

Lost returns to ABC in January; while FlashForward airs a new episode tonight. For more on it, as well as what else is to come this season, browse through a few show spoilers.

You want FlashForward spoilers? You've come to the wrong place.

“I don’t know what happens next, none of us do,” star John Cho told TV Addict. “In fact, David [Goyer] has actually taken it one step further and my understanding is that he actually gives out misinformation to the actors.”

Sounds like Cho's vision of the future is as dark as that of his character, Demetri Noh.

The actor has shot a handful of episodes, though, and promises fans they won't be disappointed.

“What’s been impressive for me, having shot nine episodes is not just how much is being revealed but how much the writers are advancing the storyline,” said Cho. “Answers are not something we’re going to keep from fans.”

Will Demetri Noh really be killed on March 15, 2010? That's one of many questions FlashForward viewers have to contemplate over the next few months.

But Gabrielle Union - who debuts as Zoey, Demetri's fiancee, tonight - spoke to Movieline this week and made it sound as though her character's betrothed may survive after all, at least based on Zoey's vision of the future.

“I have a flashforward that’s a little different than his, as he doesn’t have one, and I’m insisting that he was in mine. But I believe that we are getting married. I think that’s what I see," Union said.

Not that the actress is really privy to any FlashForward spoilers, however. She added:

“The [producers] are Fort Knox-y. If you say something, they’ll track you down!”

As for her character, Union described Zoey as follows:

“She’s a really smart character who is not in-your-face or a know-it-all... She’s actually pretty balanced, normal, and highly functioning, which is rare for me to play, as she’s not completely neurotic."

FlashForward airs a new episode tonight, titled "137 Sekunden," in which Mark interviews a prisoner that claims to have unique knowledge of the blackouts.

On FlashForward, Courtney B. Vance plays the Director of the Los Angeles Field Office of the FBI, Stan Wedeck.

Christine Woods portrays agent Janis Hawk.

The co-stars recently sat down for an interview and spoke on their character, show spoilers and more...

On their characters:
Vance: We supposedly have a background booklet. They never gave me mine, but some people got one. I'm refreshed by the fact that I really don't know a whole lot about what's going on. I have an idea about my character and his wife.

Woods: All the information you find out about your character, for some reason, ends up being some hidden secret that you kept from people.

On what's ahead:
Vance: The way that it's structured, they can go anywhere. So, I'm at peace with my not knowing anything.

Woods: I speculate on the grand scheme, "What caused this? Why did this happen?" But, I really mostly want to find out about Bryce (Zachary Knighton), or what happens to another person.

Vance: Yeah, what is Simon (Dominic Monaghan) about? What is Lloyd (Jack Davenport) doing here? There's a little clandestine meeting going on.

Woods: And I want to know how everybody knows each other.

For the full interview, visit iesb.net.

Following weeks of hype and buzz over FlashForward spoilers, the most anticipated drama of the new season premieres tonight.

ABC is banking a lot on FlashForward, inviting comparisons to Lost and airing the show on TV's most competitive time slot (against Fringe, Vampire Diaries and Bones).

So far, the reviews have been positive. And we're big fans of Sonya Walger from her role as Penny on Lost. In a new interview, the actress previews her character and discusses the show in general:

On Olivia Benfrod: "She's the main woman in the show. She's a trauma surgeon in her own right so she's working at the hospital and dealing with many of the casualties of the event and therefore many of the stories. She had her own flash forward which was very troubling: she sees the end of her marriage.

She sees herself with another man; a man she's never met before and she confides that in her husband. She thinks it will help by revealing that information to him, but it ends up making them both feel very unsettled. They have a child, little Charlie, who has also had a flash forward even though she's only seven."

On FlashForward vs. Lost: "I think they're only valid in that they're both big ensemble shows with one big concept or premise. But after that, they part ways really quite rapidly. FlashForward is definitely not a sci-fi show. It doesn't have the mythology of Lost. We have one major event that happens that you are asked to buy into. After that, you're dealing with very human ripple effects - how people deal with it and how they come to terms with it.

There are six-and-a-half billion people that have blacked out, so that's potentially six-and-a-half billion stories to tell! Believe me, we're not telling all of them. But we're about to start [filming] episode eight and I'm so surprised by how far the ripple has been felt."

Avid TV watchers are aware of two things:

1. FlashForward is the premiere to watch this month;
2. Dominic Monaghan stars on the series as Simon.

In a new interview, the former Lost star opens up a bit more about his character:

"I play a guy called Simon who is linked through story lines with [the character of] Lloyd. He's a very smart, intelligent scientist, and we begin the relationship with him under the impression that he knows more than he is giving away."

Fans won't see Monaghan until episode two, however. The actor said:

"Simon, is kind of in the wings a little bit, kind of waiting, kind of a reveal. He'll gradually be trickled in as the show picks up some steam."

WATCH THE FIRST 18 MINUTES OF FLASHFORWARD AFTER THE JUMP.

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