Screenspy Interview with Tom Mison (Live Tweet)
As promised, here we go:
We'll be chatting to Tom in just a few! We're not hash tagging, but you'll find as much as we can humanly tweet on this stream shortly.
Our full interview will be available on our website http://ScreenSpy.com following the interview. We'll let you know when it's available.
OMG, Tom Mison has a fabulous accent. Sorry, had to get that out of the way first!
Q:
On whether we'll see Ichabod lose his temper?
tom: When things get personal, that's when the rules start to fly out the window and he loses his temper a little bit more.
Every chance to show a different side to Ichabod is great. Past and Present Ichabod for example.
Tom says he's trying desperately not to give us spoilers, but we'll see him lose it a little bit later this season.
Q:
Will Ichabod change his clothes?
Tom: He wants to hold onto something from his time. His clothes are "a big stinking security blanket!" At least he gave them a wash!
We'll see the clothes issue addressed soon.
I wondered when that question would come up. [laughing] Yes, we'll see him changing his clothes soon.
It's been nice finding the difference between Crane in his own time and place and present day. It's about the balance.
There are so many plates that need to be spun to keep Ichabod going. It's hard work. Lots to sink the teeth into.
Q:
On the premise of the show being implausible?
Tom: I have faith that an audience will suspend disbelief if its presented in the right way. I find it peculiar when people scoff at ..
one idea, then switch the channel and watch a man travel thru time in a phone box. [laughing]
I have no trepidation, just faith in the great American public.
Q:
On blending comedy with drama on the show?
Tom: It's a temptation to go nuts on the comedy - for the writers too. There's a wealth of things we could do with that.
Len and I talked about it and decided early on the only way to balance the comedy was to play it as straight as possible.
We play everything straight. It was a saving grace in terms of performance. It also stops me from hamming it up! [laughs]
Q:
On Ichabod being married but in a long distance relationship. What about Ichabbie?
tom: And there it is! We've had the clothes question, and now the Ichabod and Abbey question!
There is something magic between them. They are forced into this situation, wind each other up & then the sparks start flying!
If anything were to happen between them it would certainly be fiery!!
Q:
On what technology will baffle Ichabod next?
tom: EVERYTHING! There's a wealth of stuff to mine. Everything is new to him.
Q:
Is Tom a history buff?
Tom: I've always been a history buff. It was one of the subjects at school that hooked me. Actors often love history.
It sparks the imagination. Luckily the writers are sticklers for the history aspect. Even the turn of phrase has to be right.
If it wasn't authentic, then it would just be a modern man in a funny costume. Everyone is patient with me getting anal about it.
Q:
Best gift you ever got/gave for Christmas?
Tom: My family never opened their presents until after lunch. I had to wait till 3 in the afternoon before I was allowed to open mine.
The best present I ever received was a robot that recorded & repeated what I said. I learned swear words from that robot!
Q:
What is it about Ichabod that Tom finds fascinating?
Tom: The one thing I find fascinating is that any room he walks into, he's probably the most intelligent person there, but no one will ...
allow him to show that. He 'knows' everyone is less smart than he is, but his manners won't let him show it.
Q:
On new and recurring character actors coming onto show?
Tom: John Noble of Fringe is coming up in the next episode. It's great to have actors who have been cast against type.
Who would have imagined that John Cho would have become a baddie? People might be surprised by me being cast as Ichabod.
They cast the net wide and surprise you with their casting choices.
Q:
On what's coming up in season 2?
Tom: It's nice to know early when there are important revelations coming. It's important to know.
I've been told what they are but shall remain silent. But for episode by episode minor details it's nice to be surprised as you go
Q:
On Tom's and Nicole's "magical" relationship?
Tom: It was off the bat. I was called to screen test & Nicole and I read together for about 3 hours. It was instant.
We like to be generous with each other. It's nice to throw things at an actor and see what they throw back.
We like exploring the scenes together as a team. She's as wonderful off screen as on.
I don't like ad-libbing in general. It's not our job to change the script. Any changes are discussed before hand.
We tend to stick to the script.
Q:
On adding Tom's own take to Ichabod?
Tom: Everything 'Ichabod' comes after long discussion. We all had similar ideas about what Ichabod should be, but they're open to my ideas.
t's a collaboration.
I've never done anything that's lasted as long as Sleepy Hollow. The longest I've done is 6 episodes.
It's been great watching Ichabod evolve over time.
Q:
On working with John Noble?
Tom: I liked it! He's mesmerising.
Q:
On Ichabod's spying past, will we see more of this in the present?
Tom: We'll see a lot more of him as a spy in the 18th Century. There are flashbacks coming up of his earlier life.
We'll also see his tracking and searching skills coming to the fore.
Q:
Will Abbey ever let Ichabod take the lead?
Tom: Abbey knows when to led him take the lead, and when she needs to pull on the leash - hard!
They balance each other out, but she definitely knows when to tell him to stop being an idiot!
Q:
What attracted Tom to the Role?
Tom: The unusual premise. You don't get parts or even shows like this very often. I don't know if I would have got this part in England.
When this role came up, there were other roles available but I knew this role was going to be more challenging.
It keeps me on my toes.
Q:
On the best aspect of the show?
Tom: Working with Nicole!! It's absolutely the best part of the experience.
Tom is telling us he's laughing at those who didn't get to ask a question. "Skynet has become sentient!"
Tom apologies for not having more time. (He's incredibly gracious and apologetic right now guys.)
We'll be chatting to Tom in just a few! We're not hash tagging, but you'll find as much as we can humanly tweet on this stream shortly.
Our full interview will be available on our website http://ScreenSpy.com following the interview. We'll let you know when it's available.
OMG, Tom Mison has a fabulous accent. Sorry, had to get that out of the way first!
Q:
On whether we'll see Ichabod lose his temper?
tom: When things get personal, that's when the rules start to fly out the window and he loses his temper a little bit more.
Every chance to show a different side to Ichabod is great. Past and Present Ichabod for example.
Tom says he's trying desperately not to give us spoilers, but we'll see him lose it a little bit later this season.
Q:
Will Ichabod change his clothes?
Tom: He wants to hold onto something from his time. His clothes are "a big stinking security blanket!" At least he gave them a wash!
We'll see the clothes issue addressed soon.
I wondered when that question would come up. [laughing] Yes, we'll see him changing his clothes soon.
It's been nice finding the difference between Crane in his own time and place and present day. It's about the balance.
There are so many plates that need to be spun to keep Ichabod going. It's hard work. Lots to sink the teeth into.
Q:
On the premise of the show being implausible?
Tom: I have faith that an audience will suspend disbelief if its presented in the right way. I find it peculiar when people scoff at ..
one idea, then switch the channel and watch a man travel thru time in a phone box. [laughing]
I have no trepidation, just faith in the great American public.
Q:
On blending comedy with drama on the show?
Tom: It's a temptation to go nuts on the comedy - for the writers too. There's a wealth of things we could do with that.
Len and I talked about it and decided early on the only way to balance the comedy was to play it as straight as possible.
We play everything straight. It was a saving grace in terms of performance. It also stops me from hamming it up! [laughs]
Q:
On Ichabod being married but in a long distance relationship. What about Ichabbie?
tom: And there it is! We've had the clothes question, and now the Ichabod and Abbey question!
There is something magic between them. They are forced into this situation, wind each other up & then the sparks start flying!
If anything were to happen between them it would certainly be fiery!!
Q:
On what technology will baffle Ichabod next?
tom: EVERYTHING! There's a wealth of stuff to mine. Everything is new to him.
Q:
Is Tom a history buff?
Tom: I've always been a history buff. It was one of the subjects at school that hooked me. Actors often love history.
It sparks the imagination. Luckily the writers are sticklers for the history aspect. Even the turn of phrase has to be right.
If it wasn't authentic, then it would just be a modern man in a funny costume. Everyone is patient with me getting anal about it.
Q:
Best gift you ever got/gave for Christmas?
Tom: My family never opened their presents until after lunch. I had to wait till 3 in the afternoon before I was allowed to open mine.
The best present I ever received was a robot that recorded & repeated what I said. I learned swear words from that robot!
Q:
What is it about Ichabod that Tom finds fascinating?
Tom: The one thing I find fascinating is that any room he walks into, he's probably the most intelligent person there, but no one will ...
allow him to show that. He 'knows' everyone is less smart than he is, but his manners won't let him show it.
Q:
On new and recurring character actors coming onto show?
Tom: John Noble of Fringe is coming up in the next episode. It's great to have actors who have been cast against type.
Who would have imagined that John Cho would have become a baddie? People might be surprised by me being cast as Ichabod.
They cast the net wide and surprise you with their casting choices.
Q:
On what's coming up in season 2?
Tom: It's nice to know early when there are important revelations coming. It's important to know.
I've been told what they are but shall remain silent. But for episode by episode minor details it's nice to be surprised as you go
Q:
On Tom's and Nicole's "magical" relationship?
Tom: It was off the bat. I was called to screen test & Nicole and I read together for about 3 hours. It was instant.
We like to be generous with each other. It's nice to throw things at an actor and see what they throw back.
We like exploring the scenes together as a team. She's as wonderful off screen as on.
I don't like ad-libbing in general. It's not our job to change the script. Any changes are discussed before hand.
We tend to stick to the script.
Q:
On adding Tom's own take to Ichabod?
Tom: Everything 'Ichabod' comes after long discussion. We all had similar ideas about what Ichabod should be, but they're open to my ideas.
t's a collaboration.
I've never done anything that's lasted as long as Sleepy Hollow. The longest I've done is 6 episodes.
It's been great watching Ichabod evolve over time.
Q:
On working with John Noble?
Tom: I liked it! He's mesmerising.
Q:
On Ichabod's spying past, will we see more of this in the present?
Tom: We'll see a lot more of him as a spy in the 18th Century. There are flashbacks coming up of his earlier life.
We'll also see his tracking and searching skills coming to the fore.
Q:
Will Abbey ever let Ichabod take the lead?
Tom: Abbey knows when to led him take the lead, and when she needs to pull on the leash - hard!
They balance each other out, but she definitely knows when to tell him to stop being an idiot!
Q:
What attracted Tom to the Role?
Tom: The unusual premise. You don't get parts or even shows like this very often. I don't know if I would have got this part in England.
When this role came up, there were other roles available but I knew this role was going to be more challenging.
It keeps me on my toes.
Q:
On the best aspect of the show?
Tom: Working with Nicole!! It's absolutely the best part of the experience.
Tom is telling us he's laughing at those who didn't get to ask a question. "Skynet has become sentient!"
Tom apologies for not having more time. (He's incredibly gracious and apologetic right now guys.)