Comic-Con: Panel Discussion Summary + Live Blog
The CW’s buzzy new Ringer held court at the San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, with series lead Sarah Michelle Gellar taking full advantage of the Buffy-adoring crowd before her. Here’s a taste of what the actress - who tackles dual (or is it five?) roles in the freshman thriller - and her cast mates shared.
Buffy, Schmuffy | Though producers promise that there is no supernatural aspect whatsoever to Ringer, Gellar will still be taking names and kicking ass - even more so than Miss Summers got to! “I got a gun [in the Ringer pilot] and Buffy never got to shoot a gun,” she laughed. “But yesterday I had a skillsaw and that thing I did not like. I never want to use that thing again. Ever.”
Home Sweet Home | When Gellar discovered her new series had been moved from CBS to The CW, her reaction was, “Oh my god” - and in a good way. “My experience over there [during Buffy, then as WB/UPN] was really incredible and supportive - you can take more risks as at The CW. It gives us the opportunity to find ourselves as well.”
Mystery Theater | Executive producer Eric Charmelo promises to “live and die by [the] twists and turns and secrets” of Ringer. “One [of the twin sisters, Bridget and Siobhan] is driven by redemption; one is driven by revenge. You won’t know who’s the femme fatale and who’s the mark. We love delving into the realm of moral ambiguity. There are things we allude to that cause a huge riff between sisters. It all plays into mythos of that and it’s something we’ll unravel over the season in flashbacks. EP Nicole Snyder adds, “We will give you some answers [each week], we’ll leave you on a pop, and when you think you know what’s happening, you’ll be shocked.”
Love Unexpected | Kristoffer Polaha (who, fun fact, was up against Marc Blucas for the role of Riley on Buffy) says that one of the things that drew him to the role of Siobhan’s secret suitor is that he is “completely different” than Life Unexpected‘s “man-child, Baze.” He also said that although his character Henry is a philanderer, it’s a “true love” between him and Siobhan.
Un-Hatched | Nestor Carbonell’s FBI agent character is presumably on the right side of the law, but he says, “So far I haven’t gotten much of a glimpse of his personal life. I hear they’ll be some nasty twists, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Fantastic fact | Ioan Gruffudd didn’t know what The CW was when Ringer was swapped over from CBS.
Buffy Reunion Ahead? | When asked if we might see a Sunnydale alum or two in the twisted world of Ringer, Gellar joked: “Michelle Trachtenberg’s been angling for a role. She’s hanging around an awful lot.” (Paging Georgina Sparks Dawn Summers!) In all seriousness, the EPs say that for now, the are thrilled with the cast they have.
Quintuplet Treat | Per Gellar, fans can look forward to seeing her play not one, not two, but five different characters. “There’s Bridget and Siobhan in the present; Bridget and Siobhan in the past; and ‘Siobette’” - meaning, when one is pretending to be the other.
Live blog from the Panel Discussion. In attendance are Sarah Michelle Gellar (SG), Nestor Carbonell (NC), Ioan Gruffudd (IG) and Kristofer Polaha (KP). Producers Nicole Snyder (NS) and Eric Charmelo (EC) will also be on hand:
First Ringer preview clip - man, really high production values here.
by Michael Crider 8:49 AM
SG looking decidedly evil in BOTH roles.
by Michael Crider 8:50 AM
Supernatural producers getting a god reception.
by Michael Crider 8:52 AM
They're really playing up each actor, and the crowd's responding.
by Michael Crider 8:53 AM
"A woman so nice they cast her twice, the patron saint of kick-@#$ females everywhere... Sarah Michele Gellar."
by Michael Crider 8:54 AM
"It's hard when you have a show like Buffy that you love so much... you're not looking for a show to top it. I wanted to come back for a show that the fans would love, that would be different but still exciting."
by Michael Crider 8:55 AM
"I get paid to kiss SG at work. It's an amazing job." -KP
by Michael Crider 8:56 AM
"We're planning for three seasons initially." -EC
by Michael Crider 8:57 AM
"How did your role on The tick prepare you for this." "Well, the codpiece helped." -NC
by Michael Crider 8:59 AM
Having connection issues - I may be in and out.
by Michael Crider 8:59 AM
Lots of focus on the NYC upper east side and international espionage.
by Michael Crider 9:00 AM
IG "Whatever's happened in the past, the husband is trying to put it back together. He's desperately holding on."
by Michael Crider 9:01 AM
"Everyone on this show has something to hide."
by Michael Crider 9:02 AM
"We're all sort of morally ambiguous. We're only on the second episode, but this is a great start." -NC
by Michael Crider 9:03 AM
"Season three will be a love triangle with my real-world husband. I can't wait." -SG (joke)
by Michael Crider 9:04 AM
On transitioning from CBS to CW - we'll just add some more hip music and better clothing.
by Michael Crider 9:05 AM
"You can take more risks on CW. We all know who the CBS audience is." SG Gee, whatever could she mean?
by Michael Crider 9:06 AM
"Every time we answer a question, we'll have even more waiting for the audience."
by Michael Crider 9:06 AM
"I'm not as involved in the storytelling aspect as a producer. I know where it's going, so I hold that over everybody's head. I don't write storylines." -SG
by Michael Crider 9:08 AM
"I love the twists and turn of this show. You never know where it's going - I never thought anyone would make a show like this." SG
by Michael Crider 9:09 AM
"There's one inciting incident that caused a huge rift between the sisters. That will impact the rest of the series as it unfolds." EC
by Michael Crider 9:10 AM
NC name-drops TDKR. Now we're talking about Lost.
by Michael Crider 9:11 AM
"Apparently SG's character gets some pretty good fight scenes. She refused stunt doubles wherever possible. BECAUSE SHE'S FREAKIN BUFFY.
by Michael Crider 9:12 AM
"Sometimes I'm playing opposite a double, sometimes I'm hearing an earpiece, sometimes I'm just making it up. By season 3 they'll clone me." -SG
by Michael Crider 9:13 AM
"How do you deal with keeping the secrets on a suspense shows?" "The promo guys know we have to keep our secrets. We never give away anything - it's all saved for the episode, and we believe the viewers will come back."
by Michael Crider 9:16 AM
"It's a tale of two sisters where one is driven by redemption and one is driven by revenge. Every character has a duplicitous nature. There's no heroes, no villains - it's shades of gray." -EC
by Michael Crider 9:17 AM
Audience questions now. Expect this to become the buffy Fan Panel really quickly.
by Michael Crider 9:18 AM
"It's hard to adjust - I have to remember when I'm doing a show, I can't kick this guy in the face." -SG
by Michael Crider 9:19 AM
"I'm an only child, so I've had to rely on siblings and twins, especially identical twins. Because they lose a lot of their identity in each other. To have these sisters that are so close and then haven't spoken, it's really been an adventure for me." -SG
by Michael Crider 9:22 AM
"We won't get to see too much of my character's personal life, at least in the first few episodes. I'm asking NOT to know from the writers where it's going to go, so I can play it by the moment." -NC
by Michael Crider 9:23 AM
We never though anyone to fall for this script, and then SG did! We're trying to make it live up to the great dramas on TV now, like Breaking Bad and Damages and all the rest, in a neo-noir fashion." -NS
by Michael Crider 9:25 AM
"I got to shoot a gun. I was really excited - Buffy NEVER got to shoot a gun. Then I used a skill saw - did not like that at all." -SG
by Michael Crider 9:25 AM
"Is there any kind of supernatural component here? Is it film noir reality? "No vampires. No demons. No hatch. This is absolutely a reality-based show."
by Michael Crider 9:28 AM
Talking about past scenes - there's going to be a good amount of flashbacks. Opportunities for SG to explore both roles.
by Michael Crider 9:29 AM
"Flashbacks will range from teenagers (NOT starring SG) to the present." SG
by Michael Crider 9:30 AM
"If I dressed up as Buffy for Comic Con, you guys would tell me I was a lame version of Buffy. She doesn't look real. i eant to dress up as a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills." SG
by Michael Crider 9:31 AM
"The CBS people were worried that it wouldn't fit in, even though they loved the show. So they moved us to CW, and it's a great fit. It really works well." SG
by Michael Crider 9:33 AM
"We filmed the pilot in NYC in March. I had a blast - I was born in New York, it was like going back to my stomping ground." NC "It was cold." SG
by Michael Crider 9:34 AM
"to get into another show where I don't know what's happening week to week is really amazing." -NC
by Michael Crider 9:37 AM
"Michelle Trachtenberg has been angling for a role. She's been hanging around a lot." SG Jaime Murray from Dexter will guest star in Season 1.
by Michael Crider 9:38 AM
Panel is wrapping up. Come on, show more footage...
by Michael Crider 9:41 AM
No more footage. Bummer. Game of Thrones is coming up next.
by Michael Crider 9:42 AM
Source: TVline.com, Screenrant.com