Farscape's Claudia Black talks about Aeryn Sun's past, present and future with IGN Sci-Fi.
The hardest working woman at the official Farscape con in Burbank is Claudia Black. Meeting-and-greeting, gabbing with St. Louis Scapers via webcast, posing for pictures, signing autographs, meeting with press -the woman who is Aeryn Sun does it all.
And, as if interviewing Claudia Black in person isn't cool enough, when I introduce myself she actually recognizes the IGN Farscape writer (yeah, I mean me), and she goes on to personally thank me for all the reviews. That's pretty much the ultimate compliment right there.
The last time I'd spoken with her, Black called Aeryn "damaged goods." So when she sat down to talk with reporters at a roundtable interview, I asked how she feels about her character today. "She's developing. She's learning, thanks to Crichton, how to open up a little bit more," she says. "She's still to a certain extent guided by fear rather than by courage and love and positive emotions, but she's got more to fight for than with just a weapon."
That part of Aeryn came out loud and clear in the "Look At The Princess" trilogy. Part 3 ended with a remarkable scene between Aeryn and Crichton. "It's the longest non-verbal sequence ever done on Farscape," Black explained. "I didn't think there was any doubt when I read it what it meant. It's our favorite scene, it's very dear to everyone's heart, because for the fans, we've expected them to become connected to the potential of Crichton and Aeryn."
A romantic relationship between characters on episodic television often falls into a will-they, won't-they dynamic, but Black feels Farscape is different. "I think we've taken quite a very adult and contemporary approach to the show, but that's thanks to the times. I don't think we could have made this show and have them come anywhere near each other and still continue to have the unresolved sexual tension," she says. But don't look for the sparks to stop flying between Aeryn and Crichton even if they do get together, Black says.
"I don't know if sexual tension ever gets resolved. I'd hope within a marriage or a long-term relationship there's always a zing, there's always chemistry and passion. And whenever there's passion you have conflict and drama, and you have something that's watchable. I think the stakes are high whenever people care for each other."
As Farscape viewers know, there's drama, and there's the show's daring approach to comedic situations. In the wacky "Out Of Their Minds", Black played John Crichton trapped in the body of Aeryn Sun. Black said she was "scared to death" of playing it. Originally the production planned to morph the performers' dialogue, but it was decided that would be too time consuming on an already-busy schedule. "[Watson] said the rhythm was important, but drop the accents," she says. "Don't try to do Ben Browder, because he's had a complex life experience leading up to Farscape. He trained in England, therefore his voice is a mix of southern and a more Anglicized sound. And it's very difficult to do a male voice anyway, and we didn't want to do a school play. 'I'm being a dude now so I'm going to put on a low voice,' that was important."
The most fun for Black came in a now-famous scene. "[Executive producer] David Kemper said, 'What do you think Crichton would do in Aeryn's body?' and I said, 'What do you think?'" Black says, laughing. "You don't need to put it on the page, I'll do it all for you. It was terrific fun to do."
Aeryn Sun watchers have also noticed a looser warrior with a definite sense of humor this season. "I influence that as much as possible," Black says. Season 1's "The Flax," written by Justin Monjo, was "the first time Aeryn had a fantastic sense of humor, the first time it was decided, 'OK Aeryn is funny.'"
When a pivotal set couldn't be built, the script had to change, Black says, taking a lot of Aeryn's sense of humor with it. Although initially disappointing, the experience has directly influenced Black's performance since. "In Season 2, I have a lot more confidence to take more risks. Physically, I was trying to be more appropriate there, and in Season 2, I was focusing more on what I could with Aeryn to expand her. 'Crackers Don't Matter' and 'Out Of Their Minds' were two very important episodes for humor, and I improvised a lot more than I ordinarily would," she says.
Other sides of Aeryn's personality also come out in the "Look At The Princess" trilogy. "That was the first time I got to work with Gigi where we weren't rivals." And we loved it," she says. "We said to David [Kemper], 'Please can we have a female relationship on this show that isn't based on conflict and aggression.' I know Zhaan wants to keep the peace and is a very spiritual, peaceful soul, but Aeryn is always so antagonistic. The female relationships hopefully will develop and mature so that the girls aren't 13-year-olds who are jealous of each other."
As for the rest of Season 2, Black is looking forward to "Won't Get Fooled Again." "It's funny, and it's macabre. It's a whole mélange of elements that's going to surprise. It's written by Richard Manning, the master of madness," Black says, with a smile.
And what about the chick with gun that Scapers love so much? Black does most of the fight sequences and stunts herself, and says, "My guns are getting bigger and bigger each episode -I'm loving it!"
Claudia Black is clearly enjoying the journey. "I think, selfishly -this is biased- that Aeryn has the most interesting arc, because she starts at one polarity and crosses to another, and I get to fill in the gray areas, and that still interests me," she says. Season 1's "PK Tech Girl" is a signpost for her. "It expanded the world of Farscape, literally, and that made me jump up to the plate to create a more physical, broader character." I can have more fun with her and make her the female Arnie."
Diana Estigarribia would be happy to have Aeryn Sun watch her back.