STARBURST has been lucky enough to catch up with Juliet Landau and Mara Wilson, two of the stars from the upcoming audio series VAM PD. The show focuses on vampires tasked with keeping the peace between the living and the dead. Landau plays Catrin, an elder vampire and the leader of the group, while Wilson plays Jane, a human working with the vampires as an aide and assistant.
STARBURST: Juliet, the series producer Lizzie Worsdell has said that VAM PD has been created around you and your character. How does that feel?
Juliet Landau: I am deeply honoured. It is fantastic. Big Finish reached out and said that [series creator] James Goss had written the role of Catrin for me. I initially wasn’t sure I wanted to do another vampire project. But then I started reading the scripts and began laughing out loud, which isn’t something I generally do. I’m a person who thinks “that’s funny” rather than laughing. But I was guffawing. My husband Dev asked from the other room, “What’s going on in there? What are you doing?” And I said, “VAM PD! That’s what’s happening!”
It is a unique universe. It’s not like anything I’ve ever read before. The three main characters are so distinct. The world is wickedly funny. I think genre fans, Buffy fans, Big Finish fans and any listener who thrives on great material will love VAM PD.
SB: Mara, you’ve said previously that you have always wanted to play a vampire. Jane is, of course, very much human. Is there any disappointment at that or does Jane’s character make up for it?
Mara Wilson: When I got the script, my reaction was, “Finally!” People have been telling me for years that I’d make a great vampire. Then I quickly realised that they wanted me to play the one human, and I burst out laughing. Any disappointment I might have had faded immediately, though, because Jane is such a wonderfully deadpan character, with so many layers, and the script was so much fun that I knew I wanted to be part of it no matter what.
Usually, when you audition for something, you put a lot of work into it, but try not to be disappointed if you don’t get it. This project I knew I really wanted, though, and I was thrilled when I got it!
SB: Juliet, how would you describe Catrin? In the first episode, she comes across as authoritative and stylish, but also quite antiquated and disenfranchised with certain elements of the modern world.
JL: I love the words you are using to describe her. Catrin is one thousand years old. She is like cut glass – glacial, smart, imperious. She’s the boss of the trio. She’s lost all contact with human emotions. That’s why she employs human liaisons, like Jane, to cue her into appropriate responses and to read people. Catrin’s a fashionista who hides in plain sight with her specific looks. She dresses noticeably to be unnoticed. She loves Magnus [her colleague, played by Alimi Ballard] in her own way, and she loves her cats; Lugosi, Cushing, Faye Raye and the rest of her kittens.
Photo credits: Photographer: Deverill Weekes • Makeup: Shelby Michael Patton • Hair: Nicole Goulet • Wardrobe: Shrine Of Hollywood / Peter Graham Wright
SB: There is a distinctive 1990s appeal to the show, given the much-loved projects you have both worked on in the past and your co-star Alimi Ballard’s role in Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Do you think fans of those shows and that era have something to gain from VAM PD?
MW: I don’t think I put it together until we were all in the same room – “Oh, right, we all played magical characters in the ‘90s!” There’s definitely a nostalgic element to it, but I think that the characters we play here are different enough from the characters we’ve played before that fans will get to see a new side of us.
JL: I think fans of good writing and listeners who enjoy humour will love VAM PD. Each script is rife with drama, action and tremendous wit. The theme song is brilliant and brings you right into the tone of the show from the get-go.
SB: Mara, the reveal about Jane towards the end of the first episode is really something. You always seem to thrive when playing savvy, intelligent characters who have more to them than meets the eye. Do you enjoy playing characters like these?
MW: Thank you! My favourite characters to play are always the ones that have depth. I think it’s quite difficult to play a shallow character! When a lot is going on under the surface, there’s a lot more to work with. That makes it easier and more fun. And, selfishly, playing intelligent characters has the fringe benefit of making people think you’re a lot smarter in real life than you actually are.
SB: Juliet, would you like to engage with similar projects going forward? Are you tempted to go back to playing vampires again or is this enough for the time being?
JL: We’ve recorded two seasons of VAM PD. All of the scripts are stellar. I would love to come back for seasons three, four and beyond! There are so many stories to tell, so much that Catrin could get up to!
SB: And Mara, is playing a vampire still an ambition for you? If so, what kind of vampire do you think you would be?
MW: I do still want to play a vampire! I think that would be very fun. I’ve always been told that I look like the classic idea of a vampire. I am a very pale White woman with strong features and dark hair, so it could be a natural fit. But playing a vampire who looks completely different, maybe in an audio drama or animation, could be even better. I’d also be perfectly happy to be either a funny vampire or a genuinely scary vampire. I think sometimes “funny” and “scary” are closer than we think!
VAM PD is available to pre-order now from the Big Finish website. The full interview will be appearing in STARBURST Issue #488.