By Christina Radish
|
|
|
Matt Dallas at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 28, 2007. |
On the ABC Family hit television series Kyle XY, 25-year-old Arizona native Matt Dallas portrays the title character -- a teenage boy who wakes up naked in the forest with no memory and no bellybutton. After being taken in by the Trager family in Season 1, Kyle began to learn the truth about his past. Now, in Season 2, Kyle is learning the full scope of his talents and abilities, with the help of Tom Foss (Nicholas Lea).
Talking to MediaBlvd Magazine about the upcoming Season 2 cliffhanger, Dallas gave some hints as to what to expect from the show and the characters, once the series returns.
MediaBlvd Magazine> How has Season 2 been different than Season 1?
Matt Dallas> This year, they’ve really explored Kyle’s abilities and what he’s capable of, and just gotten really creative, which is cool. They’ve heightened the bar. In the second season, the show has definitely matured, as well as the character. They’ve taken everything and grown it up a little bit. The mystery has gotten thicker and the relationships have gotten deeper. But, at the same time, they’ve really managed to keep a lot of what made the show so appealing in the first season. They’ve also kept Kyle’s really unique view of the world, and the way he perceives everything.
MediaBlvd> What has been the most interesting character development for you, and are there any new abilities coming up that we haven’t seen yet?
Matt> The interesting thing about Kyle is that he’s constantly growing, developing and changing, with every episode. To get to build this character that’s never-ending is such a unique experience. We see Kyle do all these amazing things. As far as new abilities, right now, they’re just starting to take all of the things that he’s been capable of and take them to the next level. There are no new abilities coming about. They’re just taking the ones that he’s discovered and finding out what their purpose is and why he’s capable of them. And, they’re also discovering a lot of what Jessi is capable of, and to what level and extent. With Jessi being in the pod longer than he was, they’re playing with the fact that she might be even more progressed than he is.
MediaBlvd> Of all of Kyle’s abilities that have been revealed, thus far, which would you most like to have?
Matt> I’ve had a lot of fun playing with Kyle’s abilities. If I was able to have one of his abilities, it would be the holographic memory because it’s almost like traveling back in time. He has the ability to go back and really see things the way they actually happened.
MediaBlvd> Can you talk about working with Jaimie Alexander, and how it’s been to add someone new to the show?
Matt> I think Jaimie is the perfect addition to the show, this year -- just with what the character has brought to the story and, at the same time, working with her, as an actress. When we first met her and we had her over to our house for our first little get together, before starting this season, we were all hanging out together, and April and I looked at each other and were like, “Wow, Jaimie is the exact missing link in this group.” She’s great. It’s been really fun.
MediaBlvd> Now that Kyle is more involved with both Amanda (Kirsten Prout) and Jessi (Jaimie Alexander), is it becoming a love triangle?
Matt> There is definitely some competition between Jessi and Amanda. Kyle is such a pure character and his attraction to Amanda is so much more. And, she’s such a beautiful, pure soul that it’s hard for anyone to come in and mess with that. But, there is a love triangle that is about to come into play.
MediaBlvd> What’s it like to be torn between those two gorgeous girls?
Matt> We shot a scene that was a stand-off between the two girls and me. I was standing there, across the room, looking at them, and they’re both just standing there, waiting for Kyle to give them some type of explanation of what’s going on. It’s so funny just to see the two of them, and for them to be polar opposites, and see what attracts Kyle to both of these girls. It’s really cool, and it’s a really interesting chemistry.
MediaBlvd> When will Jessi learn more about her origins?
Matt> We know that Jessi comes from the same place as Kyle, in that she was created by zzyzx. We don’t know exactly what their relationship is to each other. She will start to find out a lot more about who she is, by the end of this half of the season. We air up to episode 13, and then we take a break and come back in the winter. She’ll find out a lot in the next few episodes. It’s really interesting to see the way that she deals with it. In the back 10 episodes that we’re currently shooting, it’s interesting to see the way that she’s handling it, now that everything is trying to get back to normal.
MediaBlvd> When, if ever, will the Tragers find out more about Kyle?
Matt> I’m not allowed to say. That’s all coming up very soon, as far as what the family’s role in the mystery is.
MediaBlvd> Are Kyle and Jessi the only two clones out there, or might there be others?
Matt> As far as I know, they’re the only two, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m continually just as shocked and surprised when I get scripts, as the viewers are. Though, as far as I know, I Jessi and Kyle are the only two. But, that can change tomorrow.
MediaBlvd> How much do you have in common with Kyle, and how much is Kyle different from you?
Matt> I know him so well now that he feels like an alter-ego. But, there’s a lot of differences. His way of perceiving the world is different from mine. We all wish to be as genuine and pure as Kyle is, and perceive the world the way he does. He comes with such a pure way of looking at everything. I’ve also been around for 25 years. I don’t think he’s even been around for a full year yet. He’s a lot more naive, but then, at the same time, he’s a lot more mature and he’s a lot more grounded, and he knows exactly who he is. He’s not embarrassed about who he is, and he’s not trying to be somebody else. He has very honest beliefs. He’s a person that I very much strive to be like.
MediaBlvd> The show hits on a wide spectrum of relationships, such as friendships, family and romance. What are your favorite character relationships, both from an acting standpoint and just watching?
Matt> I love working with everyone on the show, and I’m happy every time I have an opportunity to work with another actor -- whether it’s a member of the Trager family or Tom Foss (Nicholas Lea), or whoever. I love playing all of the relationships so much that it’s hard to say what my favorites are. But, I would definitely say that Kyle’s relationship with Nicole is one of my favorites to play because they have such a unique relationship that’s different than any type of relationship that anyone shares in a family. She’s trying to play this very maternal role to him, and he wants to be normal and be a kid, but at the same time, they know that it can’t be that way. At the same time that she’s trying to be his guardian, there’s a lot of things that he’s teaching her. They’re almost on the same level, so it’s such a fun relationship to get to explore. And, I also love playing the relationship with Tom Foss because I think that they have such a cool relationship. Tom Foss is mentoring Kyle and they have this really strong, deep relationship that he’ll never let Kyle see. It’s a fun, tricky relationship to play. My favorite relationship to watch on the show has nothing to do with me, but I love watching Josh (Jean-Luc Bilodeau) and Andy (Magda Apanowicz). The two of them are so great together, and the chemistry that they have is great.
MediaBlvd> What is the hardest part about playing someone superhuman, who has powers?
|
|
Matt Dallas & Jaimie Alexander at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 28, 2007. |
Matt> The most challenging part is all the physical stuff. They have me training constantly, and working with the stunt coordinator. I have a major fear of heights. I get major vertigo and I feel like my body is just going to throw itself off a cliff. But, I’ve been able to face that fear through the show and, now, I’m not so afraid of heights, which has been really cool. I went from being so scared that I could barely walk out to the edge of the bridge where I threw out Adam Baylin’s ashes in the first episode to now, when we were shooting some of the finale stuff, where I was fine, even without the cable. They were like, “Matt, back away! You’re too close!,” and I was thought, “Wow, this is a lot easier now.”
MediaBlvd> As the show goes on and Kyle learns more, gets more answers and becomes more familiar with the world, is there a danger of him losing that naivete and innocence that we’ve seen in him, since the very beginning?
Matt> I think Kyle will always have a sense of naivete because he is, technically, still so young. He is only a year old. But, on the other hand, he’s going to continue to grow. He’s not going to continue to be that wide-eyed boy that he was. I’m not afraid to lose it because there’s so much more. This character could go anywhere. It’s endless. We’re going to see him grow into this huge figure, like Ghandi or Mother Theresa. To get to see that, in the making, is so fascinating. And, at the same time, I think that he’s a character that would always stay true to himself and will always be so pure and so genuine. Even if he begins to lose the naivete, he’ll still be so fascinating and interesting to watch.
MediaBlvd> Has it been difficult to adjust to the longer shooting schedule this season, or do you prefer it because it gives you more time to explore your character?
Matt> It’s definitely an adjustment. It was great to have a short season because we got to come up here and shoot it, and then step away for a little while before we had to come back. And, the hours can be really long. When you’re working 12-15 hours a day, it can be really long, when you’re shooting 23 episodes. But, on the other hand, it’s a show that I love working on and I love the people that I work with, so it makes it totally worth it. I’m so happy to wake up every morning and come to work with the group of people that I do.
MediaBlvd> When you signed on to do this ABC Family show, did you ever imagine that you would have this enormous fanbase?
Matt> Not at all. I first signed onto the show thinking it was just going to be a small show on ABC Family. But then, with the redevelopment of the network, it’s been a huge surprise for everyone. The show ended up being a hit and the fan base just grew and was insane. It’s been so amazing. It’s been shocking and surprising, but at the same time, so wonderful.
MediaBlvd> Since the content of the shows on ABC Family has changed, has there been a change in the way the show is written? Are they trying to make it a little more adult? Matt> I think that they really matured the show this year, but I don’t think that they’re trying to make it any more adult. In general, the network trying to break away from what your typical idea of a family network is. When you say “family,” you think of Boy Meets World and Saturday morning cartoons. It was really about them trying to break away from that and become this new network. And, it’s been so exciting to get to help pioneer that and be a part of the beginning processes of that. It’s been a lot of fun for us. The network is definitely exploring a lot of different things and directions for the show.
MediaBlvd> Have you been surprised about any of the subjects that ABC Family has allowed you to address on the show?
Matt> Yes, consistently. A lot of times, we’ll get a new script and I’ll be like, “Wow, they’re letting us go there?” That’s something that Julie Plec was happy about. The network lets us explore and really touch on current events, instead of being censored all the time. Our episode, “Free to Be You and Me,” that dealt with the gay community a lot, addressed the issue of why same sex couples are not okay when straight couples are. Even though it ended up causing a little bit of controversy and they had people talking, it was cool that the network really stood behind the producers and the writers and let them say, “Yeah, we’re going to talk about this because this is out there, and this is what’s going on in the world.” It’s definitely been surprising that they’ve let them have the freedom that they did, but I think it’s great. There are families at home, watching the show, and it gets them talking about what’s going on. It gets parents talking to their teens. So many parents have said, “This is one of the first shows we’ve watched, in a long time, with our family,” because it’s a show that appeals to everyone. At the end of every episode, they can talk about what the message was and what the themes were, and it really sparks a lot of conversation, which I think is great.
MediaBlvd> When you first started the show and you knew nothing about the character, could you have imagined the direction that it ended up going into? Do you wish you knew some things back then that you know now?
Matt> When I first started the show, I had no idea where the character was going or where he came from. I was finding out everything, along with everybody else, which was difficult. Every new script I’d get, I’d be on the phone with the producers saying, “I don’t get it. Who is this guy? Is he an alien? Is he a superhero? Is he just a human? I need to know because I have no idea where I’m going with him.” This year, going into it, I had a great sense of who the character is and I knew where they were going. I really had a grasp on him, which has made this year fun. Now, the challenge is in keeping this character consistently growing and developing, and headed in the direction that he needs to be headed in.
MediaBlvd> The marketing for this show has been semi-risque, with your mid-riff everywhere. What do you think about the way they marketed and sexualized you?
Matt> I had no idea it was going to be like that. When I went in to go shoot the posters for it, I don’t think the original idea was ever intended to be as risque as it was. But, in the end, the poster was so cool. It caught your attention. Even if people didn’t know the show, you’d mention Kyle XY, and they’d be like, “Oh, the bellybutton thing!” It did exactly what they wanted it to do. It had people talking. I thought all the marketing for it was really great.
MediaBlvd> What can viewers expect from the cliffhanger for the first half of the season?
Matt> Jessi and Kyle go on an exploration to put all the pieces together. They start finding all these different puzzle pieces and clues that lead them on a road trip to find out who Jessi is, who Kyle is, where they come from and why they’re here. There’s also some big surprises about people who are returning to the show. There’s a lot coming up in episodes 12 and 13.
MediaBlvd> Any hints about what will happen in the second half of the season?
Matt> This year is going to be about Kyle finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. I’m starting to put together the pieces of exactly what that means, as far as the show goes. For the back half of the episodes, they’ve definitely brought the family back into the storyline. Last year, they went a little bit more towards the teens and, this year, they wanted to bring the family into it a lot more, as far as what’s going on in Kyle’s life and a lot of the mystery, which I think is great. The family has such a great relationship and it’s what attracted everyone to the show, in the first place, so I think it will be really great.
MediaBlvd> Will there be a third season, and is there anywhere you’d like to see your character go, if there is?
Matt> I don’t know yet if there’s going to be a third season. I think we’re supposed to find out soon. I would really like to see Kyle explore what his purpose for being here is. Now that he knows who he is, we’ve seen him really trying to put all these pieces together, like what the purpose of the experiment was, and all these different things. I’d really like to see him touch the world and start doing things that are meaningful and deep, and not have him just use his abilities to save the day. Hopefully, we’ll see Kyle really touch people and change them. I’d like to see him really use his abilities for something bigger than life. I’m hoping that they’re going to go in that direction, but I guess we’ll see.
MediaBlvd> Do you consider the show to be a sci-fi series, or do you consider it a family drama with sci-fi elements to it?
Matt> I would definitely say that it’s a hybrid show because it’s got all those different elements. I think what’s so appealing about this show is that it’s got all the elements of all these different shows. It mixes sci-fi with family with teen and, because of all these different things, it appeals to so many different people. The ages of the people that come up to me because they watch the show and love the it have a big range. I get the young girls, but I also get the young guys and people my age. And, I get so many adults and grown men coming up to me that say, “Dude, I love your show!” What makes the show so unique is that is does have all those elements. It has the mystery that will get you hooked in, it has that family drama where they’re dealing with real family issues and real things going on, and it has the teen drama, so you’re getting all the teen elements of who’s dating who. Between all those different things, it’s a great blend.
