Trying to recognize and value your own self-worth and realizing that your true personality leaves a meaningful impact on the people and situations around you can be a challenge, especially when you think your impressive talents are alienating you from the rest of society. That continuous internal struggle is grippingly chronicled in the new adventure television series, ‘The Librarians,’ which is currently airing on Sunday nights at 8/7c on TNT, particularly through the gripping performance given by Lindy Booth. The actress portrays the highly intelligent Cassandra, who has rebuffed her gift of synesthesia (the ability to link all five senses to her memory). Cassandra’s disdain for her gift rose after many people expressed their confusion over her natural abilities, which makes it harder for her to relate to her peers. But the highly intellectual protagonist dramatically changes her attitude towards her intelligence when she’s chosen to help track down and protect magical artifacts around the world. Her new title job inspires her to realize that even though not everyone can truly appreciate her talent, she can still use it for good as she stops those determined to use magic for evil.
‘The Librarians,’ which is based on the network’s ‘The Librarian’ film trilogy, focuses on the magical Library that contains magical artifacts and is located beneath the fictional Metropolitan Public Library in New York City. Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle, who reprised his role from the movies) is an adventurer and collector of renowned and enchanted relics. He’s also assisted by two confidants from the movies, including Judson (Bob Newhart) and Charlene (Jane Curtin).
The trio tracks down NATO counter-terrorism agent Eve Baird (Rebecca Romijn) to offer her an invitation to join the Library as a Guardian, a title that once belonged to Jenkins (John Larroquette). While the counter-terrorism agent is initially skeptical about accepting the job, she soon agrees to take over. She begins working with Flynn to track down other Librarian applicants, who are being hunted down by villains as they eagerly try to bring the library down. The applicants include Cassandra; Ezekiel (John Kim), an expert thief; and Jake (Christian Kane), an Oklahoma native who’s loyal to his family, but also happens to be an art history genius. Together, Eve and the three new Librarians must work together to not only acquire and protect magical artifacts, but also defend them against the groups who want to use magic for their own benefit, including the Serpent Brotherhood.
Booth generously took the time recently to talk about filming ‘The Librarians’ during an exclusive phone interview. Among other things, the actress discussed how she was drawn to play Cassandra in the television series, as she not only enjoyed the film trilogy, but also welcomed the opportunity to professionally reunite with the series’ director-executive producer, Dean Devlin; how she appreciated being able to watch the cast from the films show up on the set for the first day of shooting for the show, and knowing their characters and the franchise’s world already, which brought an extra comfort to bringing the franchise to life as a television series; and how she embraced showing the emotional and physical aspects of Cassandra’s extreme case of synesthesia, as it allowed her to truly develop the character throughout the 10-episode season.
ShockYa (SY): You play Cassandra Cillian in the new TNT fantasy television series, ‘The Librarians.’ What was it about the character, as well as the show’s overall premise, that convinced you to take on the role?
Lindy Booth (LB): Well, the script in general is amazing. I had been a fan of the movies, and Noah Wyle is so fantastic as this character. I also love the sense of humor in the series, which is perfect for families. I sat down to watch one of the movies with my mom, one of the others with my dad and another with my sisters. Everyone seemed to love the series’ spirit. The movie reminded me of ‘Indiana Jones,’ which I also watched with my dad when I was a kid. I loved how much fun I could have in this world.
With this TV series, I also valued the opportunity to work with Dean and John Rogers. I jumped at that opportunity because I had worked with (Devlin) a few times before a couple of years ago. I love what they do and how they work, so I couldn’t wait to be a part of one of their projects again.
Cassandra, to me, is such an interesting and fascinating girl. I couldn’t wait to figure out more about her, and what was going to happen to her. It’s a challenging part, because she has so much going on. But it’s also a really fun part to be playing, and an exciting life to be living. This girl has seen her whole life as being cursed, and she’s never been happy or comfortable with who she is. So to be able to go on this journey and find acceptance for Cassandra in her 20s, and finally feeling like her curse is a gift, was really exciting to me. So I couldn’t wait to do that.
SY: Like you mentioned, the show is based on TNT’s original feature-length trilogy, ‘The Librarian,’ starring Noah Wyle, which originally debuted on the network in 2004. How familiar were you with the movies before you signed onto the show? How did having the films as source material influence the way you approached playing Cassandra?
LB: Well, when you’re starting on a new television show and doing a pilot, everyone is there, fumbling along together and trying to figure everything out. We had the incredible gift, including myself, John and some of the crew, of previously working together on independent projects before. So they knew what the tone was while trying to make the show.
It was also a gift for us to be able to watch the cast from the films show up on the first day of shooting, and also knowing their characters and the franchise’s world already. So we all had to step up our game pretty quickly, as the bar was set pretty high from the beginning. So it was a great joy to have that to fall back on, and have them to rely on.
SY: Christian Kane and John Kim respectively play Jake Stone and Ezekiel Jones, the two other librarians-in-training, on ‘The Librarians.’ How did you build your working relationships with them both as you began filming, especially the three characters are in the same situation of trying to cope with now working at the Metropolitan Public Library?
LB: We were so lucky to have each other; we would thank our lucky stars everyday that we were able to work with people who we could have so much fun with. We are sort of how we are on the show; we’re an odd group of people to throw together. I don’t think anyone would have thought that the whole group of us would have been best of friends off the bat, but we really were.
It was fun because we got to experience that as our characters did. It was this idea of being thrown together in this wild world, and our wild world was Portland, Oregon, where we shot the show. We really got to experience this new bond all at once, as our characters were experiencing the same things. We got along super well, and not a day went by that we didn’t have it least one shot totally ruined by us laughing in hysterics. It was usually done by something John Larroquette had said. We just had an amazing time, and it was a pleasure to work with all of them.
SY: After she was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor, Cassandra has been given the gift of synesthesia-the ability to link all five senses to her memory. How did her synesthesia influence the way you approached playing the role? How do you feel that quality influences her work at the Metropolitan Public Library?
LB: I often joked that playing someone who’s so much smarter than yourself was a very difficult thing to do. But I spent a lot of time researching, and did a lot of reading. I went home every night and not only learned my lines, but also had to look up every word I was saying. (laughs) I studied a lot about synesthesia before we showed up on set. I wanted to make sure that I fully understood things that are very difficult to understand. it’s an understudied phenomenon, so I tried to get as strong of a group on it as I could.
Then I had the joy of being there and helping to create how we were going to show Cassandra’s gift, and how it was going to be physicalized on the show. It was a very creative and organic process for us, in terms of figuring out where she was coming from. I got a lot of freedom in showing her abilities. Again, it’s not something a lot of people understand. Her version of it is so extreme, and so magical in itself, that it gave me a great freedom. As an actor, that’s an awesome thing to have-this freedom of doing things that don’t necessarily make sense. So for me as an actor, it was an awesome experience.
SY: With ‘The Librarians’ focusing on the group’s preservation of magic and artifacts at the Metropolitan Public Library, the show is driven in part by action sequences. Do you perform your own stunts throughout the season, and if so, how does that influence the way you portray Cassandra’s emotional side?
LB: Yes, I did. Christian would always joke with me. He’d say, “I don’t understand why the little redhead gets to perform more stunts than I do.” (laughs) I’d always tell him that it was funnier if I did them. (laughs)
Cassandra’s one of those people who’s always been all smarts and no practical sense. So I thought throwing her into this world, where she has to run, jump and fight, and live in a very physical space, was really fun for me. Everyday we did a fight sequence, they’d say they had a stunt person they could use if I wasn’t comfortable doing it. Every single time, i said, “Nope, I’ve got to do it.” They’d ask, “Are you sure? We don’t want you to get hurt.”
I’d tell them, “Cassandra is like me. She doesn’t know how to be in a fight. So I don’t think she would throw the best punch or the highest kick. She’s just a scrappy little girl who’s trying to figure it out.” That’s what I am, and what I bring to the character. I didn’t want Cassandra to be a part-time ninja; I want her to be a girl who’s stuck in a terrible fight, during which she’s just trying to figure out how to survive.
SY: The Librarians’ is scheduled to air 10 episodes this season. Would you be interested in continuing with the show if TNT picks it up for a second season, and showcase how Cassandra is continuously changing in her new environment?
LB: I would love to not only see where my character goes, but where all of the characters end up, because I’m so attached to all of them at this point. I hate to say this, because it sounds so actory, but Cassandra has such an amazing arc over the course of the season. From the first episode, she comes in and is so afraid of everything. She doesn’t like herself and see her own worth. There’s this amazing moment in the pilot where Flynn, Noah’s character, turns to her and tells her, “I get you and who you are.” It’s the first time anyone has ever said that to her. There was this beautiful freedom that I felt when he said to me.
For the first time, Cassandra really feels accepted and free to be who she is. So she really takes that and runs with it. You see her change, almost immediately, and that growth just keeps going. It shows in almost every aspect, including her wardrobe and the way she stands. I’m a very physical actress, so the way she stands and holds herself changes over the course of the series. Her voice also changes, as she becomes more vocal in stating her point-of-view. She also becomes more active, and gained a control over her life that she never had before. So I would love to do more episodes, because I’m dying to see what happens to this girl. (laughs)
SY: Dean Devlin, who you mentioned earlier, executive produced the film trilogy, and also directed and executive produced several episodes of the television series. What has your experience working with Dean on the show been like overall, particularly since he was involved with the movies?
LB: I think Dean has a bigger heart than anyone I’ve ever worked with. He loves the characters, the words and the (franchise’s) world. He’s so supportive to all of us, and give us the love we needed, so that we could do the best work we could do. I love working with Dean, and would do anything for him. He’s so kind and sweet. he’s a great director, and an amazing executive producer. His resume speaks for itself.
SY: With your experience as an actress, would you also be interested in making the transition into directing and producing?
LB: I’ve always said I don’t particularly enjoy telling people what to do. (laughs) So directing may be out of my skill set, as I’m not really there yet. But I have so much respect for directors. Although producing is something I find interesting. Watching the role Noah has taken on with this show, as both an actor and executive producer, and his knowledge of the way films and television work in general, is definitely something I aspire to emulate.
SY: Before appearing on ‘The Librarians,’ you appeared in several other television shows, as well as movies. How does starring on television compare and contrast to making films? Is the process of creating your characters’ arcs different in both mediums?
LB: One of the main differences for me is that with films, you have a start and an end. It’s like when we were talking earlier about if I would like to see what happens to Cassandra next. If we were making a movie, we would have a definite conclusion to her story. The plot would be over, and we would just see that one little segment of that character’s life.
When you’re working on TV, you have this amazing freedom to continue and explore. You can leave things open-ended, and discuss why things happen the way they do. I love working on television, especially its creative family experience. It feels like we’re all in it together. Things do change, so the writers will take your voice into consideration as they get to know you better, and see the things you can do. Then they can make the next season even better. They now better understand what I’ve brought to Cassandra, and can expand on that. But with films, you’re much more limited in that area. However, there is great joy in that, because you can plan everything more clearly.
But I can’t say I love one medium more than the other. I love good characters and telling good stories. So it doesn’t really matter what medium it is. There are good stories being told in all formats and venues these days. So as long as the story’s there, and there are great characters, it doesn’t matter what the screen looks like.
SY: What was the process of filming ‘The Librarians’ in Portland, Oregon like? Do you prefer filming on location, as opposed to a set?
LB: Shooting the show in Portland was amazing! It’s such a great city, and everyone there was so supportive of Dean the whole crew. I had so much fun there, and I do think there’s something to be said about filming on location. You get tho throw yourself into that world, and don’t have to worry about being distracted by life. You don’t have to worry about paying phone bills, which is something I sometimes forget to do. While you do miss your friends and family, you can shut all that off, and truly commit to your character. You don’t have to worry about everyone thinking you’re a little weird. Portland’s such a great city and supportive community.
Written by: Karen Benardello