Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for season 2 of episode 5 of “Gen V.”
This week’s episode of “Gen V” is titled “The Kids Are Nute Right” and is Marie (Jaz Sinclair) & Co. It could be called “Escape From Elmira” as easily as the center of the book.
Kate is taken over from the fall due to a plan to expose Crypto (Hamish Linklater) in Episode 4, and Marie can’t find out that Kate is stuck in Elmira. Jordan (London Tall/Delekle) and Emma (Ritzze Broadway) are willing to let it go – he is paying attention to all the horrifying things Kate has brought to them – Marie claims they can’t pass what they did where Andre (Chan’s Perdo) died, or that they are not superior to their enemies in the Vault.
They reach her and she is overwhelmed with gratitude for their efforts, but then they are all caught. Kate then takes the opportunity to promote the ultimate escape, with Sam (Asa German) taking part in the middle.
Variety spoke with Phillips about filming the episode and filming the ending. Not only is the reunion of Marie and her sister Annabeth, but the scene where Marie uses her extreme power to bring her sister back to life after being murdered in Elmira, influences Kate and the “Boys” spin-off crew.
As punishment for what she did in Episode 4, how was it like filming a scene where Cate was sent to Elmira by Cipher? She must be peeled, passed a cavity search and physically handled by security guards.
I had never done anything on the screen that was exposed like that. Thankfully, I am very grateful for the crew we have. Everyone is very incredibly skilled at not only what they do, but also making us feel truly comfortable. I’ve always been really blown away by the way the crew is always there long before the actors set up, and they always have impeccable energy. They set the tone in a truly beautiful way. And when you’re doing such a vulnerable scene, it’s important that you feel really safe so that you can surrender completely. I’ve never done anything like that, so I was very cared for and very respected. I mean, I had to have the tape where I’d never had it before! But what’s really interesting is how quickly you insensitize them in such situations.
At first, my adrenal glands were progressing, my nervous system was really activated. And I found out I wasn’t looking for an outfit or an intimate coordinator to come when I was standing there and bring my robes. What’s very interesting about it is that I remember that I wasn’t like a woman, not like a person, and was very jarring. You will just be skinny. It’s really funny considering how Kate felt as she blew her arm away, not just Elmira, but now that she’s putting these staples on her head. Because even as an actor, I really found how it dehumanizes it. This shows how incredibly privileged we are. It shows you can wake up feeling like you can show yourself in a certain way, in order to match yourself with the identity you have decided to be the one that is shaking in your life.
It was really interesting to experience the feeling of not only raw vulnerability but rapid desensitization. It helped my performance. Start on one side of the line. This is panic, feels vulnerable in survival mode, and its survival mode switches and is on the other side. You are insensitive and paralyzed, so that’s how you compartmentize. I feel like I’m using that paralyzed desensitization in my performance, but I didn’t think I had to act too much by the end.
In the final moments, Marie, Kate, Jordan and Emma go to save Marie’s sister, Annabeth. However, when they arrived, Annabeth died on the floor. Marie uses her power to revive Annabeth’s body, but everyone else is in awe. What do you think Kate felt between all of that after being rescued by the team?
I decided there would be so much empathy and sympathy for Marie. I think Kate was filled with gratitude that they came and got her. And she knows Marie’s heart. She knows that everyone strives in her own way to do the right thing. Marie blew her arm away, but she knows more than anyone else that things are going to happen, such as where our perspective is being directed. Whether it’s her ability to listen to her thoughts or just knowing Marie’s character, she knows this is a very big moment when Marie finds her sister. She knows the context of the situation. She didn’t know where her sister had been for a very long time. And I know how it feels to have your brother disappear and blame it on you, I think it’s just a big moment of deep empathy and I’m just really feeling her. Although Marie hadn’t even thought of her at the moment, Kate had something like a moment of secret bonding with Marie.
This interview was compiled and condensed.
