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Interviewer
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The chemistry between you and Peta.
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Roy Dupuis
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Mm-hmm.
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Interviewer
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Was that something that was instant, or was that something that you feel like that developed over time?
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, that was instant, I think. No, I pretty much know. [LAUGHS]
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Interviewer
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Okay. |
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah. That's not really something you can work on, I think.
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Interviewer
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When you were shooting "Four Light Years Farther" and everybody thought that the series was over, what was the mood like on the set at that point?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well, it's, um...it was moving. Uh, for me it was moving, um... I wouldn't say I was sad but, it was moving, it's four years of my life. Um... It was also the fact that I met some great people over here, and, uh, so I made friends and...that was, uh, moving to say goodbye.
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Interviewer
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That story arc, that whole story arc where, you know, we discover that Michael has a family and, the whole torture of getting Michael out of that situation was really...I mean... It's so powerful, that, that, there's that sequence of you, um, sitting in front of that big-screen TV with like a gun to your head, I mean it was...pretty wrenching to watch, was it wrenching to do?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well, for me, it's not depressing for me, it's dramatic, and it's part of my job is things that, uh, if they're well-done and well-written, it's, uh, it's always, um... [LAUGHS] It's funny to say but it's fun to do for us.
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Interviewer
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Now, uh, rumor has it, and I don't think it's really a rumor, that you're directing an episode, that you have directed an episode, in fact you're cutting it now, I believe--
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah.
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Interviewer
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So, which one?
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Roy Dupuis
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It's, um, 506.
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Interviewer
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Okay. And, uh, is this your directorial debut?
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah, it is.
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Interviewer
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Are you excited?
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, I-it's done. [LAUGHS]
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Interviewer
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It's done. Well, are you excited to have it air?
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Roy Dupuis
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What? Excited to have it aired? Uh... Not really. It's not, uh, I don't see it... I did it by curiosity, by, uh, 'cause I've always, since a couple of years they've been asking me if I wanted to direct an episode. This time since I was not in all of them, I said, uh, why not. By curiosity, and I had a lot of fun doing it, 'cause, uh...'cause, uh...'cause it's another point of view [LAUGHS] on, on that. And there's a lot of thinking and, I like to solve all those little details, things.
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Interviewer
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Do you plan on doing more?
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, maybe, I don't know. We'll see if I miss it. I was always a bit interested in that anyway. So, uh, I-I didn't come into it like...with the weight that any other director, that a director would have, it was...mostly by curiosity and, I knew all the people and...and it was fun to do also because of them.
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Interviewer
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Okay. Um, here's a question I've seen asked a tremendous amount on the, um, on the boards about "La Femme Nikita." Why did Michael cut himself under the eye in that last episode of season, "Four Light Years Farther."
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Roy Dupuis
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[LAUGHS]
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Interviewer
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What is that about?
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Roy Dupuis
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It's an image, first of all. It's a tear of blood. You see, and Michael doesn't have tears anymore or whatever. It has many, many signification also.
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Interviewer
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Do you believe Nikita never really loved Michael?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well, I think, I shouldn't answer that, I think, uh, in these next eight, uh, episodes will probably answer that for all those questions. And if I do answer them, well... This is, this is what the show's all about. Trying to...um... trying to see the invisible.
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Interviewer
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I've seen you go hand-to-hand with Peta. Um... Is that...something that's, uh, strange to do, I mean, you guys worked together every day and maybe it's not but, you know... Is there any part of you that's going, Mom said never hit girls, you know, I mean is there anything, you know, what do you think about those scenes?
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Roy Dupuis
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Well, that's actually another side of the show. It's the, the other, um...uh, all the moral issues, are kind of swept away. It's, uh... Like I like to say it's the other side of the mirror. The other side of society. We learn in Section-well, in life you learn to try to trust people and...try not to lie and try not to kill [LAUGHS] and try not to...all those. In Section you learn the opposite actually. You should try not-you learn not to trust anyone and...learn how to kill and learn how to lie. So to hit a woman... [PAUSE] And you know, those fights for me as an actor, it's like dancing. It's the same thing as learning...a dance. Or chor-- choreography? It's like dancing with her, for me, actually. [LAUGHS] That's the-it's like dancing, you, you have to look like...uh, the steps have to be well-done, it's the same thing with fight-uh, with choreographed fights.
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Interviewer
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Do you really ride motorcycles?
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah.
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Interviewer
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What kind do you own?
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Roy Dupuis
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I own a Harley.
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Interviewer
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Okay. Um... Let's see. Um, just sort of another...acting, you know, there's a scene where, you know, Nikita has plastic surgery and looks like Quinn and she comes back into Section and Michael finally figures it out.
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Roy Dupuis
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Mm-hmm.
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Interviewer
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Was it strange to play that scene, with that actress, the woman who plays Quinn, but you're playing it to Nikita. Was that strange?
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Roy Dupuis
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Um, strange. There's a lotta strange things in that show. [LAUGHS] Um... I wouldn't say, no, it's, um... [PAUSE] No, it was just like, um...teamwork, you know. 'Cause I knew, maybe a little bit more, um, about Nikita than the actress did so we worked it out together.
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Interviewer
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Was Peta on the set when you did that scene?
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, no. It would've been fun but that, that's what I...say, it would've been fun to do it with Peta once, and have, uh...have, uh, Cindy, uh, watch. So we could try to...get...you know.
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Interviewer
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But they didn't go for it--
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Roy Dupuis
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But, uh, no, we couldn't get Peta on that day, so.
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Interviewer
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There was another episode where you did-there was a-Michael had a, you know, complete change of behavior, he had been drugged and he didn't remember anything and--
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Roy Dupuis
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Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, he came back, yeah.
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Interviewer
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Did you-how-how was that for you, I mean that's a very-that's a very different take on the Michael character.
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Roy Dupuis
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Yeah.
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Interviewer
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Um... A tremendous amount of innocence, what was that like for you?
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Roy Dupuis
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It was fun. It was fun, it's also...um... It was fun, and interesting. It was, uh, interesting to see, to make the choice how am I going to... I decided to go on the naive side, kind of more pure and...innocent and-- [LAUGHS]
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Interviewer
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Is it hard to shift gears like that with a character you know so well?
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Roy Dupuis
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No, as long as you're, you build, uh...you build your storyline behind it. You just create kind of, almost another character. But by remembering it, not-not remembering but, keeping it... [PAUSE] It's a question of gauging, you know, how far can I go this way, without, um... To make it still believable that he could be still Michael, you know.
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Interviewer
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Right. Like--
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Roy Dupuis
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So it's all, uh...you gotta gauge it and see, 'cause...there's thousands, there-there could've been thousands of possibilities, to play that character. How to play him. Just gotta make a choice and build your storyline behind that, then jump in that one and then switch to the other one.
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Interviewer
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How do you think the character's changed over the last five seasons?
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Roy Dupuis
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Oh... Well, that's one thing with Michael, he hasn't changed.
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Interviewer
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[PAUSE] Okay.
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Roy Dupuis
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Michael is, uh...is pretty much what he was when, when we started the show. That's what's... That's the idea of pretty much the character, of course we learn more about him... through the show. But the character itself, hasn't changed that much I'd say.
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Interviewer
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Are there any favorite moments that you can think of or any plot twists that surprised you when you heard about them, um, that you would wanna share with people?
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Roy Dupuis
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Uh, when I learned they were gonna kill Birkoff...that really surprised me. And, change him for his...twin.
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Interviewer
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Sure. Well, I just know there have been moments--
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Roy Dupuis
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The show is full of twists and, so.
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