Exclusive Interview: Alaina Huffman Talks Smallville, Stargate Universe, and Agent Mom
Alaina Huffman is very, very busy. She's playing the recurring role of Black Canary on Smallville, Lt. Tamara Johansen on Stargate Universe, co-creating a comic for this very website, maintaining a busy convention schedule, and-if that wasn't enough-is the mother of three children, including a thirteen-month-old. Thankfully, the hard-working actress took some of her time to talk to us about all of the above-and why she geeks out hardest at...The news?
MTV Geek: Talk about your take on the Black Canary character?
Alaina Huffman: You know I didn't know anything about Black Canary when I got cast, and this was about three years ago. I went in for the audition, they called me and said I got the role, and then they said they weren't going to tell me what role was, because it was top secret. They finally ended up telling me, and I googled her because I didn't know who she was...And I realized I had to wear that costume (laughs) and I was like, "Oh my gosh."
But I really love her, I think she's a really great powerhouse, she's a great female character. She's done a lot of-in the comic books anyway, not in Smallville's rendition yet-but in the comics I really love the aspect that she's so lovesick for Green Arrow, but she's also a hot chick who could probably have anyone she wants, and she's kind of stuck on him.
Geek: Are we going see any touches of the Green Arrow/Black Canary relationship on Smallville?
AH: You know, Chloe comes back in this episode, and that's sort of a source of tension between them, because she left in such interesting circumstances. I think there's always a sort of underlying understanding that there's an attraction there, but nothing's played out yet. I hope they do play it out. They have about a half a season left before the series is over, and I just think it's such a great story to tell. So, so far, no, but I'm hoping that I get a call, and they ask me back to tell a little bit of that story.
Geek: If they decided to do a Justice League spin-off of the show, is that something you'd want to be on board for?
AH: Yeah, I'd love to do that. It would definitely keep me eating healthy. [Laughs] Wearing my fishnets and booty shorts all day. Whether it's a Justice League spin-off, or a Green Arrow, or I know a lot of fans are asking for a Star City spin-off about Green Arrow. I'd absolutely be interested if it was something they were putting together. You know, Stargate just got cancelled, and so I'm sort of free and clear right now...So it would be nice.
Geek: Let's talk about that a bit. How are you and the rest of the cast dealing with the cancellation of Stargate Universe?
AH: You know, I'm so, so grateful for the last two years, and all the relationships, and the huge family that I literally got cast into. Sixteen seasons of the two other shows, and it's all the same crew. The only thing that's really different is the cast. It's sad for everybody. I feel really bad for the whole crew. I know everyone will move on, everyone is really talented-both in the production office, the writers, the creators, and the cast and crew. When you've got a good thing, and you love going to work, and you've got a beautiful family there, it's sad...But it's also sort of bittersweet. It's nice to have the opportunity to do other things, and for me, I'm happy either way, I'm grateful for the two seasons we had. I get to come back to LA, I have my family, and my house, and I'm looking for the next opportunity. I've got my comic book, Smallville is still going on, so maybe something there.
Geek: There've been rumors about Stargate continuing in some way...Any update? And if it did come back, would you come back with it?
AH: It's nothing official. The thing with Stargate, because it has such a huge international audience, and the show being on SyFy...The network is a small piece of the pie. It's our American audience, but a lot of our American audience watches on iTunes, they watch on Hulu. Being that MGM is out of hot water right now, and Spyglass is now running MGM, they're the source of funding for Stargate. Charlie Cohen over there is a big fan of the franchise, and so I think they're trying to make a go of it to finish out our story, whether that be in half a season, thirteen episodes possibly, or maybe one or two movies to sort of finish it out. I think financially, that's a very doable situation for MGM.
Would I go back to it? If all the pieces fell into place, yeah. There's a lot of us going on very different paths, and it seems like a huge feat to get us all in one place...But it would be an honor to go back, and finish out the story for another ten episodes, and get to play with all my friends again.
Geek: I've talked to other cast members before, and it seems like SGU was a prank-loving cast. Were you a pranker, or a prankee?
AH: I was definitely in there with the fun. I would say the biggest prankster was Louis Ferreria, who of course, TJ and Young have their thing, so I'd have a lot of scenes with Louis. He's great, but sometimes you have to be like, "Dude! Let's get on with this." The poor guy, he's in every scene, he's there all day every day. I mean, he really is the core of that show. He's the liaison between the civilians, and the scientists, and he's got a run on the show, and unfortunately he has such a dark presence in his character, so when they call cut, he's off and running with the jokes, and making all the crew laugh, and it's just a good time.
Geek: There is still half a season left to broadcast...What can we look forward to with TJ? Do you get to have any fun, or is it all heavy stuff like the first half?
AH: The second half of the season...Episode 15, The Hunt, was supposed to be TJ's backstory, but it was running long. We get trapped on this planet, and Varro ends up rescuing TJ, who really doesn't need his help. There's a little bit more of a spark and tension between Young and Varro, because there is a bit of a love triangle going on. It never really gets resolved, and she sort of is caught in between this undeniable love that she has for Young, but it's not going to work; and this attraction she has for Varro, because he's such a great guy.
There's some more epic SciFi stuff. To me, Universe is a really interesting science fiction show, because it was supposed to be a drama that happened to be set in space. And because of the undeniable SciFi presence that the series has, every few episodes we get these big epic science fiction type of episodes. And that happens around the end of this season...And then we have this huge, dramatic episode called Epilogue-I believe it's nineteen out of twenty-and it's this beautiful period piece, and nothing like you'd think you'd see on a science fiction show.
So it's an interesting ride, the second half of this season...But it ends on this huge cliffhanger, so we have to be have to be able to finish it off, because otherwise we have this hanging in mid-air type of ending.
Geek: Let's move on, talk about Agent Mom, your comic from MTV Comics! How did you get involved, and what's the process of putting together a comic been like for you?
AH: Being involved in the science fiction world, I'm aware of its presence, and its fanbase. I got interested, I lived in Japan when I was about fourteen or fifteen years old, I was a model, and all that animation was very interesting, and it had this huge fanbase that was very loyal, and very animated-for lack of a better word-and then when I got cast as Black Canary, I thought, "Wow, I forgot how powerful this world is." And then of course, Stargate came along, and it was like the floodgates opened for me, for this whole world.
So I started going to conventions, and the first convention I went to was London Expo in London, and my birthday was about a month before that. My husband had presented me these characters-these superhero characters, to develop as a comic book. For fun, but also to see where it would end up, and then we went to London, and were talking to some people, and I got linked up with Tony Lee, who is a great comic book writer; and Dan Boultwood, who is an artist that Tony works with quite a bit. We just started talking, and Tony, I and John started collaborating, and came up with Agent Mom.
She's an Agent, not a superhero, and we wanted to bring a new life to the comic book world, and do an interesting character. She can kick your ass, and then she'll make you an omelet. [Laughs]
Geek: So what's the basic concept of Agent Mom?
AH: She is a teen mom who overcame the trials of being a teen mom. She wanted to do good in the world, but she got caught up in some bad business, and then she got taken in by this guy named The Brigadier, and we've made his likeness look like Stan Lee. He's two hundred years old, and he doesn't age. And she is working with this team of scientists that develop everything from antidotes, to supersuits, and there's this one nanosuit that she's become the guinea pig for. The suit has a personality of its own, and it's a character in and of itself. The whole story is a double agent thing. No one knows she's an agent, she's got a teenage daughter, who's also extremely bright, and a computer hacker. She rescues the world at night, while she looks like a stay-at-home Mom during the day.
Geek: You being a mother of three yourself, would you say the idea of balancing a challenging career with a family-I'd imagine that's somewhat influenced the story here?
AH: Immensely, that's the whole reason I wanted to do it. Showing that you can do it all, and it takes support, and it takes patience, but there is a way. I'm not without flaws in my personal life, and neither is my character-any of the characters I play. But for me, it's really my own life is influential to the comic. She's not just the sexpot superhero-which I don't have anything against, I love characters like Black Canary, and Wonder Woman, and all these. But I also think there's a gap in the superhero world where we don't show moms-and I'm looking forward to playing with that idea.
Geek: You're going to be at the Women of Scifi Convention next weekend. There's a lot of kick-butt women of scifi there...Are you just going to go in and kill everyone?
AH: [Laughs] Watch out! You know, it'll be so interesting to have all those women in one room, and explore that energy. I've met Morena [Baccarin], but I don't know her well. I've never met Katee Sackhoff, and I've never met Tricia Helfer, so I'm really looking forward to meeting them. It'll be nice! I think it'll be fun, and I actually really enjoy the convention circuit, much more than I thought I would. I always wanted to do it, because I thought it was a great way to meet fans, and get to know my audience a little bit, but these conventions opened up a whole new world for me. I am so much more aware of the impact that the personal connection has. I think it's really important, I really enjoy it, because we're kind of removed from it.
You know, if you're a singer, you do concerts, and you get that interaction with fans, and see what cities, in what part of the world come out to see you. When you're on television, you're removed from that. So it's nice to explore the fanbases from different parts of the world. I just got back from New Mexico, and they just had their first Comic Con, and I was just amazed at the amount of people that came out. I wasn't sure how big the show would be, and it ended up being very successful. And it always surprises me how many people are science fiction fans.
Geek: I've talked to a lot of people about getting trapped in the convention circuit-particularly genre stars-but it doesn't sound like that's your experience here.
AH: I'm aware of that thought, that whole experience of type casting in Hollywood. I don't want to get pigeonholed in it. I think the type of actor I am, I tend to play strong leading female characters. The shows I've been on happen to be science fiction genre. But I don't feel like that will limit me in any way. I also feel like there's so much of this business that you can let happen to you, and then there's a lot of it you can create.
And it takes a little more effort, but if you create your own destiny, then things will turn out a little bit better for you, I think. I'm well aware of that. I'm looking to produce, and looking for a script right now. I'm reading a lot of books, and I'm meeting with a lot of lit agencies, and kind of going back to my roots. That's where I started in this business. I started making small indie movies. I want to do one of those, because, again, to not get pigeonholed into genre type of stuff. But I'm quite grateful for this experience. You know I was just with an actor in New Mexico, and he was saying he did big Emmy Award winning shows, and Nobel Peace Prize winning pieces, and he was on the original Battlestar, and said, the only thing anyone ever wants to hear is about the science fiction stuff. So I'm grateful for that audience.
Geek: Is there anybody that makes you geek out?
AH: I think the more people you meet in this business, the more you realize that nobody is perfect. I actually was at DragonCon this year in Atlanta, and CNN had asked me to do one of their little Flip Cam things, and document my experience at DragonCon. They asked me if I wanted anything in return for doing this, and I was like, "I just want to come to the CNN studio!" I'm a little bit of a nerd on news, and politics and stuff. That was awesome, I got to meet Allie Bell...I think I would geek out if I got to meet the President and the First Lady – but other than that, everybody else I think I'll have the opportunity to meet, so I don't want to make it too big of a deal.
Geek: If you had to tell people to check out one thing, of all the things you're doing, what would that be?
AH: Agent Mom, because its my project, and it's something I helped create from conception. I'm really excited about the relationship with MTV. I think what they're doing, what you guys are doing – I think it's really cool. I feel like science fiction is so much more mainstream now than it has been. And I feel like that's because technology has caught up with us. You watch shows from the '70s, and the genre, they totally got it. The rest of us didn't get it. And now that the effects have caught up with us, I feel like it's so much more mainstream, and I love the fact that MTV is making it more mainstream with Geek, and a lot of science fiction shows are more mainstream like Smallville. So, I would check out Agent Mom.
Alaina Huffman will be appearing at Sci-Fi Expo's "Women Of Sci-Fi" convention in Plano, TX this weekend January 29 & 30. Her character Black Canary will make a return appearance on "Smallville" this Friday January 28, and her MTV Comic "Agent Mom" will be appearing on this site this Spring!
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