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| Showtime |
Johnny Sequoyah aka Audrey Bishop, the brash daughter of Iron Lake's police chief Angela Bishop talked with website TVFanatic about her role, working with Michael C. Hall, Julia Jones, and Jack Alcott, and her special memories from the set of Dexter:"The four of us would just goof around all day on set". Read the full interview below!
Mary Littlejohn: What led you to Dexter: New Blood, and what made you want to be part of it?
Johnny Sequoyah: I was not allowed to read any of the scripts until I was cast, so I only had about five pages of context as to who Audrey was. What attracted me to the role was how sassy and assertive she was, how she knew exactly what she wanted. I thought that was powerful and inspiring.
From there, I auditioned and had my fingers crossed that I would get it. I'm so grateful I did and got to be part of the show!
You were four when the original series premiered. I imagine you didn't watch it when it first aired! Did you end up watching it in preparation, and if so, what did you think of it?
It's funny -- as I was auditioning, I immediately started watching the show. I got up until season four when I found out I got the role.
One of the first things that the director asked me when I got the call -- firstly, he welcomed me to the Dexter family -- he asked, "Have you seen the show?" and I said, "Yep, I'm watching right now! I know I'll be able to finish it by the time we're filming in Massachusetts." And he said, "Stop! Don't watch anymore!"
Basically, he didn't want the new actors to have any preconceived notions on what the tone of the show was going to be. Also, he didn't want us to have any context of who Dexter was and to be as unfamiliar as we could be because he thought that would make it feel the most natural.
So I stopped watching it and then continued to watch it after we finished filming. I'm a fan! I think it's great! Michael and Jennifer [Carpenter] -- everyone in the original is just amazing. It was definitely inspiring and so interesting to watch the old show and then watch them on set.
What are your most special memories from being on set?
My favorite days were with Jack [Alcott], Julia [Jones], and Michael [C. Hall]. The four of us would just goof around all day on set. Jack has some very funny videos, which I know he will eventually post of us doing the most absurd, silly things in between setups of shots.
One day on set, we all assigned each other animals that we thought we would be. I gave Michael the caterpillar, which I felt was good because his band is called Princess Goes To The Butterfly Museum -- caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Jack was a spider monkey, Julia was a horse, and they gave me a deer, which I'm not going to question.
We haven't seen much of your characters together yet, but what was it like being reunited with Jamie Chung [co-star from NBC's 2014 series Believe], having worked together when you were a child and now as an adult?
It was amazing to work with her again! Such a treat! I was already living in Massachusetts. We were in pre-production when I got a text from her saying, "Guess who's moving to Massachusetts, too?"
[Jamie Chung] was someone who, working on Believe with, took me under her wing. She taught me so much about being a young person in the film/TV industry and how to hold yourself on set. To have the privilege of working with her again now at 19, I'm learning even more from her, in a different way.
She is such a fierce and incredible woman, so I'm really grateful to have her in my life, as an older sister figure but also being able to work with her now, twice. She is so talented, and she's so good in this.
You come from an entertainment family. How did you know you wanted to pursue this as a career?
I was very fortunate to grow up on my parents' small, independent film sets. So, from a very young age, some of my earliest memories are watching actors just being in their process and being so intrigued by it. I got bit by the acting bug at age four and begged my parents to let me audition for things! They were hesitant -- the industry is difficult.
When I was eight years old, I actually made them a PowerPoint of all the reasons they should let me be an actress and let me audition! Luckily I convinced them, so they started to let me audition within a year. Believe was my first audition -- they were definitely surprised!
How much of you would you say is in Audrey? What makes you connect with this character?
There's a good amount of me in Audrey! I have an activist spirit in the same way she does, and I am loyal to those I care about. I relate to her sassiness too! I'm not as sassy as her, but I definitely have some in me!
I also have a special connection with my mom. She's my person. I think that Angela and Audrey have a beautiful relationship, even if you don't see that much of it in the show. It's years of building trust.
It's an interesting parallel to the Harrison/Dexter relationship, seeing how Audrey and Angela have built this relationship that is not necessarily based on blood but on loving and trusting each other. In contrast, Dexter and Harrison are trying to develop their relationship.
It feels like after Episode 5, there is newfound respect between them -- Audrey has proven to her mom that she can be more responsible. Given Audrey's interest in true crime and her emotional investment in Harrison, how involved will she be in the investigation of "Jim Lindsay"?
I can't give too much away! As you said, there are personal feelings involved. This question now of what is happening with the person that her mom is dating becomes personal in a new way because Audrey really cares about Harrison. They have a unique relationship.
Even though Audrey has grown up in this town her whole life and Harrison is new, they both feel like they don't entirely have anyone that fully understands them. When they find each other, there's this awe within it. I think for Audrey, when things are unraveling, she really cares to go to Harrison and make sure he is okay within it all.
And now she's saved his life, and he saved her life, so it feels like a whole other level!
Yeah, that's beautiful. It's really sweet.