WHY DO YOU THINK WESTWORLD IS SO POPULAR AROUND THE WORLD?
We’ve hit a nerve! I think the show is a great vehicle for entertainment but it’s also really teaching us about ourselves and about the world around us. It forces us to ask questions that we may not have asked before and working on the show has opened my eyes to a lot. I look at the world around me differently now but not necessarily in a bad way. So, it can definitely serve as a cautionary tale, but it also is rooted in these beautiful human emotions that are portrayed so well by the actors on the show. There’s this incredible humanity in the midst of all of this chaos. It’s a good balance.
THE TAGLINE FOR THIS SEASON IS ‘FREEWILL ISN’T FREE’ – DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU STARTED TO MAKE CHOICES FOR YOURSELF?
Oh, man. I think it’s probably fluctuated in my life but I don’t know if I really asked myself what I truly wanted until I was probably in my 20s, which seems late. After I had my child my priorities shifted. I’m constantly on a quest for truth.
WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY?
I think technology for me is a double-edged sword. In so many ways we are more educated and connected than we’ve ever been but with that comes a lot of growing pains and a lot of harsh truths and a lot of discourse that I think we haven’t seen quite at this level. And it’s made me want to understand it more so that it doesn’t get away from me. My son is in school now and he can code better than me, I didn’t know how to do that. We don’t learn cursive anymore but we’re learning how to code in school. I’m certainly from a generation. I’m curious to see what the world’s going to look like when my son is an adult. What are we doing now that’s laying the groundwork for whatever the world’s going to be later? But it does scare me sometimes (laughs).
IF YOU COULD CREATE YOUR OWN WESTWORLD THEME PARK WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?
Oh, man. I would make a world without money. Also, I think some conflicts can be healthy as long as it doesn’t get dangerous or as long as people aren’t being threatened. I don’t know if you can have bliss without pain and if all pain is bad or if it’s inevitable or if it’s something that’s a useful tool for us to learn and grow. I don’t know if I would want to cut all suffering. Maybe I’d eliminate evil, that would be nice.
YOU’RE AN INSTRUMENTAL PART OF THE #METOO MOVEMENT. DO YOU THINK WITH THE CONVICTION OF HARVEY WEINSTEIN, ARE WE USHERING IN A NEW ERA FOR WOMEN?
I hope so. Yeah, things are definitely changing. And again, we’re having conversations that I couldn’t even conceive of having before all of that. We still have a lot of work to do as well but I do have hope and I do think we are seeing a new era. And people are just listening in a different way. And again, we just have more access to information now and so I think the more we can talk about these things the more we can educate people about it then the more we’ll understand it, the more we’ll be able to make the necessary changes that we need to make.
YOU HAVE A BLACK BELT IN TAEKWONDO?
Yes! (laughs)
HOW MUCH IS THAT STILL PART OF YOUR LIFE AND DO YOU PRACTISE OFTEN?
I did it when I was a kid up until I was a teenager, I used to compete. I loved it. One of the men that trained me actually ended up being a big stuntman in Hollywood now, so, I was trained well, I think. I thought it was an amazing outlet to focus and to meditate and to channel strength and to teach you about respect and your body and empowerment. I was a big fan of it. I would like to do it more, I don’t have as much time to do it now.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP IN SHAPE?
I really don’t like working out, but I do love nature and I do love hiking and bike riding and dancing and staying active. And honestly, I feel that as a single mom to a little active boy is my workout right now because I’m always on my feet running around after him. But I wish I had a whole workout regime to share but I don’t. I do get in shape for the show though because you have to be fit. I have to start training at least two months before we start shooting otherwise my body will collapse and give out. And I never know what they’re going to ask me to do so you have to be ready for anything. You’ve got to be on the top of your game.
