"Sleepy Hollow" Season 2 Interview/Q&A at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

On Monday, June 2, stars Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie of FOX's smash hit Sleepy Hollow were joined by executive producers Roberto Orci, Len Wiseman, Heather Kadin and Mark Goffman and took to the stage at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to answer questions by the panel moderator from Buzzfeed before later taking a few questions from the audience, including yours truly.

When asked about the cattle-call-like feeling of the American pilot season, Tom Mison stated that he had heard several horror stories from other actors back in London. But with this being his first time coming out for it, he is pleased with how well it went for him. He stated that he only feels gratitude for being able to have gotten this job.

Mison also said that Sleepy Hollow is the most difficult job he has ever had, likening it to having to maintain many spinning plates at once. He cannot get so focused on Ichabod's comedy that it sacrifices the more dramatic, emotional content within the show. Mison spoke about some of the tongue twisters he has had thrown at him, joking about the various writers that come on for the show: "I'm going to be the writer that breaks Tom Mison!" He also stated that he's quite the cliche in that the most difficult part about filming is how hard it is to find good tea bags (filming is done in Wilmington, NC).

As for the show's comedy, Mison and the producers stated that they always knew Ichabod was meant to be a funny character, but that they were always mindful of making sure he wasn't a cartoon character. Ichabod's comedy was never intended to stem from a confusion over modern technological devices, but to provide commentary on the ways of today's society.

When questioned about the crossover appeal of Sleepy Hollow to many viewers who are not typically genre-fans, Mison and some of the producers shared stories about meeting people who had said that they had either began watching it out of being forced to do so by their daughter, or watching wanting to hate it, and then getting hooked on it.

Some photos from the panel have already made their circulation through the social media of various Sleepyheads in which Nicole and Tom are leaning in close to one another, looking rather mischievous. I shall offer up a bit of context. Producer Heather Kadin had spoken about how they had certainly hoped for those that they would cast to be the show's leads to have strong chemistry but they were all truly blown away by how brilliant Nicole and Tom were (and are). Nicole chimed in about the audition process for her and Tom, in which they were paired up and given scenes and lines to prepare and read. She then leaned in to Tom and he leaned in as well, following her lead, to re-enact being in a corner with each other and Nicole mumbled into the microphone, "Okay, how are we going to do this?"

When things were opened up to the audience for questions, I took the opportunity to tell Nicole how much I love the character of Abbie, with her blend of strength and vulnerability, and ask what her favourite part of playing the character is. She spoke at length about loving the complexities of the character and her story. She also noted the importance of the relationship between Abbie and Jenny, as two womyn of colour sisters who not only fight alongside one another (against the forces of evil) but also fight with one another. Nicole also said that with thirteen episodes, there has been more opportunity for Abbie's arc to develop, more so than it would on a feature length film that would at most run for two hours.

Tom then took the opportunity to chime in and spoke about the Bechdel test. For those of you unfamiliar with this concept, the Bechdel test is one employed for works of fiction. In order to pass the Bechdel test, there must be at least two named female characters who speak to each other about something other than the man (quite often, the man in discussion is the lead). Tom was amazed by how few works actually pass this test but he then stated that Sleepy Hollow has passed basically every episode. The audience began cheering and he then added, "It's not because of me."

It was uncertain as to whether or not Tom would answer the question I had asked but when reminded of it by the panel moderator, Tom then shared a rather funny story. He said that an actor friend of his back in London (whom he chose not to name) and he have an ongoing bit where they send each other the most scathing reviews they can find of each other's works. He assured the audience that it is done so lovingly. Upon returning to London, his friend told him, "I hate your show." When Tom asked why, his friend responded that he couldn't find any bad reviews of it.

Finally, the audience was treated to a short clip from Season 2 (the details of which we are not permitted to share, as it is a rough, unfinished cut - though I will say that it looked fantastic and plenty finished to me!)

Sleepy Hollow shall return for Season 2 on FOX on September 22 at 9PM!