It’s that time of year when some shows come to an end while other series return from hiatus with a fresh season. With Fall television such as The Walking Dead, Supernatural, The Mandalorian, WandaVision, and more, there will be plenty to keep viewers satisfied, but it’s still sad to see a season come to a close.

Twitch’s interactive scripted sci-fi series Artificial: Remote Intelligence is bringing its third season to a close this week, with the finale premiering on Thursday evening. We’re rounding out the rest of our chats with the cast, and tonight we have our exclusive conversation with actress Veronica Mitsuk to share with you.

We spoke with Veronica about her thoughts on how the trial of Dr. Matt Lin went, as well as her hopes for a potential Season 4 and her own beliefs on AI, as well as a number of other fun bits.

To listen to our chat with Veronica, click the podcast player below; otherwise, scroll down for the transcript. We’ve also included a few of our other Artificial interviews as well!

1m 12s – Literary Joe: Can you give me a little rundown on who Whitney Keen is for any audience members who aren’t familiar?

1m 18s – Veronica Mitsuk: Yes, Whitney Keen is the daughter of Nathan Keen. She is a very, I don’t know, I want to say vengeful [person], but it makes her sound so evil. And even though she kind of is, I get her pain, you know, but she’s very passionate about justice and all the different meanings of that word.

1m 40s- Literary Joe: What were your thoughts on the trial? It came close. Your character is really passionate about it, but personally, what were you hoping would happen? I know that Tohoru was going to be out of a job if it went a certain way, but I want to hear your thoughts on that a little bit more.

1m 57s -Veronica Mitsuk: Yeah, it was awesome; you’re right. It was 55 to 45. I’m invested in my character; I believe in Whitney’s argument. So it was like, okay, I’m rooting for her to win, but I knew that she’s the newest character, you know, and she’s coming off as, like a kind of crazy kind of overly whatever, you know?

And it’s like, I didn’t think the audience would side with her. And when I saw that it was so close, I thought that was really cool that, it’s not just me thinking she’s valid like I have, convinced other people that she does have a point, you know? And that’s awesome. I don’t play a lot of borderline villains, evil characters. So this is new ground, and it’s very fun.

And so I was worried that she just wouldn’t be liked because she so on the extreme of everything, you know? And I thought that was so cool that I was able to convince 45% of the audience.

3m 11s – Literary Joe: What are your thoughts on LifeScore and the music? I know that Jennifer Field said that you guys couldn’t hear it while you’re actually acting, but obviously when you watch the playback, what do you think of that technology?

3m 24s – Veronica Mitsuk: I think it’s so cool. I think the entire concept of the show is so different. Coming in, I didn’t know that – I knew that it was interactive to a certain degree. But, I didn’t know how much of it was interactive and audience input.

And I think that’s so cool. The fact that they really can put on this tone, you know, it’s not just the choices, it’s the feel of it to that they can contribute too. This show’s whole concept is so innovative.

And whenever my friends tune in, and they’re like, I didn’t know this existed. I didn’t know this could exist that the fact it could even work. And it’s really cool to watch things just kind of like play out live.

3m 58s – Literary Joe: Before you were on the show, did you ever watch it at all? I know you said you weren’t completely familiar with how interactive it was. Were you familiar with the show at all before you were cast?

4m 43s – Veronica Mitsuk: So originally, I auditioned for Elle before the beginning of Season 3. So I knew that it existed, but I didn’t watch it after that audition. And then when I went to audition for Whitney, it happened very fast and was very exciting.

Once I finally tuned in, I was very happy that I got Whitney, it’s such a fun character, and I was just blown away by it. I wish I tuned in before so that I wasn’t as like – it almost felt like it hit me like a bus, you know, once I had joined the team. And, if I watched it, I would have been a bit more prepared mentally because, to me, it relates to live theater, and it’s the closest thing to live theater that I’ve ever done.

6m 23s – Literary Joe: I’m curious about your personal AI beliefs. So what do you think about AI in your personal life?

6m 30s – Veronica Mitsuk: See, this is the part of the trial episode that I was intrigued about. Cause some of the arguments that Whitney made, I didn’t know if I agreed with a hundred percent, even though I understood what she meant, right? I don’t know yet if I can keep an open mind about the fact that something that was made by someone could still have sentience.

I don’t know if it’s possible yet, but a part of me is like, yeah, why not? Just because I’m the kind of person that’s like, why not? You know, until it’s proven that it’s not, then I’ll be like, Oh yeah, that’s a hard no. But before that, I’m like, yeah, anything can happen. So I’m a bit more lenient with the possibility of things being real, I guess. I don’t know if that makes any sense.

9m 49s – Literary Joe: I’m curious about your history with acting. When did you first start, or when did you first begin aspiring to be an actress?

9m 57s – Veronica Mitsuk: I started focusing on acting over two years ago. But, before that, I was always centered around the entertainment industry. So I went into college hoping to get a theater degree in theater set design like a technician, and then I switched to the film department, and then I switched to the acting department.

So I’ve been jumping around different areas in the entertainment industry and even doing the indie projects in town. I started behind the camera stuff. So PA, AC-ing, some people let me touch their equipment, and I was worried because I knew I’d break something If they’ll let me touch anything expensive. I did script supervising; I was trying to learn as much as I can behind the camera.

And then, we had to take an acting class for our theater tech program at UNLB. And trying that out, I found a bigger attraction toward it. Because before, I chose behind the camera stuff because I was always very shy, quiet, and sheltered in high school. So I figured, I love the entertainment industry, but if I could hide and not be seen, that’s preferable. I found out it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

And so I really started focusing on it over two years ago. Before, I was very self-conscious about the existence of the camera. But now that I’ve been doing it more and through classes, projects, and learning how to connect with the person in the scene, it turned into not just, “Oh, something is recording me.” It turned into, “Oh, I wanna play out this scene with this person.” So I found a way to refocus my attention, which makes it more fun.

*This interview has been edited for clarity.*

Artificial is a Live and Interactive Science Fiction series where the audience changes the story. Co-creator and Showrunner Bernie Su walks you through what makes this series so unique. It is the first original sci-fi series on Twitch and was the winner of the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Innovation in Interactive Media.

You can catch the Season 3 finale of Artificial: Remote Intelligence on Twitch this Thursday at 5 pm PST.

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It’s been a while since we’ve had any updates on this one, but reports are now coming in that Universal and Blumhouse’s upcoming reboot of Stephen King’s Firestarter has cast its first major role.

According to THR, Zac Efron (Baywatch, The Greatest Showman) has signed on to star in the sci-fi drama, which will be directed by Keith Thomas (The Vigil). Efron’s role is not mentioned in the report, but it’s assumed he’ll be playing the male lead, Andy McGee.

King’s novel tells the story of a man with psychic abilities who goes on the run with his pyrotechnic daughter when a government agency known as The Shop targets them in order to harness their abilities. They soon find themselves being hunted by a lethal assassin named John Rainbird, and must go to extreme lengths to evade capture.

The script is being written by Halloween Kills and Rectify scribe Scott Teems, who will also executive produce alongside Jason Blum, Akiva Goldsman and Martha De Laurentiis.

Firestarter was previously adapted as a 1984 movie starring Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Freddie Jones, Heather Locklear, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott.

What do you guys make of this casting choice? Have you read King’s book or seen the ’84 film? Let us know in the comments.

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Back in June, we reported on a rumor that Marvel was searching for a “deaf female, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous or Latinx, 18 or older” actress to play an “independent, athletic and bright” 20-something character in an upcoming project.

Not many established Marvel Comics characters fit that description, so speculation understandably pointed to this being Daredevil supporting player Maya Lopez, aka Echo, and we may now have confirmation.

According to The Illuminderdi, Echo will appear in the Disney+ Hawkeye series as one of the main characters. No details about how she’ll factor into the plot have been revealed, but there’s a chance she may start out as an adversary of Clint Barton’s given their shared association with the Ronin mantle in the comics.

Created by David Mack and Joe Quesada in the late ’90s, Echo was first introduced as a Daredevil villain before switching allegiances and reinventing herself as a hero. She reemerged in 2005 and took up the mantle of Ronin for Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers run, before going on to befriend and work alongside the likes of Wolverine and Moon Knight.

What do you guys make of this development? Hawkeye is currently scheduled to begin shooting next month (barring any COVID-related delays), so we should learn more soon.

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We’ve known that Takehiro Hira would be playing the villain in Paramount’s upcoming G.I. Joe origins movie Snake Eyes for a while now, but not much has been revealed about his mysterious character, who is believed to be an original villain created exclusively for the movie. 

Speaking with Hira earlier this month while promoting his latest release Lost Girls and Love Hotels, the accomplished Japanese actor was generous enough to share details about his role in the Robert Schwentke-directed spinoff. 

“I’m playing the villain in Snake Eyes, the G.I. Joe film,” he tells us. “I think it’s an original character who’s not in the comics, so he’s brand new and that’s pretty much all I can say right now. *laughs*

He’s Japanese, he could maybe be Yakuza too, *laughs*, but yeah, it was a fun experience. You know, there’s Snake Eyes (Henry Golding), and then there’s another guy Storm Shadow (Andrew Koji)… I’m sort of his half-brother or something like that.“

His comments may essentially confirm an earlier report from That Hashtag Show, who revealed that the film would indeed introduce an original villain, then named Kenta.

They said in 2018, “Kenta is revealed to Storm Shadow’s brother who has long since left his family, the Arashikage, and joined with a rival ninja clan, the Kurayami. It is Kenta who attempts to lure Snake Eyes away from the Arashikage and into a terrorist plot being devised by Cobra.” 

While Hira wasn’t allowed to divulge much else, he did speak about the extensive training he and the entire cast received to prepare for the tough shoot. “We trained for about a month and a half in Vancouver, so hopefully it’ll be good.“

He isn’t a formally trained fighter, but admits to having picked up a few skills throughout his nearly twenty-year career that he’s more than ready to show off in the upcoming 2021 spinoff. “I haven’t been trained properly I guess, but along the way, I’ve learned things here and there and picked up a few tricks. I know some sword fighting, Japanese sword fighting, which is really cool.“

Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) will headline the feature with a supporting cast consisting of Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Secret Life of Pets) as Baroness, Haruka Abe (47 Ronin) in an undisclosed role, Iko Uwais (The Raid) as Hard Master and Takehiro Hira (Giri/Haji) in an undisclosed role.

Snake Eyes hits theaters October 22, 2021

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While it may be a while before we get another big theatrical release, the digital home video market continues to stay strong, and one of the latest films to hit VOD platforms is William Olsson’s Lost Girls and Love Hotels, which is an adaptation of Catherine Hanrahan’s acclaimed 2006 novel of the same name.

The film stars Alexandra Daddario (Superman: Man of Tomorrow; We Summon the Darkness), Takehiro Hira (Snake Eyes; Giri/Haji), and Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones; Valkyrie) in the main roles. Daddario plays the lead role of Margaret, who is an expatriate living in Japan working at the Japanese flight academy, teaching flight attendants while simultaneously self-destructing in her personal life due to a tragedy. 

Ahead of the film’s release earlier this month, we sat down with star Takehiro Hira to chat about his pivotal role in the film, working with Alexandra Daddario, his viewpoint on the Yakuza and love hotels, and whether or not he related to the central character after having been through a simliar fish of water experience in his youth.

Check out the full interview below:

ROHAN PATEL: Did you read the book or just go off the screenplay more or less?

TAKEHIRO HIRA: I didn’t read the book beforehand, so I just went straight to the script to understand my character.

ROHAN: As Kazu, you’re basically there to help Margaret on her existential journey. So, did you play a similar role in helping Alexandra fully understand Japanese culture?

TAKEHIRO: Actually, my first day on set was almost halfway through shooting because I was in a play when they started filming, so I didn’t get to see them much until my first day, which was in the middle of the shoot. By then, they probably knew more about the sights around Tokyo than I did. I didn’t get to go out much in Tokyo with them but I did spend time with them at a few places like restaurants and stuff. I think they had a fun time.

One thing I do remember, I did introduce Alexandra to a really good acupuncture doctor and she loved it and I think from her Instagram, she’s been doing that since going back home, so maybe that’s something she picked up from Tokyo.

ROHAN: The movie is about how Alexandra’s character is basically a fish out of water in Japan and struggling to find herself. When you first came to study in the U.S. as a teenager, do you remember having similar feelings? Do you relate at all to Alex’s character looking back at your own experience?

TAKEHIRO: Oh wow, that’s a great question, – I did go to American school when I was about 15 and I don’t know. Growing up in Tokyo and moving to the U.S., it felt similar in a way because we were very Americanized in Tokyo, so we were more used to American culture. It was probably more of a cultural shock for Alexandra’s character to come to Japan than it was for me to come to America… I never really thought about it to be honest, it’s been a really long time.

The loneliness, feeling out of place, I did feel that. Like for Christmas or Thanksgiving, I had nowhere to go, I’d get invited to dinner parties here and there, but it never felt like home. So, that loneliness Alex felt in the movie as Margaret, I could relate to that for sure.

ROHAN: You’re playing a member of the Yakuza, who American films generally depict as these extremely dangerous villains. What is your viewpoint of the Yakuza having lived in Toyko most of your life?

TAKEHIRO: Yakuza are a popular topic and character in American films, and I mean, we do have Yakuza in Japanese films as well, but not so much. There are still Yakuza in living in our society in Japan, but I’ve never seen one… well, maybe one or two. Everything I know about Yakuza is from watching movies and seeing them in Japanese films.

In reality, they may be businessmen or some other figure in society, and their look and the hair and the clothing is probably different in real life. This film doesn’t really perpetuate the stereotype of the Yakuza, you don’t see my character associate with any other member of the Yakuza, he’s a lone wolf Yakuza, which is rare because the Yakuza are always shown working in groups – I mean, I don’t know for sure, but that’s what we typically see.

ROHAN: I asked Catherine about this as well, but as a native, what was your viewpoint on love hotels? 

TAKEHIRO: It’s usually run by Yakuza… *laughs* – Not always, but a lot of the time. In Tokyo, well I guess all over Japan, you generally live with your parents, so you don’t live by yourself, you don’t have the apartment to yourself so if you need a private place with your girlfriend or wife or whomever for a few hours, that’s usually how it works. *laughs*

ROHAN: So, what’s next for you? Are you looking for more Hollywood projects?

TAKEHIRO: I’ve been auditioning for a few things here and there, but this year, it’s, of course, been really slow. I’m just waiting for something to come up on the horizon I guess.

ROHAN: I think Hollywood still has a ways to go when it comes to introducing Indian superheroes, but it’s always a welcome sight to see Asian actors find success, especially in mainstream films like Snake Eyes and Shang-Chi, which is now filming.

After your experience on Snake Eyes, have you ever thought about getting to play in a big Marvel or DC movie?

TAKEHIRO: I’d love to, I mean I’m 45 years old, so I hope I’m not too old to be a superhero, but I would absolutely love to.

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In “Rumor Mill,” we share the hard to buy rumours that don’t come from reliable sources like the trades, but are still more believable (just) than what you might find on Reddit. 

There have been signs that Hawkeye will feature The Clown and the Tracksuit Mafia, but the identity of the show’s lead villain may have now been revealed. According to The Direct, classic Iron Man villain Madame Masque will appear in a “supporting role” in the highly anticipated Disney+ series.

It’s said that Marvel Studios is in the process of casting an actress to play the villain, and this presumably means Agent Carter isn’t considered canon seeing as Whitney Frost appeared there. 

However, if her real name – Giulietta Nefaria – is used, then Frost won’t be wiped from MCU history!

It’s worth noting that Madame Masque has clashed with both Clint Barton and Kate Bishop in the comic books, and Kate’s father has even been one of her clients. How all this will factor into Hawkeye itself remains to be seen, but this is definitely an interesting rumour, and one that points to the Disney+ series taking a deep dive into the source material to deliver a lot of big surprises. 

Would you like to see the two Hawkeyes face Madame Masque in 2022?

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was recently pushed from next May to July, and fans excited to see the Master of the Martial Arts in action are now forced to remain patient for the Marvel Studios movie. However, thanks to some intel shared by Murphy’s Multiverse, we may have a better idea what to expect when it finally arrives in theaters after originally being scheduled for February 2021.

The site claims that a huge set has been built in Sydney, Australia, which will double as The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon, a location best known as Fin Fang Foom’s lair. 

“Our source describes the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon set as a hilly, seaside location with a temple at its center with the greenscreen serving as the seashore itself,” the reveal. “The other huts each serve their own purposes but the other noteworthy feature is the large, bamboo structure known as the battle dome which is surrounded by an area where the village’s warriors hone the skills necessary to protect Fin Fang Foom.”

Clearly, the plan is for Shang-Chi to delve into the ancient history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with it being explained that those rumoured flashbacks to the time Genghis Khan ruled over China are likely to tie into Fin Fang Foom and the warriors who fight off invaders with the dragon at their side. 

As for who Star Trek Discovery‘s Michelle Yeoh will be playing, it’s believed she’s going to be a protector of this village, but it’s unclear whether that means she’s a newly created character or someone from the comic books. If it’s the latter, Marvel Studios will likely take a deep dive into Marvel Comics history. 

What do you guys think of these latest Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings details? 

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Solo: A Star Wars Story was something of a disaster for Disney and Lucasfilm with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller fired well into production, and a tepid marketing campaign which played a big role in the spinoff movie underperforming at the worldwide box office back in 2018. 

As the lowest grossing instalment of the Star Wars franchise, it’s no wonder the studios decided to go back to the drawing board with how to handle future stories, hence why plans for spinoffs revolving around the likes of Yoda and Boba Fett have seemingly stalled and are no longer happening.

During a recent interview with The Independent, star Alden Ehrenreich opened up on his time as Han Solo, and while he’s clearly disappointed with the coverage Solo received, he’s ready to move on.

“It’s not a huge part of my life anymore,” the actor admitted. “But my sense is that there was a really clear disconnect between the way it was really received and then the stories that came out about it. That we had a troubled production or whatever. And it’s not really a story that the movie did totally fine. It didn’t make a billion dollars but it did fine and people liked it – but that’s not interesting.”

“What’s interesting is: ‘This is the biggest movie of all time and it was absolutely a disaster.’ I knew, no matter what happened, that I was putting myself in a situation where people would be saying things about me. But honestly, that whole experience felt like this huge, high-seas adventure.”

While Ehrenreich has previously expressed an interest in reprising the role (rumour has it that could happen on Disney+), it doesn’t sound like he wants his career to be defined by Star Wars, and that’s perfectly understandable. It would be nice for those lingering questions to be addressed, of course, but time will tell whether the rumoured plans for his version of the smuggler come to fruition.

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