Walkes and Tal were gracious enough to sit down with Collider’sSteve Weintraubto discussCrossand share very personal stories.
SAMANTHA WALKES: Craziness.
ALONA TAL: Fucking awesome!
Image via Prime Video
What do you mean?
Also, a little stressful, too.
Because, on the one hand, you’re like, Woohoo!
But on the other, it’s like, Oh, people better like this.
Because you never know in this industry what’s going to happen.
We had a strike we had a couple of strikes so, I just released it.
Image via Prime Video
Especially what we went through.
And our industry has still not recovered fully from that.
And so now Icouldn’tgive it away, and I couldn’t release it.
Image via Prime Video
Andthatactually created more anxiety.
TAL: But in an excited way.
WALKES: In a great way!
Image via Prime Video
Sometimes, anxiety can be good.
TAL: You kind of feel like a racehorse at the gate.
You just want to run, and everyone to run with you, and see it.
TV series based on James Paterson’s Alex Cross novels. Alex Cross uses forensic psychology to analyze killers' minds, delving into victims' psyches to identify murderers and bring them to justice.
You know what I mean?
The team behind the Prime Video series discusses collaborating with James Patterson and the major changes from the books.
One of the things about streaming is that it often takes too long between seasons.
You know the way it works.
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
You guys have worked on a number of things.
What shot or sequence has been the toughest of your career and why?
Is there one scene or sequence that ended up being the backbreaker?
I come from the theater world.
I’m a theater baby by trade.
I had the honor of playing Nettie inThe Color Purple, and it was the national premiere in Canada.
Our lead lost her voice after opening!
So, I knew her whole track, of course, and that was part of my contract.
When she lost her voice, I’d recently had a miscarriage.
She doesn’t get to be a mom.
One: we are always stronger than we think we are.We are always stronger than we think we are.
I think that we limit ourselves by saying, This is as much as I can handle.
This is the ceiling.
That’s as far as I can go.
It gave me a chance to mourn in a way no one is afforded.
And as much as I didn’t want it public, it could be my intimate story.
It was my story, but I got to sing it out.
I got to play it out for three shows.
And then I wanted to sleep for 20 years after that.
[Laughs] But that was probably the most difficult thing I’veeverhad to do in my career.
I appreciate you sharing that story.
I have no words.
I just appreciate you sharing.
WALKES: We all have stories like that, though.
We have stories like that.
We’ve all been through things.
TAL: I’m gonna go very different tone.
[Laughs]
WALKES: Good!
He asked the question; I was being honest.
TAL: You went emotional difficulty.
I’m gonna go physical difficulty.
I had never opened my eyes underwater before because I have contact lenses and the whole thing How?
And do the thing?
It was very challenging.
WALKES: I’m going to go back and watch that scene.
TAL: It was pretty, though.
This is why I can’t act.
I keep hearing about stories.
It’s not as glamorous as everyone might think it is.
You sometimes physically have to go through the wringer to deliver a scene.
TAL: Sometimes emotionally and physically at the same time, which goes hand in hand.
It’s just so rare in both movies and television to see a relationship portrayed like that.
Can you talk about, not just that aspect, but just the writing in general?
WALKES: I think that is one of our pillars of strength in this show for a couple reasons.
I’m going to ensure you are the best, and you are operating at your best."
“So, there is a higher standard they each hold for each other.
I love the fact that they hold each other to that standard.
TAL: Hopefully the people who watch this, other men.
You’re not that perfect.
WALKES: Checking egos.
Checking egos so that we can be whole people, healthy people.
So, I am curious, the first day of filming is coming up.
Elle And Cross grew up together, so they have this childhood history.
One of the people who came on board was Dr. Renee Carr.
I love her because she’s a political psychologist, but a psychologist nonetheless.
I also got to ask her questions as Elle.
The cognitive dissonance we have naturally as humans.
She is an activist.
Elle is anactivist, and here she is dating a detective.
It’s the big elephant in the room.It’s, “How do we make this work?
Is this love worth it?
Is it worth the work?”
So I could ask her questions, even in the psychology of dating someone who’s a detective.
What are they bringing home?
What are they not telling me?
How many walls do I have to break?
Are the walls breakable?
It was really helpful.
Crossis now streaming on Prime Video.
