On Tuesday, I got the opportunity to speak to Blindspot's Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who plays Bethany Mayfair, about the show. She discussed a range of things including why the show appealed to her, the success of the show so far, her relationship to her character and more.
On what drew her to the role
I found it a very quick and exciting read. I love puzzles, conundrums, mysteries and so this sort of thing was right up my street. The element of tattoos and Jane being a sort of treasure map made me very excited about trying to solve those pieces.
On further conversations with the creator (Martin Gero) who obviously went into a bit more about Bethany Mayfair, I felt that this would be a great opportunity to explore something slightly different. Although I played an FBI agent before, this woman is the Assistant Director and is not at first what she seems to be.
There was a bit of intrigue, there was some secret that, you know, as the show goes on would be revealed so all those elements excited me quite a bit.
On why the show is resonating with viewers
I think they have very cleverly have been able to weave-in great action, you know, you have the overall mystery of the whole thing so those people who love to solve a mystery or a puzzle, that’s for them with the action but also just sort of weave-in some great character stuff where characters are slowly being revealed and I just think it’s a really sort of magical combination that hooks a lot of people.
One the show revealing secrets so early
Well, you’ve got an entire body covered from head to toe with these tattoos so it’s like there’s no end to stuff that’s going to be revealed, and I think it’s great because it’s like there’s been quite a quick payoff to some of the mysteries that are being revealed.
And I mean, at first I was like 'oh come on, let’s string it out a little bit more' but I think that we’ve got a great team of writers and that are extremely clever and I just think that they know what they’re doing.
On how close she is to her character
I take my job very seriously and I want to do well and so that type of thing where they’re pushing the narrative, I try and use every opportunity to explore someone who is very unlike me.
That’s always sort of been my goal - she’s very well put together and business and official and in charge and bossy and it’s great [to] just sort of step into her six-inch heels every day and do that.
On how she prepared for the role
I kind of did a bit of a refresher because I’ve done it for a show that I’ve done years ago but obviously she’s in a higher position so just sort of reacquainting myself with protocols and all that stuff but then, you look at the character as a whole and then you have to decide how much attention they pay to that.
Do they slightly bend the rules? I mean, in this particular story that we’re telling, Weller is a bit of a loose cannon at times and she, although against her better judgment, knows that he’s got a really good gut feeling and lets him do things that she may not necessarily believe is the way to do them.
So yes, that’s what I’ve really been exploring with it and trying to keep it as authentic as possible but still with that sort of creative license.
On how cohesive the show is
I think Martin Gero is a very clever guy, and it’s the perfect combination for me anyway. He’s clever and he’s kind so he’s sort of, you know, he selected a great group of writers, a great cast, you know, we all get on really well. We go out and eat and all that so when we’re on set it’s sort of like there’s already a little shorthand developing in how we work and interact with each other.
The scripts are very strong. I mean, I’m reading them as soon as they land whether I’m in the middle of an episode or not because I just want to know what’s going to happen next and I know that my other cast members feel the same way. You can only imagine what it’s like for the audiences discovering these puzzles every week.
On whether she prepares differently for a US show than a UK show
It’s got to be about the character. It really has to and it has to be about the integrity of the piece that you’re doing. I mean, obviously in the UK they take much longer with things. It’s not like an eight-day or nine-day turnaround.
It’s like you get two, two and a half week on an episode but then they will only do eight so there isn’t that need, to keep driving it through.
It’s great sort of being able to work in that way and just be focused on, you know, you don’t look at the big picture; you hope people will like it and respond to it but you’ve got to compartmentalize and really focus on telling the story to the best of your ability and then hopefully the people go 'I love your show.'
On the tattoos
I’m constantly blown away by how they’re deciphered and what and who [it is] that has created that puzzle in the first place. I mean, it’s very, very exciting for us, watching how it all unfolds. The cast is going 'oh my God' and there are little tiny ones like the first one in the pilot that was behind her ear, the Chinese writing behind her ear.
I mean, that was amazing and if you can imagine, she’s got little bits on her elbow, you know, there might be a number here and it’s all going to lead to somewhere. It’s all been sort of really well thought-out and planned ahead and it’s great.
On her acting method
I’m somebody who loves creating characters and being as true to them as possible in the moment. I do not do method really but I like detail.
I think it’s coming from the Mike Dees kind of school or working with them and his star whereby you find out as much as you possibly can about the person and have as many of their things as you can so that you can move organically through the story that you’re telling.
On how long the show can go
I don’t know. I mean, you could draw it out for a good like five-six-seven seasons I think but I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know how, yes, I don’t know. I don’t know. I just know that there is a wealth of material to clip through and, I mean, are we going to stay with the tattoos? Is it going to evolve in a different area?
it could lead to something else, you know, something else could show-up that they have to decipher that’s attached to the tattoos and attached to her so, I mean, I’m stunned each week by the stuff that they’re having to find.
And I’m only on Episode 10 so it’s like 'wow' and it gets bigger and it leads back to this and this, you know, it’s actually genius. It’s really clever and really intricate.
Blindspot airs on Mondays at 10pm on NBC.
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