What are your thoughts on FRINGE delving deeper into the mythology this season versus the previous seasons more stand-alone episode approach?
Lance Reddick: When FRINGE started out, the trend in television was to produce standalone episodes because the truth is, that’s what sells better in syndication. And while FRINGE still worked in the beginning because there were so many interesting elements that were so good, what I think “Bad Robot” [The J.J. Abrams powered production company behind the show] does best is mythology. Mythology, for me is the most exciting thing to watch on television, and as viewing habits have changed — where everybody is watching these types of shows on DVR’s and DVD — I think the powers that be realized that if this thing’s going to really be a success, they have to do what they do best.
How challenging has it been keeping track of two different versions of the same character?
The season finale was a little tricky because there were slight differences in the Broyles and because we were shooting two episodes at the same time with two different version of the character it was a lot to keep track of when I was preparing. But now that we’re going back and forth between universes episode-to-episode it’s not so tough.
Is there any truth to the rumor that we’re going to get a peek into Broyles’ family life this season?
There’s been talk, but personally it hasn’t shown up in the scripts yet and I’m kind of one of those actors who will believe it when I see it because things can always change. Plus, I never know what I can and cannot say! What I can say is because I’ve been playing the primary Broyles for so long and the alternate Broyles is kind of looser, he’s more fun to play. Which is surprising, because Alternate Broyles is much more relaxed than a stereotypical military bureaucrat probably should be. And unlike our Fringe Division which is basically a Shadow Unit of the FBI, the alternate universe version of the division is a specialized military task force.
Do you think FRINGE will be successful in getting fans to see both sides of the conflict?
I honestly think different people will go different ways. Basically we have these two sets of human beings in a war over a misunderstanding where each side thinks the other one is wrong and they’re completely right, justified and on the side of the angels. One of the reasons why dramatic art is so important is that so often it’s easy to see good and evil and right and wrong in terms of black and white. What hopefully people will take out of the situation is to be torn. Because when you really look at the details, the intricacy of the human experience, how we get to the decisions we make and why we get to be the kind of people that we are, it’s never that cut and dry.
Are there any plans to ever revisit that mysterious kiss between Nina and Broyles in last fall’s second season premiere?
I really don’t know. I haven’t gotten an indication we are going to see more of that relationship. My take, I’ve always seen that whole kiss at the beginning of the second season as having more to do with Nina and Broyles past, versus an ongoing relationship we might see in the future.
FRINGE airs Thursdays at 9PM on FOX (CityTV in Canada)