On SyFyâs re-imagining of the popular BBC television series Being Human, Montreal native Meaghan Rath plays a ghost named Sally, who is a young woman searching for the truth behind her early demise. In life, she was vivacious, smart, funny, driven and excited about her engagement to her college sweetheart. She now lives in the apartment they once shared, along with a vampire named Aidan (Sam Witwer) and a werewolf named Josh (Sam Huntington/read our interview with him here), as she learns to navigate her new ghostly existence.In a recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Meaghan Rath talked about how excited she is to be a part of Being Human, how she hopes that fans of the original series will gave this version a chance, the fact that 13 episodes will give them a chance to expand and add storylines, and the unusual challenge of playing a character that no one can touch because she is a ghost. Check out what she had to say after the jump:Question: How did you get into acting? Did you just always know it was something you wanted to do?MEAGHAN RATH: I kind of always knew. I watched a lot of movies when I was younger and I remember, when I was seven years old, I asked my parents if I could have an agent for Christmas. It was always something I wanted to do, so it really is a dream come true. Also, to shoot this show in my hometown, being from Montreal, is really amazing. I get to be at home with my friends and family, and I get to do this amazing project. What more could I ask for, really.How did you come to be a part of Being Human?RATH: I remember getting the sides and the script from my agent, with a breakdown of what the show was about. I didnât know about the British show before I started preparing for the audition. I remember immediately connecting with the story and the character, and I auditioned. I was called back a couple of times to do some auditions with Adam Kane, whoâs our executive producer, and he directed the first two episodes and the finale, and I remember really connecting with him. And then, they flew me to L.A. to do the screen test, and that was that. At the screen test, Adam came out and gave us all a little individual pep talk and gave us some last minute direction, and when he was talking to me, I was just in my head going, âThis canât be it. This canât be the last time I work with this guy.â He had so many great ideas, and I loved what he was saying and how he was saying it to me. We really connected and I was like, âThis canât be it! I have to get this.â So, it all worked out.Did you have any hesitation about signing on for a role that you could be playing for a number of years?RATH: Not at all. I was actually really excited about it. As an actor, itâs steady work. Iâve done a couple of series before and what I like about TV is, as an actor, you get that chance to practice all the time, and thatâs really how you grow. Doing a show for five months is the best practice and training I could ever ask for. Sam Huntington and Sam Witwer are the best scene partners in the world. Theyâre amazing. I love those guys so much. I feel like theyâre brothers to me now. Itâs really nice. Weâre very lucky to have the connection that we all have together. I learned so much. And, we had this amazing line-up of directors that we worked with. It was a dream, really.What do you learn about yourself, as an actor, when youâre working with different directors for each episode, who each have their own vision for the characters and story?RATH: You have to be adaptable, first off. You establish this relationship with one person, and then a month later, itâs somebody different and you have to be able to adapt to their style and what theyâre looking for, but also be able to retain your vision of the character. When new directors come on, we know the characters better than they do, so itâs a compromise. Itâs being able to keep your instincts and what you feel the character would do, but also respect what theyâre bringing to it. Itâs a nice balance. Did you decide to watch any of the original series at all, or did you decide to develop this character separate from that?RATH: I did watch a couple of episodes during the audition process, to get a sense of the tone and the vibe of the show, but once we started filming, they didnât want us to watch any of them. So, Iâve only watched a couple. I think I actually watched from the second season. But, it was really important to them that we bring ourselves to it, so itâs something fresh, new and different from what the original cast was doing. I think it does turn out very different from theirs because weâre all completely different people and we have different takes on who these people are, and they are different from the original. Weâre doing 13 episodes this season and they have six, so we have a lot of time to develop these characters and we really get into their backstories and who they were. Naturally, we bring something new to it. Is it more of an expansion of the same storylines, or are you also adding new storylines to fill out the extra episodes?RATH: Itâs both. It starts off very similar because it is a re-imagining of the same show, so weâre establishing what the story is about and who these people are. But, we do have a lot more time to go off on our own thing. Mid-season is where we really start exploring something new. One thing thatâs different is that you donât see a lot of the werewolfâs family. With Josh (Sam Huntington), we bring in his sister and see a lot of his backstory, what his family was, the relationship that he had with them, and what heâs torn with and struggling with. We also introduce this new sect of vampires, towards the end of the season. Thatâs different from the original. There are a lot of different things and a lot of little subtleties that weâre bringing to it, that the British one didnât have time to get into. Weâre taking advantage of our 13 episodes. From what Iâve seen, I feel like our characters are a lot more sarcastic and a little more deadpan than the British ones, but that is in the writing. Anna [Fricke] and Jeremy [Carver] are unbelievable. Theyâre so great and it was such a pleasure to be a part of the world that they adapted and created. And, Boston has its own life and vibe. It was very important to them that we embrace what Boston is and that whole New England vibe. With the original series being so popular, do you think it helps the show that there is already a built-in interest, or is it more nerve-wracking because you have something that you actually have to live up to?RATH: It does make it nerve-wracking, Iâm not going to lie. Especially because the British show is so popular and they have such a loyal fan base, it is kind of daunting. But, at least people know about the show and are talking about it, and theyâre probably going to check it out to see how it compares. If they just come into it with an open mind and are ready to embrace something different, I think theyâre really going to like it. I really like the show. Iâm kind of biased watching it, but I was really, really impressed. Iâve seen up to Episode 10 and it was really nice to see that weâre making the show that we all hoped we were making. Weâve never met or spoken to the British cast, but Iâm sure that we will. They seem amazing. We hope that fans of their show will be fans of our show, and new fans of our show will check out their show. Their creators are on board with us and weâre all working together, which is really nice. And, the Aidan character in our show is named after Aidan Turner, who plays Mitchell on the original. I was reading some stuff online â and I should definitely stop with Google â and people were outraged and said, âOh, I canât believe they would use his name!,â but itâs in homage to them. Itâs a little shout-out. I see it as a compliment. I understand. They love their show. I get it. But, hopefully, theyâll watch ours and see how great it is, and like it for something different than what the British show is. What would you say to fans of the original series who are wondering whether they should check out this version of the show?RATH: First of all, I would say that itâs not a competition. Weâre not competing with them or trying to replace what their show is. But, weâre doing a version that takes place in New England, offers something different, and brings something fresh and original to the show thatâs already going on and is amazing. I just hope that they know that we completely respect and admire everything that the British show is. The acting on that show is incredible. Iâve only seen a couple of episodes, but I was completely blown away by everything that they were doing. We all have huge shoes to fill. We just hope that they check out the show and come in with an open mind, expect something different and try to embrace these new people. Hopefully, theyâll like it. Iâm sure, if they actually give it a chance, theyâll like it.Do you get to collaborate on new ideas for the character at all, or are you just going with what they give you in the script for now?RATH: Weâre going with what they give us in the script. Itâs our first season. Our creators are really involved and, personally, I just want to do justice to what theyâve done and what theyâve created and the ideas that theyâre giving us. Needless to say, we bring our own personality to it, but when it comes to the characterâs journey or what happens to them, we donât have any input in that.How do you see Sally? What kind of person is she to you?RATH: I see her as the person that she was in life. Sheâs dead, but the essence of who she is, is exactly the same. In life, she was someone that was vibrant, smart, funny and outgoing, and that lived her life a certain way. She was very involved in everything that she did, and had big plans for herself. In death, sheâs the same way, but now add to that her struggle of figuring out what she is, where she is, where sheâs supposed to go and how sheâs supposed to get there. There are these added problems that she has to deal with, but sheâs still able to retain the sense of fun and the energy that she had from when she was alive, which I really admire.Has it been challenging to make sure that you donât touch anyone, since youâre playing a ghost?RATH: Yes, itâs really hard, especially for me, because when I talk to people and I get animated, I touch them and am very physically involved. Itâs actually been really hard, but itâs an acting challenge. You have to not fall back on those habits, and itâs a challenge to just let the words speak for themselves without adding any physical connection to them. But, I feel like Iâve gotten a good hang of it. This complex that I have now, with not touching people, has brought itself into my normal life, which is weird. Iâm out with my friends and someone brushes against me, and my first impulse is, âOh, god, no!â Itâs been funny. Anytime we do scenes together, we have to be very conscious of our knees not touching, if weâre sitting together. Even if we get a little close, itâs like, âOh, itâs a little too close. It could pass for some touching.â Now, weâre just concerned if anyone is touching on the show, at all. Nobody should be touching.Are there changes that have to be made to the set and the set pieces to accommodate that aspect of your character?RATH: Yeah, there is. When I sit on the couch, I have these pillows that are made out of concrete and they have it upholstered. Itâs so I donât make an imprint. Thatâs uncomfortable. It looks like a normal couch, so you forget that itâs cement and you just plop down on it and really, severely hurt yourself. Thatâs been hard. Or, if Iâm lying on a bed, itâs all rigged with that concrete, which is strange. Itâs very uncomfortable because I have to look very natural on it. Itâs all in a dayâs work.How is it to work with Sam Witwer and Sam Huntington? Do they have a very similar or different approach to their work?RATH: I feel like, technically, we have a similar approach. Honestly, theyâre amazing. I really admire them both as actors. I think theyâre two of the most talented people Iâve ever worked with. Itâs a pleasure to do scenes with them. When the three of us have scenes all together, weâre all very excited about it. We have this confidence going into it, where we know that itâs going to turn out right because we can trust that our chemistry will be there and will carry us through the scene, even if weâre having problems with it. Sam Witwer is a very classically trained actor who is so emotionally available and extremely generous, so doing scenes with him, itâs like I can just sit with him and look at him and everything that we need will be there. Heâs so present. Itâs amazing. Itâs so nice to do scenes with him. I feel like I need to thank him, after we do a scene together. And, Sam Huntington is one of the funniest people I know. Itâs just a blast, doing scenes with him. When we would get the scripts for the upcoming block, Iâd count how many scenes weâd have together and be like, âYeah, we get to hang out and be together.â Heâs unbelievably generous and so warm. We can just be together in a scene and trust that everything is going to turn out okay because we just play off each other very well. Weâre really lucky to have each other. The chemistry is just right, and itâs exactly what itâs supposed to be. These guys look at her as a sister and they care about her and want to protect her, and I feel that, in life, with them. Those guys are really protective of me, in a weird way. Theyâre a little too protective, but itâs nice. Itâs just as itâs supposed to be.What have been the biggest challenges in making this show?RATH: A lot of the challenges come from all the special effects that we do. Itâs really grueling, especially for Sam Huntington, who has to go through the werewolf transformation. I know itâs really exhausting for him because itâs a huge process. For me, I work a lot with a green screen, which is really time consuming. All the special effects are. Itâs hard to keep the energy and the emotion of the scene when theyâre installing a massive green screen behind you. The whole show is a challenge for me, just because, as an actor, itâs rare to do a role where the character is so well-rounded and just feels like a normal person. You have to tap into all these different emotions and all these different experiences that sheâs going through because these characters do go through so much. I feel like all of us are really invested in it and we all put our hearts into it, and we just hope that people like it.Because this series will expose you to sci-fi and genre fans, are you prepared for the devotion that comes with that?RATH: I think itâs amazing. Iâm excited. Iâm actually familiar with the fans because my brother is a huge fanboy. I was exposed to the genre really early, so I know all about it and Iâm really excited about it. To me, the fans just seem so loyal, above anything, which is amazing. What more can you ask for in a fan? Iâm excited. Iâm not worried about anything.If the attention that you get from being a part of this show leads to some film work, are there types of roles or specific genres that youâd love to be able to do?RATH: Well, I love anything Quentin Tarantino, so I would be pretty amazed, if I could do something like that. That would be my dream. Thatâs not too far off. I really like him. I saw this interview that he did, where he was talking about Inglourious Basterds and that scene where Christoph Waltz had to strangle the girl, and they were like, âHow did you get it so real? How did you actually film that? It looks like sheâs actually choking.â He was like, âWell, it was actually my hand that was going in and choking her.â The interviewer was like, âHow is that all right? Did it hurt her?â He said, âWell, it hurt just as much as if you were into that kind of thing.â I was like, âOh, god, I love you! Thatâs amazing!â I love the action stuff. Honestly, I like sci-fi and everything supernatural. I feel really lucky. BEING HUMAN premieres on SyFy on January 17th
Meaghan Rath Exclusive Interview BEING HUMAN
Exclusive interview with Meaghan Rath for the TV show Being Human. Being Human airs on Syfy and stars Sam Witwer and Sam Huntington. Meaghan Rath