Developed by Jeff Davis, the hit MTV drama series Teen Wolf has returned for a super-sized, 24-episode third season. Having picked up four months after the events that nearly ended Jackson’s (Colton Haynes) life and resurrected Peter Hale (Ian Bohen), Season 3 finds teen werewolf Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and his friends Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), Lydia (Holland Roden) and Allison (Crystal Reed) beginning their junior year of high school while having to deal with a new threat has arrived in Beacon Hills – a deadly pack of Alpha werewolves intent on bringing Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) into their fold.
With the filming relocated to Los Angeles, Collider was invited to check out the set and chat with the cast for a series of exclusive interviews. While hanging out in her trailer on a break from shooting, Australian actress Adelaide Kane (“Cora”) talked about how she came to be a part of the show, what she thinks of the whole auditioning process, working without her natural accent, how it’s been to join the show in its third season, the challenges of never knowing where your storyline is headed, and how much fun she has doing stunts and fight scenes. Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.
How did you come to the show?
ADELAIDE KANE: I’d heard of Teen Wolf, way back when they were casting the pilot. I was living in New Zealand, shooting the show Power Rangers, when it was still owned by Disney. I sent off a tape back then, but really thought nothing of it. And then, I’d heard about the show again, after I’d moved out here. But, it wasn’t really until last year that I sat up and took notice of the show. I don’t really watch a lot of TV, to be honest. I’m more of a movie girl, or I Netflix stuff. I actually tested against Gage Golightly last season, for the role of Erica. Of course, she got the role, and once I saw her on the show, I understood why. She had a very different vibe from me, and it was really appropriate casting. This time around, I was shooting an independent film in Connecticut and they sent me on an audition for Teen Wolf, for a one-episode character that was in the first episode of Season 3. So, I did it and sent it off. I remembered the show fondly, from my auditioning experience last season. I guess (show creator) Jeff [Davis] remembered me from the previous year, and they came back with, “Well, we might actually have this other character that you might like,” and I was like, “Sweet!” And here I am. It was really gratifying that they remembered me, liked my work, and thought highly enough of me to bring me on for a larger role.
What do you think of the whole auditioning process?
KANE: It’s very strange. It’s quite awful. Auditioning and actually acting on a set are two different things. When you audition, you’re in a room and you don’t have anything to play with and you don’t have anything physically in the room. Whereas on set, you have direction, you have costumes, and you have other actors to work with. It’s a completely different thing. Auditioning is extremely bizarre. Just being an actor is extremely bizarre, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What’s it been like to work without your accent?
KANE: I’m actually Australian, but I’m American for this particular character, which is pretty standard out here. I know there are a lot of foreigners in the industry, and it’s pretty normal for you to have to develop a neutral middle-American accent to use for projects. A lot of people I know who are really musically inclined seem to find it quite easy. I’ve never had too much of a difficult with it, but we have a lot of American TV in Australia. I learned by watching my favorite shows. I would just rewind and say the words back, until they sounded right to me. I never studied the American accent, in terms of getting a teacher or taking phonetics classes. I’ve always been a good mimic. It really wasn’t that hard for me. I have friends who have a lot of difficulty with it, and they have to work very, very hard. I’m really fortunate that it wasn’t too much of a struggle for me.
How has it been to join the show in Season 3?
KANE: It’s so fun! It’s really fun. This is the best set I’ve ever been on. Like any other set, sometimes the hours are long and sometimes you wait around for hours and don’t do anything, but that’s pretty normal for any set. What I think is really unique about this particular set is that everybody is just really nice. Nobody in the cast is a diva. Nobody stands on their own ego. Everybody is really lovely and really welcoming. They don’t cut you out because you’re only a guest star, or anything like that. They’re really, really sweet, really lovely people. None of them have gotten jaded or gotten sick of anything or bored. They’re all just really excited to be doing Season 3, and they’re really passionate about the work. It’s really nice. They all have a really great rapport with each other, and they’re really lovely people. It’s great! I have a lot of fun on set.
Do you find it challenging to never know where your character or the story is going?
KANE: Sometimes, but just like in real life, you never really know what’s coming in the future, anyway. When we do flashbacks, I realize that I might have changed my performance, if I’d known that. But, so little is known about Cora anyway, it’s refreshing that it’s a blank slate that I can make whatever I want. What’s difficult is what you go through a script and you plot where your character is going, emotionally, through the episode, and then you shoot it out of sequence. You need to remind yourself where you were, earlier in the script. You can shoot scene 3 on day one, and then scene 25 on day two, and then go back to scene 18 for day three, and you just need to really be on top of where you’re at, especially if you’ve already shot the scene before the one you’re doing. You have to try to maintain some sort of cohesive throughline, performance wise.
Will there be some flashbacks for Cora?
KANE: There are a couple of devices we’re employing for Cora, to fill in her backstory for where she’s coming from, what she’s about and what she’s looking for in Beacon Hills. Part of it is just her telling you what she wants. She’s pretty up front about a lot of things. Some of it is explained in flashbacks. To be honest, I don’t have that many episodes, but she might even share a bit of chemistry with a lucky fellow.
Do you enjoy getting to do the stunts and fight sequences?
KANE: It’s great fun! I’m not quite as active as [Tyler] Hoechlin is, who wants to back-flip off things, all the time. But, I used to do a little bit of martial arts, when I was younger, and some Tae Kwon Do and kickboxing. I’m always down to get thrown around, but it’s also a safety issue. They can’t afford to break the actors’ noses, so we have stunt doubles. But as much as I can, I really enjoy getting involved in the more physical side of things. It is a very important part of the show. Shot wise, and for the fans, it’s better if you actually get involved. It’s feels important, for the integrity of the show and the character, to at least give it an attempt. If it looks terrible, then they can put in my awesome stunt double, who bruises herself, all the time, for me. She’s always falling on concrete. I feel so bad for her.
No matter how goofy or awkward you feel, filming a fight scene, they look so cool in the show. Is it fun to get to see how they turn out?
KANE: We’ve got great directors, and it’s the beauty of editing. They really do a great job. They’re quite creative. The stunt coordinators are great. They definitely know how to make it all look good. The fact that all the boys are supremely jacked and gorgeous probably helps. Some scenes don’t even need to be too great because you’re too busy looking at bicep-stretching t-shirts. I walk on set and it’s like being in an issue of Playgirl. It’s ridiculous! But, all the boys are so sweet. They’re just lovely.
Teen Wolf airs on Monday nights on MTV.