EXCLUSIVE! 'Orphan Black' Postmortem: Tatiana Maslany Talks Beth's Addiction 'Darkness' and 'Invasive' New Clo

By
BBC America

Holy doodle -- it's finally back!

After months of unrelenting clone cravings, the season four premiere of Orphan Black finally debuted Thursday night, and we're pleased to say it was most definitely worth the wait.

The all-new hour gifted Clone Club members with a blast from the past, an entire flashback episode devoted to the events that preceded the first season of the sci-fi drama and a closer look at the clone whose death started it all, Beth Childs.


Orphan Black
's leading lady Tatiana Maslany has already given us the clone-by-clone breakdown on what's next for Sarah, Alison, Cosima, and Helena in season four, but now it's time to shine sestra spotlight on two more Leda ladies.

Read on for everything you need to know about Beth's highly anticipated return and the introduction of our mysterious new clone, M.K.


EXCLUSIVE: 'Orphan Black' Clone Queen Tatiana Maslany Spills Season 4 Secrets

Entertainment Tonight: It was so enlightening to reunite with Beth and finally witness the events that led up to the pilot. What was your reaction when you discovered that Orphan Black was going to kick things off with a Beth-centric episode?

Tatiana Maslany: I was super excited because we sort of knew all this mythology about her and everyone kind of had an image of her in their minds. We've seen Sarah embody her, but we’ve never actually explored her real life. There was so much there to answer and to explore. She was just such a fun character and had such darkness there, so it just felt like a very adult episode arc.

BBC America


In your opinion, what was the most shocking aspect of Beth's journey in this episode?

TM:
Just the depths of her grief and her struggle. I knew that there was something that pushed her to do what she did, but seeing the way that she pushed other people away. She wasn’t without help, and she wasn’t without allies, but she just sort of made a choice to push people away, so I thought that was quite interesting. And her addition too. The depths of her addiction and the depths of her need to, kind of, obliterate herself -- that was new to me.


WATCH: 'Orphan Black' Season 4 Trailer Promises Even More Tatiana Maslany


It was also a very pleasant surprise to see Dylan Bruce back on our screens after the tragic death of Paul last season…

TM:
That's what a lot of ladies are saying! [Laughs] A lot of ladies are saying that -- and men too, I'm sure.


What was it like for you to act alongside Dylan again?

TM:
He's such a great guy and we still see him quite a bit because he's filming in Toronto all the time. He's kind of doing everything and doesn't stop working, so we've seen him around quite a bit. But he's one of the first people on the show that I met and got to work with on the show, so it was pretty special.

BBC America


And while Beth was the very first clone we met, M.K. is the latest Leda of the season. At this point, you're playing so many distinct personalities, so what was your thought process when approaching M.K.?

TM:
A lot of that comes from the writing, [co-creator] Graeme [Mason]'s character creation -- which is so detailed and awesome – and just the conversation that he and I had leading up to this season. He really involved me in her creation, so that was helpful and fun for me. Also [co-creator] John Fawcett and [my acting double] Kathryn Alexandre and I got into a room and did improve to work on Mika. [We] tried to find her voice and really find her niche and discover it. It's hard. For an actor, like myself, [there are] only so many different people that I can create, so it's always a bit of a process to find someone new.


MORE: Tatiana Maslany and Boyfriend Tom Cullen on ‘Joyful’ Experience Working Together


Each clone has their own unique strengths that they bring to the group, so what do you think is Mika's best skill?

TM:
That's a really good question. She's really good at sneaking into places. It's so interesting because I always think of her as like a rabbit, but I think that she does have a really tiny little rodent way of getting into places. I think her brain works really well in terms of organization, and rules, and the patterns of how things work, so she's able to see things clearly. That's where she gets that ability to hack past security and things like that. She's very invasive.


Those Neolution cheek parasites are disgustingly terrifying. How will they play into the bigger picture of season four?

TM:
I won't say too, too much, but they are based off of a real creature in nature and they're kind of horrific. That whole idea of body horror is a big thing this season.


Orphan Black
airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on BBC America!


What did you think Beth's return in the season four premiere? How do you feel about M.K.? Who else is completely grossed out by those cheek parasites? Share your thoughts with @LeanneAguilera on Twitter!