In movies of the ‘40s, the femme fatale reigned supreme duping all the leading man saps. So if they’re going to make a show about 1940s cops and gangsters, they need a femme fatale.
For “Mob City,” Frank Darabont cast his The Mist star Alexa Davalos as Jasmine Fontaine, the girlfriend of Hecky Nash (Simon Pegg) who plans to leave L.A. with him. If you’ve seen the pilot, you know that doesn’t go according to plan. We got to speak with Davalos about her role on the new show.
CraveOnline: Is Frank very loyal to the actors he’s worked with before?
Alexa Davalos: Yes, very.
When did he tell you he wanted you to play Jasmine?
Oh man, quite a while ago. Quite a while ago. He came to me and said, “I’m writing this part and I have you in mind. I don’t know if you’re going to want to do it.” He’s very sweet with me. He knows I’m a bit trepidatious always but he gave me eight pages. I read the pilot, she’s not really in it, but he gave me eight pages which was the interrogation scene. I said, “I’m so in love with her, when do we start.” That was it.
You didn’t have to audition?
No, I didn’t have to audition. I had his blessing but we did end up doing a chemistry read with just Frank and me and Jon Bernthal which was an extraordinary day. Working with Jon, there’s nothing like it.
Which was the first scene you physically shot?
The first scene I shot was the scene where you just see her for a nanosecond with Simon in bed. Then we did the sitting on the suitcases, and that was a latent moment for sure.
Did you take some time off after Clash of the Titans?
I did. I grew up in this industry. I’m a third generation actor and I believe strongly that life and career are two different things. Career is inside my life. I’m also a photographer, a pianist and lots of different things so my life consists of so many different elements that there are moments when I have to step away and be me.
Is “Mob City” the first job you did coming back to acting?
No, I did a film called Nina and then I did this.
Did Frank describe Jasmine as a femme fatale?
No, he described her as a sort of iconic noir dame really. I think she’s a femme fatale in her way but she’s a woman of a very specific generation and that is embodied in every word that comes out of her mouth.
For you, is that all on the page or was there additional research you did?
It’s very much on the page but I think as far as research, I was fascinated with the 10 years before our show takes place, and trying to determine where she came from, living through the crash and going through the war and where she was in the war. Being involved in what I think she was involved in, something that was called The Photo League, which was a league of photographers in New York in the late ‘30s. As far as research specifically, I’ve seen all the films in that time. My grandfather was an actor in that time so I grew up with all those films. I researched a lot about just that era basically, what was happening in Los Angeles, what it was like to be a woman and endless conversations with Frank.
What were your favorite noir movies?
Double Indemnity is one of my all time favorites. That’s my favorite.
A lot of the dialogue feels very ‘40s. Was that also on the page, the cadence with which you speak?
Well, the words were there and the rhythm that they tumbled out of my mouth sort of happened in that cadence. I found her voice that way instantly. There was no way around it.
Are there a lot more juicy confrontations like the interrogation scene?
There are a lot more juicy confrontations, yes.
To do a scene as big as the interrogation on television, did you have much time to prepare and rehearse?
That was the scene that I did in my chemistry read with Jon and it never left my mind. I could do it right now. I still know it. So that was very much ingrained in me and I think always will be. But no, we didn’t really rehearse. Frank’s very “get in and do it and see where we go.” I like that.
Were other scenes more difficult to bring to that level since you didn’t have them with you for as long?
No, you know I’ve never felt so connected to a character as I do to Jasmine. So much so that I look at a page of dialogue for her and I have it instantly memorized. It’s the weirdest thing. If I don’t love a character, it takes me ages to memorize things. If I fall in love with her like I did, it’s second nature.
How often do you get saddled with a character you don’t love like that?
Well, I don’t. I won’t pursue them. Occasionally they’ll send me things that they think would be good or interesting for various reasons. If I don’t connect, I don’t do them. That’s how I choose.
Good. What do you love about Jasmine?
Everything. Everything. I love her very, very much. I keep saying to Frank, “Let’s go, I’ve got to get back in those shoes.” I love her. I love her charisma, I love her strength, I love her weaknesses, I love her fears and her mistakes and her loves and her losses, and how she manages to survive. She’s a little soldier, that girl.
Is there any element of a real Jasmine in history?
I’m sure. There had to have been. That I know of? No, but I’m sure there were.
It’s an interesting mix of historical characters and fictional characters. How does that create the world of “Mob City” for you?
I think that’s exactly what creates it. I think there’s this beautiful tapestry that’s woven between historical facts and Frank’s incredible imagination and his ability to take creative license and fill in all these little holes with these people that came from his mind. Jasmine’s one of those so it’s a beautiful mix.
Was Gwen Raiden on “Angel” someone that you fell in love with instantly?
You know what? I did. I loved her. She was unlike anything I’d ever done obviously, and I was new to the industry in a sense. I had a lot of fun with that character. God, that was 100 years ago.
How different is doing television like “Mob City” all these years later?
It’s another stratosphere. I think television is a completely different world now than it was even then. It’s another world. We’re making a movie basically. We made six little films it felt like.
How does it feel to be on the set of Bunny’s Jungle Club?
You know, all those sets were so much fun. I especially love Jasmine’s apartment obviously. It was her space, but all the sets. The costume in the show is what really blows my mind. Gigi Melton is just an absolute genius.
How long were the wardrobe fittings and sessions to achieve that look?
We did quite a few fittings. I like to have a heavy hand in all that so I go back and forth as many times as they need and we fit and change and alter everything. A lot of my clothes were made for me. So I love that.
Do you get to keep any?
They’re in holding at the moment in case we go again.
