‘Divergent’ Interview: Maggie Q Talks Tori, Tough Heroines, Action Films as Art

Written by Jasper on March 17 2014

Check out this great and very interesting interview Hero Complex did with Maggie.

Hero Complex: Had you read the books before you started filming?

Maggie Q: I didn’t know about the book before I got the script. I read the script, and then I read the book, and I was actually really pleased that the adaptation was quite close to the book. I haven’t read all three. I’ve read most of the second one. I do things a little backwards, in terms of I do like to get the screenplay, because I don’t want to fall in love with something that’s in the book that’s not actually going to be in the film. I don’t want to get married to that and then be disappointed that it’s actually not in the screenplay. So what I do is I read the screenplay, and then I go back to the book to allow me the foundations in which they chose to express in the screenplay.

HC: Your character Tori has so much going on beneath the surface. She has this history that she doesn’t necessarily talk about, but that readers can feel. You did a great job sort of showing that subtext. How did you go about it?

MQ: Thank you! We worked so hard on that! You want to feel it. You want to know that she’s hiding something, but it’s not selfish or self-involved. It’s bigger and more painful than you might think.

NIKITA Scoop: Star Maggie Q Dishes On Being the Most Wanted Woman in The World!

Written by Sammy on November 18 2013

Season 3’s cliffhanger ending was a bit terrifying as Nikita was implicated in the assassination of the President – a plot that could have only been cooked up by the nefarious Amanda (Melinda Clarke) – making Nikita enemy number one, and the most wanted woman in the world.

So Season 4 opens with Nikita on the run, fighting for her life and fighting to clear her name – not to mention the names of those she cares about. In attempt to cut ties and keep Michael and everyone at Division in the clear, Nikita also left behind her engagement ring as a definitive sign that she was on her own. It was a bitter moment both for her and for Michael when he found it. This means emotions will be riding high on a personal note for both as the show returns.

In a press interview from the set, star Maggie Q teased a bit about what Nikita is thinking and what this final season of NIKITA has in store for the solitary spy.

Maggie Q Talks Mikita and a Rough Ride for ‘Nikita’

Written by Marica on January 29 2013

What’s happening between ‘Nikita‘ and Michael? TV Guide’s got the news on the engaged couple from Maggie Q and the couple’s upcoming rough patch- (in addition to constantly fighting for their lives).

Nikita’s engaged couple is about to hit a very rough patch.

On the winter premiere, Nikita (Maggie Q) and Michael (Shane West) tracked down Amanda (Melinda Clarke) and her cohort Anne (Sarah Allen), leading to an intense car pursuit and shootout. When Michael’s car flipped and pinned his hand underneath it, Nikita did the only thing she could to save him from getting caught in the impending explosion — chop his hand off. The fallout from that trauma will test the couple over the coming weeks.

“After last week’s episode things are going to change between Michael and Nikita and start to get really hard for them again, so people need to get ready for a rougher ride emotionally,” Q tells TVGuide.com. “When people go through tragic circumstances it’s not that there is no love there, but it’s so hard to deal with and sometimes the gap starts to happen. I know Nikita is really trying and she really loves him and they’ve gone through so much to be together, so it’s going to be a little bit on Michael when we start to see the problems emerge.”

Another obstacle in the pair’s way, at least in Michael’s eyes, is the return of former Division cleaner Owen (Devon Sawa). On Friday’s episode (8/7c, The CW), Owen begins to deal with his life pre-Division. “We start to touch on Owen’s challenges, what he doesn’t know about his past and how Division and Amanda are directly linked to that,” Q says.

While Nikita is happy to have her friend back, Michael isn’t so keen on it.

“Michael has always had a thing when Owen is around because there is a clear friendship between Nikita and Owen, and he’s obviously a good-looking guy and formidable and skilled,” Q says. “It’s funny. Michael just has a distaste for him. In Michael’s world, Owen would take the chance with Nikita given the opportunity, and so he’s always guarded against that.”

If Michael and Nikita can move past their hurdles, will they actually get married? Q hopes not!

“I jokingly said on Jimmy Fallon, ‘If there are any weddings or babies on this show, I’m done.’ This is not a soap opera. The show has to pace and it really can’t dip when it comes to the suspense and thriller part. I want people to be happy, but these are very complicated people and their circumstances are changing all the time and that to me is exciting and fulfilling.”

Do you want to see Michael and Nikita actually walk down the aisle? Do you think Owen is an actual threat to “Mikita’s” happiness?

Find out when a new episode of Nikita airs this Friday 8/7c on The CW!

Source: TV Guide

Interview with Complex

Written by Marica on January 19 2013

Women Are Complex, Too

Between kicking ass and taking names, the exotic leading lady of the CW’s hit series Nikita plays a quick game of “Would You Rather.”

I’d rather work in a group than work solo.
I like both. But if I said I’d rather work by myself, that would be a lie, because filming a TV show requires a team effort.

I’d rather surf the ocean than the Internet.
I’m from Hawaii. I grew up surfing, and my connection to the ocean is profound. I go back to Hawaii when I get more than a week off, which isn’t all that often, sadly.

I’d rather do my own stunts than have a stunt double.
I do my own stunts and I hurt myself all the time. I’m lucky that it hasn’t been too bad. I’ve cracked bones. I broke my fingers last year while shooting Nikita. It wasn’t even an action script. I was supposed to lift up a metal grate and climb down a ladder that led to an underground tunnel system. The grate teetered and fell on my head and my hand. I couldn’t hold onto the ladder and fell. It was awful. I went to the E.R. but I showed up to work the next day.

I’d rather wear sweats than a ball gown.
The best thing about a gown is that you get to go home and put sweats on. When I’m shooting, I have to deal with a million people, so in my off time I’m pretty solitary. I keep it low-key and quiet. I do yoga, read, and hang out with my dogs.

I’d rather be lied about than lied to.
It already happens every day and it’s not a big deal. Those are the people I don’t know and who don’t know me. Being lied to implies we’re close, and that would hurt more.

I’d rather fight alongside Linda Hamilton than Sylvester Stallone.
She’s a badass. Remember that photo of her in the black tank top and military pants from Terminator 2? She was “it” at that time. I loved her.

I’d rather talk to animals than be telekinetic.
I already have this deep connection with animals, so I’d take it to the next level. I’ve been an activist for 15 years and worked with a lot of different animal groups protecting everything from cats and dogs to elephants, bears, and marine animals. I love them all.

I’d rather date a sensitive guy than a tough guy.
I always say a tough guy, and people get put into a box, so it would be nice to try the other side.

Nikita airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Source: Complex

‘Nikita’ returning to original Friday time slot

Written by Marica on November 08 2012

“Nikita,” the CW’s espionage drama starring Maggie Q, is shifting its time slot back to its original 8 p.m. spot on Friday nights.

The show’s third season debuted Oct. 19 to record-low ratings, and has been struggling ever since in the 9 p.m. berth following “America’s Next Top Model.”

The season finale for “ANTM” airs Nov. 16, and “Nikita” is expected to take its place Nov. 30. (Holiday specials will air in the intervening week.)

Repeats of the CW’s new hit “Arrow” will follow “Nikita” at 9 p.m.

Are you happy to see “Nikita” return to her original home?

Source: Zap2It

‘Conan’ clips

Written by Marica on October 19 2012

Interview with Sierra Magazine

Written by Marica on October 14 2012

In the high-action TV show Nikita, Maggie Q plays the title character, a coolheaded rogue assassin being hunted by secret agents. She’s also been a bomb-detonating operative with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III and a gun-wielding killer opposite Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard. In real life, though, she wouldn’t harm a fly—or any other living thing. She’s an ambassador for WildAid, a nonprofit whose slogan is “When the buying stops, the killing can too.” A conservation activist for the past 14 of her 33 years, Q cares especially about sharks.

Q: Why did you go to D.C. to lobby for the Safe Chemicals Act last year?

A: Basically, it’s legislation that hasn’t been reformed in more than 30 years. It’s about regulating chemicals in everyday products. There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the U.S. marketplace right now—only 5 have been banned. In Europe, 1,100 are banned because they’re not safe for humans. When they’re creating and selling new chemicals, companies aren’t thinking about how they affect people’s health—it’s about their bottom line.

Q: Why sharks?

A: They’re a huge part of the ocean ecosystem. If we don’t protect our oceans, if we don’t allow fish to repopulate, we’re in bigger trouble than people realize. It’s the biggest ecosystem on the planet, and it’s not living and breathing like it should.

Q: Did growing up in Hawaii influence your love of the sea and its animals?

A: Definitely. I got an up-front experience with the natural world, and that was one of the things that led me toward conservation. Then I grew up and went, “Wow, people aren’t getting this.”

Q: What was it like to swim with an endangered whale shark?

A: I thought there would be fear, but their energy was amazing, and they so honorably allowed me to enter their space. These things are enormous, like dinosaurs. And I was in their home. But they gently maneuvered around me and allowed me up in their face. I had an enormous sense of gratitude. I kept apologizing and thanking them, saying, “I’m so sorry, but this is all for you.”

Q: What would you like to see happen in regard to sharks?

A: Now that I’m working in Toronto, I’d love to see shark fin get banned in Canada. If Canada does it, maybe the U.S. will.

Source: Sierraclub

Articles & Interviews

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