“ 'I've had experiences where people approach me as though I'm certain characters that they've seen me play. When I don't respond as those characters, they're really surprised.' ”
153 users have given this episode an average grade of
A
"Real" is the most overused and clichd adjective I can think of to describe an actress, but it is literally the best word I can think of to describe Karina Arroyave. When I say that Karina is "real," I'm not talking about a Kevin Sessums reality where it's like, "She met me at a diner in a vintage leather jacket, smoked Marlboro Lights the entire time, and was super-nice to the waitress who asked her for an autograph." Karina is simply a professional actress. She reminds me of one of those girls who went to my high school and was more concerned with getting into Julliard than moving to L.A. and dating a casting director. But unlike the girls who went to my high school, Karina isn't one of those "the-a-tah people" that set my teeth on edge. She's really shy and sweet and -- as you can see -- put up with my annoying questions over the phone for over an hour with barely a complaint.
Karina: Wait, so how are you taping this? How are you getting my voice on tape?
Gustave: I'm using a tape recorder that hooks up to my phone. I've got the same set-up that Linda Tripp had.
Oh god! I won't be telling you anything that juicy, unfortunately.
Did you see the HBO Monica documentary?
No.
Come to think of it, you're the Linda Tripp of 24.
I don't even know what to say to that.
I mean your character.
Oh, I know.
But it's funny. Because I'm recapping the show and because I used to work in the industry myself, I'm usually hyper-aware of how a show is made and that it's not "real life." But when I was preparing questions to ask you, all I could think to ask was stuff like, "How could you betray your country like that?" I hope you take that as a supreme compliment in that you've totally disappeared into your role. You can't see the "performance."
Oh, thank you! I've had experiences where people approach me as though I'm certain characters that they've seen me play. When I don't respond as those characters, they're really surprised. I've done a couple of characters that were kind of, um, street
“ 'I didn't want her to be a stereotypical Latin character and I was finally given the opportunity to do something different. I had been dying to do something different. I cannot stress that enough.' ”
Yeah, it says in your bio that you were in three "dedicated teacher films" where the teacher tries to get the inner-city students to want to learn.
[laughs] Oh yeah. So sometimes people come up to me on the street like I'm
Rosie Perez?
Exactly. So when I respond as myselfit just hasn't been a good situation. [laughs] Actually that was one of my concerns when I found out I was the mole. I was really concerned with the audience not liking me because I know that a lot of people have a hard time separating the character from the actor. I talked to Stephen [Hopkins, the director and executive producer of 24] about it and I said, "Can't we make it that her son is very sick?" With the way it was written, I thought that she still comes off pretty bad.
In the first episode, you had these pigtails and a leather jacket and you were chewing gum and being all sassy
I was chewing gum?
Okay, maybe I imagined that. But you were kind of "street." You were this "Latina spitfire." Then all of a sudden you were this conservative office person.
Jamey wasn't a spitfire in the first episode. I think the only thing that gave that impression was that Jamey had just come from a nightclub.
Oh!
And they never really say that or make that clear. The only reference is when Nina says, "Are we interrupting your social life?" and I say, "At least I have a social life." So that's why I looked that way in the pilot. And they couldn't have me looking that way for the whole show because it wasn't that professional.
When I found out that the pilot had been picked up and stuff, I said to myself, I want to do something different with this because it's unlike anything I've ever done. I didn't want her to be a stereotypical Latin character and I was finally given the opportunity to do something different. I had been dying to do something different. I cannot stress that enough. So I purposefully underplayed her because in work I'd done, I'd been sort ofintense. I didn't want to be intense with her. I want her to be normal. And actually that was a challenge for me. I didn't find out how challenging something like that could be until I did this Touched By An Angel episode where things don't get rough for my character until the end. For most of the show she's this normal lady and she's happy and everything, and that was a challenge for me. So that's why I said that Jamey wasn't a spitfire. [laughs] I've played that before so I was making a conscious effort to do something different.
The Karina Arroyave Interview
“ 'I found out at eleven that morning that I had an audition at two and I had another audition to go to, so there was no time to do anything but go and pick up the material and just show up.' ”
How did you hear about the part and how did you get it?
It was a last-minute thing. I found out at eleven that morning that I had an audition at two and I had another audition to go to, so there was no time to do anything but go and pick up the material and just show up. My audition was only a couple of lines.
What were the lines?
They were later re-written out of the script. I don't even remember. [laughs] I saw the character description and I just kind of laughed. I was like [sarcastically], "Yeah, right, I'll get this."
What was the character description?
She was supposed to be a sexy girl wearing overallsand nothing on underneath. [laughs]
[laughs] I'm sorry, everyone in that office is dressed insanely!
And they describe her as having a tattoo of an anaconda on her neck.
Wow.
So I was like, okay, I'll just go in and do my best. I mean, that's usually how I approach everything.
Was she even supposed to be Latin?
No. And that's what really appealed to me. After countless roles where I'm either a gang girl or I'm being questioned by the police
And you're a sweatshop worker in The Cowboy Way.
Exactly. I mean, it's great to be working at all, but after a while you just go, "Is there anything else out there?" I mean, you know you can do it.
So Jamey's "street," but she's not necessarily "Bronx street."
I would describe her as "hip." They definitely wanted that quality. So I felt stupid even being at this audition. While I was waiting to go in, I noticed this gorgeous, tall, blonde woman walking out of the casting director's office and I was like, "What am I doing here?" [laughs] That was just something I happened to notice. Usually when I'm waiting to audition, I try to stay in my own little world. So I go in, and Stephen [Hopkins] was there and the casting director and someone else -- I can't even remember now -- but it went well. When I left, I felt like I had been real. So I was like, "Coolwhatever." But I didn't really think too much about it. So the day I got this call that I'd gotten the part.
The Karina Arroyave Interview
“ 'No one would really verify it. It was driving me crazy. I kept asking people, "What's going on? Am I the bad guy?" No one would give me a straight answer.' ”
Wow. They didn't even bring you in endlessly for callbacks or get final network approval?
No. They were like, "Oh yeah, that show 24 wants you." I said, "Are you kidding me?" And they were like, "Noand you start tomorrow." So I was like, "Uh, okay." They couldn't even get a script to me. I had to go in the day and begin shooting and I hadn't even seen a script.
I read some interview with Sarah Clarke [Nina] where they said they didn't even have a costume for her, so she ended up wearing her own outfit.
Right! She and I were both in wardrobe together, trying on stuff. We were going nuts. The clock was ticking and we were like, "Okay, try thistry this. What about this?Can you sew this?Can you sew that?" I remember saying to Sarah, "Hey, I'm just along for the ride." I didn't have time to get nervous. I just buckled my seat belt and said, "Let's go." [laughs]
So when did they tell you that you were the mole?
Not for a while, but they kept dropping hints. During the third episode, we were doing a scene, and Stephen looks at me and Sarah and says [imitating Stephen's British accent], "Now, one of you is the mole." And I was like, "What?" [laughs] I thought to myself, there's no way it's me. That's just too juicy. And I couldn't really think too hard about it either because even if I was the mole, there's no way I could play her as the mole.
Yeah, I mean, what are you supposed to do? Rub your hands together in front of your computer and cackle?
Yeah! So that was my first clue. Two episodes went by and the crew -- they're the first ones to see the scripts -- started saying stuff to me, but no one would really verify it. It was driving me crazy. I kept asking people, "What's going on? Am I the bad guy?" No one would give me a straight answer.
It's kind of brilliant of them to keep you hanging, when you think about it. I mean, there's nothing in your performance that suggests that you are the mole, and for those of us at home watching and trying to predict what's going on, it's a complete surprise. So when did they officially verify it?
During the seventh episode, when Teri calls Jamey from Mulholland Drive, it becomes clear. They told me while we were shooting the episode before that one. One of the writers came up to me, introduced himself and said, "Well, I gotta tell you that you're the bad guy." So I said, "But I should just keep playing her like she's not, right?" And he said, "Absolutely."
The Karina Arroyave Interview
“ 'When you're doing a film, there's a script, you know the ending and you can track the "arc" as an actor. I couldn't do that with Jamey because I didn't have all the information.' ”
You have to act ambiguous a lot. When Milo gets put on the key card, your motivation could be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, you could simply be insulted that you're being "replaced" by a temp who thinks he's more qualified than you are. But on the other hand, you might be simply worried that your cover is being blown. How did you play that?
I kept getting these notes that I was supposed to be more upset about it. But I didn't want to make her more upset, because I didn't want to give anything away.
So when did the writers know that you were the mole?
They're making it up as they go along. They hadn't decided all that long before they told me.
Is making 24 more like doing a TV show or making several movies?
It's so different from anything I've ever done before, I really couldn't say. I mean, in a way it's more like making a movie but on the other hand, it's being made up as you go along. When you're doing a film, there's a script, you know the ending and you can track the "arc" as an actor. I couldn't do that with Jamey because I didn't have all the information.
I notice that there's a uniformity to all of your performances. You are all so internal and introverted. It's unusually subtle acting for television. It's more like film acting. How are you all being directed?
I think that we were all chosen for the cast for that very reason in the first place. That's what kind of actors we all are. I know from talking to Sarah and Carlos [Bernard, who plays Tony] that we all have the mentality that less is more.
But Stephen is such a great director. I can't stress that enough. He's so smart and creative. His mind is always going.
In my final scenes, I was very concerned with the audience not liking me. So I kept trying to play her really sweet. [laughs] Stephen would take me aside and say, "Now she's got to get really angry at some point. You're making her all sweet like an angel and no one is going to believe she did this. You've got to put out a performance that will make people believe that you went out and did this really bad thing." It was a real struggle for him because [laughs] I really didn't want people to not like me. All that harshness that goes on at the end is totally thanks to him. He really took me through that.