The Legend of Headless Horseman has been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until last fall that the story finally reached the smart, witty and oftentimes terrifying place it was meant to live in.
Fast forward a year and the hit mystery series Sleepy Hollow is back for its second season and Lyndie Greenwood, who plays sister to Nicole Beharie‘s Leftenant Abbie Mills, kindly took the time to fill me in on what is in store for Ichabod Crane’s sophomore outing on network television.
JM: First of all, I would just like to congratulate you on graduating to a series regular this year! To be included among the other amazing actors and actresses on this show, like Orlando Jones and John Noble, must be really exciting for you.
LG: I am, yeah! I’m really excited about that. I mean, I grew up watching Orlando Jones on things like Madtv. I’m a big Lord of the Rings fan and Fringe, so I feel pretty lucky to be a part of the group.
JM: And right out of the bat, we saw Ichabod and Abbie depending upon Jenny heavily in the season premiere last week thanks to her relationship with Clancy Brown’s character, the late Sheriff Corbin. Does it look like she’ll become that go-to figure for them in terms of all things freaky?
LG: It’s definitely one of her roles on the show, for sure! Having been close with Corbin, she’s able to offer certain insights that they [Ichabod and Abbie] might not have access to.
JM: And this season is bigger than last year! I believe you all are doing 4 or 5 more episodes than what came out of the first season.
LG: We’re doing 18, so, yeah, that’s five more than last year and we’ve only just started shooting episode 10. So, there’s a lot more for me to discover of this years story still.
JM: And how is that for you, discovering things as you get new scripts? Do you think it’s as exciting for you as it is for the audience at home?
LG: Actually, I do. Yeah, every time I get a script I get so excited that I sit down and…well, last year I would always scan through them and make sure that Jenny was still alive. This year, I feel a little more secure, but not really. I still skim through to make sure she’s still alive. It keeps me on my toes.
JM: Speaking of keeping people on their toes, the show crams so much mythology, theology and history in that it’s hard to believe how easy it is to follow at times. What do you think it is that the show does that makes it so relatable even though its content is kind of “out there” in terms of what we normally see on television?
LG: I think that, through all of the insanity and all of the high stakes, the writers are very conscious of making the characters speak truly to themselves. And, I feel like they put a lot of time and effort into developing real characters that are relatable and that relate to each other in ways that you just love to watch. But I think, first and foremost, the characters are fantastic and that sort of grounds the insanity if you know what I mean.
JM: And I see a lot of family themes unraveling on the show. You’ve got Ichabod and his wife, Abbie with her sister, not to mention Corbin playing father to both of the Mills girls. Is that something that factors in as well?
LG: Absolutely, and I think that is something that we can all relate to. It’s why I love sci-fi and horror in general, because you have these very human dynamics and then raise the stakes to an insane degree to see how humans feel in those situations and how they act. It ends up showing you a little bit more about humanity.
JM: Yeah, totally. And when it comes to more down to earth characters, y’all are getting a new costar tonight in House of Cards powerhouse Sakina Jaffrey. And it looks like her very grounded view on police work will force some sort of rumble with Ichabod’s demon-fighting Scooby gang.
LG: [LAUGHS] ….Yeah.
JM: [LAUGHS] Well, avoiding spoilers, how is it for you OG cast members when newbies join in the fun? Is there a transition period for them to get used to all the weird sh*t that happens on this show?
LG: Oh yeah, it’s definitely interesting to see new characters introduced into this crazy world and how the writers make that believable. And it’s really fun as an actor to be able to work with new people. Sakina, I mean, she’s phenomenal. There’s also Matt Barr coming in to play a character soon and he’s fantastic. So, yeah, the more versatility, the better.
JM: Well, you just read my mind, because I was just about to ask about Matt. A little birdie told me his presence on the show might become a wedge between a few of the characters. Any thoughts?
LG: Well, I mean, he definitely comes in and shakes things up a little bit. I won’t really tell you too much about how, but there are definitely going to be some adjustments. That’s the way it is when any new person joins a pretty tight dynamic, that dynamic has to be adjusted. It’ll be interesting to see how the characters deal with him.
JM: Not to mention the fact that he’s gorgeous….
LG: Oh…my gosh. [LAUGHS] It’s like, “Oh, thanks casting! Well done, well done.”
JM: Staying on the topic of sexy men, is it strange that Tim Mison has such a high level of sex appeal even under all those old-timey clothes of his?
LG: I don’t know! I think maybe that’s something that people are just born with. That could be a big factor. He’s just a charming man and it comes through on screen. I think the camera doesn’t lie and, you know, he’s that kind of person, very charismatic. So, I think any character that he plays, he’s going to bring that to any of them and audiences can’t help but be charmed by it.
JM: Now, I know you all film the show in North Carolina. So, I’d like to know what it is you do to blow off steam at the end of a long day on set.
LG: Well, Katia Winter and I live together, so we’ll often go home and share a bottle of wine. There are also three dogs in the house, so we’ll have some dog time. And there are a few great restaurants in Wilmington that I like to go and relax and hang out in. Unfortunately though, a lot of us have opposite schedules. So some of us are working while the others aren’t and vice versa. Orlando, though, is a neighbor as well, so we hang out. We’re a pretty tight cast, so it’s all cool.
JM: How refreshing is it though to be outside the influence of Hollywood while you’re filming the show? You’re also far enough away from New York that the set acts as a bubble of sorts for you all.
LG: I really love it. I think Wilmington is awesome, particularly because there’s this beautiful beach. It’s a coastal town. You can always go and pretend you are in the Caribbean, get away and relax at the beach. It’s so rejuvenating to be able to swim in the sea, take a few breaths and then go back to work after.
JM: Alright, well before I let you go I need to twist your arm and get some spoilers for the rest of this second season for Sleepy Hollow. What can you tell me about the story that’ll get people chomping at the bit to watch the show every Monday.
LG: Um, you know, I don’t want to get fired, so I really can’t give any spoilers. Man, these are the hardest questions [LAUGHS], so I’m going to give you some nonsense about [in her sarcastic voice] “Oh, it’s even more exciting than last year and there are scarier monsters! The relationships are even more intense.” The one thing I can say is that you’ll get to see Abbie and Jenny’s mother and what that was all about. Fans can also look out for a new, potential love story. There’s just so much coming up; it’s insanity.
Make sure to get your dose of insanity, on Sleepy Hollow, Monday nights at 9 pm on Fox.
