http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Entering+extreme+universe/3385109/story.html
Entering the extreme-fan universe By Kat Angus, Postmedia News August 11, 2010 There's a sense of nervousness that comes before interviewing an actor whose work you admire. What if he/she turns out to be boring? Or rude? Or he/she suddenly starts swearing and declares the interview over? Such were my fears about talking to Warehouse 13 star Allison Scagliotti. It wasn't that I actually expected her to start spouting profanities, but I didn't want anything to tarnish my affection for her work or Warehouse 13 itself. Not only has the sci-fi series quickly proven itself one of the most downright enjoyable shows on television (Secret Service agents investigating mystical artifacts with magic powers? Count me in!), but Scagliotti stands out as one of the most charming members of the cast. As Claudia, the show's resident hacker with the caustic wit, Scagliotti carries herself with a swagger and sense of sardonicism that most adults can only dream of -- and I was terrified that, in real life, she'd turn the conversation into a meditation on honing her craft. Luckily, my fears were entirely unfounded. Not only is 19-year-old Scagliotti every bit as delightful as Claudia, she's not afraid to admit she's just as nerdy as her TV character. "I'm a geek, myself," Scagliotti says. "I just bring my own interpretation of what that means to Claudia. I bring my sarcasm, I bring my desire to fit in and my own insecurities to her. Claudia's a little goofier than I am, but it's fun. It's fun to don a different-coloured hair streak every week and be her." And, Scagliotti claims, she knew she was destined to play Claudia from the moment she first read the script. "I was rehearsing for the audition with my friend, Nolan Gerard Funk -- doesn't his name make your pants want to get up and dance? -- and he looked up at me and said, 'You are this girl,'" she remembers. "He said, 'If you don't get this part, I don't know what that means for the career we have chosen, because this is so you and nobody else should have it.' So, thank God I got the part!" (As luck would have it, Funk was later cast on Warehouse 13's second season, playing -- of course -- Claudia's love interest.) I'm far from the only one to jump on the Scagliotti fangirl train. The actress quickly became a fan favourite when she joined Warehouse 13 part way through Season 1, when Claudia hacked into the warehouse in an attempt to rescue her brother, Joshua, from an inter-dimensional limbo. (Isn't that always the way?) After Joshua was saved, he went off to Switzerland to continue his scientific research, and Claudia remained at the warehouse, living her own life for the first time -- and giving Scagliotti plenty of juicy material for Warehouse 13's second season. "She's coping with having no real romantic experience or any past or even a job that she can really talk about," Scagliotti says of Claudia. "Not only is her job top secret, but the last 12 years of her life were devoted to saving her brother from an inter-dimensional space. That's not exactly light conversation." Warehouse 13 viewers love and identify with Claudia's sarcastic, outspoken nature. To many, she's an incredibly cool personification of their own geekiness. It wasn't long before Scagliotti became aware of her tremendous popularity among the show's fans. "I had no idea they would love Claudia so much. This is my first foray into the extreme-fan universe, and it's overwhelming in the best possible way," she says. "I get this outpouring of love from people who watch the episode and just eat it up. "I love that I can be this liaison to the fanboys and fangirls everywhere. I mean, what a great opportunity I have to connect with the people who make our show possible." So it wasn't a surprise when the Warehouse 13 producers partnered up with another beloved science-fiction series, Eureka, for a special crossover event -- and that they chose Scagliotti as their ambassador. For one episode this season, Eureka's Neil Grayston (Fargo) brought his character to visit Warehouse 13 (the episode will air Aug. 20), and Scagliotti returned the favour with a guest spot of her own (which will air when Space begins airing Eureka's fourth season this fall). Although the two shows have very different approaches to their crazy shenanigans -- Warehouse 13 is based in magic, whereas everything on Eureka has a scientific explanation -- Scagliotti insists the crossover couldn't make more sense. "I think it's totally plausible that these two facilities could exist in the same universe. A top-secret town populated by geniuses and a top-secret warehouse in the middle of nowhere that houses powerful and mysterious artifacts -- they're equally weird," she argues. "The crossover was so easy to do because -- I've decided to hijack this metaphor -- it was like packing a bag and visiting family members. The cast of Eureka is amazing; they're hilarious and really nice and everyone made me feel incredibly welcome. We did the same for Neil when he was on Warehouse 13." Warehouse 13 airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Citytv. © Copyright (c) dose.ca
