Interview: Shirley Manson

Recently we spoke with the creator and executive producer Josh Friedman of Fox's fall drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Today wer’re sitting down with the newest addition to this season's cast: Shirley Manson. Be warned, the following interview may contain minor spoilers.

Gamesville: You’re playing a new character on the show. How did this role come about?

Shirley: Josh Friedman contacted me and jokingly asked if I was interested in being on the show. I thought he was kidding so I jokingly said of course I would be. It turned out he was serious! The role was for Catherine Weaver,  the CEO of ZeiraCorp–and the brand new Terminator on the show . When I found that out, I jumped at the opportunity.

What’s Catherine like as a character?

She is pretending to be human so that, in itself, is interesting to me because she’s physically a human being, but is unable to bring what is essentially human to the table all the time.

I find it fascinating; this is a woman who is truly unassailable, because she’s a Terminator and a CEO of a very successful company. It’s really a lot of fun to play.

Given how popular the franchise is, how did you handle the pressure of stepping into the show?

I just didn’t think about the pressure, to be honest. I’ve been under a lot of pressure situations in my life through being a musician, and a touring musician. I have just come to realize in life you just have to block out people’s expectations and hopes and just try to concentrate on enjoying yourself and having fun. At the end of the day, that’s really all you have.

Do you have any other expectations for your character, any kind of arc you want your character to take?

I haven’t really stopped to think about it because I’ve enjoyed where they’ve taken my character so far, and I feel like I’m in good hands. I have noticed that all the Terminators on the show want to meet the other Terminators! We’re always making hints that it would be great fun to have us all take our super powers against each other. Other than that, I’m perfectly happy with where they’re taking it.

Are you continuing to work on music while taking on this new role?

Yes, I’m still working on music. I’m not a huge lead in the show so I have plenty of downtime, despite some of the crazy hours we work. I’ve been working all year on stuff and continue to do so. I have a lot of material and I’m intending to go in and start recording some of the songs next month, so we’ll see if I manage to pull it off.

Were your bandmates and friends shocked when they found out you were going to be playing this role?

No, I don’t think so. Particularly with the Terminator, it’s kind of coming from a similar place in some regards. It’s also coming from a sort of superhero standpoint in the way that comic book superheros grew out of feeling disempowered, and I think musicians in some ways do too. I think in some ways it’s a natural fit, even though it might seem peculiar to the casual onlooker. It makes sense to me!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles airs Mondays at 8:00PM eastern / 7:00PM central on Fox.