Sanctuary - Blastr: 11 behind-the-scenes secrets about tonight's return of Sanctuary - Apr 15 '11

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SANCTUARY - BLASTR: 11 behind-the-scenes secrets about tonight's return of Sanctuary

By Kathie Huddleston
Apr 15, 2011

When last we left Syfy's Sanctuary in December, Helen Magnus and her team had just been executed for trespassing in Hollow Earth. For most series, killing off the majority of your characters might be a problem. For Sanctuary, however, death is only a warmup for our intrepid heroes as the series kicks into high gear, beginning tonight, with the show's midseason premiere, "Pax Romana," at 10 p.m. ET.

"The great thing about the second half of season three is that all the things that Magnus and the Sanctuary team have gotten into in the first half really, really come back to the ramifications they have to deal with in the second half," said actor Robin Dunne, who plays Dr. Will Zimmerman. "And it's really quite a roller-coaster ride the second half."

We chatted with Dunne and actress Amanda Tapping, who plays Helen Magnus, about the enigma that is Magnus, Dunne's plan to direct and what season four might bring...



... The Magnus and Will of it all

"I love how this relationship has developed," said Tapping. "It's been a really organic transformation of Will's character and Magnus. To actually bring somebody on board who, initially, it's all about teaching him the ropes. And then as the seasons have gone on he's come into his own. He's come into his own as a scientist. He's come into his own in terms of his relationship with the people in the Sanctuary."

For Tapping, their relationship has become "a very level playing field between these two characters. It can be combative. It's hugely respectful. But it feels now like it's a much more interesting relationship to play because they are two equals. I mean, Helen outweighs him in experience, and that's just a matter of course, but he's actually—he sacrificed so much for the Sanctuary, and there's a huge amount of trust between the two of them. And she—I think he's one of the few people who can call her on her stuff," she said.

"There's a nice synchronicity that has formed between the two characters. And really, they're two people that depend on each other for survival. And therefore, that's where the respect comes out of," said Dunne...