ALPHAS - COLLIDER: Exclusive Malik Yoba Interview
by Christina Radish
July 7th, 2011
On the new SyFy series Alphas, actor Malik Yoba plays Bill Harken, a former FBI agent who strictly adheres to procedure and protocol, and who has to always be aware of the amazing strength that comes from his special ability to activate his fight-or-flight response at will. His super-human strength and a resistance to harm that borders on invulnerability is what brings him to the attention of Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn), who makes him part of a clandestine group of individuals that investigate cases that point to others with Alpha abilities.
During this exclusive interview with Collider, Malik Yoba talked about what attracted him to Alphas, after having done 10 other TV series in the past, how he loves his character’s flaws, the collaboration between the writers and actors, and how they’re encouraged to do improv and bring humor to the show. He also talked about the desire to want to write and direct his own projects, and his hope to do more comedy...
... Q: SyFy has had tremendous success with this type of original programming. Do you think those viewers will be able to connect with this show?
YOBA: "It’s a crapshoot, really. Who knows why people like what they like. I think that we produce a good show, there’s a great team involved with all the creative folks, and SyFy is very forward-thinking in how they want to get the word out, but it remains to be seen. At this juncture, I never like to be the person trying to hard sell, saying, “This is why you should watch it.” I know that my fans, who have followed me for years, want to know what I’m doing. As long as we get the word out to all fan bases, people will come and give it a shot and decide for themselves whether or not they should watch it, and I hope they do. I think we have something. I really do. When you do a pilot, you can’t always tell what you have. If you go back and look at the pilot of Seinfeld, no one would have thought that show would be what it became, and television isn’t given that kind of chance anymore. If you’re not hitting it quickly and having success, they’re trying to move onto the next thing. So, using some of these other ways of getting the word out and engaging audiences in a different way can help a show succeed, in a way that it couldn’t have in the past..."
Alphas premieres Monday, July 11, 2011 at 10/9C on Syfy.
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