As you have probably guessed from our interviews with star Jon Huertas, one of our favorite shows on television is Castle. So you can bet that when we heard that actress Karen David was going be a guest star on the show, we just had to find out more. You have seen the actress both in major motion pictures like Provoked with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as well as in major television series like Waterloo Road. Tomorrow night she begins her run in a two part episode on the popular US television show Castle. Read on to see what she revealed exclusively to us about her character and her story arc, well as much as she could of course and what she loves about Bollywood in this special interview!
How did the role on Castle come about?
It all happened relatively quickly. I just got back to L.A from spending the holidays with my family and celebrating my engagement, and the next day I had a meeting for Castle, and then the day after that, I found out I got the role and a few days later, I started filming. I guess you could say it was a busy week! 🙂
What was it about the role that excited you?
I was excited to play a 20-year-old sophomore student going to Columbia University! lol I loved the storyline, – it was exciting and I realized my first time, really playing on the emotions of fear. Playing fear genuinely, is truly exhausting and all consuming. It’s intense and you cannot beat around the bush or fake fear. You literally have to feel it deep inside your bones!
Can you tell us anything about your character?
I play Sara El-Masri, a studious and marine biology loving sophomore student who attends Columbia University. She is the daughter of a very wealthy business man.
What is her story and her story arc?
She is kidnapped in a plot against her wealthy, businessman, father. Expect the unexpected and a lot of plot twists! I wish I could say more, but that would ruin it if I spilled the beans!
How has it been to work with the cast on the show?
I enjoyed every minute of filming on the show. It’s like one big family there and everyone was so lovely, all working together to make a great show.
Did you know that Jon Huertas would love to do a Bollywood movie?
Well, who doesn’t? That would be cool for any actor to experience that, including myself! Where do Jon and I sign up? 🙂 He would be great – I can just imagine it.
Stana Katic has also said she would love to do a Bollywood movie.
She would make a beautiful, not to mention cool, Bollywood Princess!
What have you enjoyed most about being on the set of Castle?
The sets were pretty amazing – attention to every detail. I literally felt I was locked in that space, in that moment…I wish I could say more, but you’ll know what I mean when you watch the episodes.
It is rare a character comes in for more than one episode, will we see your character again?
You’ll know the ending soon enough, but in this case, I’m guest starring in this particular 2 part story arc. The rest is really up to the writers, and they can write anything!
What do you love about the show Castle?
Castle is such a well loved show with a huge fan following. It’s such a treat to be able to be in a top rated show with a great storyline. I love the balance of humour to it’s endearing quirkiness of each of the characters to the drama of it all. You just never know what’s going to happen next.
How different is it to work on films and in television?
When you’re filming for television, it can be quite full on…there can be script changes, storyline changes, anything can happen and you have to be on top of everything and prepared for anything. It’s exciting but it also keep you on your toes. With films, you know that there is a start point and an end point…usually there’s minimal changes being made to scripts and story lines…it’s pretty straight forward, which is great, so you can focus even more at the task at hand.
What are your thoughts on Hindi film today?
They certainly have evolved from where the story lines and locations first started. Now you can watch a Hindi film set in Scotland or other destinations. Bollywood is traveling outside India which is exciting and as a result more dynamic stories are being told. We’re also seeing a lot of Hollywood stars making appearances and cameos in some Bollywood movies too!
Have you seen anyone you have really liked recently?
I’m a bit old school, probably because my parents like watching the classics. I’ve always been a big fan of Dev Anand and his movies and then there’s stars like Katrina Kaif, Sharukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor…I could go on… 🙂
You have played so many roles and in so many different types of movies and shows, how do you prepare to play to your characters?
Every actor has their own method or way of preparing for a character. For me, after I’ve read the script and know the storyline and character, I start off by doing the cold reads, just saying the lines without thinking of anything at first. I really believe that the first few moments you spend bonding with your character is where a lot of the magic happens…between the spontaneity and going with what your gut thinks in that moment. I don’t like over thinking things or putting rules when you’re first creating the character. It’s very much like a painting. You start from scratch and you keep layering with different tones, and textures. You try things out, some choices might work, and some don’t…but I always stay in the moment and go with my gut and with what I think is natural and instinctive with what the character I’m playing would do. In between all this, I do some research depending what the storyline and character are about…I might even draw up on some influences from other performances that might pertain to the character I’m playing…a bit like cooking. You take a bit of this and a bit of that, and mix it together to see what you can come up with, and then I finally ‘step away’ from it, and look back in and see if I need to tweak anything. As long as it feels right, and natural, then I know I’m heading in a right direction. You just know from your inner gut…
Why do you love being an actress?
Being an actress allows me to escape into the dynamics and challenges of being someone else. It’s so intriguing and thrilling to put your shoes into a character which is so unlike yourself…a chance to explore human emotions, human conditioning…I could people watch all day. I am so fascinated with how we relate to one another, our behaviours and patterns and body language.
Will we see you in a Bollywood film one day?
I would LOVE to do a Bollywood film. I did a couple of cross over films which was a wonderful experience, both on ‘Bollywood Queen’ with James McAvoy, and ‘Provoked’ with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. If the right opportunity presented itself, I would certainly consider it! Who knows right? Anything is possible and I am certainly keeping that door open!
What else will we see you in?
I have a cameo in the new Jack Ryan movie, which comes out later this year. I play FBI Agent Penn, a Michelle Rodriguez, tom boy, kind of character. Working with Kenneth Branagh was an amazing experience – a real actor’s director and probably the best masterclass in acting I’ve had! His attention to detail is impeccable. To prepare for my role, they put me through firearms weapons training for my scenes, which was, (pardon the pun, but there’s no other way of saying it), a mind blowing experience and one that I will never forget!
From what we have seen of the sneak peeks we are in for a wild ride for the next two weeks on Castle and we can’t wait to see Karen on the show!
Photo: Vasanti Cosmetics
Make Up & Hair: Gargi Patel
