Years later, a case leads her right to Vincent Keller Jay Ryan and possibly some of the answers that she has been waiting for. Check out what he had to say after the jump. Collider: How did you come to this role? Were you doing the whole pilot season thing? JAY RYAN: This was the first year in awhile that I was not going to do pilot season. The role I was playing was very intense, and they shaved half my hair off. So, I looked like this post-apocalyptic character. So, I read the pilot and realized that it was a very modernized version. I put down a tape, and then I did several more tapes. They put me through the ringer, being a foreigner. I was really lucky that it worked in with my schedule, and Jane Campion was very accommodating and let me do it. I also had this massive beard, so they had to shave that off and make me a fake one for the BBC project. There were a lot of people that had to come together to make it work. Did you have to do a chemistry read with Kristin Kreuk? RYAN : I did. They brought me over to L. That was the only amount of time before I had to shoot back in New Zealand. So, I flew over and got off the plane completely jet-lagged after flying in economy like everybody else. I went in and met everybody and I did a read without Kristin. So, I drove back to L. Because I had my head shaved, the studio made me put this wig on my head for the chemistry read. I had this big, grey, out of the box thing that looked like a big mane on my head. I looked like a mental extra from Braveheart, or something. Luckily, the chemistry was still there, even with the stupid wig on my head. We got along really well. And then, I got the role two weeks later. How has it been to work with Kristin Kreuk? RYAN : We work really well together. What has the process of finding the look for the beast been like? In the pilot, it was about less is more. We wanted it to look real and intimidating. I think, as the series progresses, we want to reveal him a little bit and give a little bit more away, of what he does look like, how he moves, how the DNA affects him, and what animal traits he has. The look is a mixture of vampire and wolf. He can see so far away, like an eagle. He has this almighty power, like a rhinoceros. He has this sense of smell. How long does it take to get the full make-up on? He has this huge scar, as Vincent. As the performer of it, I believe that this scar comes from a beast on beast attack, since there are other beasts from this military experiment. Once he disrobes in the series, I want other scars, all over his body, to show how crazy these beasts got before they were killed, to see how the experiment got out of control. Also, the writers want to have the DNA of the beast mutate, as the series progresses. RYAN : I zone out, but I also get to know the make-up artists because I spend a lot of time with them. There are a lot of people, though, who have put their opinion in, on my face. To get that right is going to be a challenge. We also want to bring in the romantic elements of the original series, as well. Just having the names of Catherine and Vincent is pretty romantic. They bring this nostalgia to it. If his name was Peter, or something, it would just feel like there was no relation to it. So, I like that they kept the names. Will viewers get to see more beasts? RYAN : I love that idea. He shot these amazing scenes on this little 5D camera, that were flashbacks of Vincent getting the steroids and the DNA stuck into him, along with the other soldiers. There was one female, in that line of soldiers, so he mentioned that maybe there will be a female beast that comes along, who had also gotten away. I pitched it to the writers, and I think they like the idea. But, I think there are more beasts out there. What drew me to the story is that backstory and where that can go, and that it is set in a moment of reality, as well. There was a doctor who did all of these brain tests on animals, which is being studied for military stuff. I believe this stuff could actually happen, which makes it exciting for me to play. They know they have this connection because he saved her from being assassinated when he mother was because her mother maybe held a key to the cure. Vincent has been in hiding. It makes for interesting story and conflict. Do you know how quickly viewers will learn about why Vincent was so interested in Catherine? Her mother was a biologist. Does this role get very physical for you? Do you get to do many of your own stunts? Our new director, Rick Bota, is very much into supernatural monsters, and shooting all of that great stuff. He learned how to light monsters, and light the faces and make the make-up look real and grotesque. He wants to use wires and show how far the beast can jump, and really have a unique way that he moves. That will be fun. I just want to get into making the show. However they market it is up to them. For me, his beast is on the inside. The nicest looking person can be that serial killer, or whatever. What originally got you interested in acting? Was it something you had just always wanted to do? They just think their son has gone crazy. I think it was to get me to exert energy. They got me into theater really young, and I loved being able to take on the persona of other people. I felt more comfortable playing other people than being myself, when I was a kid. And then, the tables turned. Beauty and the Beast airs on Thursday nights on The CW.
