COLONY -- "In From the Cold" Episode 108 -- Pictured: Ally Walker as Helena -- (Photo by: Isabella Vosmikova/USA Network)
COLONY -- "In From the Cold" Episode 108 -- Pictured: Ally Walker as Helena -- (Photo by: Isabella Vosmikova/USA Network)

Colony: Ally Walker Gives Us the Dish on Helena, Part 2

Colony’s Helena, actress Ally Walker, graciously spent quite a bit of time talking with reporters the other day. Here’s Part 2 of our conversation. You can read Part 1 here.

So do you have to prepare any differently for a sci-fi role than you would for any other genre?

Ally: No.

Okay. And what’s it like working in sci-fi?

Ally: I think si-fi’s fun. I think it’s more about  – it’s a larger canvas to paint on, it’s sort of, like, stretch your mind a little bit. And this is a different language. The unimaginable becomes imaginable, you know, we’ve been taken over.  You know, I think human beings are pretty good at that. You know, I was just talking to someone about the meaning of life – Anyway, he survived Auschwitz. And it’s, like, what they became accustomed to just to survive. So I think that that’s, you know, science fiction is sort of like that. You just take a new realm, a new set of rules, a new language perhaps, dress differently – and there you go. So I think it’s a broadening of the horizon which I find really fun.

Will we be seeing you in the next season of Longmire again?

Ally: Well, I certainly hope so. I think you will. I hope I’m not dead. I can’t answer these questions.

Well, we have a lot of fans out there. And it was just icing on the cake to see you show up. And it was a great character.

Ally: Oh, thank you so much. I really love that show. It’s really different, isn’t it. I really think it’s a great show. It’s very, very, quiet. And I love the actors on that show. I love Lou Diamond Phillips and A. Martinez and everybody, everybody. But it’s like those guys I just love watching. They’re fun.

And you got to work with A. Martinez in Profiler too for a little bit.

Ally: Profiler, Santa Barbara, I’ve known A for oh, my god, I have known A – oh, my god, almost 30 years. Is that crazy? Creepy.

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People have to know that you have street cred in sci-fi because of Universal Soldier. You’re already in the club.

Ally: Oh, yes, that’s right. I was thinking about that. But I thought I guess they don’t consider that sci-fi. That would’ve been – I loved that movie. It was so funny. It was on the other day. And I was, oh, my god, that was such a fun movie. I loved that movie. I thought it was a great idea too.

How did you do it? I guess when you were doing the Profiler you were in a new marriage and you were, you know, having a baby and all that.   How did you manage to do something like that? To kind of weave all of those different parts of your life together.

Ally:  I don’t know. I didn’t do it very well. I kind of left Profiler because I had a – I was expecting another baby. And was tired of dealing with the hours. And I just couldn’t keep up. You know, it’s, like, I was talking on home and family on a Hallmark show yesterday. And I think it’s airing today. And I said, you know, somebody told me once you can do everything just not at the same time. And I really learned that at that point in my life. I had, you know, so many blessings. And it was wonderful. But I was truly, truly, exhausted. And I really wanted to be with my son. And I really was anxious to start that part of my life. So that’s the reason I left. I don’t think I could do it very well after a while. It was too much for me. You know, I could do smaller roles. I could write and do other films. There was a documentary – I did my own film this year – Sex, Death, and Bullying which is on iTunes. It’s going to be on Netflix next month. But I couldn’t do those 16-hour days anymore. You know, I couldn’t do it. I was just – it really – it knocked me out.

Well, all the shows like Criminal Minds owe so much to the Profiler. I mean they wouldn’t be on if it weren’t for the Profiler so you definitely blazed a trail.

Ally: Yes, thanks, dude, yes. People have told me that and it’s really, you know, it was such a great little show. It was the first, I think, single female lead someone told me since Police Woman. And it was, like, I mean for a drama. Cynthia Saunders created a really good show. And so I really loved being a part of it. Yes, thank you.

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Many times celebrities are kind of summed up by the roles that they previously played. For you it’s the Profiler. Anytime someone mentions your name the Profiler’s often attached to it. Not to get too deep but who are you to you? Who do you see yourself as, you know, as far as you do environmental work, you’re a parent – who are you to you?

Ally: Well, you know, I mean first and foremost I’m my boys mom. I think that’s been the biggest and the most rewarding role of my life. You know, I really love my kids. And I had at an age – where I was in my mid-thirties – and I was really ready to have kids. And I’m, you know, I’m their mom. And that’s who I am. You know, we don’t – I don’t talk about my career with my kids. There’s a long period of time when I didn’t work as an actor. Where I really took a lot of time off to be with them when they were really little. And I shot a documentary about foster care. And I did other things in my life. But first and foremost, you know, to this day I really haven’t wanted to sign on to, you know, a show where I’d be gone all the time.

I tried a little bit of that a couple of years ago. It didn’t really work out. And I really put that first because that’s the real deal. You know, that’s my real life, so, I’m their mom.

TIBS: Going back to another one of the causes that you are passionate about – you just mentioned it briefly a minute ago. But the foster care system and the documentary you shot (For Norman…Wherever You Are). This might be a little bit of a stretch. But does the Charlie storyline in Colony – does that resonate for you at all? A child away from his parents trying to deal with things on his own perhaps?

Ally: Absolutely. I mean there’s so many homeless kids in the city of Los Angeles it’s absolutely frightening. There’s so many homeless people. And I look around and I think about it. And I look like, you know, the foster care is a very tough situation. And it’s a huge business as well. And I really think it is something that we can’t put it aside. And we have to do the right thing by it. And I think this day and age that’s something that’s very hard to do.

I’ll tell you a performance that – speaking of looking at characters that move me. Michael B. Jordan in Creed he plays a young African-American who’s a, you know, a product of Apollo Creed’s relationship with a mistress. And he’s in a group home.And this guy is such good actor. I mean when he started talking about the group home. You know, I went to several group homes. And it broke my heart because I started thinking about those kids again. You know, that I could really – I tried to effect change. And really there was very little I could do. I did the best I could with myself. But that’s heart breaking to be so abused and to be alone in the world like that. So that’s a performance in particular. Yes, Charley, I think it’s very effective. It’s very in to see this kind of innocence lost. And, you know, there’s so many children around the world who deserve so much better. You know, and I don’t know. It’s just a – the world’s a different place. It really is. It’s really different now. Very different and it’s scary.

TIBS: I think that hits you more when you’re a parent than beforehand.

Ally: Oh, god, oh, god, right, yes. I don’t know, you know, I had had my first son when I did the – and I was pregnant with my third baby I guess when we were shooting the dock. And I just, you can’t imagine. Those kids are the smartest bravest people I’ve ever met. Those kids living in group homes in foster care. They were the smartest, bravest people I ever met.

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You said that Helena is kind of a character who plays with her emotions very close to her chest.  So can you talk about some of the challenges in playing a character like that as opposed to playing with one who can perhaps more freely express themselves?

Ally: Well, I mean  it works out well in – thinking I just have to. You know, it’s depression. It shows detachment. It’s aloofness. And, you know, doing that is kind of tiring actually because you retain a large portion of yourself. You know, you don’t, you know, and you can feel like you’re not being real – if that makes sense. Because if you’re not really connected to how you feel. So you’re playing two things. You’re playing the subtext of it. You can’t let them know what you’re thinking. I have to be very careful to never let anybody know. So it can come off, you know, you can feel like you’re being a little bit one dimensional as an actress. But then you think about and, you know, you don’t really show people that you’re scared if you’re not – if you don’t want them to think you’re scared in real life. Yes, either so you just to have – there’s this constant, you know, battle. But your fear and your manipulations have to be kind of underneath everything. So that makes it kind of hard sometimes actually to play. And, you know, you can some wrong choices at times. And, you know, hopefully I’m not. But it’s a little more difficult sometimes actually.

I’ve been looking at different critique, you know, TV shows and especially your show. And while they say it’s very enjoyable and it does havehigh marks. The one main criticism that I’ve seen is that a lot of critics call your show an unoriginal. And what would you have to say about that?

Ally: Well, you know, I think critics always have to say something. I don’t know. I think – I think the show speaks for itself. And I think, you know, having been involved in other original programming, I really don’t agree with that. I think it’s very original. I like it very much. Maybe it’s just that I don’t watch as much TV. I don’t know as much perhaps. But I really like the cake. And I really like what they’ve done with it. And I don’t agree with that. I really don’t agree with that. So, you know, that’s a part of being a critic. It’s opinion and you get people’s opinion. So that’s okay. That’s their opinion.

Yes, in show’s design so they still rank it extremely high. You know, you’ve just got to find something. And, yes, so I think while the story has been told. I think Colony in itself takes a unique turn on it. And like you said, you know, it’s a tale as old as time. It’s going to be repeated no matter what. So thank you. Obviously, Colony is fiction. But what do you think is the greatest truth or the greatest lesson that we can learn from the show right now. When we have some kind of frightening parallels going on in society minus the aliens.

Ally: Yes, I think fascism is never a good idea. I think that’s what we can take from it. You know, look, I think people need to treat each other better. You know, that’s basically the bottom line of everything. I think that everybody deserves a seat at the table. And everybody should drink more.  I mean that’s a very, you know, kind of, oh, let love rule. But, you know, it’s true.  I look at Bernie Sanders and people like that – people scoffing at, you know, he’s unrealistic in his mission. But, why we can’t we have universal healthcare? Why? You know, tell me why. We can. You know,I think that humanity needs to always look to its better side. And I don’t think we always do that. And history repeats itself constantly – unfortunately.

Who do you think is the best moral compass on the show at this point?

Ally: Well, I think that everybody has their own moral compass. And I think that’s what – you know, I think Sarah is great. I think that Will is great. I think he’s kind of in a position of wanting to make sure that his family is safe. And that is always a very, very appealing position.  And to do the right thing even if he’s put in the wrong setting.  And that’s always, like, that’s a cure too that you get, you feel very – a lot of compassion for.

I love Sarah. I love her portrayal, Katy, I think it’s genius. I think she’s really idealistic and wonderful and trying to put it into working form as a parent and as hope for the future. Especially because she has kids. So I find both those characters – perhaps as a whole, like, it should give more comfort. I’m not really sure, you know. It’s a really great look at, you know, how horrible situation brings out – what it brings out is new.

It’s impressive how she exudes so much confidence. Can you think of or describe a scenario that might rattle her?

Ally: Well, I don’t think Helena can have too many failures. But I think she’s got a convenient scapegoat here with Proxy Snyder. So I think if there are two, you know, it’s like being in the corporate world, you know, to the tenth power or whatever. If you have too many situations line up, you’re going to be in trouble. As long as you’ve got someone to lay it off on you’re okay. But I think that should things really go amiss Helena could be in some trouble.

Thanks, Ally, for talking with us!

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