Fringe A quick chat with Anna Torv

Anna Torv reveals what’s in store in the third series of Fringe, screening on Sky1 on Tuesdays...

Fans of the acclaimed JJ Abrams sci-fi drama watched on the edge of their seats as special agent Olivia Dunham, played by Anna Torv, and scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) led a rescue team into a parallel universe to find Walter’s son Peter (Joshua Jackson), who had crossed into the other dimension to be with his real father, an alternate version of Walter.

As all hell broke loose, Olivia had a fight with the alternate version of herself, and Peter realised the evil intentions of the other Walter.

Finally, Olivia persuaded Peter to return home – only for the final scenes to reveal it was actually the alternate Olivia who had come back, while Olivia was imprisoned on the other side.

As Fringe returns to Sky1 for a third series, TV&Satellite Week magazine asked Torv what the new episodes hold in store…

What can you reveal about the new series?
“We kick into the alternate universe a lot and we have whole episodes that take place in that other dimension, every other episode, in fact. I love that we are embracing the other universe so much. It really opens the show up.”

What will happen to Olivia?
“I don’t want to spoil it, but I think it’s safe to say she’s not going to spend too much time stuck in a cell. That’s not her bag. But I don’t know how she will get home. Remember how much energy and planning it took to get Peter home in the finale?”

Olivia and Peter shared a kiss in the finale. How will that affect them?
“I think everyone wants them to get together, but every time they try there is just another obstacle. Now, Peter’s returned home, but it’s not our Olivia that’s gone back with him, so that’s going to be interesting.”

Will the alternate Olivia turn out to be a baddie?
“She’s not bad, she’s just from a different universe. Genetically, the two Olivias are completely the same person. They are in exactly the same job with the same boss, so the differences between the two are actually pretty subtle.”

Do you ever get confused about which Olivia you are playing?
“Yes, I do because we are usually shooting two episodes at the same time and the characters are so similar. It’s exhausting getting the wig on and off, but it’s great fun. You don’t get to do that very often on a television show.”

Have any of the scenes ever turned your stomach?
“When I first read the pilot script, I didn’t think the experiments and the science stuff we do would be quite so gross. We did a scene in the last series with a guy in a cell and all of a sudden a monster starts growing inside him and he started vomiting blood. That was revolting because it looked so real and it churned my stomach a little bit.”

Do you understand the science-speak on the show?
“No, but luckily I don’t have to. The boys are the ones who have to do the research. I just get to say, ‘What do you mean? Please explain, Walter.’”

Have you received any strange fan mail?
“Not yet, unless people are protecting me from the really crazy stuff.”

Do you do any of your own stunts?
“ I don’t do anything that could really hurt me. If bricks are going to fall on my head, that’s when we call the stuntwomen in. But I do stuff I feel safe with.”

So it wasn’t you flying through the car windscreen in the last series?
“We used an awesome stuntwoman who managed to shove herself in the back of a car, in a rocket launcher they made specifically for the stunt. Then they put breakaway glass on the windshield and she went flying out of it with no protection, no helmet or anything. She landed on the ground, everyone clapped, and then I was called out to lie in her position and go ‘Phew...'”