Nerd News Social Sits Down With the Stars of “Deadly Class”: Lara Condor, María Gabriela De Faria, and Luke Tennie

One of the hottest comics at Comic-Con this year was Deadly Class written by Rick Remender and illustrated by Wes Craig. The comic not only was sold out at the Image Publishing booth, you could see its banners on busses, various banners around the convention hall and at Image, and soon to be seen as a live action TV adaptation on SYFY channel executively produced by Miles Orion Feldsott and Mick Betancourt. After you read this article, you must check out the pilot.

The story is set in the 80’s and follows Marcus, a teenage boy living on the streets. His reputation gets to Master Lin, played by Benedict Wong in the TV adaptation, who is the principal of King’s Dominion. He recruits Marcus into his elite private academy where the world’s top crime families send their next generations. You can imagine the adventures and chaos are unlimited between the various crime cliques and assassin classes such as AP Black Arts and Beheading.

As a fan of the comics, I can tell you this show is going to be a huge hit! We sat down with Lana Condor (Saya), María Gabriela De Faria (Maria), and Luke Tennie (Willie). Here is what you want to know.

Lindsay: How close can we expect the show’s story to be to the comic series?

Lana Condor (Saya): Rick Remender (co-creator/writer of comic series) as our head writer he is writing, he is producing, but he is also the show-runner. So, come on!

Luke Tennie (Willie Lewis): He is in charge, it’s his show.

María Gabriela De Faria (Maria): How cool is that we are staying to the story.

Lindsay: He wants to, he wants to stay true?

Luke: Absolutely, but at the same time he wants to give people something they haven’t gotten from the comics. Cause it’s a different medium. With being true to the comics, and being true to his vision if he had a different medium.

Lindsay: You can delve deeper into the background of each character, which is what I am super interested in. That being said the school is so phenomenal can you tell us a bit about the school?

Luke: The school is dope.

Lana: Yeah, it’s dope.

Luke: Yeah it’s frightening.

María: Aren’t all schools kind of frightening?

Luke: Everyone has their own corner, and their own click. Even the people who are clickless have formed a click. There is a place for everyone who feels that there’s no place. It’s so real, but mixed with all this fantasy on top.

Lindsay: Can you tell us your character’s favorite classes, and how much do we see this class element or is it mostly outside of the school?

Lana: I think we are going to see a lot of the classes, and we don’t have the normal classes like normal High School, we have Poison 101, and Combat Fighting.

Luke: Black Arts.

Lana: Yeah, I want to say that Saya’s character favorite classes are all of them. She strives to be valedictorian and strives to be best. She always has her hand up, and has an answer for everything.

María: Annoying student.

Lana: I know.

María: I think for Maria, she really likes to prepare herself for what she has planned, I can’t reveal much to those who haven’t read the comics… but Martial Arts probably.

Luke: I have to be very specific about the way that I answer this question, but Willie would give people the perception that his favorite class would be anything physical combat or martial arts, that he is not to be messed with. He loves any time that people are reminded of that fact.

Lindsay: (To Luke) I love your character’s background by the way. Especially in the comic book series. There was a whole thing, that at a young age there was a rumor that your character killed a couple people, but it turns out that you didn’t, and it was something your character’s family brought about so that he could have this cred, and be this person, but the character is actually very kind. It tells a little more about your character, and what he’s evolved into.

Luke: Willie’s reputation is something that is really important to him. He really takes advantage of his reputation, and his innate desire to avoid confrontation, but at the root, it’s something that a lot of people will be feel connected to, and will be inspired by. I’m just grateful to be able to bring the character to life, but there is definitely stuff that we will unpack throughout the show.

Lindsay: Just talking to you right now, I see why you are this character.

Lana & María: Right!

Lindsay: I’m charmed right now.

Luke: There is a lot that Willie and I have in common, and there is a lot we don’t. I’m excited to dive in and see the differences and similarities.

Lindsay: (To Lana) Your character has a very iconic scene in the pilot, where you ride in on a motorcycle, it’s almost frame by frame the same thing in the comic book series.

Lana: Yeah!

Lindsay: Can you tell us a little bit about the vehicles, and what you had to do in the series, and new stuff you got to do, that you hadn’t done before?

Lana: Well, I’ve never rode on a motorcycle in my life because my parents would kill me, so that was very exciting, and great for me. Granted, I have a wonderful stunt double who does a lot of the driving, because it’s dangerous. She’s a pro, and I’m not. I can barely ride a bicycle. I’m thrilled that my character rides a motorcycle. I think that the sexiest thing in the world.

María: It is.

Luke: So very cool.

Lana: I remember mounting the motorcycle the first time, I felt really cool. She gets all the fun gadgets. The motorcycle, the katana, everything. So I am so stoked. I hope I get more of that.

Lindsay: You were natural on that by the way, from what I saw.

Lana: Thank you, I felt like hot shit.

Lindsay: (To María) Your character too, there was something with poison, in the beautiful fan sequence that I saw.

María: They are very heavy, I mean they are real, for effect. I had to really rehearse the dance scene for the pilot, with the real fans, and my hands were bleeding at the end of the night. That was real fun.

Lindsay: Wait, there are real razors on those?

María: Lets say yes, but I actually got one fan here.

Luke: She knows how to use it too.

Lindsay: I’d like to use that too!

María: It’s really cool.

Lindsay: Yeah, and she’s a fluid character in the way she dances. In the comic book series she kinda has a disorder, and I don’t know if they talk about it in the series.

María: Yes.

Lindsay: They do?

María: Yes, she is bipolar and we do talk about it.

Lindsay: Wow, that’s amazing.

María: Thank you.

Lindsay: A lot of people would like to see that and connect with it.

María: I am so grateful to be able to portray this role. She is a real human being and I know her, and I know them and I feel them. I am really glad that I get to bring this character to life.

Episodes are coming to SYFY later in the year! Can you wait?

Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.