Warehouse 13 Goes Noir, Chats with Galaxy Quest Guest Stars
Posted By Jen Sylvia on May 13, 2013
Enrico Colantoni and Missi Pyle of the cult classic Galaxy Quest fame are back together in tonight’s episode of Warehouse 13, “The Big Snag.” Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) are ensnared in a 1940′s black and white movie thriller while hunting for a dangerous artifact. Missi and Enrico play two dangerous murder suspects, Lily Abbot and Anthony Bishop. Missi also performs a new cover of the gorgeous classic, After You’ve Gone.
On May 8th, Missi and Enrico got together with Jack Kenny to talk about the episode, Galaxy Quest, and crack a bunch of jokes that had everyone laughing.
Haven’t seen Galaxy Quest? Stop reading and go watch! It’s a fan favorite for a reason. When you’re done, come back and finish this article.
Missi Pyle (far left) and Enrico Colantoni (center) in 1999′s cult sci-fi/comedy classic, Galaxy Quest.
“The Big Snag” is a type of episode that the show has never tried before. And if the trailers are any indication, it’s going to be period, beautiful, and hilarious. “It’s a noir episode. There’s a love story and I think you know who it involves,” says Jack Kenny, Warehouse 13‘s executive producer and showrunner, about tonight’s episode. “Enrico plays a part where he’s part of the noir world, but also kind of isn’t. My favorite part of the episode, aside from everything Enrico does, is Missi’s singing. It was done beautifully. It’s so nice to see the episode just stop and Pete and Myka are dancing and Missi’s singing and Enrico is over at the bar smoldering. What could be better?”
For Missi, the singing was one of the best parts about doing tonight’s episode. “I love singing so much and the idea that somebody wanted to pay me to sing, because I usually have to pay to do it, I was like yes!”
To prepare the cast for doing an authentically noir episode, Kenny had them watch Double Indemnity. “We used Double Indemnity as a model for this. Enrico does most of [the episode] without his pants on, but you don’t see it because we use different shots. But he plays everything that way in any show he does…” Missi rejoins with “He doesn’t need to wear pants.”
Trouser issues aside, the two Galaxy Quest stars truly enjoyed working with Warehouse 13, Enrico noting “It’s hard to come into someone else’s house. I think I said this even off the record, that it was one of the most enjoyable cast and crew experiences I’ve ever had.” Missi fully agrees. “[It was] an absolute ball. From the moment we got there, everyone was so great. I was sort of like, I just want to be on [here]. I just want to keep doing this show.” This is something that nearly every guest star that’s appeared on the show has felt. And, according to Jack, the cast felt the same way about Enrico and Missi.
“I know I speak for the cast. I’m absolutely certain I speak for the cast when they say that they had a magnificent time working with these two. They still go on and on. I was out at dinner with Joanne last Saturday because we all went to see Eddie’s movie, [A Fish Story], and we were talking about how much fun it was working with the two of you. Joanne was like ‘we’ve got to find a way to get them back on the show.’ She actually thought of a way to get you guys back.” Us fans of the show, Missi, and Enrico can hope and dream!
In Season 3 of Warehouse 13, it’s a little known trivia fact that the cast is already a huge fan of Galaxy Quest. Jack remembers, “We talked about Galaxy Quest all the time. We even quoted it on our season premier last year. Claudia quoted, ‘Never give up, never surrender.’ We’re all huge fans so when we had this little mini reunion we were all excited. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t show up in Thermian” Though that might have encountered some copyright issues, Missi notes a surprising connection between the movie and tonight’s black and white episode: “The Thermians, when they caught the historical document [in the movie, it] was in black and white. When they actually created these alter egos, they were in gray, because they saw the TV show in black and white.”
And Missi is no stranger to either comedy or film noir. “I used to do a lot of sketch comedy and I used to do the film noir lady. It’s really fun to do. It’s definitely a challenge, but to stand next to you Enrico, it’s like…” Enrico chimes in as Missi trails off, “I loved you channeling, you kind of channeled Judy Holiday a bit.” Even after fourteen years, it’s obvious the two have an immense amount of respect for each other, and working together again – for the first time since the 1999 movie - was enjoyable for them both.
Though, ironically, Enrico thought for some reason that Missi wouldn’t remember him. Missi laughs, “That’s hilarious! I literally, from the moment they told me it was you, told everyone. I was like, ‘Enrico’s doing it? I can’t believe it!’ I’m so excited, literally giddy to see him. And [Enrico] was there and it was so noir.” And the exchange continues for a moment:
Enrico: I know.
Missi: I’m going to get to make out with him finally.
Enrico: Yes. Like in the 40s style.
Kenny: You with the heels and the wig, you’re about 18 inches taller than Enrico.
Missi: A hundred feet tall and it was so hard to get me in a frame.
Kenny: You’re a tall girl anyway, but we put you in four-inch heels and a big blond wig, and there’s a scene at the end [where] I can’t see Enrico, so we turned it because I know he’s there. I can see his hands, but that’s all I can see. There’s a little glint coming off his head…
Enrico: You’re so awful. My gosh, I hate you.
It’s easy to see, with that kind of rapport, how they had such an incredible time on set. Both Missi and Enrico felt Kenny, the cast, and crew were amazing. They didn’t feel they had a need to improv much, if any. Missi calling it “The magic.” Enrico following up with, “I remember. All the magic was on the page, baby.” Kenny says jokingly, “That’s an actor who wants to come back to the show.” Missi acknowledges that the writing was just that good. “We just took what was on the page and brought it to life with our own personal magic.”
That’s a big part of what makes Warehouse 13 so damn good and popular; all costars and guests have writing that’s done to their particular strengths, and each actor is allowed to make his or her character shine with their particular gifts. It’s a method that makes a good show great. It also allows a drama to have spectacularly funny and endearing moments.
Watch “The Big Snag” tonight, Monday at 10/9c. It promises to be fantastic.
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