Take Five: Alyssa Sutherland, Star of Spike TV's ''

06.20.2017

It's a good time to be a fan of , as many of his dark creations are coming (or returning) to theaters or TV.

Previously a novella and a Frank Darabont film, The Mist is Spike TV's newest foray into scripted programming. When a malevolent mist attacks a small town, the town's lies and secrets will be uncovered. Like The Walking Dead or Under the Dome (another King adaptation), the series takes a look at what people will do in an unearthly crisis.

Daily Brief had a chance to speak with star Alyssa Sutherland, who plays Eve Copeland on the new show. Fair warning, the following interview has spoilers from the first episode.

Daily Brief: Are you a Stephen King fan? Did you watch the movie or read the book beforehand?

Sutherland: I have a lot of admiration for him, but I am a total wimp. I have not read the book or seen the film, and now because I'm part of the show, I'm intentionally staying away from . I want to be informed by Christian's scripts. My character wasn't in the novella or the movie so I am focused on the character more than anything else.

I saw snippets of It when I was young and that terrified me. I've seen and I love Misery, but I stay away from horror. I like to sleep at night.

Does being a wimp help you act on a horror show?

Yeah, but we've read the scripts. The challenge lies in being able to act shocked and scared. We know what's about to happen. That said, there's definitely moments when we're filming in mist and not able to see in front of us and you feel like, this is pretty scary. If you didn't know what was coming out at you, this would be horrifying.

How hard is it to see in the mist?

You don't really get used to it. It's not like being in the dark. It's pretty thick. We can't see much more than a yard or two in front of us. There were moments of full-on sprinting and you don't know which way you're going.

The Mist takes place in the small town of Bridgeville, Maine. What is it about small towns that work so well in horror?

Small-town values and communities are interesting. People live a little more under a microscope. The biggest thing is they all know each other, so when the scary mist comes rolling in, people have a history together. They're not complete strangers. We have a couple thrown in there, who are very mysterious, but for the most part, we're looking at characters who know each other and those relationships. My daughter and I get trapped in the mall with her rapist. That's a pretty genius set-up.

How important was it to you to see the show deal with issues like sexual assault and slut shaming?

I'm so proud to be part of something that's talking about it. It's timely. As I was going through the audition process for the show, the Stanford case was in the news and he was being sentenced, or not, as it turns out. The woman that he had assaulted stood up to him and wrote him a letter. It was this powerful thing that went viral. I love that our show is shining a light on that. That's the reason I wanted to be a part of it.

The worst thing happens in the show. What my husband thought was right actually led our daughter to be sexually assaulted. How can you not blame your husband for that? That's…yeah. I love that that's what happens to their relationship, it's so full of conflict. It's a really big deal to me, for a wife to blame her husband for their daughter's sexual assault. That's massive. I don't think Eve was sexually assaulted herself when she was younger, but she was a sexual being, and we all are, really. We're animals. She was definitely shamed for her choices. She fell pregnant early and one of her worst fears is that her daughter is going to have to deal with something similar. She doesn't want that to happen, knowing what she went through. And then of course, it goes beyond her deepest fear. Her daughter was assaulted and that's horrifying. It's a show about fear.

Right; the mist represents our fear of the unknown. Are you afraid of the unknown? Spiders?

No, to me, my deepest fear is emotional stuff. Dying alone. Regret.

When it comes to actual creepy crawly stuff, I'm terrified of snakes. Don't put me near a snake. I don't want any part of it. I'm from Australia, the snakes there will kill you. I don't want to be near a snake. That's very simple.

But my fears are like, will I do the things I want to do in life? Will I accomplish the things I want to accomplish? Will I be with the people I want to be with, surrounded by love and feel like I lived a full life? That's when my fear kicks in. That's much more powerful stuff.

I'm right there with you. Would you like to live in a small town?

When I was young, I lived in New York for a long time and loved it for the most part. I wanted to be in a city where everything was acceptable.

The older I've gotten, and maybe it's because I've idealized small towns, but I like the idea of having a little community and a simple life. Maybe it's not, but in my mind, it seems like a lovely, simple, peaceful life.

What makes my life rich is the people in it. That is of utmost importance. It is to me, at least. In a small town I'd feel like I'd have more of an opportunity for that.

I think it's natural to go from wanting to live in a city when you're young to getting out of there and have your own small thing when you're older.

I could be off on this, but my idea is that in a bigger city, it can sometimes be more isolating. Because there are so many people, you don't interact as much. You carry on with your day. If you know your neighbor and pass them on the street in a small town, it's my idea you'd stop, have a conversation, catch up and connect.

Your character ends the stuck in a mall, which is not bad in the scheme of things. Where would you most and least like to be stuck when something like the mist comes? I would definitely choose the mall if I had a choice, because the shops have everything in them. That's the most ideal place to be trapped, because there is food, water, supplies. The last place I'd want to be is out in the woods where there is no structures and no way to escape the mist.

Do you miss the medieval clothes and badassery on Vikings or are you glad to back in modern-day fashion?

I'm kinda glad to be back in modern-day fashion. There were some times when I was fumbling with cloaks. I don't like to have to think about my costume when I'm acting. But it's my job to justify why I'm thinking about my costume if I have to. I like the ease of the present-day thing, where I'm not dragging a heavy, wet skirt behind me through mud. Did you say badassery?

I did say that.

I get to do more of that on this show. I played an entitled person on Vikings. I guess I got to be a badass when it came to emotional stuff and behavior. But the physicality I didn't get to be a part of. I was one of the only characters who didn't get to do that. I get to do stunts on this show. I get to be much more of a badass.

To see Alyssa Sutherland's badassery, tune to The Mist when the series premieres June 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV.

[All images courtesy of Spike TV]