THERE ARE MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD FORWYNONNA EARP: VENGEANCE!
But was that a daunting task or scary to do?
Like, people were pretty satisfied with the end of Season 4. you might’t just do everyone sitting on the couch holding hands.
The fans think they might like that, but that’s what fan-fiction is for.
You kind of earn those moments.
Earphas never done anything traditional.
We had a heroine who got pregnant in the second season.
We went down for financial reasons.
After the happily ever after.
That is kind of unusual.
What was important was staying honest to these characters.
That you could love someone deep in your soul and still want more for yourself.
That, it’s hard for one person to give you absolutely everything you need.
So that’s my hope.
It still feels like the decisions these beloved characters would make.
2.Dom and Kat, how was it being back as Waverly and Nicole?
What was the first scene you filmed together?
Dom Provost-Chalkley:It was so wonderful coming back.
It was such a blessing.
We were on a frozen lake.
It was so stunning.
The scene that we shot didn’t actually end up in the movie because Kat had a wig.
Do you remember Kat?
Katherine Barrell: I do remember.
That was the day my wig ruined everything.
I had a wig on, and it looked really bad.
So we had to reshoot.
That night, Emily called me and was like, “We can’t use that wig.”
It just felt really iconic.
She’s like a beacon on a frozen lake.
Just seeing all the crew again.
It was such a beautiful sunny day.
It felt heavenly, almost.
3.Melanie and Tim, Wynonna and Doc’s first scene inVengeancefeels like classicEarp.
How was it filming such a fun moment in the casino?
And everyone was like, “Well, yeah, they’re knocked out.”
And I just remember thinking it was so funny.
Tim Rozon: Those guys were funny.
They were big guys.
One of them was 6'3" or 6'4".
MS:I did end up forgetting he was there.
4.Emily, Mercedes’s death is a huge moment to kick this special off with.
EA:I don’t want to toot our own horn, but we are a family.
And she said, “I’m in.
I’ll come do whatever you want.”
It was sad, but I also think you see Mercedes’s growth as a character.
Her friendship with Nedley, ice fishing.
And she makes a choice, too, to kind of defend him, right?
She goes out swinging.
She goes out being like, “Fuck you.”
So I was pretty happy about that.
But it wasn’t so devastating that we couldn’t have a drunken brawl at the wake.
They are still able to have fun.
Sometimes, you just go with your gut.
She lived a life.
5.Doc’s big hero sacrifice and death is probably the most shocking moment at the end ofVengeance.
TR:Listen, what if I told you that…I might have asked for it.
MS:I was hoping you were going to bring this up.
TR:I think it’s a great arc for the character.
People always ask, “What was your favorite scene, or what was your favorite season?”
But in all honesty, when it comes toWynonna Earpit was the entire arc that I was given.
I personally loved it.
I thought it was really great.
And I think Emily did it justice.
I was never nervous.
I was in great hands.
I died in, literally, the best hands possible.
And I had Emily Andras writing that scene.
It was a good way to go.
I’ll say this…it’s asci-fi show.
Anything is possible, right?
EA:Tim would tell you the truth about it being his idea.
You should feel very proud of that, Nora.
There is something natural about Doc, having been on this 175-year-old journey.
What is the ultimate last adventure?
It’s death, right?
It did kind of feel like the right choice for him.
But this is the truth about Tim Rozon that we all know.
Nobody is more Earp than Tim Rozon.
The Earpiest Earper who ever lived.
We have more stories to tell.
I’m sure Andras can do it, hopefully."
And Tubi said, “Well, what makes this a special?
What makes it not another episode?”
And he said, “I’ll tell you.
We’re gonna kill off Doc.”
So it was his pitch.
But then, you know, people go out for dinner and pitch all sorts of things.
When we actually got a green light, I said to Tim, “I can fight this.
People say crazy stuff all the time.”
I said Meryl Streep was going to be in it.
I said, “You already sold it.
So, do you want me to fight?”
I was like, “Let’s talk.
We can figure it out.”
That’s the next problem.
Mel, was it tough to film that final scene between Wynonna and Doc?
MS:Anything with my Tim is, like, easy.
So even if it’s hard.
And that’s what I’ve learned.
It felt good in that sense.
It was a really tough one.
I don’t love that he’s gone and that things happened that way.
I also have faith that we have some friends in high places.
I think, much like Wynonna, it’s all about keeping hope alive.
She’s not going to give up, and neither will I.
6.Tim, you finally got to ride a horse.
How was it getting to live Doc Holliday’s best cowboy life?
TR:You know, Nora.
I finally got the horse.
I had to do a driving test for some reason this time around.
I guess it’s a new protocol on all sets.
So I had to go drive I’ve been driving forever for five minutes.
And then I had to do the same with the horse.
They were like, “Can you ride a horse?”
And I was like, “Guys, I can ride the horse.”
EA:You’ve got to be careful when you put an actor on something like that, right?
Every actor in the world, Nora, has on their resume: can ride a horse.
So, we were like, “Tim, we need to have a stunt rider.”
And then, we let him pick the horse.
It’s so funny.
It’s like casting.
You get a list of all these horses.
Like, who’s the Timothee Chalamet of horses?
7.We see Nicole and Waverly in their married phase, which also leads to some tension.
How was it writing and playing this stage of their relationship?
EA:It’s kind of the secret of storytelling, right?
People think they want just the goodness.
They think they want WayHaught just sitting on the couch.
But, I think I do want to go on an adventure and try and use my brain.
As always, those performances just blew my mind.
And Kat and Dom did like they always do.
Waverly has always been so fucking smart, right?
And just to give her the chance to leave Purgatory, which is something she never thought she could.
Also, Nicole, as well, deserves credit for seeing that in her wife.
People do long distance.
It doesn’t mean the end of something.
It can strengthen the bond.
I’m sure that’s what will happen for those two.
KB:We don’t get to see the after-happily ever after because most shows end.
I think it was so lovely to get to explore.
So she’s just thrilled with life.
I think all she wanted was a chance to, like, renovate their house.
I think it was really lovely to get to explore.
I love these characters so much, and I just so badly want them to be happy.
I’ve always had this weird thing where I feel like they exist in another universe.
They’re still living somewhere else because I can’t really think of them not existing.
She was the one who was researching all of her life to try and break the Earp curse.
It’s such an integral part of her.
So to see how that manifests is actually a really cool and courageous thing to do.
We see them during this special work with that, and it showcases even more of their strength.
The fact that Nicole is like, “Go, we’re fine.
it’s crucial that you do this.”
I think that was a really beautiful choice that Emily made.
You still exist as an individual inside of your relationship.
8.Paolo Barzman, who directed so many iconicWynonna Earpepisodes, got to directVengeance.
How was it working with him again?
He’s just a genius.
We filmed this special in 16 days, which is unbelievable.
I truly don’t think anyone but Paolo Barzman could have done it.
He trusts his crew and the cast, and his energy is just infectious.
That’s what it needs to be.
He’s not someone who overshoots.
It doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect.
It adds to theWynonnachaos.
I think that’s what I’ve really learned from Paolo as an artist in general.
Instead of seeking perfection, just embrace the chaos.
That’s why he’s the director forWynonna; it’s just so on-brand.
And you kind of have to go like,It’s exactly what it was supposed to be.
He did it in a oner.
They were like, “That’s it.
We got it.”
DP-C:That’s a wrap.
How was it filming primarily on location this time?
MS:It was different.
It was really stillWynonna.
It felt to me like going back to Season 1 in the scrappiness and the energy.
TR:I loved it.
It felt the same, but it felt different.
It smelt of cigarettes.
We were filming there, and it was amazing.
I mean, at lunch, I put $20 on roulette on my son’s birthday and hit.
So lunch was great.
The first day was amazing.
I was up $700.
MS:And our executive from Tubi, who we love, who was with us from the beginning.
Josh [Van Houdt].
He loves the show so much so to have him there was such a great morale boost.
It made us all happy.
EA:It did make it feel a little more cinematic filming on location.
We weren’t kind of bound to the sets, so you could think outside the box.
Just stepping on the Homestead and having that grit and being back together again.
it’s possible for you to’t beat it.
Just seeing the mountains.
The location is such a part of the flavor ofWynonna Earp.
It really adds to the magic sauce, I think.
How was it seeing the art department pull off making the location feel like the old studio space?
Next sequel, let’s do Hawaii.
We’ve seen what the inside of that space looks like.
It was just a bare, nothing building.
Just to see the tones and the paint.
They did change the layout, and I thought they captured it so well.
11.Do you have a favorite detail or Easter egg that was incorporated into the Homestead forVengeance?
DP-C:I’m not going to lie to you, Nora.
I fully wept when I walked on that set for the first time.
Mel and I walked in and just sobbed.
It was really emotional to see.
I think the thing that really touched me was a picture of Wynonna and Doc at the wedding.
The pictures of Alice that were on the fridge.
KB:I really liked finding your cheerleading outfit.
I thought that was a fun throwback.
The pictures were a big one for me, too.
EA:I really like the “Homo Sweet Homestead” sign.
That was pretty funny.
Just beautiful things, too.
The craft stuff was all so gorgeous.
One thing that was really cute was the tip boot from Shorty’s.
So the boot that Doc Holliday first puts a tip in when he meets Waverly is on the shelf.
The little wedding topper from the cake is on the shelf, too.
And a lot of the props had left the set after filming ended for Season 4, right?
We’re back!"
And I was like, “We have sold this place down to the studs.”
And we were like, “We’ll fly you in!”
How was it returning to the freezing cold to film?
EA:There was one day it was so cold the camera shut down.
It was so cold that the gun, Peacemaker, almost froze to Mel’s hand.
Great for conventions, but not everyday life.
But all that stuff leads to the stakes.
That sense of danger and the elements being against you.
I think it’s baked in subconsciously when you watch the show, which is kind of interesting.
DP-C:We were definitely a little chilly.
I’m not gonna lie.
With the wind chill, it was down to minus 30 or something.
But because we were inside, we had to act like it was nothing.
There was a lot of tensing, trying not to shiver.
Like you could see them breathing.
So they had to pause filming, heat up the room, and then Dom and Mel would continue.
I get so lucky on this show, and I will say it every time.
I always get the most comfortable costumes.
I got the most layers, and I was still cold.
We just put more clothes on me.
We just made me bigger.
And everything’s gonna be dark, except for this one strip of yellow right over my belly.
Our costume designer, Jen, is so amazing and she does such a great job.
We were always joking that Dom was in no clothes.
DP-C:But you were such a sweet support of being like, “Dom, are you okay?
I can’t stop thinking about how cold you must be.
So you must be freezing.”
How was it exploring a villain that directly allowed us to learn more about Wynonna’s backstory?
Tubi, very smartly, was like, “We really want anyone to be able to tune in.
I didn’t want to get too mired in the mythology.
At the same time, what makes Wynonna so interesting is she really is the sum of her mistakes.
Some of it is legacy.
Some of it is that cycle of trauma that’s hard to break.
I really love the idea of Mina being the sum of Wynonna’s mistakes, but also not really.
Also, god, Knox.
She’s so Earp in her DNA.
Like, just when Melanie and Karen got on set together.
She just got it immediately.
She had been a fan ofEarp.
She’s an amazing director and writer of her own.
She just felt perfect.
The fans are just going to adopt her, like every villain.
MS:It was really interesting to see more of where Wynonna comes from.
Even the attention to detail on those sets.
It’ll break your heart, some of the stuff written on the walls.
For a young Wynonna to see that.
It’s like, no wonder she’s messed up.
People were really messing with her.
14.Wynonna and Doc’s porch scenes have been iconic toWynonna Earp.
This time, they finally talk about their relationship, only for Wynonna to lose Doc in the end.
How was it writing and filming this particular moment?
TR:I love the porch scenes.
They’re my favorite.
I love that everybody knows the porch scenes are coming up, and we still lean into it.
In those scenes, I selfishly also get to watch an amazing actor do their thing.
I’m in it always, but there’s a part of me that’s watching Mel.
What do people say these days?
I always leave there thinking,The girl can ACT, man.I love those scenes.
MS:Well, thank you.
I’ve said it before, but there’s not much acting.
It’s just easy.
This time, I was like,You know what?
It is still about two people together trying to connect.
Finally, having an honest conversation.
I think that also spoke to maturity.
To have that moment before the battle and demise felt like growth.
Look at these two.
Look at them together.
They just make each other better.”
15.Wynonna also loses Peacemaker, which feels like yet another massive sacrifice in this special.
How was it exploring the real character growth of Wynonna giving up Peacemaker?
Like, this is the only thing you’ve ever been good at, right?"
Even if it’s demons, that’s a very weird job.
That’s the thing you’re able to’t buy: time and affection.
It really felt like a decision Wynonna could not have made in Season 1.
I think Peacemaker kind of gives Wynonna permission.
I felt the whole thing kind of moving.
That felt like maturity for Wynonna.
And I remember at the time being like,Oh man, like, who is she without it?
And what’s her purpose?I think now, it’s kind of the same feeling.
You kind of feel naked because that’s been part of the thing for so long.
I put on the gun, and I’m Wynonna.
So, redefining who she is to herself and who she is to me is interesting but scary.
I don’t like change.
How do you think that partnership will play out?
EA:Okay, wouldn’t you watch 10 episodes of that?!
Aren’t they gonna burn Bunny Loblaw’s house to the ground?
Like, you know that sexy werewolf is gonna get the best of them.
I could watch those two together forever.
The greatest buddy comedy of all time.
KB:I think Nicole, as much as she’s like,I want boring.
I don’t want anything to happen.
I want the status quo.
There is a part of her that revels and enjoys the chaos of the Earp sisters.
That’s what she fell in love with.
There is a secret joy that she would never show that Wynonna gives her.
MS:For me, it was strange because at the same time, Wynonna just lost Doc.
It was strange for me to figure out how hopeful or excited she could really be here.
But I think for her, she refuses to believe that Doc is gone.
She’s lost him before.
She can fight for him again.
So, I think her moving forward with Nicole is really good for her to keep herself busy.
Idle Wynonna is not great.
She needs to always be working on something.
I do think nobody better to do it with than her best friend.
Keep getting on Nicole’s nerves will help her stay focused.
Doc is talking about which finger you should lose.
Wynonna is making fingering jokes.
Waverly’s so angry, and Nicole’s injured.
That felt like classicEarpto me.
My other favorite day was probably with Greg and Dani, with Nedley and Mercedes.
We filmed on this location called Ghost Lake.
It could have been such a shit show with the weather, but it was beautiful.
We had this ice fishing hut.
We were in the middle of this frozen lake.
It just felt like,Who gets to do this for a job?
!Dani is in fluorescent yellow, walking around, busting Greg’s butt about stuff.
I really felt privileged with this special I got to be on set for all of it.
I haven’t in the past because I’ve been writing and editing the next episode or whatever.
So I really tried to be present this time.
In the seance scene with the teen girls in the barn, one of those actresses is my daughter.
Listen, Paolo put her through the ring.
She had to audition twice.
To be like,There’s 200 people here.
They all have a job.But that was really fun to bring her.
A little bit of nepotism, but she’s also wonderful.
I was so touched.
I cried when they gave it to me.
It incorporated, like, graphics of the Homestead.
Now I have this amazing quilt for Ronin and Celeste that they’ll have forever.
I’m really getting emotional talking about it again.
It has a piece of my costume in it, and they made that for them.
And it must’ve taken them a long time.
It’s my yellow shirt.
It’s like a rabbit that was on the shirt I was wearing.
So they took that, and they made it.
It just shows how special and unique this journey has been with all of these people.
TR:I actually messed up.
As long as I leave something there, then I know I’m going back.
So that’s my superstition.
I never do, But they made me a brand new custom hat.
And I should have grabbed it.
No one else can wear it.
I should have taken it, but I didn’t.
How awesome was that getting a custom Doc hat made, though?
TR:It was incredible.
I have just the funniest pictures.
If you’ve never seen a hat being made, it looks like the typewriter needles.
Like a zillion of those around your head.
You were, like, a hat made of typewriter needles.
It was also made by the most famous cowboy in Calgary named Vern.
He made me this incredible hat, and I should’ve taken it.
And if Doc stays dead, then I lost the hat.
But in my defense, there were four pairs of boots.
There are three pairs left.
I still have them.
I’ll bring them back if necessary.
Oh, and pants and a belt.
I don’t like to shop so I take this from Wynonna.
DP-C:Usually you have, like, five months, which we didn’t have this time.
We were all in a hotel.
It felt like a sprint.
It felt like a what do you say in English?
And suddenly, you’re out.
Maybe it’s not a superstition for me, but it did feel more like a reboot.
There was less of a need to take something with me this time.
