CynbytheSea Interview with Cindy Dolenc
(Kate Quinn)


Cindy, thank you so very much for affording this time with our group CynbytheSea, its a great honor to interview the LFN cast members, and we are so proud you were part of it...we wish you continued success in your career and wish you the best!
Members of CynbytheSea.

Cindy Dolenc: Here are my answers! Enjoy!

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Hi Cindy, so happy that you consented to grant us this interview.

Q1.) Between Alberta Watson and Peta Wilson, which did you feel was the easiest to work with?

CINDY: I felt both Peta and Alberta were great to work with. I didn't work with either of them that much, most of my scenes were with Gene. When I did, it was a pleasure


Q2.) Are you married/children?

CINDY: I am not married and I have no children.
Q3.) What endeavors have you taken since La Femme NIkita, and how do they relate in conjunction with the series?

CINDY: I have been doing a lot of theatre in L.A. after relocating here. I just finished an independent feature film and did an episode of TRACKER just before I left Toronto. None really relate to NIKITA, but it would be fun to do another spy show. The film I just finished, I play a Mom with a 10 year girl. Very different, and wonderful.


Q4.) What are your thoughts about Roy Dupuis and Eugene Robert Glazer?

CINDY: I think Roy is a very interesting, grounded talented man. I feel Gene is a gracious, funny as hell, kind man, who has more acting chops than you really got to see on NIKITA. He's a pro.

Sandy Meridith-Kansas USA
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Q5.) How did you prepare yourself when you played "Nikita" for one episode?

CINDY: I watched some old episodes of Nikita, and just mimicked her energy and body language. It was a blast. It came surprisingly easy to me.


Q6.) What is your favorite type of character to play?

CINDY: My favorite type of character to play is an attorney, or someone else that is fighting for a cause of some sort. I just auditioned for a show yesterday to play an Assistant District Attorney. I wanted to be a lawyer when I was younger, but didn't like to confines of the law, so I figured I'd just play them as an actor. Also, on the other side of that, I like to play characters that have lost control. Extreme power of loss of it.

Chrissy Langeveld, Leiden Netherlands
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Hello Ms. Dolenc, thank you for agreeing to answer our questions.

Hello Q7.) What was the toughest place for you to film on the set of La Femme Nikita?

CINDY: I don't recall any tough places. I was at Comm most of the time. I had one of the easier roles in that respect.


Q8.) Did you enjoy your role as "Kate Quinn"?

CINDY: I enjoyed my role as Kate Quinn tremendously. I absolutely LOVED playing her. She was so full of contradictions. She was constantly not what she presented herself to be, and terrified that she could get eliminated at any moment, and yet maintained an external facade of absolute control. She was so duplicitous.


Q9.) Did you have any input as to any of your character's attributes?

CINDY: chose her clothes, hair color...that's about it.


Q10.) What and how do they feed the cast, when they lock you up for so long filming? Can you fill us in on how they took care of you all in that area?

CINDY: Full fabulous meals. Meat, salad, fruit, cake...always well fed. Also, if we wanted anything specific, they would get it for us.


Q11.) As an actress, did you find it hard to jump into/out of your role, when the call was needed, or "cut" was yelled?

CINDY: Yes. Sometimes I would carry the fear and insecurity of Quinn, when she was being the focus of the mole hunt, and I'd project that onto factors in my own life. But then I would recognize that, and let it go.


Q12.) On the same track, did you find your character difficult to continually perform, or was she easy? Could you explain why portraying Quinn was easy or difficult?

CINDY: Getting in to Quinn was easy, sometime leaving her behind was delayed.

Thank you again, and good luck on all your endeavors..
April Guzman-Spokane, Washington
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Q13.) What were you drinking in the scene between you and Walter when you first encounter each other?

CINDY: Wow! I don't remember. What I do know, is that it wasn't alcohol. Probably water, or coke if it was brown.


Q14.) The chemistry between you and Roy Dupuis and Mathew Ferguson was amazing, how did you create that chemistry?

CINDY: Honestly? It was just there. We were all really open and available. It just clicked.


Q15.) Has there ever been a time when you forgot your lines, and no matter what, you couldn't get it right?

CINDY: Yes. One time there was a scene with all of us at the boardroom table, and I just couldn't get this long description out. I was getting freaked out, it had never happened before, and of course, the more I got freaked, the more I couldn't remember. It was the wonderful Don, who just put his arms up, and sort of put this mystical HUSHHHHH across all of us, and then I was able to do it. He paved the way on some other level for me to calm down and say the lines. Sounds hokey, but Don is magic.


Q16.) How do you remember your lines,is there a knack to it?

CINDY: Yes. The more you learn, the quicker you learn. Its like a muscle that gets built up. At least for me. I did have a knack to begin with, but it really got stronger with use.


Q17.) I think Matthew Ferguson is a sweetheart, what is he like in real life?

CINDY: Exactly that. A sweetheart. Very genuine and kind.

Leah Day- Bateman's Bay, Australia
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Q18.) How do you spend your time away when you are not filming?

CINDY: My favorite thing to do is to eat out. Small dinners with friends.Travel.Little getaways. Hike. See Movies. Shop. And yoga.


Q19.) Did you have any special training for your acting career?

CINDY: I went to theatre school as a kid, then I did a school in L.A. but my real training was with coaches in classes.


Q20.) What is the most important thing you learned while acting on La Femme Nikita?

CINDY: The most important thing I learned on Nikita...Trust. Everything is already there.


Q21.) Are there any backstage secrets that were on the set, that you can share with us?

CINDY : Backstage secrets? There was a hell of a lot of laughter and practical joking going on that you probably wouldn't expect from such a serious show. Gene once jumped out of the dark and scare me to death!

Cynthia Wilkerson - Texas USA
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Q22.) You went into La Femme Nikita in Season 4, had you personally seen the first three? Did you like the show? Or ever feel you'd be part of it?

CINDY: I had never seen the NIKITA when I auditioned.


Q23.) What are your current acting projects, if any, and what do you do to relax?

CINDY:  I just finished a film called CUL DE SAC that will go the film festival circuit, which means you may never see it. But let' s hope you do! I do yoga to relax, and hike, and meditate. I also write in my journal every day.


Q24.) Which do you prefer, television, film,stage, theatre?

CINDY: Film. I love film. For two months, or more or less, you are in this set. This womb. Its like escaping to another world. Everyone is in it with you. One common purpose. One goal. Its the ultimate in TEAM. Connectedness. For some reason, I have no worries on a film set. Its like a meditation. I am very present. To find something you can do for a living that breeds being truly present, is the great job I think. That's what happens to me on a film set. Especially if its on location somewhere. TV can be like that too, if you are a regular on a show. Like NIKITA. I felt like that there. Smaller roles, for a week or two, are fun, but I don't get that "in a womb" feeling.

Thank you very much,
Warren Stewart-Perth , Australia
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Cindy, so sorry you came to LFN so late in the series,.you added another dimension,another layer of excellence. Quinn should have been there from day one.

Q25.) Will you be reading anymore Selected Shorts at Symphony Space, if so, when?

CINDY: I um...never did that. I'm not sure what that is.?


Q26.) Are you doing any more American TV, or feature films I can look forward to?

CINDY: I just finished a film called CUL DE SAC which will do the film festival circuit. You may or may not see it. Let's hope it gets picked up!


Q27.) What was your favorite episode on La Femme Nikita?

CINDY: The one where I played NIKITA. It was fun to get out of the Comm!!!


Q28.) Who did you find the most pleasure in working with on LFN?

CINDY: I loved working with Gene. I worked with him the most, and he just made me feel comfortable. He was very easy to work with.

FK/New York
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Q29.) What did you like most about playing the part of Quinn?

CINDY: I guess I most liked the way the script kept twisting and turning. I was constantly changing. Internally. According to the story that was written.


Q30.) Is there anything you would have liked to change for your role of Quinn's character?

CINDY: I would have liked her to have gotten more vulnerable, maybe fallen in love.


Q31.) Was there any parts of Quinn that you brought to her character out of your own personality?

CINDY: Yes. I can be bitchy! At times.


Q32.) Was there any scene or part you did'nt quite want to air?

CINDY: No.

Thank you for your time Ms. Dolenc
John Liester- Adalaide, Australia
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Q33.) Cindy, you had some fabulous scenes with Eugene Robert Glazer, did he play any pranks on you or try and crack you up as we understand he likes to do..that you can share with us?

CINDY: Yes, he was a jokester. He jumped out of the dark once as I was coming to set and freaked me right out. He's a big kid! Best way to be.


Q34.) How did you feel joining a show "brought back" by its fans for its 5th and final season? And did you know it would be only eight episodes?

CINDY: I was ABSOLUTELY THRILLED! And yes, I knew, sadly, it was only 8 episodes.


Q35.) I loved your accent, but understand it is NOT your natural voice, fooled me completely! Do you do other accents/languages?

CINDY: Yay! Glad I fooled you. Accents come very easy to me. I just watched British mysteries a lot like POIROT on A&E, and called a friend who's british for certain words I didn't know how to pronounce. I also lived in London for 2 years. I can do a Southern accent, South Carolina as well.


Q36.) When you received the famous eyebrow-caress from Roy Dupuis, was that memorable for you?

CINDY: I don't really remember to be honest...oops?


Q37.) We understand that Peta Wilson was not present during filming of that scene (when you were revealed to be Nikita by Micheal), was that harder or easier to film that way?

CINDY: Oh yes! I remember now!!! I was NIKITA in that scene. I think it would have been fine too if Peta was around.

Thank you so much for your time with us,
Brenda Allison- Missouri, USA
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Q38.) What was your relationship with the cast of La Femme Nikita like? And was there someone with whom you had a special connection?

CINDY: Everyone was wonderful to me, and at different points, I had connections with everyone. Peta and I had some special moments, and of course Gene, but also,...God, I really felt some stuff with Don. It was a rare experience.


Q39.) Where there any plot twist that even shocked you when learning of them?

CINDY: Yes, when I was a mole for the big guy. That was a shock, and really cool!!!


Q40.) Can you please tell us anything about your audition for La Femme Nikita?

CINDY: When I auditioned, it was with an American accent. Then Jamie Paul Rock, the producer saw that I had "British Accent" on my resume and said to try the next scene (which was the one where I meet Walter when my hair was in a pony tail) with an accent. They seemed to like it. When I got the call that I got the job, I said, "with or without the accent?" and they said WITH!!

Thank you so much. Wish you all the best in future projects..
Mary K.- Australia
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Hello Cindy, its a pleasure to be able to talk with you, thank you...

Q41.) Was it hard to be a persona that drew such antipathy from the other characters for her snippety attitude?

CINDY: I gotta tell you, no. I have played bitchy characters before, and when the cast starts seeing you as that, the problems start. But the actors were able to decipher the difference, and saw me as who I was, Cindy, off camera.


Q42.) Was your son already born when you were on the set, and if so, how did you work around this? He's a doll as we can see on the Operative Floyd site.

CINDY: I'm sorry...when did I have a son???


Q43.) Did you ever wish you could have had more action scenes like Peta, and more in depth development of your character, rather than being confined to Comm?

CINDY: Oh yes! I wanted more of that for sure! And more vulnerability.


Q44.) What would you say you have learned acting-wise from both your own role, the acting of others, and the directors in La Femme Nikita?

CINDY: I learned to trust that what I need will be there when I need it. I learned that from my own experience. I learned from others, that levity before a serious scene, surprisingly, is what really works. Because you are RELAXED and therefore can access yourself much more. Gene and Don I felt that with the most. As for directors, the ones that communicated with us, were the most effective.

Mary DeFrancesco-Rome, Italy
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Q45.) Did you like your character Quinn, and what do you think her strength and particularity?

CINDY: Her strength was her "survival at all costs" mentality. And she was smart. Savvy.


Q46.) Was it hard to fake a British accent? It was quite believable for me.

CINDY: No, it came pretty easily. It was really fun for me to do.


Q47.) If they did a follow up movie for La Femme Nikita, would you like to play in it?

CINDY: Absolutely.


Q48.) Did you feel any pressure on Quinn's character because she was replacing Birkoff as the computer specialist?

CINDY: I didn't actually because I wasn't familiar with the show. So, there was no pressure.

And thank you for agreeing to answer our questions!
Dana Vrajitoru - Indiana USA
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Hi Ms. Dolenc..

Q49.) As Quinn, was your character supposed to be made unlikable/spiteful? I personally liked her because of that. Did you input or change the dialogue or scenes to suit the character better making her more conniving?
Bravo, Bravo, you played her well.....

CINDY: Nope! It was all in the writing!


Q50.) Was Quinn on La Femme Nikita your first role?

CINDY: It was my first TV role. I had worked with Tom Cruise in Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT. If you blink you might miss me. I played a waitress. I had lines, and my clothes were on! Other than that, I had done independent film and theatre and one commercial for KIA cars.


Q51.) Please share what you thought of LFN and how it effected your career?

CINDY: Well, it allowed me to get here to Los Angeles, and get representation here, and audition in a bigger pond. Raised the stakes.


Q52.) Is there anything you would have changed about your character or scenes? If so, explain how?

CINDY: I would have eventually had her be more vulnerable. Maybe fall in love. That knocks people off their feet. I felt she could have used that.


Q53.) Wow, were you the girl at Sharkey's in "Eyes Wide Shut" Did you get to meet and speak with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman ?

CINDY: Yes, that was me. I met Tom yes, and spent 4 days with him because believe it or not, I was there for that long for such a small scene. Stanley kept improving the scenes. First I was a bartender, then a waitress, then a coffee house girl. I didn't meet Nicole, at the time, Tom and Nicole were splitting shifts to watch the kids.

Thank you Ms. Dolenc for taking the time to answer our questions. Good luck in your future endeavors and God Bless.

Susy Seturino - Texas USA
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Cindy, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and hope to see you in the future, should acting become a permanent part of your life.
Take care from all of us here at CynbytheSea!

Cynthia Wilkerson/Warren Stewart
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Thank you all for your interest and your kind words. I am so glad that I was able to share my experience with you. It was wonderful to remember the details. Thanks for being the vehicle, in which, I can remember this very special time. You are very welcome.
Regards,
Cindy Dolenc

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