Original-Cin Chat: Romy Weltman of SyFy's Revival on Literally Bringing Someone to Life

By John Kirk

Late 20th century comic books have given today’s storytellers rich inspiration for films and television. The latest is the SyFy-produced Revival, seen here on CTV’s Sci-Fi channel, starring Canada’s Melanie Scrofano as Officer Dana Cypress.

Revival, originally written by Tim Seeley and drawn by Mike Norton, is a story about a small Wisconsin town called Wausau that experiences a major supernatural event: the dead inexplicably wake up and return to their lives.

Far from a run-of-the-mill zombie story, this is a tale that offers no explanation and puts the audience in the same boat as the townspeople trying to understand and deal with the ramifications of lost loved ones returning to their lives.

Romy Weltman’s Em has some post-mortem unfinished business.

Original-Cin had a chance to chat with yet another Canadian, Romy Weltman, who plays Martha “Em” Cypress. She’s the younger sister to Scrofano’s character and a Reviver herself. We talked about the challenges and responsibilities that come with playing a popular comic character on the small screen.

The interview took place on the heels of the cast’s appearance at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. How did it go?

“Honestly? Unbelievable!” Weltman said. “Better than any of us ever expected. The turnout was so crazy that we couldn’t meet everyone who showed up for the signing.”

Romy Weltman

An SD Comic Con appearance is a major deal for any new TV series, particularly one based on a comic. And Revival has a huge comic following. Image recently compiled the series into four hardcovers that follows the exploits of the Cypress Family as they navigate their way in helping the town of Wausau deal with the ramifications of resurrections upon their town.

There is expected to be a sense of responsibility in preserving the integrity of the character from the comic panel to the small screen. We asked about this.

“1000 percent,” she said. “Any adaptation is tough because of the existing fans. You don’t want to disappoint them – you want to make them happy. Those are the people who you are serving.

“You also hope that you also immerse new people into the experience. It’s made because it has a fan base. The comic book readers are the ones who I was most nervous to have watched the show because they have fallen in love with the Em that they know and I can only be the Em that I know. So far it seems good, so I’m happy.”

The reception at ComicCon, allowed her to fully appreciate her sense of duty to the character.

“Out of the corner of my eye, I’d see Em cosplayers. We had a Brent cosplayer who wasn’t allowed in because he looked too much like a police officer! I know that people have been doing this for years but to be a part of it was just so surreal.”

But then there’s the question of individual contribution. Actors have creative input into the interpretation of those characters that mean so much to the fans. How does one thread that needle?

“Yeah, I think that we added, and this is a big difference between the comic and the show, was the backstory. The importance that she had OI (osteogenesis imperfecta) and that she suffered from addiction. Those were big topics that we didn’t want to undermine and I felt a huge sense of responsibility to portray them in a proper manner.

“I wanted people to feel represented but I also wanted them to make complete sense to her character, to the comic readers and make her super powers even cooler!”

A note of interest, Em’s super powers are a function of her Reviver status. All Revivers regenerate from any injury and though they cannot die, they can be broken, In Em’s case, her disorder means that her bones are fragile and easily snapped. But, as she heals quickly, those bones can be deadly in a fight. This adds realism and depth to the story and abilities.

The selection for the character also came with a degree of consideration as well. Romy’s audition process took months. She got the role days before filming.

“It was in the talks for a while, but as an actor, I try not to take anything too seriously until I’m actually on set. Anything can happen. But this was surreal. I had auditioned for Kay, the room-mate. But months went by and then there was an e-mail saying that they were still searching for Em Cypress. I didn’t believe it but then it all happened really fast!”

The fact that Romy had a limited time to immerse herself in the character and managed to deliver her with such clarity clearly impressed the producers that they’d made the right choice.

Em is the focal point in the story. While Big Sister Dana (Melanie Scrofano) is slated to automatically be the super hero – she’s a cop, the older sister and a single mum – it’s Em who takes precedence in the story.

Em becomes the most important Reviver, not only because of her family connections, but because she has a destiny that relates to the entire story. Dana, is the delivery for the story to develop. Played by fellow Canadian actress, Melanie Scrofano, there is a deep relationship between the two sisters in the story. We asked Romy for more insight into that relationship.

“Melanie is – I say this in every interview – she’s the lead of all leads. She is a leading lady and as wonderful as you’d expect her to be. This was my first leading role, and, as a young actor, I was nervous. She held my hand throughout the whole story and she was a big sister for me throughout the whole way.”

I can personally attest to Scrofano’s character. I was fortunate to spend a day with her at a fundraising event for Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. It was re-assuring to know that Romy had that support from a strong character actor like Scrofano.

“The story is about sisters. Yes, it’s about Em, it’s about Dana but it’s a sister story. We both saw that and that’s something that really attracted me to the role. I have a big sister who I’m very close to and I felt that in the writing.

“It made sense. When I had researched the comics, that stood out. Melanie has been a second big sister to me in real life. She is someone who I could call on for anything. I think that’s pretty epic.”

It's clear that the significance of the role isn’t lost on Romy. We asked what was her favourite moment in the series.

“As a viewer or an actor?”

Of course, we had to know both.

“As a viewer, I gotta say, episode 7 – watching Dana and Wayne’s relationship grow.”

Wayne, played by David James Elliott, is the Sherriff of Wausau, the father to both Em and Dana.

“The similarities between them (Dana and Wayne) shine when they’re in the same room – I think that makes a lot more sense to me. Wayne is more humanizing in Episode 7 and it explains his behaviour better to the audience.”

And as an actor?

“As an actor, I kinda go back to that first scene with me and Dana in the car. There’s something special about that as it was an audition scene for me.

“But also, it was the last scene that mel and I shot together. I feel that we were able to bring the journey to a start there. It sets the tone for the sisters. The sisters don’t want the distance between them, so it was beautifully written.”

Romy says she respects the creativity of the people behind the comic source material, and thinks a lot about how to movie it forward.

“Adaptations done right, are great. You have an existing fan base, something on paper that now we can interact with. I feel honored, and this goes back to the start with you asking if I felt a responsibility or pressure.

“But now I hope that I’m what people associate with what Em is. It’s my hope that when people hear Em Cypress that there’s a part of me that comes into that thought. So, having the opportunity to bring something to life is fascinating and awesome. When else can you create a life in front of people?”