411 Movies Interview: Nicole Tubiola of ABC Family's Wildfire Posted by Tony Farinella on 11.20.2007
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Nicole Tubiola of ABC Family's Wildfire!
It's yet another interview with a cast member of ABC Family's Wildfire. This time I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Tubiola, who plays Dani Davis on Wildfire. Nicole describes Dani as the girl that you love to hate, and sometimes the girl that you just love to love. Here's my interview with Nicole Tubiola. Check out Wildfire Season Two on DVD!
TONY: Is playing Danielle Davis as fun as it looks?
Nicole Tubiola: Dani is great fun. She's smart, she's brave, she's feisty, she's vulnerable, and she's so many things. And it's so much fun to play. I mean, The First Season, we really only got to glimpse her vulnerable side, and as we've gone on through the seasons, I've just gotten to play so much, because she's not a one-sided character. She's so many things.
TONY: As you just mentioned, Danielle is extremely feisty. When you're filming Wildfire and you have to yell at someone, do you ever feel guilty after it's all said and done? I know it's only a TV show, but do you ever feel bad afterwards?
Nicole Tubiola: This is probably going to sound horrible to say, but not really, because I feel like pretty much when Dani's yelling at someone, they kind of deserve it. You know what I mean? In the scenes, I feel like she's justified. Now, I think that she goes about saying it probably a little harshly. She could say it better, but anytime she's kind of telling someone off, she has reasons for it. I think she just says it in a bad way sometimes, but the reasons are all really good. So, I don't really feel bad. (laughs) I love all the people that are on the show, but I think that I just can identify with why she's the saying the things she's saying.
TONY: How do you prepare yourself for your emotional scenes on Wildfire? Do you like to be alone on set?
Nicole Tubiola: As the seasons have gone on, it's gotten easier and easier, because you kind of just get to know your character like the back of your hand and what will upset them and what would not upset them. So, it's easy, because you can identify with the reasons why you're getting upset. But in the beginning, I always just kind of really knew and did my research and did my homework essentially and really knew why Dani was upset or why Dani was feeling what she was feeling, because the more specific you get, the easier it is. If you just go in and go, "Oh god, I have to cry, and I have to make this happen," it's gonna be pushing it. But that's what it would be like. But if you know what you're getting into, then it's pretty easy.
TONY: Do you find that more people recognize you now that you're on Wildfire?
Nicole Tubiola: Yeah, you know, it's funny. It goes in spurts for me with people that recognize me. And I think for the most part that everyone does like Dani. She's the girl that you love to hate, and as the seasons have gone on, just love to love. So, it's fun being recognized and knowing that people like the show.
TONY: I think what I enjoy the most about your performance as Dani is the fact that you don't judge the character. How important is it to go into every character with an open mind?
Nicole Tubiola: I think it's as important to not judge Dani as it is to not judge anybody. And like I said, I really like her. I understand why she does the things that she does, and I know I said it earlier, but she always has her reasons. The most important thing when you're starting out with a character is not to judge them, because as soon as you do, it's all over, and then you're gonna play it nicey-nicey or you're gonna play it with this thought in your head, where you're saying, "I don't want the audience to not like me, or I don't want the audience to think bad things." Because that's really not how we are in life. I mean, every day we come across people who may not act the way we want them to act, but they are who they are. So, I think that that's number one in mind is that I don't want to play it for audience sympathy or just to get people to like me, because it's really not my job. My job is just to play Danielle. And when she was originally written, she was kind of bitchy.
TONY: As we all know, it's really hard for a young actor or actress to find work in Hollywood. That being said, how good does it feel to have job security on a show like Wildfire?
Nicole Tubiola: I can't thank ABC Family and Lionsgate and Shawn Piller and Loren Segan enough, and everyone who's involved in the show, because it's really been such a learning experience for me and such a great experience overall. I mean, I had studied acting, and I had done some jobs, guest stars and some Independents and whatnot, but to have the consistency of a television show where you just get to learn what kind of actor you want to be, it's been amazing. And to have people who are as behind us as the studio and the network and our producers has just been great.
TONY: What do you think separates Wildfire from other shows on television?
Nicole Tubiola: Well, I always like to say horses. (laughs) On the emotional side, all of our characters have issues, and their lives aren't perfect, and nobody is trying to pretend that their life is. Or if they are, it's part of the story. So, I just think that we are a show that has a lot of heart, and we don't try to lie to our viewers or pretend that everything's perfect when life is messy. And I think that people can relate to that.
TONY: Do you have a favorite episode or a favorite moment on set during your time on Wildfire?
Nicole Tubiola: Well, in Season Three, I was really proud of all of the RJ/Dani stuff. I thought that they had a really cute love story going, but I think that probably my favorite scene will remain what it's kind of always been and it's a scene from Season One, and it's just this funny little scene with Ryan Sypek and myself and it's from the second episode, and it has to do with us fighting over a box of cereal. And we just had so much fun doing that, and that scene really cemented our relationship as brother and sister on the show. And I think that's why I have such a fond affection for it. But I've had the opportunity to play so many great scenes, like I said, from bitchy to vulnerable to things that I just never thought I'd get to play. It's so much fun.
TONY: When you're on a hit show like Wildfire, you have to deal with people following you around all the time and taking your picture. How do you stay out of the limelight and focus on the work?
Nicole Tubiola: Well, to be honest, that really hasn't been a big problem for me. I've just been doing my thing and just focusing on the work, and I have an amazing husband and I now have an amazing son who have my real focus. And I think that that's pretty much it. I'm not wrapped up really in Hollywood, so I have a lovely home life that keeps me busy, and I just don't really pay attention to all that other stuff, unless I'm reading PerezHilton.com. (laughs)
TONY: As an actress, what's it like being married to an actor? Can you guys talk about different scenes and whatnot? I'm sure it's easy to relate to each other.
Nicole Tubiola: I think so. I'm sure that you can meet some people that will say no, but in our case, absolutely. We know what it's like to audition, we know what it's like when you can't figure out what to do with a scene, and we know all the ups and downs that go along with the business. And I get a partner in all of those areas. He's the first person that I want to talk to about my life or my work, so I think it's helpful. You know, we used to bartend together, and we really loved bartending, so we really love the fact that we get to act together as well. It's great. It's good.
TONY: How has motherhood changed your career? How do you manage your time?
Nicole Tubiola: It hasn't been a problem yet, because he's only still very wee, and we have a writers' strike going on, so there hasn't really been that conflict at the moment, but I think that as he gets older and as I get older, we're just gonna have to figure that out together, because, obviously, he's the number one priority in my life. But acting means a lot to me as well, so between the three of us, because Kieren's also an actor, we're gonna have to figure out who gets to do what job when and what's most important to each other, because we don't want to be separated. So, that's the most important thing is to stay together.
TONY: What was it like working on Imaginary Heroes?
Nicole Tubiola: You know, I only worked a few days on it. I was only on set for a couple days, and it was mainly with Emile and Ryan, so it was a great feeling to be doing something that was worthwhile and worthy. And Dan Harris, it was his first project, and he was so sweet and kind, and it just felt good to be on something good. I'm sure a lot of your readers might not know that as actors who are not known yet, we just kind of go out for everything and cross our fingers and hope that someone will want to cast us and a lot of times that's in things that you probably wouldn't have done if you were someone who was more established. So, to be able to be in something that was what I thought was as good as it is at a time in my career where I certainly didn't have any kind of name, it was really boosting. It was a boosting experience.
TONY: Have you seen Emile Hirsch's performance in Into The Wild? It's amazing.
Nicole Tubiola: No, I haven't. I wish I could. I'm in my house all day long with my newborn. There are so many movies that I really want to see. Into The Wild being one of them, and American Gangster is another one. This list is growing. (laughs)
TONY: Outside of Imaginary Heroes and Wildfire, do you have something that you're really proud of?
Nicole Tubiola: You know, after Wildfire and Imaginary Heroes, probably not. (laughs) I did a couple of guest stars on some really good shows that were really great learning experiences for me, but I think I was just finding out who I was as an actor. So, the things that I want people to see are the things that are now, that are kind of into the future, where I feel like I know who I am as a woman and I know who I am as an actor a little bit more and know what I want out of life and my career. So, I'd say look forward. (laughs)
TONY: Finally, what are your plans for the future?
Nicole Tubiola: Well, we're waiting to hear if Wildfire gets picked up again or not. And right now I'm just hanging with my kid, and there is something on the boil with ABC Family possibly, but we have to wait until after the writers' strike, so I'll let you know.
TONY: Thank you so much for the interview. It was great talking to you.
Nicole Tubiola: Very nice talking to you. Happy Thanksgiving.
