Niamh Wilson on the power of friendship in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and using Pinterest to get into character

Episode 5 is a big episode for Lydia and Cynthia. How did you prepare for that musical number? 

We really didn’t have a lot of time honestly. There are so many group numbers in each episode so me and Ari only had two formal rehearsals beforehand. As for the prerecorded vocals, that was the first thing I did back in February. We didn’t film the actual musical number until late April and there were only two rehearsals dance-wise for the number, so there was not a ton of prep time. It was kind of like power hour for the entire show. They really hired some incredible people to work on it, so the time crunch didn’t end up affecting the quality at all!  

Did you watch any movies or tv shows or listen to any music to get you in the zone to play Lydia? What are some present day things you think she would gravitate towards?

I did refresh myself on the original film. There isn’t really a reference for Lydia in the original film but there’s the weird alternative kids you see a little glimpse of. She would definitely fit into that category if she was in the original film. As for modern media, there’s one moment in episode 4 where I was really trying to channel Miranda Priestly but if Miranda Priestly was Lydia. There’s this bitchy very goal-oriented hyper-specific Virgo-type energy we get from her. That was a character I did find myself going back to over and over again, interestingly enough. 

The main thing that I really did to form a visual reference for Lydia was making a Pinterest board. I ended up making a board for fashion inspiration. A lot of vintage photographs that are candid evoke this feeling … it’s not just a visual image but there’s this energy or essence that you get from them. I also put those into the Pinterest boards. It’s really a mood board that I use to base her around that helped me get into character. It was also really nice to bring into the wardrobe meetings and be like, “This is what I’m thinking.” The costume designer actually had quite a few of the same photos pinned in our boards so that was a great feeling!

What was your favorite part about playing Lydia? 

My favorite part about playing Lydia was that she’s so different from myself. We have common interests in the dramatic arts but I couldn’t be less Lydia in real life. She’s way more poised and graceful and way more serious than I am, whereas I’m a bit of a klutz and kind of just awkward. That was my favorite part of that role, because I got to be someone that fully wasn’t me every day. And that’s not something I find that I personally have experienced too often in my career. 

What do you want people to take away from the show the most? 

There’s so many things. One is that we can have modern nuanced takes on classic media and have it be media that lands for everyone in a wider audience. Also, the power of friendships between women and gender non-conforming people. The way that they bond with one another is so specific and so strong and I feel like you really see that in the show. I hope a lot of young femmes and gender-nonconforming people will take away that kind of love and see themselves reflected in it. Those are the two big takeaways I hope people get. 

A bit of a throwback question. You played Jack Jones on Degrassi. Did you grow up watching it? Who was your favorite character? 

What’s funny is that before I booked that, I hadn’t really watched Degrassi at all. The thing about growing up in the Toronto industry is that if you are an actor and you are under the age of 18, you will have auditioned for Degrassi so many times and you probably know so many people that have been on it. It’s such a cultural staple here. I had auditioned for it probably 5 or 6 times for different characters. Jack holds such a special space in my heart, she also kind of reminds me of Lydia in a way in her serious demeanor. If I had to choose a favorite character, it would probably be Eli. I feel like that’s who I would’ve wanted to be if I could’ve been any other character. 

What was it like to star in a horror franchise like Saw at a young age? Was it scary for you? Any memories you’d like to share?

I have a lot of memories from Saw. When you’re working on horror films or any type of horror media where a child is involved, everybody on the set is so incredibly protective of that child and of their well-being. A lot of the people you encounter on horror movie sets are some of the best people you’ll ever meet. They’re all weirdos, it’s that stereotype that goth people are the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. It’s very similar, the people who work on these sets are so wonderful. Horror nerds are hilarious. I love people who are into horror and gore, they’re always the sweetest people at heart.  I can think of times where I was on sets where there were some really heavy storylines. There was a way that they were discussed with me in order to get the right performance that didn’t actually discuss the heavy content. I found in my own personal experience that everybody comes together to protect the kids on horror movie sets. Growing up working on those kinds of sets, I have some of the best memories from those. And Saw was hilarious, because you walk to set and you walk through these literal mazes of these movie torture machines. There’s fake blood everywhere, and me as a little 8-year-old I’m just like, “This is fun!” There’s such a stark contrast between what’s going on in the media to the energy on set.