Sumith Prasad
In AMC’s science fiction series ‘Orphan Black: Echoes,’ Krysten Ritter’s Lucy is a highly skilled individual. She knows the American sign language to communicate with Charlie, the deaf daughter of her boyfriend, Jack. When she is at work in a nearby orchard, she talks to her colleagues in Spanish. When her creator tries to capture her, Lucy sets out to face them, which forces her to rely on her ability to fight them physically. Ritter worked hard to improve as a performer to portray Lucy as authentic as possible, which included learning multiple things. The fluency with which the clone communicates with Charlie and her colleagues is the result of Ritter’s commitment to her character!
Krysten Ritter Mastered Sign and Spanish Languages
Krysten Ritter did learn the American sign language and Spanish to portray Lucy in ‘Orphan Black: Echoes.’ The actress was attracted to the project because the protagonist was presented as nothing but challenging. The clone’s expertise in sign language, Spanish, and physical fights convinced Ritter that she could improve as an actress immensely by training in these areas to portray Lucy. “Lucy’s really good at so much stuff. That was exciting and terrifying at the same time, and that fear was really appealing to me,” the actress told Emmy. The result of her dedication is evident in the scenes in which Lucy communicates with Charlie using the American sign language.
Learning sign language was not enough for Ritter’s Lucy to become Charlie’s mother figure. She had to channel her motherhood to her character as well. “I responded to the relationship with Charlie because I’m also a mother,” Ritter told the Los Angeles Times. The process, however, might not have been enormously tough for the actress because she shot the series as a mother, with her son accompanying her during the production phase of the show. “I was by myself with my son in another country. I’m really proud of us. It was such a big adventure. It was really hard and also really exciting, and we have so many amazing memories together,” she told ComicBook.
Krysten Ritter’s Learnings From Jessica Jones
In addition to mastering the sign and Spanish languages, Krysten Ritter also had to focus on performing as an action star. In the science fiction drama, Lucy is forced to deal with her predicaments with bare arms, and a preview of the same is a part of the premiere episode. Ritter was able to tackle these scenes with her experiences of playing former superhero Jessica Jones in Netflix’s ‘Marvel’s Jessica Jones.’ “When you’re number one on the call sheet, especially with something like Jessica Jones, it’s a machine. You’re getting to flex your muscles in such a big way, and you really learn, on the production side, and how to make your days, and all of that,” the actress said in the same ComicBook interview.
When Ritter had to prepare for the action scenes in the pilot, the lessons she learned while playing Jessica helped her even psychologically. “I knew that there was a stunt sequence in the first episode, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay for that stuff.’ And I love it. I love doing stunts, and so I got to do them so much, obviously, on Jessica Jones, and those were always such exciting, exhilarating, thrilling days. So, getting to do that here, too, was really fun for me,” the actress added.
Ritter’s performance even impressed John Fawcett, who co-created the mothership series ‘Orphan Black.’ He directed the actress in the first, second, and final episodes of the first season. “When a performer like Krysten is allowed to be open and free, you get interesting results, and a lot of that winds up on the screen. That’s what’s so cool about her. She’s quirky, different, unexpected,” Fawcett said in the same Emmy interview.
Read More: Where is Orphan Black: Echoes Filmed?
