The second, and final part of Emily’s ‘Bloggers & Sisters’ interview was finally posted today. Check it out below! If you happened to miss part one when we posted it, just click here to read it. 😉

Interview with Emily VanCamp (Part Two)

Cole: So when Luke Grimes came on as Ryan, did you give him any advice for being the new Walker on set?
Emily: You know, Luke and I are about the same age, so I feel like it’s not really my place to be giving advice. I’m still trying to make my way and learn myself. For me, it was more about lending support and just being there for him if he ever needed anything. I definitely knew what he was feeling when he came to that first read-through, because I’m sure I was feeling all the same things at my first read-through.

Cole: And does the cast still call you “Rookie?” I noticed your door still says it…
Emily: That has kind of died down, so I wouldn’t remind anybody about that.
[Both laugh]
Emily: Since then, Luke was here and he kind of got the whole “Rookie” thing for a while, so I think it’s pretty much died down. But who knows what these guys will come up with. There are new nicknames for everybody all the time.

Cole: Here’s a reader question – What was your reaction when you first heard about the Rebecca “De-Walkering” twist?
Emily: You know, at that point, I was really just trusting the writers. It would have been a lot weirder if there had been some sort of incestuous storyline, and there was chemistry that was undeniable. For me, I thought it was the best route to take. Certainly, I think it was a very odd storyline for a lot of our viewers. But I think, ultimately, it worked out. I think those two should have ended up together together, really. It made sense. Justin and Rebecca, this is how it happened for them.

Cole: Where do you think Rebecca’s character would be now if she was still a half-sibling?
Emily: Hmmm. Who knows? I lost track of all the different ideas the writers had for Rebecca. I truly have no idea. I could be in a mental institution, I could be back in Chicago. There were lots of storylines –

Cole: God only knows…
Emily: God only knows!

Cole: This season you’ve really got to show off your dance skills, doing the tango with Gilles Marini and then doing ballet. Do you still keep up with dance to some extent?
Emily: You know, once you’ve danced at a very skilled level, it’s very hard to go back and dance. Your body can’t do the same things it used to. It actually worked with the ballet story because, in fact, I have really bad knees and it’s hard for me to dance anyway. So, I got to play out that frustration in the episode rather than just all of a sudden dancing. Rebecca had just suffered the miscarriage, and this was her way of kind of dealing with it and realizing that her body couldn’t do the same things, so I could relate to that. And the tango with Gilles – I mean, who would pass up doing the tango with Gilles?? It was wonderful! We had a blast, he was great and I loved it. If my body could still dance, I would certainly still be taking some form of class, I think.

Cole: And Rebecca also does photography, which I know is a passion of yours. Is this just coincidence or do your real life interests influence the character?
Emily: I think your real-life interests definitely influence the characters. You know your showrunners and your writing staff so well. They get to know parts of you and incorporate elements of you into the character, definitely. But I think the photography also really worked well with the David, Rebecca’s dad, storylines. The character, played by Ken Olin, is also into photography. And it was nice to see them share that bond.

Cole: This has been quite a season for Rebecca. Do you have a favorite storyline or a certain scene that really stuck with you?
Emily: The miscarriage storyline really struck me in the way it addressed something incredibly common for women. It’s a topic that’s rarely discussed. I think that was really interesting for me and something very close to home in my family.

Cole: And when you think about the four seasons you’ve been on the show, is there an episode that sticks out as your favorite?
Emily: Oh that’s a really tough question. I can’t really pick an episode that’s one of my favorites because –

Cole: It’s a really different experience in making it and watching it?
Emily: Yes, exactly. But I would say that some of my favorite scenes are the ones that I do with Patty [Wettig]. I think there’s a really special bond between us and I have so much respect for her as a woman, as well as my on-screen mom. I learn a lot from those days, and I think those are the days I look forward to the most: when I have a nice, solid scene with Patty and we can just sink our teeth into it. Those are the ones I value the most, looking back on it.

Cole: Justin and Rebecca always seem to be fighting! If you were a shrink, what would be your analysis of these two?
Emily: That’s a good question! You know, I would, first of all, tell Justin to chill out a little bit. He needs to relax. In a relationship, you have to grow and if something’s not working, you have to deal with it, but they just keep fighting and fighting! Dave [Annable] and I are trying to work on that at the moment. We’re trying to approach the scenes in a much more mature, much less aggressive manner. Even though, sometimes, they may be written that way, we’re trying to downplay that. I think that Justin and Rebecca’s relationship does need to grow at some point. Hopefully that comes across, as the season plays out.

Cole: So going along with that, how do you feel that Rebecca herself has grown over the years?
Emily: You know, it’s been really great to be on this show. When I was on Everwood, I was playing a teenager, but playing a woman is really special. And to be playing a complex woman is even more special because Rebecca’s a very complicated gal. And I think she’s grown in all of the ways that twentysomethings do. She’s really trying to figure out her life – what she wants in life, what she wants to do with it. And, you know, that’s something that I relate to as well.

Cole: What memorable reactions have you received from fans?
Emily: I have lots of funny ones! Lots of funny ones during the De-Walkering of Rebecca. Many “ewws!” and many “you tell the writers that’s gross!” But then, many people wanted to see Justin and Rebecca together. Those are probably the most memorable ones. This one’s not related to Brothers & Sisters, but I had one little, little girl come up to me and tell me “I really loved you in Star Wars.” That was one of my best fan moments. “No honey, that’s not me.” It was so sweet. I was actually with Dave and we were at the commissary here.

Cole: Oh my God, that’s amazing. And did you actually tell her that it wasn’t you?
Emily: I think I did.

Cole: So I have some questions about some of your other projects. How do you like working on horror movies? I know you were in The Ring 2 and recently did Carriers…

Emily: Yeah, yeah. It’s not a genre I specifically look to do, it just sort of happened that way. Carriers was much more a psychological thriller, post-apocalyptic. The Ring 2 was just a straight-up horror film. I love supernatural and vampire movies. But I actually have a fondness, specifically, for zombie movies. My boyfriend and I have been doing a marathon of all the zombie flicks. I’d kill to be in a really good zombie movie! Yeah, I don’t know, I think they’re incredibly entertaining. It’s not all I want to do, I want to do it all. But I guess in a way, I gravitate toward that stuff.

Cole: Tell us more about the project “Norman.” You co-starred with Dan Byrd from Cougar Town, right?
Emily: Yes. Dan Byrd’s amazing, a really fantastic actor. It was a great experience. It’s a really interesting, cute storyline. Hopefully something will happen with it because we had a really good time making it.

Cole: And lastly, what type of projects do you hope to get involved with in the future?
Emily: Hmmm. Like I said, I still want to do it all. The thing that I’m most drawn to is really strong female characters. I think that there isn’t enough of that out there. It’s really tough to read flimsy, silly, girl characters in a lot of scripts. Maybe at some point I will be able to write and direct my own projects. When I do read those strong characters, I love it, and that’s what I want to do. I also just want to be really, really excited and feel challenged by everything that I do.