At New York Comic Con 2017, Freeform brought out the cast and crew of their newest series, Siren
Centered around the quiet coastal town of Bristol Cove the series follows Ryn (Eline Powell), a mermaid who finds herself lost in the quiet town. Marine biologists Ben (Alex Roe) and Maddie (Fola Evans-Akingbola) have taken it upon themselves to solve the mystery of what drove her out of her home.
I sat down with Siren stars Eline Powell and Fola Evans-Akingbola during a roundtable discussion at NYCC 2017 to talk about the audition process, the process of becoming a mermaid, and what viewers could expect from the relationship between Ryn and Maddie.
How was the audition process?
Powell – We both taped in London actually and it went from there.
Evans-Akingbola – I did a take in London and flew to LA to sort of work with Alex [Roe], who plays Ben, because we’re a couple in the show so we had to see our chemistry. We flew out to Vancouver once we got it. It was a fun process, but quite quick. It all happened quite speedily last year.
How was the process of training to be a mermaid?
Powell – It was heaven. It was wonderful. I’m so grateful. I will admit this freely. I’ve always been very fanatic about the water in France when I was little. I was never a competitive swimmer, but I’ve been very comfortable. When we did the free-diving courses and the mono-swimming it kind of felt very natural and really fun. We also got our scuba diving licenses on top of that.
Oh and on her exams [pointing to Evans-Akingbola]…
Evans-Akingbola – During my exam, I got to 30 foot deep into the ocean and this baby and mom seal came right up to me. I was looking at the instructor and he went like this [pointing with two figures] and I turned around cause I thought it was something scary. It was just a cute baby seal, it was amazing.
What can viewers expect from the relationship between Ryn and Maddie?
Powell – It’s definitely a journey that we go on with Ben and Maddie because they’re marine biologists and inevitably that will cause an intrigue. There is definitely a journey with ups and downs.
Evans-Akingbola – I think for us, as it would be if you were with a great white shark, you have to respect something with such power. And she’s not a great white shark, she’s a woman on land and a mermaid but, you know, she’s all sorts. There’s the respect there and also the intrigue.
