More cast interviews: Magda Apanowicz and Esai Morales

Just a quick heads up: Magda Apanowicz did a Q & A with MSN TV (snippets below) and there are also two new interviews with Esai Morales online, one at About.com and the other at the Associated Press YouTube channel (embedded below).

MSN TV: Is the "Caprica" vision of the future one that you would want to live in?

Magda Apanowicz: I almost feel like we do live in a world like "Caprica." The fact that it's so close to home is why it appeals to me so much. You're making statements about what's going on right now. You take Facebook and Wii and add it together and that's what the virtual world in "Caprica" is. I like that in "Caprica" the virtual world is a new thing. The parents didn't have that growing up. And it's the same thing about the Internet and all the current technology. It didn't exist like it does now for our parents' generation. Kids aren't relating to their parents anymore and I just find that so honest. It's happening in real life and it's happening in "Caprica."

You shoot in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is your hometown. Do you like working at home or would you rather get out and shoot someplace new to you?

I always wanted to get a job and work in Los Angeles, but I've been doing this for like 10 years, and I can't seem to get any job outside of Vancouver. I do occasionally get outside of Vancouver, but it's like population 250 and still in British Columbia. But you realize you have a lot of luxury by working where you live. You get to go home. You get to go see your friends. When you're stressed or sad or have a bad day at work you have your lifelines there.

Does that mean that you're the tour guide for the rest of the cast who aren't Vancouver natives?

I try to show them things, but I'm not really a party animal so I don't really go out. I'm such a homebody.

Is that what the cast is looking to do, party?

[Laughs.] No, they're very mellow people. I just feel like I'm such a bad guide. I don't give enough of a credit to my city. I love to just sit home and eat popcorn and watch movies.

While you don't have to be a fan of "Battlestar Galactica" to enjoy "Caprica," did you feel that, as an actor on the series, you needed to be informed about all the "BSG" stuff before you started working on it?

I think the only thing about watching "BSG" is that I get the simple satisfaction of knowing little things. "Oh, this is cool," because it ties into the future. I wanted to make it a really strong point to not watch "Battlestar Galactica" before starting "Caprica" because I was afraid it was going to give me a lot of pressure and preconceived notions of what it was going to be like. We just kind of went in and threw ourselves into this world for a month and a half. We did the pilot, and, once that was in the can, we ended up having this bunch of time off where I went and saw "Battlestar Galactica" and was blown away. It was so amazing. I was really glad that I didn't watch it before I filmed it because, really, it's two different stories. -- Keep reading

The headline on a recent interview you did is "Give Caprica a Chance," which almost sounds like a plea. Is Caprica in trouble yet?

No, that's just me predicting that some folks won't get into it right away. Like some of my family members going, "Wait, what's the virtual thing?" There's some segments of our society that are not as technologically proficient, and if you stick with the show it will stick with you. That's been my mantra.

We have emotional storylines that are not just technical, and we have technical for those that are savvy. How should I say, I was being cynical in the sense that I prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

You've been in a few projects that weren't given a chance.

Right, well, that's partly the reason. Not only shows I've been involved with, but so many great shows out there come and go, and executives without knowledge of the history take away some of the best shows on TV without knowledge of where they're going.

I'm just trying to say that, before you think this show is one thing, stick with it and you may find it's a whole other thing.

What made you most want to play Joseph Adama?

I think Joe Adama is the ultimate everyman. He's a great character for me, he's well-rounded, and he's trying to be a good man in a corrupt world, which is where I think a lot of us find ourselves. You got to admit, we're the benefactors of a system that impoverishes people around the world. So even though I'm grateful to be in the greatest nation on earth, we all have to look at the part we're playing.

Caprica is pressing the "ethnicity" button a lot harder than we're used to seeing in a sci-fi series. How did you react to that?

Thank god! Or, thank the gods. The reality is, television always avoids this, and here's a show that actually confronts it and is rather frank about it. It's not specific, so it's not about Latinos or Asians or Blacks or Jews, it's about, "What planet are you from?" [laughs] You know what I mean? Which we could say in this world, because we do. What culture are you from? What kind of values are endemic to you? -- Keep reading