The April 24 episode of "Supernatural" sees the return of fan-favorite character Charlie, played by equally beloved geek icon Felicia Day. The Huffington Post recently talked to Day to find out what's in store for Charlie in the video game-centric "Pac Man Fever."
The episode, Day promises, will give us plenty of new insight into Charlie, as well as an explanation for "why she is the way she is." And, naturally, there will be plenty of gaming shout-outs and pop culture nods, as we've come to expect from the excellent Robbie Thompson, who penned the episode.
Read on for more from Day, including how she felt about exploring the Winchesters' new lair, how Dean (Jensen Ackles) attempts to train Charlie to be a hunter, which games she plays in her downtime and much more.
How does Charlie react to being in the awesome Men of Letters bunker? It must be like nerd heaven for her.
I think me personally -- and Charlie as a character -- walked into that room and was awestruck. It’s one of the biggest dream sets for anybody who’s a book nerd or a geek in general. It’s definitely a question of Charlie just being really proactive and being a part of Sam and Dean’s world in this instance and it is quite dazzling, that set.
We know that Dean tries to teach Charlie to be a hunter in this week's episode. What can you preview about their dynamic and the wisdom he imparts?
There are some amazing scenes in this episode with Charlie and Dean. There is a light-hearted element that Charlie tends to bring when she appears, but there’s a lot of depth to this episode as well. You definitely see him guiding Charlie and trying to make her a part of his world and a hunter and Charlie is always throwing a curve ball in all the things they do together, so it’s definitely a roller coaster situation.
The CW has released a preview clip that shows Charlie bringing a case to the boys and having done a lot of research herself, so it seems like she really wants to be involved in their world now ...
Yeah, I think the last time we saw Charlie, it was the second time she had an encounter with this world that she never asked to be a part of -- that she was accidentally encountering. And in this instance, I love the fact that she is proactively seeking out the guys because she has found something and she wants to be involved with them. I feel like there’s this connection and she wants to be a part of their world really badly because, in a sense, she finds a kinship with them that she hasn’t found with other people. I think all of them are outsiders and outside the real world in a way, and I love the fact that she is coming from a very proactive point of view in this episode.
It makes a change from the first time we saw her, when she was horrified by the whole experience and just wanted to go underground and never hear from them again.
Exactly. And even in the LARPing episode, that was not something that she was inviting -- she was still trying to avoid it. But now, she’s taken that one step extra that she does want to be a part of the world and thank goodness Dean actually, through circumstances, does allow her to sample it.
She seems fairly confident and on top of things in the previews we've seen, but does that confidence actually last when she's faced with the reality of being on a hunt, or is she going to freak out a little bit?
I think the interesting thing about this episode is that there are a lot of light-hearted, charming moments, especially between Charlie and Dean. But there’s a lot that’s deeper that’s revealed about Charlie in this episode. I think that you learn a lot about who she is and why she is the way she is through the story arc. Robbie Thompson, the writer, has written all the Charlie episodes to date and this one really goes to a place where the glib wit is still there but at her humanity comes through, and I think it’s just a beautiful script.
She hasn't had as much bonding time with Sam (Jared Padalecki) as she's had with Dean thus far. Is that going to change in this episode, or do circumstances conspire to keep Sam out of action?
I think it’s a situation where she is partnered with Dean because Sam has gone through so much lately, so Dean is the one who is sort of shepherding Charlie through the steps of hunterdom.
Has she had any further romantic developments since she lost her fairy hook-up?
I don’t think that there is a lot of that, but there are some very personal issues brought up in this episode that help you learn a lot more about Charlie and why she is the way she is.
What can you reveal about the video game world and Charlie and Dean's mission?
The video game world is amazing and it is part and parcel with a supernatural element, one that the guys have dealt with before, but maybe with a certain twist. It’s a really amazing environment and the great thing is that there are action elements of their video game, but there’s also an emotional storyline underneath that.
Speaking of games, what are some of your favorites, in terms of what you've been playing recently?
I’ve finished "Borderlands 2" recently and I actually played "Tomb Raider" and finished that right after I got home from shooting "Supernatural." So that was fun, because I think Charlie’s outfit has a lot of Lara Croft inspiration. I love playing Indie games. I’m a big Indie game fan so I was recently playing FTL and I download a lot of games on Steam because sometimes, you can only play a game for an hour and those shorter games are a little more satisfying and also sometimes they’re very artistic.
Despite how many female gamers there are, it still seems like there's far too much sexism in the video game industry and within gaming fandom (as demonstrated by the #1reasonwhy campaign and the harrssment against Anita Sarkeesian). Is that something you've had to deal with?
I’ve been woman who’s been in the gaming culture for many, many years now. There are a lot of issues that we could go deeper into, but I’d have to say at the end of the day to me, women being welcomed into gaming or feeling like they’re not excluded from gaming culture is very important to me and that’s why I always represent myself as a gamer first and who incidentally is a woman and I basically love the things I love and I don’t actually care if someone decides to litmus test me about my credibility or my sex.
"Supernatural" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
Are you glad to see Charlie back on "Supernatural"? Hit the comments to share your thoughts!
