Fargo -- “Loplop” -- Episode 208 (Airs Monday, November 30, 10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Ted Danson as Hank Larsson. Photo Credit: Michelle Fay/FX.

Fargo — “Loplop” — Episode 208. Pictured: Ted Danson as Hank Larsson. Photo Credit: Michelle Fay/FX.

GALO: Like most fans of the show, I wouldn’t want anything spoiled either because then I would be disappointed. Do you have any stories from the set about the violent sequences, or just in general?

EH: There were definitely some intense scenes that I got to be a part of. I think that’s when it became just such an honor to work with such veterans of the industry. Throughout the whole thing, even though we were all working really hard and wanted to make it look good, everyone just wanted to collaborate with me.

Jesse [Plemons] is from Texas, I think [we checked and Haine was right, he’s from Dallas!], and he was such a Southern gentleman. We would have these crazy scenes together and he would be doing all that he could both physically and mentally before every take, and he was willing to share all of his techniques with me. There was an instance where we had a big scene together [that was] coming up and we were [both] on lunch break, and I asked him what he does to get in the right mindset since my excitement was setting in and the car was waiting to take us. And he sat down with me and took time out of his break to go over a relaxation exercise with me, showing me what he does to get in the mindset for a really big scene.

Everybody was a helping hand and a friend. It was a full team effort, and we all were willing to pitch in to make it great. That’s one thing I want to carry with me to every project that I’ll take [on]. I want to spread the knowledge and learn more. It is all a big team presence in the end.

GALO: That’s definitely cool since there are so many big names in the cast this season, such as Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson and Patrick Wilson. What’s it like to be on set with these veterans?

EH: I got to have a scene with Ted. He was the nicest guy. Everyone was these monster talents, and I think somehow it came together because everyone was so genuine and full of love and generosity. But I had this scene with Ted, we were sitting down in-between takes, and he would ask me wonderful questions that were personal, such as how I was doing. There was no ego at all.

I was obviously intimidated before I went in there, because you read through the cast list and you don’t know what you’re getting into. I’m just a girl from the suburbs. I’ve never done anything on that scale before! People were just like, “Hey, Emily!” It felt like summer camp. We were all just comrades. It was unbelievable to get to meet these people who had such experience in their careers and [to] try to absorb every second of it.

GALO: Fargo is one of those shows that works well as an anthology. While this season takes place in a different time and has a different set of characters, the aesthetic is very much the same. What did you notice that was done to help differentiate this season from the previous one?

EH: It is all brought back this year to 1979 in North and South Dakota. So I think that while it is approaching the ’80s when you look back, 1979 is the peak of the ’70s there. It is different from somewhere like California in that way. Not that I was alive [back] then, but there was this high time of the ’70s culture with feminism and the political changes.


Video courtesy of FX Networks.

All the aesthetics were so cool on set. I took some pictures while I was there; everything was just dripping in that era. Everyone involved in creating that atmosphere was so excellent. I’ve never seen anything like that before. If you fell down, hit your head and woke up, you would think you’re in the 1970s. It was so authentically done. Everyone in the cast and crew did extensive research on what it was like, and I think that’ll pay off.

GALO: It’s interesting because as a viewer you’re going back in time, but you still have so much that reminds you of the first season. That is definitely one of the appealing factors of this show.

EH: Yeah, they managed that. I personally think that Noah Hawley is kind of a genius. I know that he also did musical compositions and stuff, but being able to create a whole second season — after so much was going on in the first season — is just so genius. There is so much going on and so much plot this year. There is so much action and so many stories, [and to have that] come from someone’s brain like that — I don’t know how it’s possible.

GALO: It is definitely a tough task because you’re making this television show based on a revered movie from the Coen brothers. Noah Hawley has pulled it off so far, though.

EH: Yeah, I think if you’re fans of the first season or even the movie — just watching the first episode, I know people are gonna dig it.

GALO: When you watch the pilot episode of the first season, you have to get over your preconceptions of the movie. I think the series does a great job at separating the two. And so, I feel like getting past the first season will be easy, since they’ve already gotten past the original movie.

EH: I think the Coen brothers are so great with all the work they’ve done, and there’s a specific, niche genre that they’ve created with that movie. That black, dark, neo-noir comedy that people love so much — that I love so much — is definitely a huge feat. I guess they’re taking another swing at it and we’re going to get to see [it]. I can’t wait for people to see it. I can’t wait to see it myself!

GALO: Now, it seems that essentially you’ve booked every role that you’ve auditioned for, among which are parts on shows like The 100 and Supernatural. Do you feel like you’re on a lucky streak?

EH: I wouldn’t say it’s a lucky streak because I’ve missed out on some. This role, it was funny — I went for the audition in December 2014, and when I went in, it was just on tape. I got a dialect coach before, and I met casting people and had seen season one, so I knew how good this could be and how much I wanted to be a part of it. I gave my all in the audition, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been more prepared for an audition. I just was laser focused and had them laughing, so it felt good when I walked out. But then [I heard] nothing for a month. I didn’t hear a single thing.

We had a winter break, and [when] I came back, I still didn’t [hear] anything. I was like, “I guess I just didn’t get it.” I was just so sad because I [really] wanted it. But then, I get a call from my agent the first week we’re back from break. She was like, “Are you sitting down?” And I was like, “Why?!” And she told me that I had booked Fargo. And I don’t [remember] exactly what I did, but I think I screamed and ran around my apartment. I hung up with her and called my mom, who was in the car, and told her to pull over. I told her and we both screamed. It just started from there; it was totally surreal.

Emily Haine was seen purchasing her first bass on July 22. Photo Credit: Emily Haine/Facebook.

GALO: Outside of acting, I know you said you dabble in music. What are you doing for fun outside of this job?

EH: I’ve been very busy, which has been so great. I find that it is very important to be able to have something outside of your actual field, because you never know with acting — you’re [basically] hitting the pavement and hoping something will happen. In the last year, I’ve learned how to play the electric bass and was part of a band called Eric Campbell & The Dirt, and we recorded their second studio album together. We played shows around [Vancouver], and I had never picked up the bass before that, so it was a whole new challenge I went on. It was so much fun, and I have this whole new love and appreciation for music. It is so momentary and so immediately rewarding playing a song with a group of people. You fall into this trance. It is so giving. Now that I’ve been able to have that experience, I want to learn how to play the piano. I’ve already begun practicing scales. I think that’s gonna be a part of my life now and forever, which I’m so grateful for.


Video courtesy of EHSoftSkeletonVEVO.

I also took some design and art courses at a university designer art program. I was really computer illiterate and didn’t have Facebook for a while, which is kind of off the grid, and now I like to have the art that I keep on hand using online applications. I just want to hone in on all of these things that make me so happy as a person — just expressive art that has always been there for me. I was talking to my mom earlier, and she told me about how when I was three, I had this boyfriend that would give me a peck on the cheek. She said I would sit down for three hours with a crayon and draw these beautiful pictures, these love pictures for him. His mom said that she would keep them forever because they were just so well-done. I guess the visual arts have always been of huge importance to me, so I just want to keep getting better [at them] — be able to produce more.

GALO: I know you mentioned this before, but can you talk a little bit more about your passion for acting. Did it start off as a hobby?

EH: I wouldn’t call [acting] a hobby. It was a longtime dream for me. I always think of this quote that “it takes 20 years to become an actor.” When you first hear that, you are like, “Oh God! Does that mean I’m gonna be bad for 20 years?” I think it just means that there are so many subtle nuances to every person and every character that you just keep learning and never stop doing that in this field, and that’s what attracts me. You’re a constant student. I just love the challenge of it. I love the subtlety of it. I love the passion of it. After the [London] program, I continued my training here, and I’m still training now. I think I’ll be training forever because there is so much to learn. It’s such a giving thing. It’s the first thing in my heart, for sure.

GALO: Now, before I let you go, there’s one more thing we have yet to discuss: your Fargo character, Noreen. What is her role in the series? There seems to always be a ton of characters in this show, and they’re always weaving in and out.

EH: Noreen works in the butcher shop in Luverne, Minnesota alongside Jesse Plemons’ character. She’s a young girl at 17, so she’s still discovering a lot about life and what it means to be a young woman at this time. One of my favorite parts about her is that she walks to the beat of her own drum. She’s a peculiar little duckling and she speaks her mind. She isn’t afraid to get in the thick of things when it comes down to it. She’s a spunky little girl, and it was so much fun to get into that headspace. One of the executive producers, Kim Todd, was talking on break about my character to me. She was saying how her daughter was one of these girls who had a tarantula and loved her pet tarantula, but was extremely conflicted when she had to feed it a fly or another animal that you feed it. I think that would be something relatable to Noreen — a little bit odd, but also a little bit aware of what’s going on.


Video courtesy of FX Networks.

Catch an all-new “Fargo” Monday, November 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX. Want to know more about Emily Haine? Follow her on Twitter @EmHaine or visit her official website (www.emilyhaine.com).