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INTERVIEW: Kylee Bush of NIGHTWING: PRODIGAL

Marvel has the movies; DC, the TV series, and now to tip the TV balance further in DC’s favor, we have Nightwing: Prodigal. A four-episode webseries based on a fan film by wrestling star Brady Roberts, Nightwing: Prodigal would be our first feature-length, live-action experience with the former Dick Grayson.

Today we talk to Kylee Bush who plays classic Batman villain Poison Ivy.

AP2HYC: What’s it like taking on such an iconic character?

It’s an awesome challenge, that’s for sure. I’ve always been a big fan of Poison Ivy as well, so it’s a lot different from creating a character from scratch where you have to align your vision for a character with a handful of people. Taking on a previously existing character holds the same responsibility, but with a much larger panel. While it can be daunting, it can also be helpful because you have all of this fantastic material and backstory to work with. It was a lot of fun!

AP2HYC: How do you think your version of Poison Ivy compares to previous takes on the character, e.g. Uma Thurman in Batman & Robin?

Well, without giving too much away, the series stays true to its origin and has a unique twist to the style that I think a lot of people will enjoy. As for Ivy specifically, I think she’s a lot darker in our series than in any other portrayal that’s been done. She has the seductive and fierce elements, but there’s also a darkness to her that she masks with her power.

AP2HYC: How did you first get involved with the project?

Brady posted the original trailer for the series that was shot in Calgary, Alberta into a community film board on Facebook that I was a member of, so that was my first introduction to the series. I was blown away by the trailer and messaged Brady on Facebook to let him know how impressed I was and to let him know of my interest in the series if they were to produce it in the area. We weren’t friends on Facebook at the time, so the message inevitably went into his junk folder (or he was just swamped with fan mail and couldn’t get to it, I suppose I’ll never know..) but within a month I saw an online posting of auditions for the series. I submitted my information and it all fell into place from there!

AP2HYC: Were you a superhero fan growing up?

Absolutely! I grew up in a very small town and watched a lot of movies as a kid. My brother and I would always sit patiently through whatever we were watching, completely glued to the TV and as soon as the credits would roll we would reenact the entire movie. Our German Shepard often took on the role of the villain as we both wanted to be the superhero every time. He was a good sport.

AP2HYC: What’s your favorite superhero movie?

I vividly remember watching X-Men at my aunt and uncles’ house when I was younger and having dreams for days after about being a part of the team, I definitely loved that movie. Batman & Robin was also my first introduction to Poison Ivy when I was a kid. I was highly partial to any hero or villain who had red hair for some reason…

AP2HYC: What do you think the best/worst superpower to have would be?

The worst superpower to have would hands down be the ability to read people’s minds. I think the element of the unknown are what make encounters so human and fun. I wouldn’t want to know what people were thinking about me 24/7, it would drive me crazy. I think the best superpower to have would either be the ability to fly or the ability to manipulate taste. Flying for obvious reasons, you could get to anywhere you wanted in a very short period of time and never have to pay for gas. Gas ain’t cheap. The ability to manipulate taste would be handy because you could eat incredibly healthy and reap all the benefits of that, while satisfying your craving for any food. Imagine how cheap it would be to eat a bowl of vegetables for dinner and manipulate it into tasting like a strawberry white chocolate cheesecake.

AP2HYC: Any questions you wish we’d asked you?

I’m not sure if you’ve already incorporated this into any of the other interviews, but perhaps a question about the release? We’re premiering the series at Vancouver Fan Expo during Easter weekend so that would be a great bit of information to include. I also wouldn’t mind adding my website and Twitter handle for anyone looking to stay in the loop with my current projects. www.kyleebush.com and @KyleeBush for Twitter. Thanks!

Nightwing: Prodigal is currently aiming for an April 2014 release. You can find out more about the series on their Facebook page, including set photos and updates on the release!

About the author

Robert Wallis

You can also read Rob's work at www.ofallthefilmblogs.blogspot.com.