Heroes: Dana Davis has skills

CraveOnline: What does bringing this new family onto the show add to Heroes family dynamics?

Dana Davis: I think that Heroes really is about family. I mean, sure it’s this surreal story and it’s about people with powers but the story behind that story is a story of family. We saw it all through Season One. Then in Season Two with Monica joining the cast, it’s like this girl who dropped out of college after her mother died to take care of her family, to work this job. It’s really just like the central point in Heroes is that it’s really important. I just think it’s beautiful what Heroes does because sometimes on TV they give this image of the perfect little family with the white picket fence and the mom and the dad and everything’s so great.    Well, Heroes shows you more of a reality, just like with the first season. I was so happy to see a little bi-racial kid with a white mother because that’s reality. I mean, that is so real and I think that it’s real that grandparents are raising their grandchildren, our sisters are having to raise little brothers. I mean, reality, it’s not so sad. We can show something that’s real and not make people upset so.

CraveOnline: How much training have you done for all the various skills Monica can mimic?

Dana Davis: Oh my God. You know, I was kind of thrown into it, just like I showed up for work. And they were like, "Guess what Dana, we’re doing this." And so it was really hard on me because I came from it out of shape. I mean, I’m an actor, you know? And I don’t even work out. My idea of working out is going upstairs in my apartment. So I had to do a lot of physical things right away, like the double-dutching and doing a lot of the karate. I spent a lot of my weeks really, really sore at first, so sort of have gotten into it now and I have a stunt double who works with me. We’re starting to work out, and they’re starting with some karate training. So at first I was just like blindly, just like here you go. But now it’s gotten a little bit easier and the preparation is a little bit more.

CraveOnline: Right, you look like you've let yourself go.

Dana Davis: No, looks can be deceiving. So I’m not in good shape.

CraveOnline: Did you know what your power would be when you signed up for the show?

Dana Davis: I did. I came into it knowing what my power was, yeah.

CraveOnline: Were you a fan of Star Trek and excited to have Uhura as your grandmother?

Dana Davis: Wow, I hate to admit this. I’d like to keep my game face on but when I found out that Nichelle was joining the cast, one of the producers told me. He was like, "Guess who’s playing Nana? Nichelle Nichols." I was like, "Shut up." And I remember I punched him. I was like, "Shut up." I was so excited and I called my manager. They were like, "No way." Everyone was so excited. My mom was more excited that I was working with Nichelle than that I was on Heroes. She was like, "Will you please tell Nichelle that I said hi?" And I’m like mom, "I can’t just say hey guess what, my mom said hi." But it was so cool. It was surreal. She has so much grace and beauty, and I always joke that I’m totally upstaged by her because we’ll like walk into a room and people will be like, "Nichelle!" And it’s like, "Hi, I’m here, guys." But it’s great. It’s a real treat. I’m a big fan and I don’t get star struck that often so it’s cool to be in her presence even. I always say I’m jealous of Monica because if I could pick a grandma, it would be Nichelle.

CraveOnline: If you had Monica's power, what skill would you want to copy?

Dana Davis: I would want to join the NBA. I’ve always wanted to slam dunk and I’ve always wanted to impress the boys in my family and stuff like that. So I got a little nephew, too, and he loves NBA. I’m fascinated with their athletic ability, so I’d definitely get that.

CraveOnline: You can sing in real life. Will they take advantage of that with Monica?

Dana Davis: They’re talking about it. You never know. Yeah, they are talking about it so we’ll see.

CraveOnline: Do you have any time to do music with all your training for Heroes?

Dana Davis: I am really, really busy with the show and I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to anything else. It’s funny because before I joined the cast of Heroes I was an insomniac. I have suffered from insomnia for like so long. Now that I’m on the show seriously I sleep like a baby. I’m so tired all the time. I haven’t been able to devote any time to music. It’s unfortunate but hopefully I’ll get back to it.

CraveOnline: Could you take anything from your character on The Nine to help you play Monica?

Dana Davis:  Well, you know, Felicia and Monica are so different. Felicia was just like so burdened and depressed, and stressed out. Monica is a lot of fun. She’s got this really upbeat, funny personality and I’m really enjoying playing her. It’s a really big contrast from Felicia and Monica.

CraveOnline: Are you shooting three episodes at a time with Heroes' schedule?

Dana Davis: When I first came into the show, I started on Episode 4 on like a Tuesday. And then Wednesday I was on Episode 5. Thursday I was back on Episode 4. It was crazy. I’d never done that before and really it’s very, very stressful for the actor. But you kind of get used to it. Like right now we’re on Episode 11 and I’ve gotten used to it. At first it was really hard, but now I kind of enjoy it. It’s fun. There’s never a dull moment on the set.

CraveOnline: If Monica met Peter, could she use all his powers?

Dana Davis: You know how Heroes’ powers have a way of evolving throughout the season. So right now my power is that whatever I see I can do, a physical ability. It’s limited to physical ability. I think they already have that element with Peter and with Sylar, the supernatural who can do everything. I think they wanted to capitalize on the amazing abilities of human beings. I mean, you can just watch the Olympics. Human beings are so amazing and I think they wanted to bring that element in a supernatural way to Heroes with Monica.

CraveOnline: Since Monica can fight, could we expect her to throw down with any other characters?

Dana Davis: Monica gets pretty tough. As far as will she be with any other heroes in some cool fights, we can only hope. I really can’t say right now but I can say that you will see a lot of her fighting. It gets pretty exciting, so I can say that.

CraveOnline: Has it been emotional playing a survivor of Hurrican Katrina?

Dana Davis: I’ll have to say in the beginning it was because when I did my research and I watched some of the documentaries about Katrina. I’m the kind of person that if I see someone else crying, I cry too. I take on that emotion. So sometimes I run from it and when I got this part, I couldn’t run from it anymore. I watched a lot of the documentaries and it made it real to me. Heroes is so surreal and it’s fun, bringing in this element of reality was hard for me at first. So I just kind of keep that with me. I find a way to put it in a box so I can play this upbeat, fun character, but I think it makes the character more real.

CraveOnline: Yeah, Monica isn't as emotional about her powers as some of the others.

Dana Davis: Absolutely. I think in the beginning the producer sat down with me and they said just what you said. They said, "Dana, most of the heroes on the show are burdened by their powers and we want to bring back the excitement of like when Masi in the beginning was so 'yatta!' and so excited about his powers." They wanted to bring that back a little bit with Monica and so it is refreshing. It’s fun because I’ve done a lot of drama in my career and I’ve played a lot of burdened sad characters, so it’s fun for me to play Monica. If I had a superpower, I’d be the one who’d be like on the news, like, "Guess what everybody, I have a superpower." I would announce it to the world because it would be so awesome. I’m really excited to play somebody who is excited about it.

CraveOnline: Had you been following the show before you got the job?

Dana Davis: I was a loyal viewer, yes. I actually watched Heroes before anyone else. I got the pilot, because actors get huge stacks of pilots from our agents. I watched it over the summertime and I remember calling my friends and being like, "I have the newest hit comic." So they came over and we watched the DVD that I had and it was like a ritual. It was a like a Monday night ritual with Heroes. So it was just so surreal for me to join the cast, something I’m a huge fan of.

CraveOnline: How did you get into acting?

Dana Davis: What’s funny is my Mom took me to the theater for the first time when I was six years old and I was just amazed by it. I just said, "Hey Mom, can I do this too?" And so she signed me up for little theater classes and I remember my first audition for a play when I was seven years old was for The Thankful Elf. I remember all the little kids getting up, auditioning for The Thankful Elf and I’m sitting there like, "No, The Thankful Elf would not say it like that," and I just knew. I knew who the Thankful Elf was and so for my first audition I booked the lead as the Thankful Elf and so I’ve been acting ever since. I used to ask my Mom when I was ten years old, "Can we move to LA, please, please?" I would look in the Chicago Times because I’m from the Midwest and I would look for auditions and I’d be like, "Mom there’s an audition in Chicago, can you take me?" She’d be like, "No, you've got to wait. Wait." because we just didn’t have the financial resources for me to do that. And so I waited until I was 18, I went college hunting when I was 16. I was on a mission. Like I knew what I wanted to do when I was just a little girl so.

CraveOnline: What could you tell us about Prom Night?

Dana Davis: Well, Prom Night is just a slasher movie. It’s a teenage slasher movie set with the backdrop of like the most awesome prom Hollywood style you can imagine. I mean, there’s a slasher on the loose, there’s blood. It’s just fun. It’s just pure fun and I got a chance to see a rough cut and it turned out pretty good. I’m really proud of it, even though it is what it is but I had a lot of fun doing it.