Interview with Enuka Okuma

This interview with Enuka Okuma about "Rookie Blue" was made available to us by 13TH STREET. "Rookie Blue" season 4 airs on 13TH STREET since January 5, 2014.

While shooting season 4 of "Rookie Blue" Enuka Okuma talks about her character Traci Nash and her new tasks on the show since she is a detective now. In this interview you'll find out about the repercussions of the season 3 finale and what Enuka likes to do in her spare time.

Foto: Enuka Okuma, Rookie Blue - Copyright: 13TH STREET/Caitlin Cronenberg
Enuka Okuma, Rookie Blue
© 13TH STREET/Caitlin Cronenberg
Note: © 13TH STREET/myFanbase 2014 - The interview is exclusive to myFanbase and may not be published on other websites or the like. You may share the first 2 questions or up to 160 characters if you link back to this site. Translations other than English and German may be posted with full credit including the writer's name and link to this site.

Obviously the end of last season was very traumatic for you. How has she reacted in the six months since and how is she starting Season Four?

Yes it was a traumatic end to Season Three for Traci but I think things she’s well into the swing of things burying herself in her work because that’s kind of all she can think about. The show is largely about romance and relationships and Traci is working and only working and can only think about work.

How is the relationship with Gail going to be now because Jerry’s death definitely changes the relationship?

Yes when Charlotte and I read those scripts when that was happening last year and thought there’s going to be some tension in their relationship and how is that going to play out over the next season? But the writers wrote a beautiful scene of forgiveness, I think, when Traci visits Gail in the hospital in that tear-jerker episode, and I thought it was really lovely. They’re back on the job and they understood what happened and I think at the heart of it they’re friends. Even though Gail is a little difficult to be around, but they’re friends so Traci definitely didn’t want her to carry that.

What do you think about being a detective, do you miss the uniforms?

I don’t miss the uniform at all! But I do actually miss a bit of the camaraderie of the uniforms because my character is now a detective. It’s difficult because I’m adjusting, Sam Swarek is a detective this year- he and I are now working together since Jerry Barber is no longer with us. There are feelings of not being part of the group anymore and yet we are still working on the same crimes and outside of the office everybody is still best friends. There’s a little bit of that oh I’m the one who isn’t in blue anymore.

How did you find out about Jerry’s death, reading the script or did someone tell you?

No, we found out a few episodes before we shot it. But that script made me cry just reading it. Then we read it in the read-through before we shoot it and I cried again. It was very well written but we also knew that our cast member was leaving so all of us were upset because we were not going to have our buddy around anymore too. So that was hard, really hard, on everybody.

Do you have plans to direct an episode of "Rookie Blue"?

On "Rookie Blue"? You know, I never say never. Greg Smith did a really good job last year and he’s doing another one this year which is exciting. I definitely want to keep directing but I feel I’d like to try film. I did a short film and I figure I would like to go a little bigger. I write as well, I’m still writing, so hopefully I can do something on my own but "Rookie Blue"? I don’t know if I am ready for "Rookie Blue" yet. This is a big show with a big cast and a lot of pressure.

How was Greg and how different was that episode?

He was good. I’m assuming there were nerves in the beginning but you wouldn’t know it. It takes seven days to shoot an episode and you could see how as the week progressed he got much more comfortable. He had the language of an actor so he was able to get into our heads and be really, really helpful. Greg is a good photographer in his own right. He takes beautiful photographs and has done for years. He’s got tonnes of cameras so he has that photographic knowledge which I think really puts him in the perfect position. He knows the cast, he knows the crew, he’s knows how to act and he knows cameras. It was quite a natural progression for him. I think he did a fine job, a really, really good job.

Foto: Enuka Okuma, Rookie Blue - Copyright: 13TH STREET/Caitlin Cronenberg
Enuka Okuma, Rookie Blue
© 13TH STREET/Caitlin Cronenberg

Is that hard for you to do the same things? Playing your character and writing and making short films?

Well when I did the short film it was in between Season One and Season Two so I had time. But I do when I’m in my trailer, I’m writing. When I have down time I’m working on stuff for myself. I’ve done one short film but I’d really like to actually do a feature. The problem is I have far too many ideas swilling around in my head and I have to just focus and finish one of them. I couldn’t even begin to tell you because there’s too many.

How has your character influenced you?

She’s inspired me in the way that this character has just done for what she wants. She has a child and she is a single mom and she wanted to be a cop and she went through with it and she did it. Then she wanted to be a detective, she went through with it, and she did it. She’s very ambitious and gets what she wants which is great- I mean people are writing that for you, I wish people were writing for me in my own life and let me get what I want. In the same way in terms of people wanting to go after doing writing or directing myself once I was secure with this job I did that on my own in my off time. Those are parallels between my own and Traci’s life- going after what you want and hopefully achieving.

How has your life changed from doing "Rookie Blue"?

Because we shoot here for five, six months of the year I’ve been spending half my time here. But I live in LA and originally from Vancouver so it’s been nice to have half a year in my native of Canada. I love this country so it has been nice to be forced to come home. I’ve been doing a lot more writing since working on the show. Having writers around all the time and being able to talk to them and pick their brains about stuff has encouraged me- so that’s definitely different I would say.

Do you find any similarities or difference between you and your character?

I think there some similarities. Traci is a truth-teller, she’ll just say it like it is and that’s what my friends can count on with me; I’m very similar in that way. Also what I was talking about earlier about ambitions- she goes after what she wants. I always have but maybe a little bit more so now, taking a page out of Traci's book. That’s definitely similar. But she’s a mother and I am not yet so that’s a difference.

If didn’t play Traci, which character would you be?

Oh that’s a good question. I definitely think Gail is a lot of fun. Gail has that acid tongue. I often tell this story how at the very beginning of the show I auditioned for Gail and Charlotte auditioned for Traci. Both of us at home were like I want that part actually. Oddly enough we get to the audition and the producers said I think you should try reading for Traci and you should try reading for Gail and sure enough this is the way it’s supposed to turn out. I think Gail would be the most fun to kind of throw out there.

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