“Revolution” is one of the most anticipated new shows of the fall season, and heading up the charge is sci-fi’s newest heroine – Tracy Spiridakos – one of AccessHollywood.com’s Fresh Faces of Fall TV.
Hailing from Canada (and spending a portion of her childhood in Greece), Tracy had just a few television credits to her name (“Being Human,” “Hellcats”) when she found out the team behind NBC’s new show (set 15 years after the power has gone out across the globe), were looking for their Charlie Matheson.
But, with a team like creator and executive producer Eric Kripke (“Supernatural”), fellow EP J.J. Abrams, and co-executive producer Jon Favreau starting NBC’s “Revolution,” the pilot script wasn’t one she could peruse leisurely at home. Lucky for Tracy, heading into their office to read the script led to face time with the big bosses.
“While I was reading it, Jon and Eric were there. I don’t know if they were auditioning for other roles or what they were doing, but they were there, so I got to meet them… just a brief five-minute meeting,” Tracy told Access during a break from filming in Wilmington, N.C.
It was, of course, a thrill to meet the bosses, but during that sit down, they informed her that playing Charlie, who embarks on a heroic quest after a militia kidnaps her younger, asthmatic sibling, wasn’t any ordinary acting gig. Rather than fret, Tracy found herself inspired.
“While we were there they kind of talked to me about the physicality involved in the show,” she said (the premiere episode features plenty of running and fighting). “When I get really excited, I talk too much, so I walked away and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ I got excited. I’m hanging out with these two guys. That’s a moment on its own for me.”
A successful audition led to a screen test and finally, Tracy got the call.
“It was crazy. I was with my roommate in LA. I was like… ‘I either get to find out today or I get to find out on Monday, so I need to distract myself.’ We were watching ‘Being Human,’ actually… and my phone rings,” Tracy recalled. “[It was] my agent… and they were like, ‘You got it.’ And I was like, ‘What!’ My phone cut out. I don’t know if it was my screaming or the connection, but either way, my phone cut out.”
Like the show’s set up itself, she lost power, but she got the gig. Her parents in Canada got “misty eyed,” at the news, and the family back in Greece was thrilled.
In the show’s premiere, Charlie begins a dangerous journey to find her uncle Miles (Billy Burke) — after the horse-backed militia group kidnaps her brother.
Knowing what was ahead of her – the running, the bows and arrows, fight scenes and stunts — Tracy jumped hamstring first into an amped up workout schedule.
“I honestly started actually working out… whereas before where I wasn’t,” she laughed.
There was talk at a television critics event over the summer that Tracy was some sort of kickboxing whiz, but she admitted to Access her athletic activity had grown irregular prior to signing onto the show.
“Yeah, I kickboxed, but I wasn’t going to the gym regularly and lifting weights and stuff,” she said “So, I started doing all that and building up my endurance, but we’re on set a lot, so we get to do it while we’re on the set, like I do a lot of running and stuff… On my days off, I started doing Krav Maga.”
With a very energetic season ahead of the actress in the world of “Revolution,” Tracy is focusing on being proactively healthy.
“[You have to start] just trying to take care of yourself in the best way that you can — getting as much sleep as you can, and eat protein, and make sure that you let your muscles rebuild,” she explained, noting she puts emphasis on rest.
Shooting in Wilmington has meant Tracy hasn’t been able to enjoy the benefits of being a rising star – like seeing the buildings, buses and billboards her face is plastered all over, as part of the “Revolution” promotion, but she’s enjoying focusing on the work and Charlie’s story.
“She goes through a lot of different stuff,” Tracy said. “The things that she ends up coming across… Everything is new to her, so she’s learning along the way and we get to see a lot of different layers in her come up… But [I] can’t go into details, unfortunately, which is too bad, but it’ll be cool to see.”
“Revolution” premieres Monday, September 17 at 10/9c on NBC.
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