We Talk to Mary Borsellino of Monkeywench.net
Addictive interviews and behind-the-scenes scoop have turned us into regulars at her site.
by Sarah Jersild
Originally published: CW Online
We're addicted to Mary Borsellino's interviews with Supernatural actresses, writers and behind-the-scenes folks on Monkeywench.net. Whether she's getting writer Sera Gamble to spill on Sam's sex life – "My pitch for the concept of the sex scene was basically this: 'He totally slams her up against the wall'." – or the actress who played Missy Bender to talk about set decorations – "there were really cool things in the house, like a wind chime made out of Missy's mother's bones!" – she always gets the great quotes. Plus, we love how she talks to the folks who usually don't get a lot of attention – the storyboard artists, production assistants, comics writers.
Mary's a writer and post-grad student in Melbourne, Australia. She's been writing since she was 12, and has worked in film and TV production. Now she's writing mostly for herself – and we're happy to reap the benefit.
Mary originally started talking to the women of Supernatural because she thought women were losing out in the mythology of the show – "in the first season, the only three recurring females are Mary, Jess, and Meg: dead, dead, evil... and dead!" But she's changed her opinion about women on the show, Mary said. "I've come around from thinking that the show lacks for strong women -- just look at how many I've managed to talk to! That's not a lack. Doing the interviews has been really rewarding in that aspect, for me personally as a fan."
The show itself drew Mary in with the horror aspect – she's a big fan of movies such as the Ring and Jacob's Ladder – and kept her with the famous Winchester Family Dynamics. "I really do love the way the Winchester family interacts. I want to see them do that group therapy thing from that Simpsons episode, where everyone has the power to electrocute the rest of their family." We have to agree – that would be awesome!
We're equally intrigued by some of the other show concepts on her wish list: "In one of my interviews with her, Sera Gamble mentioned that they were going to play with alternate realities. That's something I groove on really hard in fiction, so I'm looking forward to that. And I miss John, so I'd love to seem him pop in and say howdy to his boys. Next season, I want a bodyswap. Sam in Dean's body, Dean in Sam's. I'm a woman of simple and very specific needs. [Down the road], I want to see some of the kids the brothers have saved reappear as adult hunters. They've touched a lot of young lives, and I think it would be in keeping with the show's theme of this as a legacy you hand down."
Mary is also a big comics fan, so the upcoming "Supernatural: Origins" title has piqued her interest. "I get into very silly arguments about whether John Winchester could beat up Batman -- I think that's an obvious 'yes', but some people put their money on the Bat." Sorry, Mary, we're going to have to disagree with your there – John's good, and has a trunk full of weapons, but Batman has the utility belt. But the two of them could probably swap dubious parenting advice between rounds.
What interviews can we expect in the future? "I'm really, really looking forward to talking to Katherine Isabelle (Ava), whom I'm hopefully doing an interview with after the end of the season. I'd like to track down Matthew Dow Smith, who's the artist on the upcoming Supernatural comic and who's proving very difficult to find. Munching on Eric Kripke's brains would be extremely fun as well, but I doubt I'll ever have the chance." Come on, Kripke, Mary should definitely have a shot at your brain – her questions are great and she definitely knows her stuff. Give her a chance!