BREAKING

Interviews

Exclusive: Merritt Patterson Chats “Ravenswood” with CelebSecrets4U (@merrittpattrsn)

MERRITT PATTERSONIn order to prove to Luke that something otherworldly is happening, the gang decides to hold a séance in “Believe,” an all new episode of ABC Family’s original series “Ravenswood,” airing Tuesday, November 5th (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT).

Luke is resistant when Caleb and Remy try to convince him that Ravenswood is being plagued by the supernatural.  To convince him, they decide to try and contact the “other side.”  Olivia begins her own investigation into her father’s death, which turns much more sinister than she was expecting.  Remy grows more concerned about her mother, who recently returned from Afghanistan.  And while Miranda continues to yearn for a connection to her family, she begins to feel like someone, or something is watching her.

Meanwhile, everyone gathers for a somber event, and Collins and Miranda both offer Caleb a reason to stay in Ravenswood.

CelebSecrets4U recently spoke with Merritt Patterson, who plays Olivia Matheson in Ravenswood. In our interview, Merritt gave us the 4-1-1 on why YOU should be tuning in every Tuesday at 8PM!

JSYK: Merritt Patterson and Britne Oldford will be live tweeting the 11/5 episode using their handles @merrittpattrsn and @BritneOldford. Ask them your questions using #RavenswoodChat!

Q&A with Merritt plus stills from tonight’s new episode below… will YOU be tuning in?

 

What can we expect from your character in the first few episodes?

Merritt: “Olivia’s kind of in a different social bracket at the beginning of the show, which is why I think she’s a little bit more separate; but obviously, as the curse continues and they continue to find out more, she’s brought together with the other four.  She continues to do research on her father’s murder, and she also has a supernatural experience for herself coming up, which is pretty exciting; so I’m looking forward to both those events.”

Can fans expect the same twists and turns that Pretty Little Liars is famous for? Do you personally enjoy those elements?

Merritt: “Definitely, yes!  I think that’s what’s really great about our show and what’s similar to Pretty Little Liars — are the cliffhangers, twists and turns. So you can definitely expect lots of those; and I love that.  It keeps you on the edge of your seat and it keeps it interesting.  I’m excited, and I think people will respond well to that.”

Do you think the subtle sparks between Miranda and Caleb will put a strain on Hanna and Caleb’s relationship?

Merritt: “Yes, I think it will.  I think the fact that he is in a different town, that would put a strain on any relationship.  Miranda and Caleb are very similar.  Their characters are very similar, so they get along really well right off the bat, which could be taken wrong from someone else, especially in a different town.”

Will Hanna be visiting Ravenswood often?

Merritt: “She doesn’t during the beginning.  They definitely do keep in contact, it’s mainly over phone conversations, so she is in some of our episodes, but not in person; not yet.”

What is Olivia’s relationship like with her brother?

Merritt: “I think their relationship right now is strained.  I think the whole family is strained.  They’re going through a lot with the murder of their father, and her mom has been hiding out.  She’s obviously struggling, and I think Luke deals with it by being very angry.  I don’t think he knows how to deal with it; neither does Olivia, but she’s trying to pretend like everything’s okay.  I don’t know if it has fully hit her yet, but I think their relationship is very strained because of that.  She doesn’t understand Luke’s process and how he’s dealing with the events.  There’s some miscommunication there, but ultimately they’re twins. They’re family and they love each other and they’ll always have each other’s back.  I think it’s like any relationship with siblings.  I think it’s very up and down.”

Can you tease a bit about the dynamic of the character relationships with one another?

Merritt: “We all have stronger connections with different people.  Olivia and her brother have a strong connection; and then Luke has a strong connection with Remy, because they’re dating. It’s a bit rough right now with their parents, but they have that. Remy and Caleb kind of bond, you see in the first episode that they’re immediately drawn together because they both want to find out more information on this curse.  Then, obviously Caleb and Miranda have a connection, and they’re friends right off the bat.  It’s like we each have a stronger connection with someone else in it.  In the third episode, I build a stronger bond with Miranda, which was really exciting; I was happy for that.  There’s a bit of a riff between Caleb and Luke, because Luke is very protective over myself and Remy. I don’t think he knows Caleb yet, so he doesn’t really know what to think of him.  For the most part, we all get along, which is good, because we’re all going through this together.”

Why do you think the town of Ravenswood is treating Olivia so bad after her father’s murder?

Merritt: “The town of Ravenswood thinks that our mother killed our father, so the whole family is being ignored and hated. They think that our mom murdered our father and therefore we’re all connected to this murder. I think they’re just putting us out there on our own.  Nobody really trusts or respects our mom, and therefore the kids are being painted that way as well.”

What do you think it would take to get out from under the bad treatment from the town?

Merritt: “I think Luke and Olivia are trying to figure out who murdered their father, because it doesn’t seem like the cops or anyone in the town is. They’re really pushing to find out who did it, so they start to take things into their own hands and they find clues along the way.  Once the murderer is revealed, that will obviously help and make people realize.”

How does being ostracized affect her as a person?

Merritt: “She’s really floating right now.  She’s unsure, grasping for anything at this point because it’s all new. She’s constantly making new revelations, like “Oh, that’s what I used to love – it doesn’t mean so much to me now,” and “Oh, this person that I had so much in common with now feels so different”. So she’s constantly dealing with that.  The curse isn’t a good thing, but at least she has something with those five people that she can connect to.”

Is there anyone on the set of Ravenswood that you look up to as a mentor, or get along with really well?

Merritt: “We all get along really well, and I think we’re really lucky to have the cast that we have, especially the core five. Everyone’s done a lot and they’re well rounded in all different aspects of television and film.  Tyler obviously has been through this already with ABC Family and Pretty Little Liars, so he understands how the whole process works. That’s all new to me, so it’s good to have him and watch how he deals with it. Then, obviously Meg, who plays Mrs. Grunwald, has been in the industry for a while, and she’s really talented.  Having her around is really great, and hearing her stories and having her opinions. She’s a really great person to have if you have any questions or if you’re concerned about something, talking to her is really great.  She’s wonderful.  I actually have a scene with her that we just filmed and it is my first one-on-one scene with her. She’s so intense that she would throw me and I would lose my lines because she was just in my face. It was crazy and wonderful, she’s brilliant.”

Photos: Skip Bolen, Bob D’Amico for ABC Family

 

Author

  • Juliet Schroder

    Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and exploring the latest fashion trends. Juliet holds a B.S. in marketing from St. John's University.

Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and…

Related Posts