The main plot of Orphan Black is, of course, Tatiana Maslany’s portrayal of the clones at the center of the series. Maslany has portrayed 10 different characters who have tangible dialogue and scenes in the series so far.
Among the characters played by Maslany are the lesbian scientist Cosima, the police officer Beth, the main character of the series, the British swindler Sarah, the mother of two children in the suburbs Alison, the crazy Helena who grew up in a clergy school in Ukraine, Rachel, the child of an upper class British family, the transgender driver Tony, young student Jennifer, German Katja and manicurist Krystal.
The drama is a co-creation of Graeme Manson and John Fawcett. The series, signed by Temple Street Productions, was acquired by BBC America in 2012 and aired its first season of ten episodes in 2013.
Because the drama was filmed and set in Canada, the producers were considering a Canadian actress for the lead. Originally intended for Ellen Page, the producers later opted for Tatiana Maslany. The first player selected for Orphan Black was Maslany, while the last player announced just before the broadcast was Evelyne Brochu, who played the character Delphine.
After BBC America bought the show, there were no major impositions on Manson and Fawcett; except one thing. Considering the brand of the channel, they wanted the main character Sarah to be British. This suited Manson and Fawcett, as Sarah could easily stand out from all the other clone characters.
The scenes Maslany plays against him are shot at least three times in total. Maslany first plays the characters on the stage one time against her stunt double in turn. The camera then performs the motion it just recorded against the blank background once, and then the special effects department places Maslany at two points.
Maslany’s double-acting stunt double, Kathryn Alexandre, whom she praised as “Truly incredible”, memorizes all of Maslany’s lines, wives and gestures. Selected by the producers specifically for their search for “actors rather than stunts”, Alexandre also reads with the actors who entered the trial during Orphan Black’s selection process.
Jordan Gavaris, who plays the character of Felix, is originally Canadian. But in the series, the character plays with a Brixton accent. For Gavaris’s success in applying this accent, Entertainment Weekly writer Dalton Ross said, “I don’t think your normal accent is real.” Maria Doyle Kennedy (Mrs. S.), who is really Irish, thought Gavaris was really British during her first table reading.
In the series, it is understood that the city where most of the characters live is Toronto; but nevertheless, that city is never officially called Toronto. The filmmakers explain this by saying, “We don’t want to say we’re in Canada and say we’re in America and we don’t want to drive the Canadians away.” The name of the Cosima character comes from the science historian Cosima Herter. Herter is the friend of the show’s creator Graeme Manson, and the show’s science advisor. Herter is obliged to correct the mistakes of the production team about the cloning process and to make sure that the science in the series is right.
