After earning a BFA in acting from York University, Canadian born Emily Coutts made her acting debut in the mystery/thriller “The Bright Side of the Moon.” She later appeared in the fantasy drama “Crimson Peak.” Her work in television includes “The L.A. Complex,” “Transporter: The Series,” “The Next Step,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” “Dark Matter” and “Murdoch Mysteries.” She also produced and appeared in “Barn Wedding.” In “Star Trek Discovery,” Coutts is Lieutenant Keyla Detmer, a Starfleet helm officer aboard the USS Discovery, complete tech-noir side head shave and cranial/ocular implants. In this one-on-one interview, Coutts reveals the challenges she faced in portraying a Star Fleet officer and her newfound passion for sci-fi.
What drew you to this exciting new sci-fi series?
Emily Coutts: The concept itself was exciting, so when I was offered the opportunity to read for it, I was so down to be a part of this legacy and the epic show. Everyone who was working on it was so fantastic, I just felt very excited and lucky to be part of the group.
Did you audition for the role? What was that like?
EC: I did. I’m a Toronto-based actor and the show shoots in Toronto, so I went through Canadian casting. It was like other auditions, where you hope your tape will be seen and the right people come across it. It was quite a few months after I auditioned that I heard I got the role. It’s because the show’s start date was delayed.
Emily Coutts (top right) with Starfleet Crew
What do you find most challenging about playing the role of Keyla?
EC: The language and just getting a grasp on the Star Trek world. I tried watching all the Star Trek shows and TV, but it seems to be endless. I wasn’t like a Trekkie growing up, so I sort of had to learn everything about this world because I wanted to give the fans something they felt was in line with where the story had come from. So basically just getting my head around all the elements of the show.
You’re pressing buttons, watching screens, and answering commands. How do you handle all the tech stuff?
EC: We had rehearsals with the consoles and the people who made them sort of explained what was going on. It was up to us to figure out how we wanted to work the consoles. So, yeah, that was an interesting learning curve as well. As far as the technical aspects, I did a lot of research on that myself. If there’s something I don’t know, I’ll ask the director or confirm with the writer.
Oyin Oladejo, Doug Jones, Jayne Brook, Emily Coutts photo by Russ Martin
Will Keyla have a love interest? If so, how will that progress?
EC: I have no info on that. I’m not sure what’s in store for her. There’s a lot that could happen. I’ll be curious to see what the writers come up with.
So immersing yourself in the role, how are you like Keyla and how are you different?
EC: Keyla has always had this goal of what she wants to accomplish, so she’s been very focused. That’s like me. I know what it’s like to fully commit to something. Keyla is part of Star Fleet and is really good at what she does. What happened to her on the Shenzhou, having to join a totally new crew under Captain Gabriel Lorca, who is different from what she was used to and the Star Fleet she was used to, so she was basically a fish out of water. We can all relate to that in some way. That was her biggest challenge because I wanted to make sure its depth was represented in her journey to the Discovery.
What did you initially think about the haircut and appliances you have to wear on your head?
EC: It sort of came about in the middle of episode 2. They decided Keyla was going to continue on and trying to figure out what happened to her. There was talk of a haircut and I didn’t know what to expect. My agent called and said they wanted to do a kind of headpiece and half shave, so I said let’s do it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of this show. It was a fun change and I like doing stuff like that. It instantly puts you in a place where you feel like Keyla.
How far ahead of time to you get the scripts?
EC: They try to get them to us in a good amount of time—a week, sometimes a few weeks.
Were you always a sci-fan?
EC: Now I’m a huge Trekkie. I totally got into the world and was taken by the whole thing. I started with the original series and went on to TNG. I just got wrapped up in these characters and I understood it. I had never watched it and my family was never into it, but my boyfriend is a huge Trekkie. He got me very excited about certain elements of the show. So I’m continuing to watch it. So yeah, I consider myself a sci-fi fan.
Oyin-Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ronnie Rowe, James Frain, Doug Jones, Mary Wiseman-photo by Jan Thijs
So what’s next for you? Looks like the mystery/drama “Goliath” is coming out soon.
EC: Yeah. And I’m creating a web series called “Beattie & Mae.” We’re in the midst of nailing down money through a Canadian grant. We’ll shoot that when I’m done with season 2. It’s a comedy where two sisters, Beattie & Mae get recruited by an intensely competitive door-to-door beauty company.
So where is Star Trek Discovery filmed?
EC: In Toronto. It’s really a very exciting city right now for filming.
