Q/A with Susanne Gschwendtner of ABC’s “The Quest”

I’ll be honest: The word “nerd” is so played out. You’re a “nerd” if you like video games. You’re a “nerd” if you like Tolkien. You’re a “nerd” if you like fantasty films or franchises.

Stop it.

Having the ability to shirk cynicism and just … go with a story that couldn’t (in this realm) be possible doesn’t make you nerdy — it makes you, creatively, a little more diverse … outside the box. Personally, I like the idea of stretching our boundaries, tearing through the limitations of our physical world and engaging with creatures and scenarios whose dimensions don’t intersect with our own. Is that so bad? C’mon. “Game of Thrones” does this and it’s pretty much the most kick-ass thing ever.

So when the trailers for ABC’s “The Quest” started showing up in my Facebook feed, I was instantly on it. It was (don’t hiss) a reality show that was part “The Amazing Race,” part “Lord of the Rings.” (They even had makeup/set artists from the LOTR films to style the actual castle in Vienna where the show takes place).

The premise is this: Everealm’s existence is being threatened by a dark force … and only one of the 12 contestants (called Paladins) can save it. The Paladins are a mixed lot (think men and women from a variety of American states: Illinois, Louisiana, Connecticut, and so on), and range from short and not particularly athletic, to tall and chiseled. The quests call upon different strengths, some intellectual, some physical. It levels the playing field a bit for the competitors.

Castle Saenctum and the props therein are all so amazing. Characters dressed in clothes that harken to an ambiguous bygone era stretch leather, hammer on anvils, peddle bread, and go about their daily lives dutifully in the background as the Paladins embark on their quests. There are a handful of key players, from a knight who trains the Paladins in the art of weaponry and war, to a queen who bares witness to the history of the kingdom itself. Lucky me, Queen Ralia XXIII (improved wonderfully by Austrian actress Susanne Gschwendtner) agreed to an interview in the hopes that ABC will pick the show up for another season.

Let this interview and subsequent letter serve as my official hat-tip at the idea of “The Quest: Season Two.” But for now, a chat with The Queen.

(Author’s note: Her accent is so gorgeous.)

So I just finished watching the showreels from your website … and it was kinda surprising (in a good way) to see that most of the footage from the highlights seems really gritty and dark. Are those the types of parts you’re typically offered, or the types you prefer?

Yes, the dark and gritty parts are the ones I prefer. I find it much more interesting to play complex characters but I am sure most actors feel the same way. The last play I did at the Edinburgh Fringe was called “The Flood”, a play by an English Theatre Company called BADAC. Badac Theatre’s work is political, extremely visceral, and focused on human rights issues. “The Flood” is a sight-specific, immersive theatre piece about WWI and the relationship between a field nurse and her fiancé, a soldier at the front. It’s a tragic love story which obviously ends badly. We performed this show in an old bunker, we use real liver and blood, it is noisy and smelly, the maximum capacity for the audience is about twenty people and the audience stands for the entire 55min of the play. It is an uncomfortable experience and deliberately so.

It’s surprising, because on “The Quest” you played a role in which people revered you as a highly esteemed woman of stature, but in your other work, there’s a real sense of of sadness going on.

I loved playing the Queen on The Quest. It was such an amazing opportunity to work with so many talented people on such a big set, but this is the other part of me.

Where are you from, and what was life like there?

I come from a small village in upper Austria. I grew up on a farm, the youngest of four children.

I googled-stalked you and found out you sing beautifully! Do you come from a family of artists or are you the oddball?

Apart from my mum who likes to sing and my auntie who used to act in an amateur theatre group, no one in my family is really artistic. We all play instruments but none of us do it professionally. I’m the oddball, you could say.

And why the migration toward acting?

I’ve always felt I had to get away, that Austria wasn’t the right place for me. Most of my friends went to study in Vienna but it just didn’t feel far enough away for me. So at the age of 18, after my A-levels, I left Austria  and went to live in France for a year. During that year I went to Poland to do a “Grotowski-workshop”, which really changed my whole life. I met the Polish actress and director Zofia Kalinska, who was like a mentor to me and the first person who encouraged me to become an actress. So in 2000, I moved to the UK and studied acting at East 15 Acting School, which put a lot of focus on Method Acting and “living in character.” I lived in London for seven years, which is also the time I started making music with my band “typo.” In 2008, me and my partner at the time, who was Israeli, moved to Israel where I lived for almost four years. There I continued making music and also focused on TV and film work. I’ve been based in Vienna since 2011, but I’m used to moving around for projects.

I take it most of your work has been produced overseas. Any plans to film something in the United States or do you prefer the European scene for your work?

I would love to work in the US! I just need the right project to come along, hint hint.

As well, how do you pronounce your last name? If I were to try, I’d say: “Shhhwent-ner.” How off am I?

My name is pronounced: “G-Shhhwent-ner” … but don’t worry, nobody can say it right.

(That’s a mistake I won’t make twice.)

Check out the trailer for “The Quest” and hunt it down on Hulu. On my honor, I promise it’s a romp the entire way through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyNKeDasNlQ