Adriyan Rae on Elida’s Journey on ‘Vagrant Queen’ and the Collaborative Creative Process [Exclusive Interview]

Syfy is bringing another comic book series to life with Vagrant Queen, which follows the life of Elida, a young royal who receives some life-altering news that sets her off on a mission across the galaxy with a pair of companions.

Adriyan Rae, who plays Elida, took some time to speak with Tell-Tale TV about Vagrant Queen, Elida’s journey, doing her own stunts, and creative collaboration behind the Elida coming to the small screen.

“You find her falling out of the sky,” Rae said when asked where we would find Elida at the beginning of the series.

“She’s hanging out living her best life, and she finds out from an old friend that her mother’s alive,” she continued. “Then the proof comes, and she is destroyed. With her old friend (Isaac played by Tim Rozon), and this new ally that they have, Amae (played by Alex McGregor), the mechanic, they journey throughout the galaxy to finally find her mother.”

News of her mother’s fate certainly sets Elida off on an internal journey filled with questions, but Rae explained that Elida’s journey is the result of more than just this new knowledge.

“I think that the whole of Season 1 is Elida finding her voice, finding out who she is, what she really wants,” Rae said. “It’s not just a matter of finding out that her mother is alive that changes anything. It’s just a stimulus that starts this journey. That one thing that catapults her into this transformation.”

When asked about what drew her to the role of Elida, Rae revealed it was the culmination of the creative collaboration and the character.

“The pilot actually made me laugh,” Rae commented. “The fact that it is a comedy, drama, and action all in one role…in a dream role.”

“I resonated with the Elida so easily,” she continued. “Her thoughts, her emotions, how she felt. All those things just came to me so easily. So, I was really able to connect with her.”

Rae looked to the creative team, specifically creator and showrunner Jem Garrard’s knowledge of the universe and character, to inform her performance.

“To stay true [to the character], I tried to remain in the realm of the TV show Elida. I didn’t do much pulling from the actual comics because I trusted that whatever was supposed to be pulled [from the comics] was already done through Jem [Garrard] in her writing, and her being the bridge between those two worlds,” Rae said.

Rae also wanted to add a level of grounded reality to what Elida goes through on Vagrant Queen.

“But I did make sure that I was just, you know, as grounded as possible as real as possible feeling these actual feelings that this woman is going through,” she explained. “It’s an intense journey. It’s an intense feeling to think that your mother is dead, and then she’s alive.”

Beyond the emotional, Rae’s first leading role also allowed her to dive into the physicality behind Elida.

“I did all my own stunts other than one or two where it was like I had to jump from like 15 feet in the air or something like that, even though I wanted to,” Rae shared excitedly.

“[I] worked really hard to try and make it, so it looks believable and real and makes sure I was doing things correctly,” she explained. “But there were certain things that were modified for me.”

“If I couldn’t kick as strong with my left leg, it was like, make sure I didn’t right leg kicks and things like that, but I caught on quickly, which I’m grateful for. And they were very patient with me and taught me, you know, things that best worked for me and my body, and we were able to pull off some cool stuff.”

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Are you excited for Syfy’s latest series? Be sure to catch Adriyan Rae on Vagrant Queen when it debuts Friday, March 27, at 10/9c on Syfy.

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