Isabelle Lightwood brings a fierce awesomeness to the world of The Mortal Instruments, and with Shadowhunters premiering this Tuesday, January 12 on Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family), now is a perfect time to share our interview with the woman who brings her to life: actress Emeraude Toubia.
You can watch the interview below, and if the written word is more your thing, a transcript follows. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for updates when more interviews are posted – there are several more to come!
KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: Where do we find Isabelle as the series starts?
EMERAUDE TOUBIA: We find Isabelle being a bad-ass in heels, because that’s what she is, but Isabelle is so much more than that. She’s beautiful, she’s intelligent, she’s a fighter, she’s as much of a fighter as she is a lover… so, it shows how selfless she is. She is willing to risk her life to save her brother’s life, and at the beginning of the episode, you see Isabelle fighting; you see her strong, and that’s what she is, and that’s really nice, to be portraying such a strong character. And being Latina, it’s really nice to play a strong character like Isabelle.
Are there going to be any developments for Simon and Izzy (“Sizzy”) early in the show?
There is a definitely a spark. They met, and there’s something more than just a physical attraction. There’s something more within. It’s such a beautiful story that we’re not going to rush into it, and we’re going to take it step by step and make it beautiful, because that’s what it is. Isabelle knows that she can use her body for many things, and she knows when to use her body, and she knows when to talk about Shakespeare.
So it’s going to slowly grow. It’s not going to be fully there, but it’s going to slowly grow, and the fans are going to really like how the writers are making “Sizzy,” because it’s very important. It’s one of the favorite couples of the show.
What are Isabelle’s initial impressions of Clary?
It’s really funny, because usually when two girls meet, and someone tresspasses their territory, girls want to be mean to each other and they want to put the stop right there. But it’s really nice, because Isabelle embraces Clary… she plays dress-up with Clary, she lends her her skirts and her high heels, and she does her makeup… so it’s a really nice relationship. It’s a very friendly relationship. She’s there for Clary. She fights for Clary. She’s willing to risk everything for Clary, and it’s really nice to show girls out there that you can actually be friends with girls, and you don’t have to be mean girls or bully girls. You can actually be friends, and that’s really nice.
What excites you the most for fans to see when the show premieres?
Cassandra Clare did a great job with the book and with the storyline and with the characters, but we’re gonna go more in depth, and we’re going to go to places that the books didn’t go to. So, Isabelle is going to go through different tests of character. I can’t wait for the fans to see that. It’s never been seen before; it’s not in the books… so, they’re going to really, really like this Isabelle. It’s within the same line of the story book, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Shadowhunters premieres this Tuesday on Freeform, and you can find all of KSiteTV’s coverage related to the show – including more interviews, episodic photos, and all kinds of other cool stuff – here!
