The Wynonna Earp Season 4 finale is a pretty perfect episode of television. It closed a chapter for a lot of our beloved characters and it might be one of the most emotional hours the show has ever given us.
So, to celebrate the Season 4 finale, Melanie Scrofano sat down with us to chat about everything — like how emotional it was to film those Wynonna and Doc scenes, what she's learned from Dominique Provost-Chalkley over the years, her amazing and hilarious reunion with Charlotte Sullivan, and much more. Here's everything we learned:
Okay, first, we have to talk about the scene when Doc says goodbye and Wynonna doesn't go with him, because I was sobbing. What was it like filming that heartbreaking moment with Tim Rozon?
I was bawling. I have to tell you it was nuts. First of all, before you shoot the scene, you shoot a blocking and then you do the rehearsal, and I forbid Tim to speak to me. I was like, "Don't say the words." I already could feel the tears coming and I was like, "If you talk, I'm done and I can't do the scene." So, Tim mimed the whole scene and we just blocked it without words. We couldn't talk, especially me. Then, we shot it, and we were so connected. It felt so full circle. It was so well written.
Then, the car that he's supposed to drive away in wouldn't start. The universe was telling us something, I swear. It was like the world didn't want us to shoot that scene. It was windy too. The wind was blowing things over. Our microphones were super muffled because of the wind. You couldn't hear anything. The car wouldn't start. It just felt like the universe was saying, "Doc, don't go." It was like the world was saying it because Wynonna couldn't say it right then and there.
The scene between Wynonna and Waverly in the barn where Waverly pushes Wynonna to go after Doc is one of my favorites. How was it filming that scene with Dominique Provost-Chalkley?
I'm gonna start crying talking about it. I remember we were rehearsing, it was fine. Then, all of a sudden, we shot it, and there's a moment when Waverly gets down and is kind of on her knees in front of Wynonna, and Dom just burst into tears. Then, I was sobbing. Luckily, it was her coverage because I was a mess. Then, we cut, and she was like, "Mel, it just all washed over me. Like, the scene where we hug in Season 1 when you first come home. I was remembering it all." It all came rushing back to Dom in that moment and watching it rush over her was such a gift for me because I knew exactly how she felt. We've been through so much and it was so special to know that this journey meant something to her.
BuzzFeed: I feel like this is a scene where reading it on the page is one thing, but acting it is another.
Totally! Unlike the scene with Tim, Dom and I actually spoke during rehearsal. We just rehearsed it normally and it was fine, but then [there is] something about when the cameras are rolling and we're actually in it. I don't think we realized the impact it would have until we were filming it.
Charlotte Sullivan showing up in this episode was an absolute gift. How was it finally having her guest star?
Dude, Nora, I've been waiting to work with Charlotte Sullivan again for years. I lost my shit. I adore this woman. She is my favorite actor and I aspire to be half the person she is. So we have been trying to get her since Season 1 and just for a variety of reasons it wasn't working out. Then, all of sudden, I read this script, I loved the comedy with the wedding dress maker and was like, "Don't know who that's gonna be, but great," and then Charlotte shows up. She made that character so good. In the rehearsal, Tim and I were just in awe. We were like, "What is happening?" I was like, "Charlotte, how did you even think to play it that way?" And she was like, "I didn't know any other way to play it." I just remember thinking, "That's your instinct?! This is why you're my idol!" So, it's safe to say, for so many reasons, this episode will go down as my favorite. I think it has to.
BuzzFeed: Were you able to keep a straight face while filming with Charlotte?
No. Nora, no. There's one scene where I saw myself laugh. I had to do ADR [re-record dialogue] for it and there clearly was no take where I wasn't laughing. Like, they used the best one and you can still kind of see me starting to laugh in it. Also, what made it worse, is Charlotte didn't laugh once. She was so in it.
BuzzFeed: I'm truly impressed she kept a straight face while doing that voice and singing, because I would've lost it.
In real life, Charlotte is such a giggler too. Like, on a normal day, she'll be sitting here and start giggling, that's what she does. So, I don't know how we did that with her keeping a straight face and me laughing hysterically. I thought, "Oh, we're doing this. We're gonna crack together, right?" Nope.
BuzzFeed: And I'm assuming Tim was just watching your laughing fit just escalate take after take.
Tim knew our relationship too. So, he was witnessing Charlotte and I's reunion and that's a lot, A LOT, to take in. In general, he's really good about not breaking, whereas I'm just gone. I'll need like 10 minutes to pull it together once the laughing starts.
BuzzFeed: It must've been so special to have one of your good friends come and just play on your show.
And on what could possibly be the last episode too. I think I actually really needed her there. Peter Stebbings, her husband, had directed a couple of episodes during Season 1. So, she came to Calgary once and we got to hang out, but to have her on set, especially during such a hard time, because I was like, "This really could be the end this time." So, just to have her there to lift my spirts and remind me that the world goes on and that I have people in the real world by my side was huge.
At the end of the Season 4 finale, Wynonna and Doc make the decision to go see Alice. How was it not only reading that in the script, but filming it with Tim?
I was a mess, as I'm sure you can assume. I remember being a mess at the readthrough and then being like, "I hope I can do it on the day." You put this pressure on yourself, like, "This is so good. I don't want to be the weak link." I was really nervous and I wish I could've felt more relaxed with it and given myself over to it more. I felt so scared of letting down the characters, letting down Emily [Andras, the show's creator], letting down Paolo Barzman, who was our director, and letting down Tim. It's one of my favorite scenes, but I was so stressed and in my head.
BuzzFeed: Have there been other scenes like that where you've put a lot of pressure on yourself?
Almost everything with Doc. I always put a lot of pressure on myself because they tend to be very emotional scenes with Tim. Also, the one with Waverly in the yard after the intervention. Those scenes are all so important and I can't rely on comedy. Like, a lot of times I can deflect with a joke, but those scenes don't have that. So, I'm always trying to dig deep and not miss the mark with those scene because they are so important and emotional.
The finale comes after some intense episodes with Jolene and dark Waverly. How was it filming that storyline?
I really liked the way that it was written. Jolene was obviously doing everything for nefarious reasons, but it was interesting that she kind of had Wynonna's back in a way, you know? Like she kind of made Waverly understand that Wynonna hasn't had it easy. She really drove home for Waverly that she might've had it a bit easier than Wynonna did. I was really grateful to the writers for writing that on behalf of Wynonna. Within the story, everybody loves Waverly so much and she's so beloved, and I always felt for Wynonna. It's hard for her. She doesn't have the gifts that Waverly has, but she has a lot to offer and she just does it differently. Jolene really points to that and I thought it was really well written.
BuzzFeed: Watching Dom transform into dark Waverly must've been wild to see as well.
It really was. It was really fun to watch her play such a different version of Waverly. The way she played it, there was this stoicness to her. I don't know how Dom did it, but she even gave off this feeling that she wants Wynonna to pull her out. She kept Waverly in there somehow. I don't know how she played that, but it was so beautiful.
Dom has this gift where every time I rewatch any scene with us in it, I'm studying her. Like, sometimes when actors see another actor crying or being super emotional, it's almost like the other actor wants to do that too or should do that too, but Dom is so generous in this way of just letting other people have their moment and being present for them. She's always there. She did it with the "I'm all in" scene in Season 2 especially. Like, when you watch it, she's just there and she's not complicating anything. She's just there for you. She's so brilliant and she has that same energy while playing dark Waverly.
Do you have some favorite behind-the-scenes memories from filming Waverly and Nicole's wedding?
Every day was a gift, honestly. Walking Dom down the aisle and she was shaking. She was shaking because she couldn't believe this was happening. Then, watching Kat and Dom do Nicole and Waverly's vows was just a moment. We were shooting the wedding all day, so watching them go through it every time was really special. It was a magical day. Also, seeing Varun [Saranga] giving Jeremy's speech. There are all these moments from that wedding day that have become iconic to me, and I hope fans feels the same.
It felt like a real wedding. We were all emotional. Varun said this actually, but it felt very celebratory. It truly did. It felt like a celebration, not just for this couple, but for all of the cast and crew. Our crew dressed up for the wedding. They got their nice clothes out and they dressed up, which just goes to show how much everybody who works on this show loves it. The weather cooperated that day, it was absolutely gorgeous out. Again, the universe gave us a gift of a perfect day. It just felt so happy.
I also remember Martina [Ortiz-Luis], she was quite emotional. Taking on the song that meant so much to the fans was a lot, and she was a little nervous. She's literally a professional singer and has sung in front of thousands of people, but this made her nervous. It meant a lot to her and that made the scene really beautiful to be a part of. She was offering a side of Valdez that she has never shared before and it was just magic. Magic everywhere.
And finally, in the past, it hasn't always been certain that Wynonna Earp would return for another season, but did filming this episode feel different? Did it feel like filming a potential series finale?
We always feel that way. Every season there has been the voice in the back of my head being like, "This could be it," because you just never know. I don't care what show it is, you always have to treat it like the last episode of a season could be the last. But this did feel different and it was a perfect episode, in my opinion. While filming, I was very conscious to say goodbye in case this is really it.