Line #23 Trivia/OrphanBlack


1	* ActingForTwo:
2	** Creator/TatianaMaslany plays more than ten different clones (and a hallucinated scorpion). Made more impressive by scenes where the various clones are ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNfTJCwQ6ms physically interacting with each other.]]''
3	** A younger version of this trope applies when we see flashbacks to Rachel's childhood, before meeting [[spoiler:Charlotte, an 8 year old clone, both played by Cynthia Galant]].
4	** With [[spoiler:Project Castor, Ari Millen is this to the male clones. He plays seven different clones and some of them interact with each other]].
5	** Kathryn Alexandre, Tatiana's double, also plays the clones and helps provide Tatiana with the counterpart whenever the clones are interacting with each other. This goes even further; Kathryn also plays the Prolethean schoolteacher, Alexis, that Helena threatens when she is abusive to the children.
6	** Although pretty much a given (the entire series is built around scenes where two or more clones are conversing in the same shot!), the trope gets a ''bizarre'' spin in Season 3 with the introduction of [[spoiler:Helena's ImaginaryFriend, the talking scorpion "Pupok" -- who Maslany not only voices, but also provides the creature's assorted clicks and purrs, thanks to her teenage beat-boxing years.]]
7	* CaliforniaDoubling: Mostly averted as unnecessary since the show is ''set'' in Canada, but in the scenes with Cosima and Delphine at the University of Minnesota it's obvious that, despite the thick snow on the ground, they aren't actually in Minneapolis.
8	* TheCameo: {{Music/Peaches}} appears in 4.07 as the singer in the bar.
9	* TheCastShowOff: Creator/MariaDoyleKennedy gets a chance to show off her singing muscles in 3.09, with a song that she co-wrote with her husband, who was in the on-screen band. It's quite awesome.
10	* TheDanza:
11	** Andrew Gillies plays Andrew Peckham. [[spoiler: Subverted because it's an alias. The character's real name is Ethan Duncan.]]
12	** Kieran Kennedy, Creator/MariaDoyleKennedy's musician husband, plays a musician named Kieran who her character used to be in a band with, during the third-season trip to London.
13	* DevelopmentHell: The show premiered in 2013, but was conceptualized way back in 2002.
14	* DyeingForYourArt: The various costume changes and multiple shootings of the clones' interactions are no easy feat, but the cast and crew persist.
15	* FakeNationality:
16	** Creator/TatianaMaslany is Canadian, but she plays characters of [[FakeBrit British]], [[FakeAmerican American]], German, Ukrainian, and Finnish origin. She's also the face of French, Italian, and Austrian characters.
17	** Jordan Gavaris is Canadian but Felix is British.
18	** Melanie Nicholls-King is Canadian, but Amelia is South African.
19	* FanCommunityNickname: Clone Club. In some circles, especially devoted fans are "Clonesbians."
20	* IAmNotShazam:
21	** No, Creator/TatianaMaslany does not play "Orphan Black."
22	** The clones are not called "Orphans", either, but whoever wrote the network' first season episode descriptions didn't get the memo; they refer to the main clones as such.
23	* LyingCreator: The showrunners knowingly lie about the fate of [[spoiler: Helena]]. [[http://www.ew.com/article/2014/04/19/orphan-black-season-2-premiere-creators They're quite proud of it.]]
24	** Ari Millen qualifies as well. During a red-carpet appearance just a week or two before the Season 2 finale [[spoiler:and the reveal that Mark was a Project Castor clone]], an interviewer asked him if he'd be interested in playing a clone character. A deadpan Millen claimed it would be too much work for him. Kevin Hanchard (who was standing next to Millen) [[CannotKeepASecret cracked up on camera]]; the interviewer [[ComicallyMissingThePoint never caught on]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4dYF7psrEk See it here.]].
25	** They've also admitted to lying about [[spoiler:Delphine]]'s fate, although that was also somewhat pragmatic as they weren't sure they'd be able to get [[spoiler:Evelyne Brochu]] back. (Actor availability really wasn't a concern with [[spoiler:Helena]].)
26	* MethodActing:
27	** To help with getting into/staying in character for each distinctive clone, Maslany employs techniques including dance and music playlists that she associates with each character.
28	** The scene where [[spoiler: Helena gets tortured via water-boarding]]? Not faked. Creator/TatianaMaslany and her stunt double actually underwent that for the scene, albeit with medical professionals on standby.
29	* OnlySoManyCanadianActors: Many of the actors appear on lots of other Canadian shows.
30	* PlayingTheirOwnTwin: Tatiana Maslany playing all the (adult) Ledas made it possible to make the fact that [[spoiler:Sarah and Helena]] are twin sisters a plot twist.
31	* PlaysGreatEthnics: Tatiana "Tania" Maslany, is Romanian-Canadian. A sort of female counterpart to Creator/TonyShalhoub.
32	* PromotedFanboy:
33	** Patrick Adams (of Series/{{Suits}} fame) has stated that he loves ''Orphan Black'' [[spoiler:and Helena in particular]]. He has a guest spot in "To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings" [[spoiler:in which he gets to romance Helena very, very briefly, and later returns in the season three finale]].
34	** Ari Millen, who plays Mark Rollins [[spoiler: and the other Castor clones]], admitted to being a huge fan of the show when he auditioned. He expected getting a very minor role, but really wanted to join the cast and work with Creator/TatianaMaslany in any capacity.
35	* QueerCharacterQueerActor: Creator/JordanGavaris is gay like his character Felix.
36	* RealLifeRelative:
37	** Alison's adopted children, Oscar and Gemma, are played by siblings Drew and Millie Davis.
38	** Creator/MariaDoyleKennedy's real-life husband cameos as a rock guitarist in a pub late into Season 3.
39	** One of the show creators' parents cameoed during Alison's campaign in Season 3.
40	** Tom Cullen, who is dating Creator/TatianaMaslany, cameoed as a man alternately seduced and interrogated by Krystal in Season 5.
41	* RealLifeWritesThePlot:
42	** The reason Cal was PutOnABus at the beginning of Season 3 is due to Creator/MichielHuisman's commitment to ''Series/GameOfThrones''. Similarly, the reason Vic disappears after Season 2 is likely due to Creator/MichaelMando's commitment to ''Series/BetterCallSaul''.
43	** The reason [[spoiler:only Sarah goes to the island to rescue Cosima]] in Season 4 is because the crew were only allowed a very limited time to shoot on the location, and Creator/TatianaMaslany and her doubles' various costume changes would've taken ''a lot'' of prep time.
44	* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Creator/TheBBC in the UK showed the first two seasons only a short time after broadcast in the USA, but the third season was reduced to a weekend small-hours broadcast and a ten-episode season dump on iPlayer, with very little promotion, months after it had been broadcast in the US and all the serious fans had illegally downloaded it. They then left the fourth season to Netflix UK.
45	* SharedUniverse: With ''Film/GingerSnaps''. Both ''Series/OrphanBlack'' and the film series take place partially in fictional suburb Bailey Downs and were created by the same people. The rehab clinic Brigitte attends in the second film is the same clinic that Alison Hendrix attends. They also share some cast, Creator/TatianaMaslany and Eric Johnson among them.
46	** ''Film/AChristmasHorrorStory'' made again with several people in connection to either or both Ginger Snaps and Orphan Black, also takes place in Bailey Downs, and at one point in the script had direct references to Ginger Snaps and Orphan Black that were cut. It also features a ShoutOut to ''Darknet'', a series with some crew overlap to ACHS, Ginger Snaps and Orphan Black.
47	* TheSixties: Pop songs from the Sixties show up regularly.
48	** In [[Recap/OrphanBlackS01E02Instinct S01E02]], Sarah (disguised as Katja) infiltrates Katja's hotel to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBr4xCtgGxg this German cover]] of Music/NancySinatra's "Boots".
49	** In [[Recap/OrphanBlackS01E07PartsDevelopedInAnUnusualManner S01E07]], Sarah's and Helena's diner sitdown has Sonny and Cher's "I Got You, Babe" playing in the background.
50	** In [[Recap/OrphanBlackS02E06ToHoundNatureInHerWanderings S02E06]], during their roadtrip, Helena sings along (badly) to the Archies' "Sugar Sugar" playing on the car radio, to Sarah's (eventual) amusement.
51	** In [[Recap/OrphanBlackS03E01TheWeightOfThisCombination S03E01]] opened with Helena's baby-shower fantasy, scored to Stacey Y's Ukrainian-language cover of Music/TheBeachBoys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice."
52	** In [[Recap/OrphanBlackS03E09InsolventPhantomOfTomorrow S03E09]], Helena bounces around and lip-synchs (with a wooden mixing spoon) to the Turtles' "You Baby" while making soap in the Hendrix's garage.
53	* StarMakingRole:
54	** Almost nobody outside of Canada knew who Creator/TatianaMaslany was before the show began. Now, there are few actresses on TV who are getting more praise than she is, and one of few actors on TV, male or female, getting more love from critics than the show itself. It's saying something when critics are calling her the biggest AwardSnub of Emmy season (not just one of the biggest; ''the'' biggest) ''and'' that she managed to turn ''Orphan Black'' into [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff the most high-profile Canadian TV show in]] ''[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff years]]''. Escalated further when she won the Emmy for season 4.
55	** This is true for much of the rest of the cast, at least in Canada, many of whom were even more obscure than Maslany was. Internationally, however, the non-Maslany actors don't get even a tenth of the buzz she does. For example, Creator/MichaelMando's performance had so little impact on his global profile that once he joined ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' he instantly became associated with that show.
56	* TechnicalAdvisor: Dr. Cosima Herter worked on the show as a scientific consultant to ensure the technology featured was scientifically sound and theoretically plausible. Dr. Herter also discussed with the showrunners the ethical implications of such technology being created, which factored into how certain storylines were written. One of the main characters, [[ScienceHero Cosima Niehaus]], is based on and named after Dr. Herter.
57	* ThoseTwoActors: Creator/MariaDoyleKennedy (Siobhan Sadler) and James Frain (Ferdinand Chevalier) have previously worked together in ''Series/TheTudors''.
58	* TransCharacterCisActor: Tatiana Maslany, a cis woman, plays trans man Tony Sawicki. Justified as Tony is one of the many clone characters in the show who are all played by Maslany.
59	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
60	** Creator/ElliotPage was almost cast as the Leda clone sisters before the show creators ultimately decided to go with Maslany.
61	** Evelyne Brochu was in the running to play the Leda clone sisters before she was cast as Delphine.
62	** Krystal was supposed to be a RedShirt, but the show creators were so impressed with Maslany's performance of the character that they changed their minds.
63	* WriteWhoYouKnow:
64	** Alison is based on one of the show creators' sister.

Context Trivia / OrphanBlack