What happens when a show about the undead turns into one of the most emotionally raw dramas of the year? At San Diego Comic-Con, Revival stars Melanie Scrofano and Romy Weltman peeled back the layers of Dana and Em Cypress, two sisters at the heart of the SYFY thriller, to reveal a process full of pain, playlists, and personal growth.
Weltman, who plays the enigmatic Em, kicked things off by revealing a surprisingly diverse playlist she made to tap into her character’s mindset. “There’s a really random mixture,” she said, noting everything from Celine Dion to Girl in Red to Lizzy McAlpine. One standout? “Family Line” by Conan Gray. “That was a really big song, since it’s all about family.” Another major influence was Kelsea Ballerini’s “Sorry Mom,” which helped Romy connect to the show’s complicated maternal dynamics. And for those explosive moments, a heavy track called “Gods” fueled the chaos of Episode 6. “That’s what I pictured was going on in Em’s head throughout.”
Creating playlists has become part of Romy’s process. “It can trigger so much emotion, in this case, anxiety,” she explained. “I always love making one for a character.” Collaborating with creators Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce, and getting introduced to composer Lydia Ainsworth, only deepened that emotional journey.
Of course, Em’s most shocking moment so far is her apparent healing power, something that saved her sister Dana’s life. But does that mean Dana gets a boost from the exchange? “Your guess might be as good as mine,” Romy teased. “But there are always consequences in life. For any action.” Melanie added with a smirk, “If it fixed everything, we wouldn’t have a show.” And Romy reminded everyone, “It does take something out of Em to do.”
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When asked whether she ever gets tired of playing rule-breakers, Scrofano, who is known for complex, headstrong leads like Wynonna Earp, made it clear, not even a little. “Nobody that follows rules is interesting,” she said. “I think rules are important, but I also think it’s important to know when they need to be broken… We made them up.” Despite her onscreen rebels, Scrofano admitted she’s more of a rule-follower in real life, but she’s fascinated by the contradictions. “Sometimes the rules were wrong, so why not break the stupid things we one time said we should do? Because times have changed.”
Those shifting times are central to Dana’s dynamic with her father, Sheriff Wayne Cypress. “Once you become a parent, you’re like, you get to stop parenting me now,” Melanie said. “I’m the captain now.” She described their relationship as one of clashing intentions rather than clear right and wrong. “It makes a lot of sense that Dana’s like, ‘Back off. Start trusting me.’”
That need for autonomy also ties into Dana’s decision to flee with her son Cooper early in the season. “She just wants to have a chance, much like Em, to show who she really is versus who everybody’s decided she is,” Melanie said. Both sisters, she emphasized, are fighting to redefine themselves.
The show’s intense emotional stakes also pushed the actresses to discover more about themselves. Romy said working on Revival helped her overcome doubts about her physical capability on set. “I’ve always been told, ‘You’re too short,’ or ‘Don’t do this, you’ll hurt yourself,’” she said. “But they gave me a lot of freedom and exposure to who I can be and what I can do, safely of course.”
Romy also channeled her protective instincts into Em’s more aggressive scenes. “I don’t like to be mean to people, but when people mess with my family, that’s when I take it personally,” she said. “That’s when I’m not happy.”
For Melanie, the emotional breakthrough came with embracing anger. “I actually really struggle with it,” she admitted. “I have a really long fuse, but when it goes off, you don’t want to be there.” To bring authenticity to Dana’s pain, Melanie had to dig deeper. “Anybody can yell, but if there’s no pain or reason behind it, then it’s just loud and annoying,” she said. “You have to not be afraid of standing up for yourself and not being afraid of your anger, because sometimes it’s the only way to get through.”
Together, Melanie and Romy painted a picture of two women, both in character and in real life, learning how to own their power. And in a show like Revival, where the rules of life and death are constantly shifting, that’s exactly the kind of energy that keeps audiences hooked.
Revival airs Thursdays at 10/9c on SYFY and stream the following week on Peacock.
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Christina is a SoCal native who enjoys spending her spare time catching up on all of her favorite television shows, especially those with badass female leads. Favorite shows include: Wynonna Earp, The 100, Quantico, The Shannara Chronicles, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and countless others.
