Fan Castle Sunday: Interview with Diana Jensen Cramer!

Greetings, Grasshoppers!

Welcome to another fun filled #FanCastleSunday! Today’s theme is what would you do in their shoes? As a bonus, I wrote a little High Castle what if!

In Their Shoes 

A short fanfic is the perfect tribute for today’s interview with @TheTrueDJC who loves to write fanfiction! 

It’s Interview Time!

@TheTrueDJC
Diana Jensen Cramer

Tell the world a little bit about yourself!

MitHC fan (obvs.), and beginning writer; also love photography and cooking!

What drew you to Amazon’s the Man in the High Castle?

The concept of an alternate history was intriguing (and a little frightening).  Then, too, I’d become a fan of Rufus Sewell – he’s really an amazing actor – and I wanted to see what he would do in this role.

At what point were you hooked? 

Is there a specific scene or episode where you realized that TMITHC was something special?
What really hooked me and realize how special the show was was the early scenes in the JPS, particularly the first scene with Juliana doing martial arts and then the scenes with Tagomi.  My husband spent some time in the Far East, and shared some of that aesthetic with me, and it struck me at how the show really seemed to capture the Japanese-ness in the characters and how it was influencing San Francisco.  Kind of like twisted Zen… 

Speaking of special, the TMITHC fandom is the best fandom I have ever been blessed to be a part of. The absolute kindness and friendliness I experience on Twitter keeps me coming back and is why I keep drawing and creating the things that I do! What is your favorite thing about being a part of this fandom?

The scope for knowledge and imagination!  And bouncing ideas back and forth about what our favorites are doing.
I can’t draw, but I do write fanfic, and figuring out the motivations of the characters, as well as navigating their world so similar-but-different  to our own past – it’s the best thing!

It has been so much fun talking to you throughout the years. You always have something insightful to say about the show. I always look forward to your comments. How has the show influenced you in “real life?” 

I’ve gotten to know interesting people through the fandom, and they are personal connections in a lot of cases, as well as “fangirling.” 
The show has actually inspired me to be more aware and active regarding the world around me.   The show itself is so clearly anti-fascist; anyone who doesn’t get that isn’t paying attention! But I also follow some of the actors and the production folks, and these are people passionate about society as well as their craft.  They inspire me to speak up!  

The creative minds behind TMITHC are talented artists who never cease to amaze me with the sets/scenery, soundtracks, and costumes. What is your favorite set?

Is it Smith’s two story house from S1 & S2? Is the Nippon building in San Francisco? Something in the Neutral Zone?
Any of the street scenes!  Those have always impressed me – again, that weird little mindfuck between the world we know through Life photographs, and the world that develops differently under fascism.
And Drew Boughton’s design of the  apartment in S3 is just amazing… 

How did you feel when they announced that Season 4 will be the final season?

Devastated!  

Name one thing you’d like to see happen in S4.

I’m a *total* sucker for John&Helen, so I would love for them to get together again, destroy the system that destroyed their son! 
Not saying that will happen, but that is my total pollyanna wish!

Let’s end this on a positive note–I mean, what are we all going to do when it’s over? 😉

I think we are all gonna be amazed… we’ll be catching our breath and maybe wiping away some tears.  But I think we will be grateful, and I think we will feel like even if it’s hard, there’s still hope for good to triumph in at least some small way.  

Favorites

Male Character
Oo, hard.  Fave character – Tagomi; Best actor/character – John Smith
Female Character
Helen.
Costume
Anything John is wearing, but more specifically, that SS uniform and leather coat…
Episode
Three Monkeys. The normalcy of it is chilling…
Storyline
Helen’s S3 realization that the Reich is not good for children and other living things.
Your official Club High Castle membership card, Diana!