Pop Culturalist Chats with Alison Thornton

If you’ve been watching BBC America’s new show, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, then you’ve seen up-and-coming actress Alison Thornton. On the show, Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) and Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood) have to solve a time-bending, mind-blowing, multi-faceted case involving the disappearance of Lydia Spring (Alison Thornton). One minor detail about Lydia: her soul has been swapped with the soul of a Corgi. Needless to say, Alison’s time on screen throughout the entire season has been fascinating to watch.

This young Canadian actress is no stranger to the small screen, either. Alison has also spent the past several years on Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and been a part of a few TV movies. Indeed, we’re fairly positive that because of the wide-range of roles and her poised and sweet demeanor, we’ll be seeing a lot more from her in the years to come!

Questions on Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

PC: For people not familiar with Dirk Gently, can you describe the show in five words?Alison: It will blow your mind.

PC: Douglas Adams wrote the books that Dirk Gently was adapted from. Once you learned you got the part, did you read the series to help prepare for the shoot?
Alison: I listened to the audiobooks to get a sense of Dirk Gently when I got the part. They’re so much fun! I love it when you think that a story is one thing, like a simple murder, and then it completely changes and goes back to the beginning of mankind and adds aliens. The series honors Douglas Adams’s quirkiness and surprising, awesome endings. I’m happy I listened to the audiobooks and brushed up on my Douglas Adams’ facts because there are a couple of Easter eggs in the show I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. I was also a fan of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy before I got the part so I knew who Douglas Adams was, and it was an honor to work on a show based on his work.

PC: Your character, Lydia Spring, gave you some opportunities to act a little outside of the box (i.e. acting like a dog). Was that something that drew you to the part?
Alison: To be honest, at first I was a bit hesitant. I was nervous about playing a dog on TV for everyone to see. I mean, I was thinking about reactions from people from my school and social media, of course. But then I realized I will probably never have a character like this again, and I just threw away the self-consciousness and went for it. I’m very glad I did because it was so strange and fun getting into character as a dog. I knew the only way for the character to work was if I just went completely full out. There is no holding back while being a dog. I did things like watching a lot of dog videos on YouTube and taking my dog to the park to observe how she interacts with the other dogs she meets. I spent a lot of time getting to know Bentley (the Corgi) on set and taking note of his behavior and reactions to certain things. I never thought I would play a character like that; it was such a great experience.

PC: What has been the most challenging thing with working on this series?
Alison: There are a lot of characters on the show with so many storylines and action sequences–which meant a lot of long days for everyone, especially the crew. Most of my scenes were night shoots during the beginning, and I was filming while being in high school during the first block. For a couple months, there were times when I would go to school, then go to set and work late, and then go to back school the next morning. With a series like Dirk Gently, though, the scripts and the final product is so incredible that it makes me proud to have done the work. I truly loved every minute of it.

PC: If you could swap characters with another actor on the show, which character would you want to be?
Alison: I would love to play Bart. She is such a badass, and everything she says makes me laugh. But she is also really vulnerable because she is so naïve about the world. I mean, she doesn’t know popular songs, and she’s never used shampoo. Fiona Dourif is absolutely brilliant in the role.

Questions on Career

PC: You are also on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. What has it been like to be a cast member on a show that has been on for a few seasons?
Alison: That show is pretty much what made me decide to pursue acting as a career. Before then, acting was just my hobby. Playing a character for that long is so special because it became a part of me. Zooey has been evolving the same way I have. She has come so far from season one and so have I. It’s great to see her more comfortable with herself and going through similar struggles as me socially and academically–those are things every teenager on the planet can relate to. I got the job when I was 13; now I’m 17. Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce defined my teenage years. It is also great to have that group of amazing women to look up to. For a young actress, it’s a dream to be able to pick their brains because they’re who I want to be when I grow up. A show run by women that is about women is so rare. I am truly spoiled.

PC: Of all the different projects you have worked on, what has been your favorite?
Alison: It’s impossible to say. Probably a tie between Dirk Gently and Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. Those shows are polar opposites. Dirk Gently is so action-packed and interconnected. The storyline is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The characters are all so out there and quirky, but they are somehow also relatable. Even though a lot of the characters are supernatural, they seem like real people that you could be friends with. I got to do stunts and physical acting on that set which I had never done before. On the other hand, Girlfriends’ Guide is a show about relationships. Its raw, and it hits close to home for a lot of people. The thing I love about Girlfriends’ Guide is it could be anyone’s real life. So many people are going through what the show is about. So I really can’t choose.

PC: If you weren’t acting, what career would you have instead?
Alison: I would either be a horse trainer, a dancer, a forensic psychologist or an astrophysicist. Maybe a writer too? I feel I would do something in the industry, actually, like directing or producing. I think NASA is really cool, though. I honestly have no idea. Something to do with movies, space, and horses.

PC: Is there someone you’d love to work with someday? Why?
Alison: There are so many people that I would love to work with. If I were to choose one person…it would probably be Quentin Tarantino. Two of my favorite movies are Django Unchained and Inglorious Bastards. The directing is really stylistic, and Tarantino always pulls out such great performances from his actors. He also wrote the scripts which is so impressive.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Favorite Book?
Pet Semetary by Stephen King

Favorite play or musical?
Hamilton or The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Guilty pleasure TV show/movie?
Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Dance Moms

Music people would be surprised to find in your music collection?
Anything from Alison Krauss and Dixie Chicks to Childish Gambino and Lil Wayne. Right now I’m obsessed with The Weeknd.

If you could have dinner with 5 people—alive or dead—who would they be?
Kevin Hart, Aristotle, Elton John, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Audrey Hepburn

Be sure to follow Alison on Twitter & Instagram!

Photo Credit: Liz Rosa