Ksenia Solo is definitely one of the rising, young actors in the industry to watch out for. With a string of guest star appearances on shows such as Moonlight, Cold Case, The Cleaner and Nikita along with her role as Zoey Jones on the popular series Renegadepress.com, Ksenia is definitely making things happen. Television isn’t her only avenue to express her art; she’s appeared in films such as The Republic of Love, The Factory and the critically acclaimed Black Swan. Her current series Lost Girl is heading into its fourth season and Ksenia sits down with TVWise to discuss what fans can expect, fashion, girl power and what the fans mean to the show.

TVWise: Do you think that Kenzi has always wanted to be Fae or right now she’s thinking it’s the only way she can help save her friends?

Ksenia Solo: I think she’s gotten to a point where she’s really desperate to be equal with everyone. The more danger that everyone has to face, the more she feels like she can’t contribute like everyone else. I don’t think she’s always wanted to be Fae, I think she’s always admired everyone around her for what they were and she’s always been fascinated to be friends with these creatures. It’s definitely gotten to a point where she’s desperate and will do whatever she can to be able to defend her friends and help them.

TVWise: I think what I like about series that have been on for a while is watching characters grow. How have you enjoyed the growth of your character over the first 3 seasons of the show?

Ksenia Solo: It’s been interesting for me because I feel like I’ve really become an adult while doing this show. I came in as the youngest cast member, most of the cast are married or have kids or already settled down in some sort of way and I always felt like the little kid on set. Now it’s been five years since we’ve did the pilot and I’ve come into my own and I feel that Kenzi has gone through the exact same process. It’s been interesting to have this kind of parallel similarity and I’ve been lucky to play a character that is such a chameleon and is so free and can really be anything that she wants to be. I haven’t been pigeon-holed into one type of character and because Kenzi gets to go undercover, do accents and go through an array of emotions and go from comedy to drama, sometimes in one episode, it’s been very educational as an actor. It’s made me very happy on a daily basis to be able to experience that.

TVWise: What makes Kenzi such an interesting character to watch on screen?

Ksenia Solo: I think people are attracted to Kenzi because they want her to be their best friend and I can’t blame them. If I had a best friend like Kenzi, I would definitely be the happiest girl in the world. In terms of any specifics, I can’t speak for other people who watch the show. I don’t know why they love her. She has great qualities that I could guess…again, going from the comedy to drama gives you the best of both worlds and I think she’s entertaining because of that. She’s not afraid and I think we all want to have more courage in our own lives and that’s a very attractive quality about her. I mean her humor, her sense of fashion; she is so full of life and never misses a beat. I think people’s dedication to her stems from them wanting her to be their friend.

TVWise: Another element that I relate to from Lost Girl is the sense of family. It may not be a “normal family”, but there is that family element there. Do you get that sense as well being on the show?

Ksenia Solo: Yea I do and it makes me happy that people refer to us as a family, because in our own twisted, often morbid weird way, we are a family. We aren’t blood related, but sometimes it isn’t about that. It’s about being loyal and willing to risk your life for the people that you love and care about. Everyone has such neat relationships and that’s always been my favourite thing about the show. All the little details of everyone’s story and what they go through and it’s a cool, beautiful circle of weird people and their love for each other.

TVWise: One of the great things about Lost Girl is the strong female characters, was that one of the reasons you took the role?

Ksenia Solo: Yes! Girl power is awesome and specifically the way it’s depicted on Lost Girl. That’s all thanks to our producer and creator Jay Firestone. We always joke that he’s the voice of women. He had a very successful show for many years called [La Femme] Nikita and that was also about a very strong female lead. So when coming into Lost Girl, Jay and Michelle Lovretta , who created these unique characters, I think that was their mission to create a show where it was ok to love who you love. It didn’t matter if they were gay or bi or Fae or whatever, it’s just about love and it’s about this woman who’s not going to follow the rules. She isn’t going to be told what to do by the light or the dark and she’s just going to make her own path and I think it’s a great message that I’m proud of and Anna [Silk] is proud of and all the girls have always been proud to be a part of something where we can shine and the women really dictate the show. You don’t find that a lot on TV and it’s hard to find roles were you can be the romantic lead and you can be the action hero and you can be the comedic relief. You can be all these wonderful roles in one show and it really gives us a chance to explore and it makes us gals really happy.

TVWise: Is there a collaborative element with you and the show runners as far as were your character goes on the show including the new season?

Ksenia Solo: At this point it’s been so many years, we are all very attached to these characters. We’ve lived as these people for about 5 years now and when we have ideas or we feel very strongly about something whether it’s dialogue or qualities about our character or which direction we hope they are going in, the writers are very receptive and it makes for a nice process when we work. It’s a nice collaboration.

TVWise: Kenzi has such an interesting fashion sense? How much input do you have with what she wears on the show?

Ksenia Solo: I have a lot of input! I’m right in there! Ann Dixon, who created the look of the show, is incredibly talented and I think she spearheaded Kenzi’s look, specifically with little details that you’ll find in almost every outfit that Kenzi has. We just always try to push the envelope and every season my goal is to make sure that Kenzi is evolving. We have some really great relationships with fashion lines. We have some great custom made pieces; all the characters actually have custom made leather pieces on the show. There’s a specific jean company called Heart Attack that Kenzi wears in almost every episode. They are very cool, different jeans. Anything that we can find that is different, cool and edgy, but at the same time still beautiful and feminine. The world is just open ended and we can go anywhere and do anything we want and it’s just fun. I’m really into fashion in my own life, so it just makes for a very joyful experience.

TVWise: How much are you like Kenzi and not like Kenzi?

Ksenia Solo: That is a very interesting question that I get asked quite a bit. I can honestly say that when I started this show, I had never played a character like this. Most of my career has been full of very heavy, dramatic stuff. I was very nervous stepping into this role knowing that there was going to be a huge element of comedy involved. It took a minute for me to really create this character and build her from the ground up. So, I didn’t come in to this thinking, she’s very much like me, it’s going to be a piece of cake and I’m basically playing myself, it was the complete opposite for me. But after all these years of 12 to sometimes 16 to 17 hours a day on the set and being this person and having her already in my bloodstream, if I could be so poetic, I feel like we’ve kind of morphed. I’ve taken on her humor in a way and I’ve taken on some qualities of hers and I feel like I’ve evolved over these years and these maybe new qualities that I have as a person from just growing up, I’ve put into Kenzi. It’s just an interesting kind of relationship that I have with her and she’ll always be a part of me because I’ve played her at such a pivotal time in my life.

TVWise: Lost Girl has grown each season with viewers and popularity. How important is the fandom to you and the rest of the cast?

Ksenia Solo: The fans are everything to us. The fans are why the show exists, why the show is as successful as it is and why the show is all around the world. I’m still surprised when I get fan mail from Australia, Italy and Germany and I forget that we have such a wide fan base. We have a very special relationship with our fans on Twitter. We try to give back as much as we can because we really appreciate them and we thank them for tuning in and for being so dedicated to these characters and the show. Before the first season aired, we were all very nervous because this was a very fresh concept that no one had ever done before, so we didn’t know. Everyone has been phenomenal and we go to the cons all over the world and we get to meet our fans and it’s just always a very humbling experience. They are always excited, kind and so full of life when they talk about the show and when they meet us. It just makes us feel really good and it makes us want to make the best show possible and entertain everybody to the best of our ability. So, I definitely think that they keep us going and keep us living.

TVWise: What can you tell us about Season 4 without giving anything away?

Ksenia Solo: Let me think of the most epic answer ever. From the minute it starts to the minute it ends, Season 4 is the most shocking season by far. I think our writers really stepped up this year and made sure that the episodes are going to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. When the show gets to explore the comedy, but also get really dark at times, that’s when I think it’s the best and that’s what we do in Season 4. It’s going to be a lot of fun, but it’s also going to go into the deepest, darkest depths that we’ve ever gone to and you can definitely expect a lot of focus on the relationships which I really enjoy about Season 4. We really focused on everyone’s own kind of adventures and struggles and what happens when they separate and then come back together. I think it’s probably our most powerful season yet. So, I am excited for the fans to enjoy it!

Lost Girl Season 4 premieres in the US on Syfy on Monday January 13th at 8/7c and in the UK & Ireland on Syfy UK on Thursday January 16th at 10pm.