Warning: Full spoilers for the May 31st Person of Interest, “The Day The World Went Away,” below.
The 100th episode of Person of Interest was a huge – and hugely sad – one, as Root (Amy Acker) was killed protecting Finch (Michael Emerson). But with just three episodes left, it was also clear this wasn’t the end for Acker on the series, as the Machine, which Root worked so hard to help, took on her voice and persona, becoming more of a full character than ever before.
I spoke to Acker about this big turn of events, when she found out and what she felt about Root’s fate. We also discussed the incredibly popular Root/Shaw relationship in relation to this twist and what it was like to find herself for the second time, after Angel, finding out she was being killed off on a series, yet would continue on as a god-like entity.
For more on Person of Interest's 100th episode, check out our review, along with our interview with POI executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Greg Plageman about what occurred.
Amy Acker as Root in Person of Interest.
IGN TV: I also spoke to Jonah and Greg, and it was kind of amazing to find out how long they had been planning this. When did you find out what was going to happen here with Root and with the Machine?
Amy Acker: They told me like the day before San Diego Comic-Con last summer, which was very hard to keep a secret. I was like, "What!? Wait...!" [Laughs] So I knew pretty early on -- well, at least before we started shooting Season 5.
IGN: And what was your reaction?
Acker: Well, I think they broke it in the best possible way. They said, "Root is going to die, but you're still going to be part of the show. You're becoming a god." So it was kind of hard to get mad at them. [Laughs]
IGN: It's funny, because I think back on that trailer they showed at San Diego Comic-Con with your voiceover at the end [see below], which obviously takes on a very different feeling now knowing what's happening. Did you record that the day before Comic-Con?
Acker: I guess it must have been a few days before Comic-Con, because that was when they told me. They told me, and then they said, "Can you come make this?" I knew what the voiceover was leading to at that point. I knew I was talking as the Machine as Root.
IGN: That's fascinating, because it was in your mind then, "Okay, I'm playing the Machine here.” Did you ask, "How much should I differ my performance, versus what I have been doing as Root?"
Acker: Yeah, they kind of had a very specific idea, that they knew that linking back to this episode, in the 100th episode, and assuming -- I haven't seen the episode yet -- all the dialogue is still there, but where Root and Harold are in the car, and she's saying how you never really die, that the Machine has been watching us and knows us, and she knows every part of us. So we're almost like a virtual reality piece of the Machine, that she knows us better than we know ourselves. So what they were trying to convey was that the Machine knows Root with like 99.9% accuracy, so that when the Machine decides to be Root, it would be indistinguishable.
IGN: It’s a cool thing to know that you're getting killed off and yet still will be a part of the show beyond this, but was it still sad for you to say goodbye to Root as a character, having played her for all these years?
Acker: Yeah, it was really sad. I didn't quite know what the involvement was going to be necessarily when I became the voice of the Machine, but it actually ended up -- I was crying, "I'm so sad to leave!", thinking I wasn't going to see everyone. And then the way that it worked out with the last three episodes, they were like, "You're back!" [Laughs] But even now I feel sad. I was so sad when it was officially canceled. I just loved this part, and it was such a cool world to be a part of. The writing was always exciting and surprising. You know, I got a call from Jim [Caviezel] the other night, and he was like, "I miss everyone!" I think we're all still in denial and wish it was still going on.
IGN: Well, you know I share that sentiment. I'll miss this show a lot. And you'll be happy to know, by the way, having seen the episode -- they should send you the episode! -- but yes, all that is in there with her and Finch's discussion in the car.
Acker: Oh, good!
IGN: I've watched the episode twice, actually, so now I feel really bad that you haven't seen it! It is interesting to watch it again, with the knowledge that she dies, because what she's saying takes on greater meaning. We already knew how Root felt about the Machine and how much she personalized it -- calling it "she" early on. Do you think for her this would almost be the ultimate honor, that she's going to live on in this way?
Acker: I mean, that's what makes it hard to get mad at anything about this storyline; this is how she came into Person of Interest, wanting to set this Machine free and all of this stuff leaning towards the singularity and all of that. Now it's basically like her dream has been realized in a way that's almost better than what she could have imagined, because I think she always imagined wanting to be part of the Machine, and the fact that the Machine chose her is like a dream come true.
Continue on as Acker discusses the Root/Shaw dynamic, the parallels to what happened to her character on Angel and more.
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