Dr. Will Zimmerman 5 (ROBIN DUNNE).JPGSeason two of “Sanctuary” premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Space and andPOP caught up with one of its stars to talk about one of the most high-speed sci-fi series. Why high-speed? Well, the series actually had its beginnings on the web but “Sanctuary” has since grown into a phenomenon of its own and moved into the small screen during its first season.

“We have a blast. I mean, sometimes we think we’re in the wrong genre, we should be doing comedy because from morning to night we’re laughing the entire time, Amanda [Tapping] leading the chart being the constant giggler,” says Canadian-born Robin Dunne who plays Dr. Will Zimmerman on the show. “If she was a superhero she’d be The Giggler…I hate to use an overused cliche but it really is like a family, that’s how it feels.”

But don’t be fooled, “Sanctuary” — which follows the adventures of scientist Dr. Helen Magnus (played by Amanda Tapping) who shelters a population of strange and at times terrifying beings with the help of Dunne’s character — is far from a comedy, although it has its fair share of tongue-in-cheek moments. This time around, things are about to get darker.

“Because the world is established now, the characters are established, we have the ability to go a little darker now with this…things are falling apart around [the characters],” he says from a hotel room in Vancouver, where the series is shot. “We’re trying to keep the sanctuary from literally falling apart and because of that, there’s a lot of stress between the characters and you’re going to see some things that are definitely darker. I think my best analogy would be if season one was ‘Star Wars,’ then season two is definitely ‘Empire Strikes Back.’ ”

This season, “Sanctuary” is taking viewers around the globe, to locations ranging from the Middle East to Tokyo and the U.K — all made possible by the one and only green screen, which the show has mastered (if you’ve seen “Sin City,” think of those incredible effects and apply them to TV). But when executive producer Martin Wood (“Stargate SG-1”) called up Dunne at his L.A. apartment to see if he’d want to take part in the show, he had his doubts about the infamous green screen.

“I mean, I had worked with green screen in pieces here and there on other things, but never to this extent,” admits Dunne. “And I just couldn’t really get my head around it.”

That all changed after he witnessed with his own eyes the final product of a scene he filmed with Tapping and the show’s creator, Damian Kindler. “I was completely blown away and totally at that point just a complete believer in what we could do,” says Dunne. “And the thing about ‘Sancuary’ is, because we use so much green screen, the possibilities are limitless, we can do anything.”

Dunne refers to “Santuary” as “innovative,” and with its top-notch special effects and use of the RED camera, it’s clear why the series is innovative and nominated for six Gemini awards this year (including a nomination for Dunne).

“I’ve actually never been nominated for anything before so it was a real honour, not in a selfish kind of way in terms of me, but just for the team,” he tells andPOP. “It’s great to be recognized as a team…apart from working on the show we’re such great fans of it that it’s really great to be recognized for something that you love so much.”

Dunne (also known for his recurring role on “Dawson’s Creek” and for co-writing the made-for-TV film franchise “Roxy Hunter”) revealed some of the guest stars this season on “Sanctuary.” Michael Shanks who along with Tapping “have some really great stuff to do together” according to Dunne, will be appearing on the show, as will Callum Blue (“Dead Like Me”), as well as Erica Cerra and Chris Gauthier.

Aside from “Sanctuary,” Dunne has a Robin Hood TV-movie called “Beyond Sherwood” currently in post production, where he stars alongside “Smallville’s ” Erica Durance, as well as a a few projects of his own that are still in development but for now, all he wants to do is take a vacation while he waits to hear about a possible third season for “Sanctuary.”

“We have no official word but we’re optimistic,” says Dunne. “So right now honestly, I’m just excited for the launch of the show and then I’m going to take a vacation and just recharge the batteries”.






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