Observers Are Here Blog for fans of J.J. Abrams’ show Fringe

Thanks to Bradbury and Torma616 for giving us the heads up on this one.

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Charlie Francis

It was the status update that rocked the Fringe-verse: On May 20th, Kirk Acevedo—who plays level-headed Fed Charlie Francis—posted an all-caps bulletin on his Facebook page that read “WELL BOYS AND GIRLS THEY DONE DID YER BOY WRONG! THEY FIRED ME OFF FRINGE, AND I’VE NEVER BEEN FIRED IN MY LIFE!!”

But according to exec producer Jeff Pinkner, “like all things on Fringe, there is more to this story than meets the eye.” In fact Pinkner not only confirms to TV Guide Magazine that Acevedo “was not fired,” he hints that we’ll see more Agent Francis in season 2. Literally.

“We have already seen two of him on the show,” teases Pinkner. “We have already met the second Charlie. He had a scar on his face.” Looks like The Observer wasn’t messing around when he said that there’s more than one of everything.

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This is what Dennis over at Fringe Television had to say:

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Notice Pinkner doesn’t actually say we’ll see Charlie next season, he just “hints” at it (at least according to TV Guide). In fact, as of yesterday, I hear there were discussions on how Charlie could be written out of the story.
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What’s the real story? Pinkner is right about one thing, there is more to this story than meets the eye.
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I contacted Fox and WB, and as per usual SOP, they declined to comment. However, my inside source did verify that Kirk’s Facebook page was legitimate, and had this to say:

Kirk wasn’t 100% happy with the way he was used on the show and was somewhat vocal about it.

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Lee Hernandez of Latina.com was able to contact Kirk directly, and got a little clarification on his original statement:

“It’s called not picking up my option. But at the end of the day, you got fired!”

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So technically, he wasn’t fired – he was “let go” (or “made redundant” for our UK fans . You say potato and I say potahto – the bottom line is that he won’t be a regular on the show anymore.
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A lot of this has to do with saving money. Kirk had a prety minor role on the show, but from what I hear, he was getting paid more that Anna Torv! So while I am a huge fan of Kirk (we even share the same last name!), if they needed to cut the cast budget (maybe to accommodate Nimoy), I can understand why this happened.
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The good news, if we read between the lines (and maybe because of all this coverage), is that there’s a good chance that we’ll see Charlie again – if everyone can kiss and makeup.

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Source: TV Guide Magazine and Fringe Television

Thanks to Di for the heads up on this one:

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Charlie Francis

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According to Facebook, ”Fringe” has kicked Kirk Acevedo‘s Agent Charlie Francis to the curb.

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Though the authenticity of the page has not yet been confirmed, Acevedo apparently made the following announcement this morning: “Well boys and girls they done did yer boy wrong! They fired me off Fringe and I’ve never been fired in my life!!!!”

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Rumor has it, Acevedo was simply a victim of budget cuts on the show.

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I’ve reached out to FOX for comment/confirmation and will update you as I know more, so keep checking back.

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In the meantime, any strong feelings on this, one way or the other?

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UPDATE: Insiders are saying, yep, it’s true. The studio has no comment.

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Source: ZAP2it reported by Korbi Ghosh.  Image: ODI via Fringe Television

Kirk Acevedo, who plays FBI Agent Charlie Francis on Fox’s SF series Fringe, told SCI FI Wire that he and the crew are already working on season two, though no official renewal announcement has come so far, and that upcoming guest star Leonard Nimoy will figure in it.

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Charlie Francis

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In the meantime, tonight’s episode, “Unleashed,” centers on Acevedo’s FBI character, Charlie, who’s attacked by a mythological creature. The team of Olivia (Anna Torv), Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter (John Noble) rush to find a way to save his life.

“Charlie goes out on this call, and he gets attacked by this mythological, genetically enhanced griffin,” Acevedo said in an exclusive phone interview last Friday. “He fights for his life throughout the episode.” The episode also features Francis’s wife, Sonia, played by Acevedo’s real-life wife, Kiersten Warren.

The episode airs today at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox. Acevedo spoke about “Unleashed,” the show’s season finale, and the season-two episode he’s working on (which implies he lives through “Unleashed” and that Fox will pick up the show). The following Q&A features edited excerpts of our interview.

kirk

Now Charlie’s a trained agent. How does he let this griffin take him down?

Acevedo: It’s a monster. I don’t care how well trained you are, it’s the world of Fringe, so there are bigger and badder things then yourselves.

kirk

What does this griffin look like?

Acevedo: Do you know the mythological creature the griffin? The tail of it is like a snake. He’s got the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, the wings of a dragon. That’s what it sort of is. I haven’t actually seen it, because I haven’t seen the final special effect of it. It’s CGI. We just had to use the imagination.

kirk

How did you do the attack scene without a creature to work with?

Acevedo: I sort of just get attacked from behind, and the monster sort of impregnates me. Sort of like Aliens.

kirk

Are you playing the deathbed for the episode?

Acevedo: Yeah, I’m pretty much fighting for my life for an hour. Just conversations with the wife and saying, “I love you,” and everything like that and a lot of pain. Just trying to be Charlie and control the emotions and not let them overwhelm.

kirk

How does Walter help find a cure for griffin impregnation?

Acevedo: Because Walter sort of created this monster. He sort of realizes it. This was part of Walter’s research.

kirk

Did you insist on Kiersten to play Sonia?

Acevedo: I didn’t insist. I suggested. To create intimacy with someone who you don’t know is actually not going to work. So to have your real wife do it then you can be a lot better on screen.

kirk

Does showing the personal side change how you play Charlie?

Acevedo: No, because at the end of the day, it’s not a character-driven piece. When Charlie gives exposition on cases and stuff like that, there’s really not that much you can give character-wise. You really can’t crack a joke here, smile here when you’re talking about dead bodies. It’s basically just picking your spots, so I would say no. …

Kirk Acevedo

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When do you wrap for the season?

Acevedo: We finish up in about six days. We just finished the finale. We’re actually working on a stand-alone episode for season two.

kirk

What could you tease about the finale and next season?

Acevedo: Well, I’m sure you heard about who might be playing William Bell. Leonard Nimoy, so we pretty much meet William Bell in the finale, which is really cool. Just you learn a lot more about Massive Dynamic and what’s going on with the whole mythology of the show, so it’s pretty much more cemented in the final two episodes. Then the stand-alone episode is pretty much a stand-alone episode. It doesn’t delve into the mythology of the show or anything.

kirk

Are you back to exposition?

Acevedo: Yes, sir.

kirk

Did you get to work with Nimoy?

Acevedo: No, it’s just Olivia meets him. I’ve got to be honest with you, I never thought of Leonard Nimoy to play William Bell, [but] of all the people I thought of down the line, I think he’s actually perfect. People remember him as Spock on Star Trek, but he did tons of other stuff, [like] the Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake. I think he has the age, the depth and that beautiful voice of his would be a perfect foil for John Noble.

kirk

What were you working on today?

Acevedo: Today, for the stand-alone episode, we show the body and the tease in the beginning. Then we just walk around, and we’re just shooting that scene. We have a whole bunch of stunts, and that’s it. Just little fight scenes and stuff like that.

kirk

What sort of case is the stand-alone episode?

Acevedo: There’s a little bit of Ghost Whisperer in that episode. That’s all I’ll say.

kirk

When do you come back for next season?

Acevedo: You know, I was told we come back on June 24th is supposed to be our start date.

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Source: Sci Fi Wire