Do you ever have one of those days where you think your parents might be evil? What if you woke up and found out they actually were! Longtime fan favorite ‘Teen Titan’ character Raven has dealt with this issue for most of her life, and it never seems to get any easier. Raven’s demonic heritage has lead to Raven having some unique super powers that tend to drag down the room a bit, including empathy, telepathy, telekinesis, and flight! It’s also left her with the motherload of mental and emotional baggage to deal with, which is part of what has made Raven such an interesting character since her introduction in 1980!

DC Entertainment has just launched their new ‘DC Universe’ subscription streaming service and with it, the service’s first flagship exclusive title, a live-action adaptation of the popular ‘Teen Titans’ comic books simply titled ‘Titans’. While we have seen numerous animated takes on the team before, this is the first time the majority of these characters have ever been seen adapted for live action, so fans of the ‘Teen Titans’ comics have a lot to look forward to!

We recently sat down with series star Teagan Croft who plays Rachel aka ‘Raven’ on the new series to talk about her time on the show, how she gets into character as Raven, and what it’s like to bring this beloved team to life in a live-action setting for the first time! Check out our full interview below!

What’s it like to bring Raven to life for the first time in live action?

Teagan Croft: It’s amazing to bring Raven to life because she’s such an iconic character! It’s never been done in live action before, so I’m just so lucky! I’m really excited for everyone to see it.

Do you feel like Rachel really trusts Dick right away, or is she just kind of with him because she’s in the terrible circumstance?

TC: Well, because of Rachel’s empathic abilities… not that she calls it that, she doesn’t know what it is, but they are. But because of this she can see his past, she’s dreamt about his past, and she can read his emotions, so she can tell that he is not judgy, he knows what he’s doing, and that he’s trustworthy. So that’s why she trusts him.

Will we be seeing any of Raven’s father this season?

TC: Well, a big part of Rachel’s identity is not knowing who her parents are in this series, so the season looks at her trying to figure out who she is, and through that, who her parents are. She finds out her mom isn’t her real mom, and anyone who has read the comics would know who her father is. Because the show is based on the comics, it’s going to be… well it may or may not be the same, but we’ll have to see!

Raven is kind of still developing on this show, so we aren’t seeing the finished product. What’s it like to play her evolution on the series?

TC: It’s really fun to play an evolution, because through every episode, just like in the show, my relationships with teh cast members get closer and warmer. So int eh first episode, it’s very similar to the real relationships, because at that point I don’t really know them. But on the final episode where we are all really closely knit, we’ve known each other for nine months! It was really fun to play that growth because I felt that growth in the same way. And in terms of powers and super powers? It’s fun to continue to discover the new powers are Rachel does.

Have you read a lot of the ‘Titans’ comics to prepare for the role?

TC: When I foudn otu about the audition, me and my father went down to a comic store and we got all of the 1980’s, the first volume from Marv Wolfman and George Perez with Raven in it, and we got the Raven miniseries because she’s closer to my age and closer to how I’m portraying the character. I did a lot of research! We got the first season of the cartoon online, so I definitely did my research!

What is the most challenging part of playing Raven?

TC: I’d say the most challenging part, which is also one of the most fun parts, getting to the dark emotional places that she is in almost every episode. In almost every episode, something happens that makes her cry or scream… there is a lot of screaming in this show! And as an acotr, I had to get there myself, which is pretty difficult to do! But at the same time, so rewarding, and satisfying when I do, so I have a lot of fun doing it. So it’s both the most difficult thing and the most fun thing.

What do you do to get to that dark place?

TC: It’s hard to know, because sometimes its after a long scene, so I can kind of get myself there after just finding myself in the character. Other times when it’s more immediate, I think of… well because sometimes I was up there without my family, I would think of missing them. I really missed them, so it really got me… I don’t want to say to a “dark place” because they make me happy, but it made me cry.

The tone of ‘Titans’ is something we haven’t seen much of in a DC live action show. It’s very gritty and raw in that way. It’s the formation of the team and you guys are sort of put through the ringer and really get hurt! What’s it like to play that?

TC: It’s interesting actually, because behind the scenes you see the mass amounts fo makeup. I mean they’re in there for hours! It’s incredible! Really incredible! So you see everything, and I love to watch the stunt people do their thing. It’s really cool to see them look like they’re getting beat up and everything but they’re actually just kind of flipping and dodging it! I made friends with some stunt people and it was a really fun aspect of the show! Sometimes it was a little bit hard to distinguish from reality, like when it’s a bit too close for comfort. But after that, I have my support system, my family, my friends on set, my double Carly, and everyone just sort of helped pull me out of it.

Does the make up, like the bruising and stuff, kind of help take you to that moment too?

TC: Yes! Raven doesn’t really get hurt as much on the show because she’s just so ultra-powerful; Not to toot my own horn or anything! But getting into the character, getting the wig on, it definitely helps with that and getting into the dark place we talked about before. Getting into the scenes, watching them set up and reading my lines, really gets me like “this is who I am” for the next hour or so before we have a break or anything. Costume and appearance, and also just tryyng to be quiet is very difficult for me on set! I’m a pretty talkative person!

‘Titans’ is streaming now exclusively on the DC Universe subscription streaming service! The series stars Teagn Croft, Brenton Thwaites, Ryan Potter, Anna Diop, Alan Ritchson, and Minka Kelly. Be sure to keep up with Teagan Croft on Twitter and Instagram! Stay tuned to ScienceFiction.com for all the latest on ‘Titans’!