Melanie Scrofano & Romy Weltman on Sisterhood & Resurrection in SYFY’s REVIVAL
- creepykingdom
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
By Shannon McGrew
Based on the bestselling Image comic series, REVIVAL follows a rural Wisconsin town where the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves and act just like they once were. When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano) is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.
For the release of SYFY’s REVIVAL, Creepy Kingdom’s Shannon McGrew spoke with actors Melanie Scrofano (“Wynonna Earp”), who plays officer Dana Cypress, and Romy Weltman (“Creeped Out”), who plays Dana’s younger sister, Em Cypress. During their chat, they discussed everything from building a believable sisterly bond to navigating grief, trust, and the chaos of the undead.
Thank you both for taking the time to speak with me today. Amongst the undead coming back to life, it’s apparent that the heart of the show is the relationship between the two of you. How did you two build that sisterly dynamic?
Romy Weltman: It was honestly really easy. I received a message from Mel before heading to New Brunswick, and I was extremely excited. I’m a fan of Mel and was excited to act with her and learn from her. When we met, we instantly hit it off. Something I’ve been saying a lot, but I think it’s very important, is that Mel had her family there as well. I didn’t, so I got to spend a lot of my time with Mel, her kids, and her husband. I think getting to know her family helped me get to know Mel a lot more. She’s just a very lovable, easy, safe human to be around, and quickly became my safety net in New Brunswick, so Dana was very easy to relate to as well.
Melanie Scrofano: I don’t know that I’ve ever met anybody who is so conscientious of others. Romy is always thinking of you. She’s always putting herself in your position, so you feel a lot of good things with Romy that maybe don’t all have a name, but it’s just a feeling that is pretty unique.
Without giving too much away, was there a scene between the two of you that stands out as the emotional epicenter of your relationship?
Romy Weltman: There’s a callback scene for me where Dana comes into Em’s space and invades her privacy a bit, and is just overbearing, and it turns into a very beautiful heart-to-heart conversation about a lot that’s going on in their lives. I think it gives you a great look into how much Em has been keeping to herself, how much Dana has been keeping to herself, and how much they want to be there for each other, but they’re just so consumed by their own lives. Without giving much away, I think that whole conversation acknowledges their relationship, but also really helped us, or at least me, find the groove of how we’re gonna grow together.
Melanie Scrofano: And discovering the distance between us was bigger than we thought.
When we see you both at the start of the season, there’s a disconnect between the two of you, but a desire to become close again. From where these characters start at the beginning of the series, how do you see them evolving throughout the season?
Melanie Scrofano: For Dana, it’s really about learning not to underestimate, learning that she needs to trust certain people, learning who to trust and who not to trust, and not being held back by previous mistakes and trusting her gut even when other people are saying that my gut is wrong.
Romy Weltman: For Em, I think it’s about her finding herself throughout the series, which kind of sounds like a vague answer, but it’s very true. Learning about herself, her strengths, and her weaknesses, and discovering how powerful she can be in her voice and body, but also learning not to abuse that power and finding a good balance between who she was and who she is.
Lastly, what are you most excited for people to experience with REVIVAL?
Melanie Scrofano: We were talking about how great it looks, but also the music, which is like a whole other group of artists that aren’t on screen, but that are so hugely important to that feeling you leave with. I remember shooting scenes and then watching them with the music, and being like, 'Once the right music is added, it's unstoppable.'
Romy Weltman: I also can’t wait for people to get to know the town. I think the town is really funny and unique, and there are some awesome characters, both adapted from the comics and some additional and new characters that are helpful to the story points we need. I think people are going to love everyone. We were really blessed with a talented cast.
Melanie Scrofano: [Showrunners] Luke and Aaron’s casting was great. I love that they love comedians as much as I do because I think comedians are such a great source of character. If everybody’s an actor, you’re getting an actor school, but when you start pulling in people from different places, it’s going to become something much different.
Romy Weltman: I feel like there’s someone for everyone to see themselves in through that, too, which is special and unique.
The first episode of REVIVAL premiered on June 12 and is now available on SYFY and Peacock, with new episodes released weekly.
