The new season of Castle airs at 10 p.m. Monday on ABC. We caught up with teen star Molly Quinn, who plays Alexis Castle on the show, which stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. We talked to her about Castle and her new movie Finding Hope, about a teenage runaway who gets caught up in a polygamist cult.

What’s it like playing Alexis Castle?

Alexis is an incredible young woman. I am fascinated at how she is growing and the way she is facing challenges.

Do you two have anything in common?

Alexis and I are both easy to underestimate, but when we are challenged, we rise to the occasion.

What can we expect to see on the new season?

It is very exciting because each character is being studied deeper, and the relationships are getting more complex. The writers are pulling out all the stops.

What are the pros and cons of being in Hollywood?

A pro is all the advanced teachers of the arts and other people with similar interests. A con is being so far away from my extended family.

Tell us about “Finding Hope.”

We’re bringing awareness to both the issue of child brides in polygamous cults as well as the existence of one-three million teen runaways in the U.S., both of which very real problems in America.

Have you been to Miami?

I went to Miami as a child and had a great time. My friends and I are looking forward to a trip there next summer. We are excited about the beaches and the night life. We all love to dance.

On your iPod right now?

The Civil Wars, Danger Mouse, Steely Dan, ZZTop and The Raconteurs.

Future goals?

To remember to have fun as I learn and grow.

Hey everyone, should have posted this while ago but have been super busy. Anyway, tomorrow night at 10 pm on ABC the fourth season of Castle will be starting up right were season 3 left off. Be sure to tune in to see our very own Molly Quinn in action!

“Castle” fans who love Richard Castle’s smart, level-headed daughter can see her in a different light next week.

Molly Quinn, who plays Alexis Castle on the ABC hit that launches its fall season Monday, stars in the movie “Finding Hope” as a teenage runaway who gets caught up in a polygamist cult.

“Finding Hope” can be seen starting Monday as part of the New York Television Festival’s Independent Pilot Competition at Tribeca Theaters.

Directed by Dianne Namm, “Finding Hope” is one of the festival’s three dramatic selections. The winner gets a guaranteed pilot deal with IFC, FX or MTV.

Quinn says the real goal, though, is more ambitious: spotlighting the often invisible teenage runaway crisis.

“When I first heard about it, I thought it sounded like a Third World problem,” Quinn says. “It’s not. Right in this country, there are 1 to 3 million runaways, and most of them are living on the streets.”

Seemingly sympathetic cults are only one danger they face there, Quinn notes, and there are no easy solutions because we have neither a system nor facilities to help everyone.

“A lot of girls have left home many times,” she says. “They’re usually escaping abusive situations. It’s their Catch-22.”

“Finding Hope” can’t magically erase the problem, says Quinn, but it can raise awareness. “The first step,” she says, “is for people to realize what’s going on. If enough people open their hearts, we can start to help these girls.”

“Finding Hope” is a sequel to “The Sacrifice,” a short in which Quinn introduced the runaway Esmee several years ago.

While Esmee is far different from Alexis, Quinn says her approach as an actress is the same.

“When you get a role, you completely lose yourself in it,” she says. “That’s one of the great things about acting – letting yourself go.”

That’s fun when she’s playing Alexis, she says. In fact, she says, she and Nathan Fillion, who plays her father, “sometimes get yelled at on the set for making it more fun than work.”

Alexis, who could have been the incidental child character in an adult drama, has carved herself a central role in “Castle,” and Quinn praises the writers and producers for that.

“They took a chance on making a ‘good girl’ interesting,” she says. “That’s unusual.”

She also says Alexis could get even more interesting this year, because an edge could develop in her relationship with Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), the detective with whom her father is in love.

“She realizes that Beckett is obsessed and that this causes her father to follow Beckett into increasingly dangerous situations,” says Quinn.

“Her father is her only parent, so she sees this as jeopardizing her life, too.”

“Castle” fans will enjoy this season, she predicts.

“The writers have amped up all the characters,” she says, “exploring their relationships with each other.”

Wetpaint Entertainment: What can you tell us about Finding Hope?

Molly Quinn: Finding Hope is the story of a girl in a very bad situation. Her only hope us that she is generally representing all of the one to three million teen runaways and homeless that are on the streets every day. It shows what they go through and what they have to deal with, and how you can’t trust people because they can seem like they want to help you but it turns out they were just trying to manipulate you.

It’s about survival and how these kids really aren’t equipped to survive. And people really aren’t aware enough to get them to the right places that can help them.

Is this a sequel to The Sacrifice?

This is the progression of The Sacrifice because The Sacrifice ends where she’s been taken away into the polygamist cult and in Finding Hope we know that she’s inside that lifestyle now and she’s been plotting for over a year to run away and get out. And not just for herself, but to be able to come back and get the other kids out as well.

But then she finds herself on the street and everyone’s a predator, essentially. It’s hard to find a safe haven. I mean, she can’t go back and she’s not safe where she is. So what she’s in is the plight, like I said, of these real-life runaways.

Where can we see it?

You can see it at Tribeca Cinema on September 21 at 9:15 or September 23rd at 7:30 at the New York Television Festival. And the tickets are free, so I think people should definitely get down there. It was one of only three dramas chosen to be in the New York TV Festival Pilot Competition [Ed. note: Winners can score guaranteed development deals with IFC, FX, and MTV].

We’re all really excited about that, not because it gives me any exposure or anything like that, but because Finding Hope is Diane and I and everyone that was involved from as far away as Germany, it’s our way of bringing awareness to this very real problem.

[Reserve your FREE tickets here!]

You’ve been involved with these projects for four years now. What have you learned about the struggles these kids face?

Well, I’m working with Covenant House and when I went down there to show them the film, I was very nervous because I wanted to make sure that I was really portraying what these girls and boys had gone through and to make sure it was OK with them and to know if I was giving an honest portrayal of them.

And they responded very well, which was an extreme relief. And they were really thankful that their story was getting out because they know it’s not only dealing with them but all over the U.S.

I mean, a lot of people think that it’s just  something that happens in third world countries but in all 50 states in America, it’s happening. And people have to be aware of it and not turn such a blind eye toward it.

As far as Castle goes, Tamala Jones (Lanie Parish) was telling us that Alexis is going through “growing pains” this season. Can you relate?

Well, yeah, I can relate to that. I guess “growing pains” is a way you could put it, but she’s been forced into a situation and it’s something she never thought she would have to deal with in her entire life.

It’s like with any terrifying situation, you see people’s true colors. And what we see for Alexis, you know she’s at her wit’s end. So we’ll she if she’s back or if she holds it together. I mean, and then she has other teen issues, like what does she want to do with her life? You know, sometimes the more potential you have the more pressure there is to make the right choice.

And then we have the whole Ashley [Ken Baumann] issue and everything else, and on top of all that, she’s having to protect her dad [Nathan Fillion] when her dad is not helping her protect him.

Has Nathan started up with the pranks yet?

Oh, Nathan never stops goofing around but he’s always extremely professional. It’s always fun working with him, it’s a breath of fresh air.

And we’re all super excited about the next season. We’re going to really get everyone out of their comfort zones and the writers have really been amping up each character in exploring the relationships between each other.

So it’s very exciting and I hope you like it. I’m really excited that we’re going this way.

 

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Home > Events/Appearances > 2011 > 2011 Disney ABC Television Summer Press Tour

I’ve added episode stills of Molly from the season premiere of Castle, called “Rise.” You can find them in the gallery at the link below. Thanks to Jessica for these!

Home > Castle > Season Four > Episode Stills

Here are photos of Molly from the season four promotional shoot for Castle. Thanks to Jessica for them.

Home > Castle > Season Four > Promotional Photos

The following is a very interesting Article regarding the upcoming season of Castle starring Molly Quinn. A tad bit of a spoiler alert.

We can’t bear the thought of watching Castle without Molly Quinn, but it seems like Alexis is pretty hell-bent on following Ashleigh to Stanford.

“Alexis seems to really like this boyfriend. I personally think it might be to get more attention from my dad now that he’s so focused on, you know, Detective Kate Beckett,” Molly revealed at Comic-Con while rolling her eyes. “But she’s not bluffing.”

Sounds a little out of character for someone as strong and independent as Alexis, so why the teenage angst? According to Molly, Alexis feels like Beckett is taking advantage of her father.

“I think she [Alexis] might have at first liked Detective Kate Beckett — I’m sure she loves her as a strong woman — but she’s been putting my dad in danger, and my dad is my life,” Molly said.

“So to see his attention taken by this other woman — and she’s not really treating him in an appropriate way, in the way that I think he should be treated — I think there will be more friction between Kate and myself. I don’t think that they are really going to get it on too well this season.”

Oh no! Sounds like Castle may have to choose between the two most important women in his life. Why can’t everyone just get along?!

Castle had one of the biggest panels on the Sunday of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. Although the official Comic-Con program listed only star Nathan Fillion in attendance, most of the Castle cast joined Fillion on the stage. After the panel, those stars spoke with reporters about Castle, Comic-Con and what’s coming next for the show.

Molly Quinn, the young actress who plays Alexis, was among the stars, fittingly attired in a full Captain Reynolds costume from Firefly.

You’re getting into the Comic-Con spirit, clearly.
Molly Quinn: Yes. Yesterday I was dressed up as Shana from Shakugan no Shana, the anime series. I had like, my red contacts in, my samurai sword, my little schoolgirl skirt, my knee-highs. I do wear the schoolgirl skirt and knee-highs normally, but the samurai sword and contacts, that was additional.

People still recognize me! It was odd. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought the contacts would kind of scare people away or something.

You need to go with a mask next year.
Molly Quinn: You know, I don’t mind it. Next year, I’m probably — I can’t tell you! I want to so bad because I’m excited, but I can’t tell anyone. But I’m prepared.

So, how are the events of the season finale going to affect Alexis?
Molly Quinn: I mean, she’s scared. Originally this is just kind of something that her dad was doing that was fun and that he was actually using this woman on a superficial level, kind of an inspiration for his books. But now, it’s like he really is interested in the police force and really does want to solve these murders. And it’s almost like he’s taking a different career path.

And that affects, first off, my home life. He’s my dad, he’s my world. You know, I’m the only girl in his life. She doesn’t understand why he’s doing this and why he’s almost neglecting her to be this other woman that doesn’t know him half as well as I do. So she’s having a lot of roiling emotions that aren’t necessarily teen. They’re very adult.

But she will have some teen issues, of course.

Alexis is looking at going to college. How do you feel about that personally? Because you went into an acting career, basically bypassing that stage of your life?
Molly Quinn: Yeah, I don’t want to think that I bypassed it. If I wanted to go, I could. But you know, you’re absolutely right. Acting is my life, and if you think about it, everyone’s like “Oh, are you gonna go to college? Are you gonna do all this?” I’m kinda like, you know, I could, I’m sure I can study acting in college but why would I do that when I’m booking now and I’m basically getting on-the-job training. How would that be any better? A lot of people go and get Masters in acting and then I never see them doing anything. So this is like, take it while you get it. Because this industry’s always changing.

For Alexis, you know she’s very… she has no limits. That’s the kind of girl she is, and I love that. She thinks she can do anything. That’s what’s so great about her, leaving high school early and going into Stanford. We’ll see what happens. I’m not sure if she’s really emotionally ready to handle it, but I think she might be even using this as a ploy to get more attention from her dad. I think she could be throwing that in there, that could be the whole reason.

In the next year, can we expect Alexis to be acting out more?
Molly Quinn: She’s definitely going to be, but not in a teenager-y way. She’s just gonna start, I don’t want to say, being manipulative, but she’s definitely learning about those aspects of being a person, kind of learning how to get your way. The world’s not black and white, she’s learning that it’s very, very grey. The first time you find that out, it’s very hard. It’s very, very confusing. So she’s definitely going to be experimenting with things that she can get away with, things that she can say and do and act. She’s growing up.

I feel like she’s my little girl. It’s crazy to think that I started out doing the show when I was 14, is when we did the pilot, and I’ll be 18 in October. So it’s… all my birthdays are on set, like every single one of them. They brought out cakes and like, pyrotechnics and crazy stuff going everywhere. I hope it goes on forever. I’ve grown up on the show. It’s crazy, it’s surreal. I feel like any moment I’m gonna wake up and I’ll be back in Texarkana, you know, thinking “Oh, I gotta go to knitting class!”

Alexis is pretty straight-laced. Are you looking for movie roles sometimes that are a little bit more out there?
Molly Quinn: I love doing movies. I started out doing movies.

Definitely, I like looking for characters that are even difficult for me to justify, if that makes sense. Girls that haven’t had the privilege that I’ve even had, or that don’t have Alexis’. Definitely things that are 180-degrees different. I’ve had the opportunity to go out and meet a lot of directors and talk about a lot of projects.

At the same time, I’m fully employed. I’m doing Castle, I’m also doing Winx for Nickelodeon. Even though it is animation, it takes up quite a bit of time and I love it. It’s incredible. Of course, I wish there were more hours in a day so I could do everything. Who knows?

I’m thinking that this year I might be doing a movie where I might be traveling somewhere outside of the States, which would be really, really fun. Like last year, I did Avalon High in New Zealand, that was great. It was for a new movie that my nieces watched. I’m looking for something more –  I don’t know, I don’t want to say gritty. Cause I don’t wanna go like “Oh, Molly’s doing gritty and completely opposite from Alexis.” I don’t want to be that kind of cliché. I just want to do good movies, tell good stories that people can enjoy. Like I’m all for popcorn movies, like they say. Little independents are great. I like doing those too. But you know, Sucker Punch, Spider-Man, I’d love to play Mary Jane, eventually. How cool would that be?

So I’m very excited about our Marvel episode coming up, episode 402. Very excited about superheroes coming up!

And Castle will be a graphic novel too. Alexis is going to be in that, I hope?
Molly Quinn: Yeah, you know I’m not sure. I hope so too! Besides, it’s not Castle necessarily, it’s Derek Storm. So it might not be. But even so. I’m doing Winx and being Bloom allows me to be like a live character, and we have our dolls coming out, like this next year. We’re very excited. All the girls, it’s very girl power.

What’s your relationship like on set with Nathan? Is he a paternal role?
Molly Quinn: Paternal? Not so much.

He asked me one time. What did he say? He was like, “You look at me like a cool friend or something, right?” And I’m like, “You’re more like an uncle.”

He’s a big kid and he’s super fun to be with. He gets me into a lot of trouble. It’s fun trouble. He’ll hang me on the rafters like, in the precinct, like he’ll lift me and he’ll put me in there and I was like hanging in there and he’ll just walk away. The producers are like, whoa! We do stuff like that, it’s fun. He’s a big kid and he’s fantastic.

I love Tamala. She is a complete doll, she is a role model. She’s everything classy and every way a lady. Jon is great, we have a ton of fun. We fake-fight a lot. ‘Cause I do mixed martial arts but of course I could never take him on, but I like to think that I could. Not that he ever lets me win, even in a fake fight. I think it’s kind of an ego thing. Seamus is great, Stana’s great. I love Susan. I mean, she’s a legend. Who else has the opportunity to work with a legend? So it’s great.

So you hate everybody?
Molly Quinn: I can’t stand everyone! I can’t! It’s terrible, I can’t wait to get out of the show!

No, I want it to go on forever. And like I said, I love everybody. As cliché as that sounds, it’s true.

If you could have Alexis do one thing this season, what would it be?
Molly Quinn: I’d like to see her get tougher, truthfully. I think it’d be cool if she could work with Tamala in the precinct. I’d like to see her in the precinct, to go more to the medical side of things. And even if finds out that she passes out when she sees blood for the first time. Anything like that. It’d be cool to see her try out for different venues. But who knows, if she’s going to college?

No one tells me anything, so we’ll see. Well, I’m here. So I’m taking that as a good sign.

Castle will return to ABC on Monday, September 19 at 10pm.

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Thought I’d post the following article regarding Molly’s character ‘Alexis’ on the show Castle.

Where Does Alexis Castle Go to School?

There’s no denying Rick Castle’s (Nathan Fillion) daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn) is one smart cookie. (When you live with someone as daring [read: reckless] as Castle, you kinda have no choice!)

Full of common sense, Alexis often seem more grown up than the real grown-up in her life. But this talented sweetheart isn’t just life smart, she’s also uber book smart, and if we had to guess, we’d think she’d would probably choose a quiet night in with a good read over a shopping spree at the mall on Friday night. Being awesome at school (and life) just seems to come easily to Alexis, and yeah, we’ll admit we’re kinda jealous of her (and not just because she lives with Castle. Alright, maybe that has something to do with it…)

But many of you want to know: Where exactly is Miss Castle receiving her stellar education? Does Castle send her to some fancy schmancy private academy? (Likely. He loves his baby girl.) Is she hopping the bus to some NYC public school? Or is she just absorbing info. through osmosis? We’ve got the 411 on Alexis’ educational endeavors.

According to Dustjackets, Alexis attends a fictional school named Marlowe Prep, which we can assume is a nod to Castle creator Andrew Marlowe, and also a private school. Not one to skirt by, Alexis’ high school schedule is as challenging as her relationship with her father and it’s often full of tough courses like calculus, physics and German. But just like she’s able to keep her family together with ease, she also aces her courses. We don’t know how she does it. Girl’s got it together!

Alexis’ hard work does not go unnoticed, though. Between Season 2 and 3 (Alexis’ sophomore and junior years), the ginger-haired cutie was invited to spend a summer at Princeton University in a program for gifted students, where she learned a lot about a lot, including boys. Alexis got her first taste of freedom at smarties summer camp and came home from Princeton absolutely in “lurve” with someone she met there — before current boyfriend Ashley stole her heart, that is.

Speaking of Ashley, at the tail end of Season 3, Alexis tells Castle she’s decided to graduate early so she can follow him to college. While we know how it feels to be young and in love, too, we think if Alexis was really that smart, she’d realize what a horrible idea this is. But hey, you can’t know it all!