Stargate Atlantis' Rachel Luttrell Answers Your Questions (Part 1)

Rachel Luttrell as Stargate Atlantis' Teyla Emmagan. Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel. 

STARGATE Atlantis' Rachel Luttrell has been hard at work answering the wonderful questions that the readers of SciFiAndTvTalk sent in for her. The actress has also been extremely busy, especially when it comes to her most important role, that of being a Mom, so there are still some questions left to answer. However, Rachel wanted me to post her responses to the questions that she has gotten to, and promises to send the remaining questions and answers on to me as soon as possible. So here we go, and thank you again, Rachel, for your time and thoughtfulness!

How would you describe the relationship between John and Teyla? Did you see anything beyond a friendship? (from Julie V.)

Hello, Julie V. I would describe the relationship between John and Teyla as being complicated. And yes, I think that their feelings for one another did extend beyond friendship.

Rachel, what was your most enjoyable scene to film and what was your most difficult? If you could only use one word to describe each of your costars, what would that word be for each of them? ;-) I really miss Stargate Atlantis. It ended way too soon! Wish you continued success. (from Deb S.)

Hey there, Deb S. Thank you for your enthusiasm,. We all had a wonderful time on the Atlantis set and I am so pleased that our combined efforts were appreciated so.

Now to your questions: The most enjoyable and the most difficult?!! That is a hard one. I simply can't come up with ONE scene that stands out among all the others as the best, but there are some scenes/moments that do come to mind. Usually the most difficult moments end up translating into the best memories. The Puddle Jumper scenes were always hot and seemingly endless in nature. There would be days and days spent on scenes inside the Jumper staring out in terror or fascination or puzzlement at...nothing...and reacting to cues like, "Bam!" and "Light!" and "Sharp turn!" As an actor it is always very tricky acting to the invisible threat or unseen object of fascination. But they were fun times due to their slightly ridiculous nature.

One of the most difficult scenes was the fight into the kiss with Joe (Flanigan) in Conversion. My parents were on-set that day and they were up front and center staring at me and Joe. It was sweet to have their support, but unnerving due to the content of the scene. It made both Joe and I a wee bit nervous...

And ONE word to describe my costars? Okay, I'm going to cheat a bit and add some words. Joe (Flanigan) - strong, elegant and mischievous; David (Hewlett) - sweet, caring, fiery and witty; Jason (Momoa) - true-blue, heartfelt and beautifully wild; Paul (McGillion) - funny, sensitive, boyishly charming; Torri (Higginson) - warm, deep, playful and poetic; Jewel (Staite) - effervescent, joyous, wonderfully disarming; Amanda (Tapping) - kind, down-to-Earth and polished; Robert (Picardo) - uncompromising yet gentle, and welcoming; Rainbow (Sun Francks) - joyous, creative and luminous. OK, I guess that was a BIG cheat.

Hello! Here are my questions for Rachel Luttrell. 1.) What did you find the most challenging about playing Teyla? 2.) Is there any aspect of the character's background that was not explored and that you would have liked to see touched upon, or one that you would have liked to see explored in greater detail? 3.) In your opinion, would you imagine Teyla leaving her people behind in the Pegasus Galaxy to pursue a secure life on Earth with Torren and Kannan, following the events of Enemy at the Gate? 4.) Should Stargate Extinction be approved for production, would you be willing to return for the movie? 5.) What was your favorite episode of the series? Why? 6.) Have you been cast in any upcoming films or TV series? Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions. It is really appreciated. (from Abbas)

Hello, Abbas. Let's see if I can tackle your questions.

1.) The first challenge to me as a performer was getting Teyla's fighting skills to a place where they looked natural, studied and trained. I had never fought nor had I ever practiced a martial art. I used my dance background to help me with the choreography.

2.) I was intrigued from my first encounter with Teyla by her personal history and about the history of her people. I always find it rather wanting in story when a culture that is not indigenous to a region comes in and saves the day due to their superior knowledge. I have always had a feeling that Teyla's people and Teyla herself had much more perspective, mystery, mythology, knowledge and strength than was given breadth to be explored.

3.) In short, the answer to your next question is no.

4.) Yes, of course I would be happy to be involved in an Atlantis film should there ever be one.

5.) We did 100 episodes. 100...it's hard for me to choose ONE that honestly qualifies as my favorite. For me it's more like moments of many, many episodes that are stand-outs. Moments in The Gift when Teyla finds out about her heightened sense and when she reveals her ability to the team; my fight with Jason in Lost Boys; working with (director) Mario Azzopardi in Thirty-Eight Minutes; Critical Mass; working with Connor Trinneer for the first time in Michael, and truly on and on and on...

6.) As I write this I am still a free agent! But I am working on my CD thanks in large part to all of you out there who kept asking me to get off my butt and record something. I hope that once it's all done, everyone will enjoy it! I'm having a lot of fun working on it. Aside from the CD, this year has been about selling our house in Vancouver, moving countries, immigration, and working on creating normalcy and security in our son's life...oh, and now school for Caden, wow!

Hey, Rachel. This is Steve's cousin writing to you from Boston, MA. I'm a huge fan of yours and the show. It was sad to see it end so soon after five years. Two questions for you, have you heard any news about the Atlantis movie, and, second, how does it feel to have an action figure made from your character? All my best! David.

Hello, David. Nice to hear from you. You know, I hardly ever reflect on the fact that I have an action doll out there in the world, but when I do, well, I think it's pretty frickin' cool!! Caden calls it "Mommy Doll." I have heard nothing of any intention or any momentum towards an Atlantis film. Our lovely set no longer exists. But who knows, stranger things have happened. I would love to get a chance to work with my buddies again.

Ms Luttrell, I was wondering if Jason Momoa ever returned your chair-back that he took from the set and that you wanted so much? (from Jedi_Master_40)

Hello, Jedi_Master_40. Yes! Jason finally returned the back of my set chair to me this past New Year's Eve. I had to bring it up. Had I forgotten to mention it, I am sure he would still have it stashed away somewhere.

What are your fondest/funniest memories of working with Joe, David and Jason? (from Tracie)

Hello Tracie. Fondest and funniest, huh? Boy...? We had a lot of fun... I have many fond moments. Jason peeking through trees and singing in his best teenage girl impersonation I Think We're Alone Now; David and I bursting into an impromptu improvised musical theater-type song on the set of Irresistible; Joe helping me walk across a field when I was about seven months pregnant and feeling a wee bit unsure of my footing. We had fun and, for the most part, we took care of each other.

If there is to be a 4th Stargate series would you be in favor of the Return of the Ancients premise, which has Teyla has a recurring character in a handful of episodes, but also sees her character transformed into an Ancient? (from James)

Hi James. The Return of the Ancients sounds kinda cool. Sure. I haven't heard anything about this idea as of yet. And I loved bringing Teyla to life, so I would be happy to jump into her shoes once more. The idea of Teyla as an Ancient is intriguing...I would have to wrap my mind around that one a bit.

Hi Rachel. 1.) Can you tell us about the TV pilot/pitch piece Nothing Ventured that you mentioned on your blog? 2.) What was it like to work on David's movie, A Dog's Breakfast and having him for a director instead of a fellow actor. (from Scarym)

Hi Scarym. Nothing Ventured is essentially about a woman who has led a rather predictable and risk-free life, but who silently (and guiltily) craves action and adventure. She dreams about being an international spy while running an organic supermarket chain with her Dad. But what she doesn't know is that dear old Dad is leading a double life and her dream of becoming a spy, and so much more, is a lot closer than she thinks. It's an action/comedy. And, yes, there is room for a Sci-Fi twist!

I had a ball working with David on A Dog's Breakfast. He knew what he wanted out of each scene but was happy to let us play a bit. As I recall, we laughed a whole heck of a lot during the shoot.

As noted above, photo copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Comments

[nimbus]

umm hi people. this might seam like an advertisement and they are annoying, but what the hell, it's worth it...
i suggest everyone to google "return of the ancients" and give it a try... honestly that is the best bit of sci-fi i have ever read.
hope you will enjoy it as much as i did :)

[mariep]

beautiful girl. All miss you

[Abbas]

Thank you very much to Rachel Luthrell for answering all of my questions. I really appreciate it!