Ming-Na (as Camille Wray) and Lou Diamond Phillips (as Colonel David Telford) in Stargate Universe's "Air, Part 1." Photo by Carole Segal and copyright of The Syfy Channel.
When the Lucian Alliance attacked the off-world Icarus Base in Stargate Universe's opening episode, Air, Part 1, Colonel David Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips) immediately sprang into action to help defend the facility, while IOA (International Oversight Authority) representative Camille Wray (Ming-Na) and all other Icarus personnel were evacuated through the base's Stargate and back to Earth - or so they thought. In fact, they ended up on the Ancients starship Destiny, and assumed an unwilling role in the ship's ongoing mission, something that Telford would also become part of.
Prior to the start of Universe's second season, both Lou Diamond Phillips and Ming-Na spent a good portion of a morning chatting with myself as well as other journalists about their work on the show. The following is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy!
Lou, it was great to see you the last few episodes [of season one] and the first three of this season. Can you tell us, are you going to be on a lot of the episodes this season or is it going to be kind of a back and forth? How’s that going to go?
LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS - I'm still technically a recurring guest star, and without giving too much away I will be much more present in the second season. But don't look for me in every episode.
Your character, I guess, has a lot to go through with him having been compromised [by the enemy]. Are we going to get to see the evolution of him dealing with what happened with him?
LDP - You know, I think it's more in how Telford responds and reacts and deals with the people on-board the ship, the Destiny. He certainly has a history that's hinted at. What we've seen is, I think, a change in the dynamic, especially between himself and Colonel Everett Young [Louis Ferreria] and the lovely Ming Na's character of Camille Wray becomes a bit of a confidant to Telford because I think they both care very much about the welfare of the Destiny and how the decisions are made aboard the ship.
So we'll see a side of Telford that we haven't seen yet and one that I feel is all very true to the character and very layered into what we've seen of him before. The fact that we’re going to see more of him I'm actually very happy about and we gain a bit more insight what makes him tick. But, you know, it's not about Telford. I mean the storylines don't revolve around him. So he's definitely a team player in that respect.
Ming-Na, you’ve got certainly one of the meatiest roles, I think, on TV, let alone on this show. Was it kind of the [producers/writers] intent that Camille would be such an integral character to everything or did that kind of evolve as you went along?
MING-NA - Well, I’m very happy that the character has evolved the way that she has, and it's probably one of the most complex roles I've had the opportunity to play. That was something that was proposed to me very early on, that Camille Wray would be a more integral part of this series, and so far that’s come true. However, I don't have any say as far as where the character goes, and I certainly don't get paid to be a writer. So I'm thankful to the writers for bringing such a strong female character to light.
Ming-Na, I was wondering what about your role keeps challenging you?
MN - I think Camille is interesting because she starts off as someone who really wanted to maintain the status quo of what she was used to on Earth and Icarus Base. However, she's since had to learn to throw that book away and be more instinctual and think more on her feet.
So for me I find it fascinating that here's a woman who feels like she can compartmentalize her two worlds, her personal life and her life in the workforce. And now it's kind of meshed into where her life and her work is just on Destiny, so she's kind of had to let her hair down. Camille has kind of had to resort to tactics that she normally wouldn’t use and deal with allies and make friends with people she normally probably wouldn’t make friends with, especially the military. She works alongside them, but it's interesting how those challenges have been brought to light with the character.
Why do you think people keep turning in to watch Universe?
MN - I'm not the type of actor that toots her own horn or is like, "Oh, I'm on this commercial," or, "Oh, I'm going to be on this talk show," and bombard everyone with an e-mail. But I just watched the season two trailer and I'm so proud of our show and everyone who works on it, that I'm sitting here this morning and saying that you guys have to watch this trailer. So I think when an actor that's actually in a program gets this excited, there must be something right that's happening.
There’s such a on-line support for this show, and Lou you're an active participant on Twitter. Why is that such an important place for you to connect with the fans?
LDP - I’ve actually loved connecting with them [the fans] on Twitter. You know, that way I’m never quoted out of context. I can say what's on my mind, but at the same time I'm not given to ranting or going off on long dissertations. It allows me to share some thoughts and, I hope, allows the fans to get a peek not only into my life but also what they might be interested as far as I'm doing.
And when it comes to SGU, the fact that so many of us are on Twitter I really do feel as if it's a little gift, you know, to the fans out there to be able to peek into our real interpersonal dynamics and get a little bit of scuttlebutt about what's going on behind the scenes without spoiling anything. It makes the relationship very special, and interestingly enough I think the relationship between a Science Fiction show and its audience is different than any one of the other types of shows that are out there.
MN - Yes, it's so intimate.
LDP - It's very intimate. It has this loyalty to it, and a trust. They [the fans] care about the characters and where the stories go. And it continues long into the future. It's got a very long shelf life. So it's like a little romance that we’re maintaining with the fans of the show. And like Ming said, I'm incredibly proud of the show, too. I'm a fan of the show, even the episodes that I'm not in. I think the entire cast is just brilliant. It's a total team effort; everyone from the cast to the people behind the scenes are bringing their A-game to it.
MN - A lot of times we’re just looking at green screens and trying to bring something off the page. And then later on when the Visual Effects people add this amazing tableau of artistry, it blows my mind as a Sci-Fi geek. I'm looking at the ship, I’m looking at the aliens, I'm like, "Oh, my God, this is my show." It's fabulous.
How did you both come to work on the show? I mean, did you audition or were you offered the part?
MN - I initially met with the show's casting director, but I was very hesitant about doing a show that shoots in Vancouver. I haven't taken a job outside of Los Angles since my child was born. So that's been like eight years. But after speaking with [series co-creator/executive producer] Robert Cooper and him describing the character and the direction that they wanted to go with the show, I was pretty much convinced from that conversation to come on-board. What about you, Lou?
LDP - My experience was almost exactly the same. I got a call saying they were interested in me, went to MGM and sat down and had a conference call because the boys [the producers/writers] were already in Vancouver. They just sort of told me that, yes, Telford starts out very slow in [the series premiere] Air Parts One and Two, but that there would be a future with the character and he'd have some interesting things to do and would become a player as far as the dynamic of the show is concerned. So I took a leap of faith and jumped in there. And it didn't hurt either that they were bandying names around like Ming-Na and Bobby Carlyle [Dr. Nicholas Rush].
MN - Yes, ding, ding, ding [referring to a similar verbal list of her fellow cast members' names] - that was another enticement for me as well.
Ming-Na, you started to talk a little bit about how the visual effects look after you've shot a scene. But can you both talk about acting with the green screen and the challenge of that?
MN - I always feel like there are two challenges. One is wow, I'm really being like a five-year-old kid pretending that I'm in outer space and how great is it to be doing that as an adult. And then two, you know, just whenever it’s such dire life or death situation, the challenge is to really believe in that moment and selling it.
LDP - Yes I would say the same thing in that you truly have to commit to what you're supposed to be seeing because if you're apologizing for it or distancing yourself from it, then the audience will never buy it and the actual effect itself will never work. Everything has to go to that place of completeness and utter believability. As a result, what's really nice is that not only are the directors very descriptive in what we’re supposed to be seeing and they help set up the shots, but many times the art department and the visual effects department will have renderings and can also show you at least on a two-dimensional plane what it is that you're going to be looking at.
Lou, since Telford has had such an interesting journey, can you talk about how you really get to know him as a character and what you hang on to with him in terms of consistency?
LDP - That's a very good question. I think the writers have done an incredible job of maintaining a core of integrity to Telford. His mission from the start and even throughout Season Two, quite honestly, is extrmely specific, and that is to be the hero, save these people and get them home. Whether that's self-aggrandizing or not, he still feels very, very committed to this mission, and I think he's really frustrated that he was not able to perform the duty that he was called upon to perform. When it comes to being a soldier and an officer, Telford has a very strong code and must adhere to that.
I think we get to see him operate a little differently once the brainwashing has been taken away. But once again at his core he's very, very focused and he doesn't waiver from what he ultimately wants to achieve. What's been interesting is that we get to know him a little bit better. We sense the dynamic between him and Rush as well as Young and Camille Wray and how he operates with them becomes slightly different.
What we haven't discovered about Telford yet -- and I don't think I'm spoiling anything -- is that we haven't gotten a lot of details about his personal life just yet. I find that very intriguing and we'll see if it ever becomes important to the storylines.
Ming-Na, can you talk about coming back to Camille for Season Two and the challenges of finding where she is emotionally at the start of the season?
MN - I think for Camille, she has to come to terms with her situation. For Season One, her ultimate goal was to get everybody, including herself, back to Earth and to a world that she’s comfortable in and familiar with.
And now I think with Season Two it's the realization that perhaps there's something else that is going to take over as the more important mission in her life and to just start moving forward and embracing that as her world for a while. Because if she can't, then I don't think she's capable of leading the civilians to adapt and have a better frame of mind. So I think that's going to be a new change for a lot of the characters this season - having this mission that they feel genuinely will help Earth and protect it from a Lucian Alliance attack.
Lou, can you tell us a bit about the relationship between Telford and Young in Season Two and how that further develops?
LDP - It's interesting because in Season One it was only ever adversarial, but after Young kills Telford and then brings him back to life, that tends to change a relationship. But we get a sense that they were once friends, that they were in the academy together, that they had served together and have respect for one another as leaders.
So I think there’s a window into that, and we see Telford sublimate himself to that. I mean, I'm sure he's quite overcome by guilt for the things that he did and that were beyond his control, because he still has memories of them. That certainly affects how he approaches his position on the Destiny now. Having said that, Telford is still ambitious. He's still full of confidence and cockiness to a certain extent that he is the best man for the job.
That edge never really goes away. Telford does not 100% just bow down and say, "Do you know what, I'm not worthy." He tries to be a contributor to the survival of the ship and the decisions that will hopefully save these people one day. I still think he's got a very high estimation of himself and thinks that perhaps fate led him down the wrong path.
Ming-Na, what are your thoughts on Camile's strengths and how does that affect your portryal of the character?
MN - I think in the beginning she comes off as someone who really wants to muscle her way into situations or have her voice heard. And I think it's just probably her reality in achieving the level of success that she's had in the IOA and going by the books and doing all the right things and being the right diplomat in all the situations. So in that sense I think any woman who has to play in a man’s field and succeed in it is strong.
However, now Camille is also in a situation where on Destiny there are really no rules. You have to sort of re-create the rules and the guidelines. The crew aboard Destiny has to become "tribal" and learn to live with each other and work with each other. I think in that sense my character has to force herself to take that leadership role in guiding or helping the civilians. And then there's her warmth and revealing another side of herself, which is that she cares. Camille really cares about these people and to actually show it is also part of her strength, you know, to be able to be more herself.
Lou, in the season one finale I was so impressed with your performance. There was one scene in particular where Telford was finally coming to terms with what had happened with him, realizing he was brainwashed and realizing what he had done as a result of that brainwashing. I imagine there's going to be some fallout from that later on. How is Telford going to deal with this?
LDP - Once again, I think that what's really sort of nice and it's one of the things that I truly appreciate about those last three episodes - which played very much like one long movie, and it certainly felt like it when we were shooting - is the fact that we got a glimpse into the humanity behind Telford. We've seen him in an official capacity. We've seen him as a soldier and a figure of authority. But to understand that this effects him emotionally on some levels was a real treat not only for myself but, I hope, for the audience as well.
And I think it’s going to become complicated as time goes on. He certainly will have residual guilt. But in that respect that almost galvanizes him more into accomplishing what he set out to do, which is to save these people and to bring them home, at times almost at any cost. I think this sort of becomes his obsession and in some respects a way to vindicate himself when he obviously has cost others their lives in the past.
So fortunately Telford is not just a cardboard cutout of a villain or the guy who's going to be the fly in the ointment. Telford has very interesting motivations and a lot of very interesting layers to how he will continue to be involved with the people onboard the Destiny.
We know that Robert Carlyle directed an episode [Pathogen], and we were wondering what it was like working with him as a director versus a cast mate?
MN - Oh, he was just fabulous, and I had no doubt from the start that he would do a great job. He's such an instinctual actor, and yet at the same time an analytical actor. I just knew that Robert would do a thorough job as far as what he was going to do as an actor and also when bringing some of his insights as a director to guiding us as actors. But ultimately for me it was just fun to see Robert being like a little kid in a candy store. He just had such a great time, and I really enjoyed him as a director.
My question is really for people who've never seen Stargate or people who haven't seen SGU, why should they tune in this season?
MN - If you're looking for a show that has a lot of action and great writing and acting and is even if you're not a Sci0Fi fan, I think you would really enjoy Stargate Universe because it just has so much to offer. It's got the love stories, life and death situations and humor as well as some really great characters to sink your teeth into.
So I think for all those reasons, and it's a great looking show, too. Also, interestingly enough, Season Two starts off with so much of the aftermath of the prior season. And it's always good to start from the beginning so you kind of have a real understanding of who these characters are and you can come to care about them. And maybe if somebody catches the premiere episode of Season Two it will interest them and excite them so much that they'll be like, "Oh, I've got to get Season One [on DVD] and catch up". Because that's what I did with Battlestar Galactica. I came into it in the middle and was just like, ah, I've got to watch this from the beginning.
As noted above, photo by Carole Segal and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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