Christopher Judge as Teal'c in Stargate SG-1. Photo copyright of MGM.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Christopher Judge talks about his early days playing the Jaffa warrior Teal'c on Stargate SG-1.
With his steely gaze, imposing stature and muscular physique Stargate SG-1’s resident extraterrestrial Teal’c is a force with which to be reckoned. As the former personal guard of Apophis, the god-like leader of a highly aggressive alien race known as the Goa’uld, this proud and mighty warrior had to obey orders without question. However, since coming to Earth and joining a group of military and scientific explorers led by Colonel Jack O’Neill, Teal’c has not only reclaimed his independence but also the freedom to think for himself.
Given his stoic and guarded nature most people would consider Teal’c the strong and silent type but there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Although he may not always express himself in the most obvious of ways it does not mean that he is not experiencing the same pain, anger and even happiness that his teammates feel. Despite his towering presence Teal’s is remarkably subtle when displaying emotion and this presents Christopher Judge with a huge creative challenge when portraying the character.
“Teal’c has so many emotions and, yet, very few ways in which to show them,” he explains. “I think the hardest thing for an actor to comprehend as well as trust when it comes to their performance is stillness. I had the opportunity to once work with James Earl Jones and he gave me some advice which I’ve never forgotten and that is, ‘Let stillness be your strength.’
“When something amusing happens in a story I have to struggle as Teal’c to keep a straight face. There have also been moments in certain episodes that have really moved me as a human being and have made me want to cry but that isn’t how Teal’c would react. I have to register the emotion, whatever it may be, and relate Teal’c’s feelings to the viewers but not overplay his reaction, and that can be incredibly difficult at times.”
Judge learned about Stargate SG-1 through a fellow actor friend of his who was auditioning for the part of Teal’c. Teal’c comes from a race called the Jaffa and was chosen by Apophis to lead his guards and to defend the Goa’uld. Like all who serve Apophis, Teal’c was implanted with a larva Goa’uld that lives inside him. The creature has established a symbiotic connection with Teal’c and protects him from disease and injury while being nourished and nurtured within his body. Judge fell in love with the character after reading the sides (dialogue) and immediately phoned his agent to ask about arranging an audition with the show’s producers and casting people.
“I went in and read for them and they put my audition on tape but after a couple of weeks I still hadn’t heard anything so I figured they weren’t interested,” recalls the actor. “Then one day they called to tell me that I’d be screen-testing in two days. When I got to the screen-test there were only three actors each reading for the other four regular characters but eight people auditioning just for Teal’c. I took that to mean that the producers were really searching for a certain someone to show them who this character was. After the first round of read-throughs they sent home most of the actors who had tried out for the other parts but they sent home all the guys reading for Teal’c except me. At that point I knew it was either me or nobody,” chuckles Judge.
Based on the 1994 feature film Stargate the show’s pilot episode Children of the Godsopens with Stargate Command calling on the recently retired O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) to lead his SG-1 team on a covert mission through the Stargate, an ancient alien portal that allows instantaneous travel between similar gateways on planets scattered throughout the galaxy. After a surprise attack on the Stargate base, led by Apophis and his Jaafa guard Teal’c, O’Neill is ordered to search for and destroy the Goa’ulds before they launch a full scale invasion of Earth. When the colonel and his troops are captured by Apophis and sentenced to death they are befriended by Teal’c, whose actions incite a revolt by his own people against the Goa’ulds.
“Originally, I believe Teal’c had one main objective and that was the liberation of his race,” says Judge. “He was very straightforward in his vision and really had no interest whatsoever in such things as humour or establishing close and lasting relationships with other people. When we first meet Teal’c all he is concerned about is freeing his people, but as the show has progressed he has come to appreciate the complexities of personal relationships. At one time I think he would have sacrificed his own family if it meant his people would live in freedom but I don’t think he’d do that now. Instead, he’d figure out some way to accomplish his task and safeguard his family.
“Over the past two seasons Teal’c has allowed a bit of his emotional self to shine through, although most of it is still well hidden under quite a few layers of sombreness,” laughs the actor. “I truly feel, though, that he now realizes that he has to give more of himself if he hopes to build solid friendships with people who he would not only die for but also laugh, eat and celebrate life with. At first, he found it difficult to believe that people would want more from him than just his protection. But there are those who care enough to want to know who he is and what he’s all about, and he’s just beginning to understand the importance of this in his life.”
This gentle giant has developed a close friendship with O’Neill and the rest of the SG-1 team, Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and Doctor Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks). Teal’c is also extremely loyal to such people as Stargate commander General George Hammond (Don S. Davis) and Doctor Janet Fraiser (Teryl Rothery), both of whom have shown him great kindness and compassion since his arrival on Earth. However, he feels especially comfortable with O’Neill, who he looks to as a mentor as well as an equal.
“I think his relationship with O’Neill is one of mutual respect,” says Judge. “The colonel is the closest to who Teal’c is, or at least was, a soldier who obeys orders but who doesn’t always agree with those orders. I think it’s because they are both fighting men that Teal’c probably feels that he has the most in common with O’Neill. He has a similar rapport with General Hammond, who reminds him of his teacher Bra’tac. Here is a brave man who has fought battles, been in tight spots and survived basically in the same way as Bra’tac and, like him, is passing on his wisdom and knowledge to young soldiers.
“His relationship with Daniel is more or less based on curiosity. Teal’c is fascinated by humans and sometimes he’s confused by how passionate Daniel is and how he is occasionally ruled by his emotions. Although Teal’c is getting better at understanding opposing views he still sees most things as being pretty cut and dry and either right or wrong. With him there’s no standing on the fence and not being able to decide between two issues. Teal’c finds it interesting that Daniel is able to survive in the world making spur of the moment decisions and allowing his heart to guide him in certain instances. Teal’c has never really met anyone who makes a choice based solely on their heart without considering the repercussions and, just maybe, Teal’c slightly envies that,
“As far as Carter and Teal’c, their relationship has been explored probably the least on the program,” continues the actor. “Teal’c has never had a camaraderie with a woman before and I kind of like that distance between the characters because Teal’c is unsure of how to approach her. He’s also never dealt with a female as his equal on the battlefield, so that’s been somewhat of an adjustment for him as well. I enjoy my scenes with Amanda and I’m hoping our two characters interact more with each other next season.
“It’s been great working with this cast,” adds Judge. “I think anyone going into a series starring Richard Dean Anderson would do so with trepidation. He’s arguably one of the world’s biggest television stars, so you’d expect him to have a huge ego or be on some sort of power trip but there is absolutely none of that. Richard’s an intelligent, ordinary guy and, in fact, I hung out with him quite a bit during our first hiatus. Michael Shanks and I are best friends; he’s like a little brother to me. Everyone as a whole gets along well and this includes the crew. We have a huge group of golfers on the set and the producers golf with the crew and the actors golf with the crew. There aren’t any lines drawn that can’t be crossed and that’s somewhat unusual but it also makes for a relaxed and cooperative working environment.”
With new episodes of Stargate SG-1‘s second season airing Friday nights on the Showtime cable network in the States and its first season currently in first-run syndication worldwide Judge and his costars are enjoying double the publicity. Only recently has the actor realized just how great an impact his work as Teal’c is making on the program’s fans.
“We shoot in Vancouver [British Columbia] and during the recent hiatus between our second and third seasons I went back to Los Angeles [California], and it was there that it really hit me how many people watch the show. I was out driving one day and there was a young lady driving next to me in her car yelling, ‘Teal’c! Teal’c!’ That’s the nice part of it, actually,” he laughs. “Anywhere I go it seems that everyone knows about the show and my character, so it’s gratifying to discover that so many people watch us and enjoy what we’re doing.”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of MGM, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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