SciFiAndTvTalk

Bar Karma's Matthew Humphreys - Raising The Bar

 
Matthew Humphreys as Doug Jones in Bar Karma's "Term Limits." Photo copyright of Current TV.

At one point most people have heard a joke that starts with, “A man walks into a bar,” but when Doug Jones walks into Bar Karma it is no laughing matter.  Having won the deed to the bar in a high stakes poker game, the billionaire Internet mogul had no idea how much this small and seemingly insignificant thing would change his life. As the newest member of the Karma, Inc. team, Doug is now responsible for helping bartender James Anon and the establishment’s lone waitress Dayna Rollins sort out a patrons’ karmic crossroads and set him or her on the right life path.

For our initially reluctant hero, this all began in Bar Karma’s first season opener A Guy Walks into a Bar, and as actor Matthew Humphreys, who plays Doug, recalls, it was, for him, the start of not only a challenging but an exciting new acting venture as well.

“We actually shot the pilot on-location in Brooklyn [New York] at a place called Floyds,” says the actor. “We’d basically be there during the day when the bar was closed and then had to be out of the place before it opened at night. So every morning the cast and crew would all pile into Floyds while the bar workers were wrapping things up and cleaning up.

“I remember showing up on the first day of work and realizing that this really was a group of people who had come together to do a project that didn’t have any of the fancy trailers, high-end equipment or most of the other things that you usually find on the sets of other TV shows or films. These were all individuals who believed in a concept and the idea for Bar Karma and were committed to doing the best work possible. It’s very exhilarating as well as inspiring to walk into something like that.

“As for the episode itself, it was a big one,” continues Humphreys. “There were a number of challenges in terms of how much material needed to be covered. The entire foundation of the show had to be set up, including my character being not only the first ‘karmic guest’ that the audiences meets, but also how significant Doug is in this world and in this bar. We had to make sure, too, that Doug was onboard by the end of the episode. As a show and storyline it’s hard to fathom that a guy who walks into a bar that exists in an alternate reality would say, ‘Yeah, sure, I buy all this,’ especially after just 30 minutes. Even if your hero character is reluctant, you have to prove to the viewer that he’s going to be onboard and ready to figure out what’s going on and what he needs to do in order to get what he wants out of this world.

“When you throw all that into a 30 minute show, every minute, every line, every scene is a challenge because we had to try to reduce things to only the most important information. Without the commercial breaks, we had 23 minutes to sell this show to an audience as well as a network. We didn’t have the promise of going any further than just the pilot, so we had to prove that we could create a good enough story in 23 minutes to have someone back it up. Again, that was a challenge every day, but a positive one. It’s neat to walk into work as a creative artistic person and know that all day long you’re going to have to problem-solve. Of course, it helps when you have a great group of people surrounding you and who are working with you to most effectively and creatively get the story across to the audience.”

 
Doug (Matthew Humphreys) and Dayna (Cassie Howarth) in "The Day The Music Died." Photo copyright of Current TV.

Although the actor was familiar with the basics of his character when starting out on Bar Karma, there were (and are) still many dots left to connect when it comes to who Doug Jones really is. “Looking back at the audition, my agents called and said that I had an appointment to read for this new show,” says Humphreys. “There wasn’t a lot of information about the series, but there was some underground buzz about it and they felt it would be a great opportunity for me.

“I’m not one to turn down an audition, so I went along and they [the producers/writers] didn’t have much to give me with regard to Doug. All they had was a brief character description and one scene, which I read for them. Usually with an audition I get a good feel for what the part is or I’m able to determine in my mind, ‘They need to see this, or they need me to be this [type of guy].’ In this case, though, I had no idea what I needed to do, which kind of freed me up to interpret the role in whatever way I wanted and trust that if they liked me, they would give me some notes and further direction. If not, I would move on to the next audition.

“When I first got the role, the biggest challenge and the most fun I had was figuring out how the hell Doug was going to be OK with staying in this bar.  Again, I was given very little information. They wanted to keep me in the dark on certain aspects of my character because of the online community and the fact that so many ideas were being pitched insofar as potential back stories for Doug. Of course, as an actor I created my own backstory for him based on the points of his life that they wanted me to have. From there, I just ran with it, and every day at work was a matter of making sure that I got from A to B to C to D with the character and my performance.”

What does the actor think of the show’s online fan community’s contributions to the show’s storyline and development of its characters? “I think it’s great,” he enthuses. “That’s the short simple answer. What’s amazing about it is that it’s a constant dialogue. It’s constantly growing and evolving. This show is giving certain people a chance to contribute their ideas, which then go to the writers who add their ideas, and then all of that goes to a director and the producers, all of whom bring their ideas to the table. It’s absolute contribution at its heart. It’s like creating a piece of theatre, only we got to do it for a long period of time.

 
Things are not looking too good for Doug (Matthew Humphreys) in "Hack Job." Photo copyright of Current TV.

“I think the biggest lesson that anyone can take away with them from this first season – and knock on wood that we’ll move forward with a second season – is that taking sole ownership over anything is the worst thing any of us can do. As soon as one person takes ownership of an episode or storyline, it limits the possibilities and, honestly, his or her ability to enjoy what then happens as a collaborative process develops. It’s awesome to see and be part of something that really takes feedback and makes changes in order to tell the best story possible.”

Along with Humphreys’ character, those of his fellow Bar Karma castmates, James (William Sanderson) and Dayna (Cassie Howarth) have also been further fleshed out in the show’s first season, as have the relationships among the characters.

“I think the relationships within the bar have been one of the hottest topics both on and off the set in terms of the online community as well as the cast,” notes the actor. “From the start, Doug sees James as this almost fatherly/grandfatherly figure who he just feels safe with. There’s something about James, and I think it’s really something about William Sanderson and his ability to be gentle, warm and trusting on-camera. It’s easy to see then how Doug could by convinced by this older gentleman when he talks about all these wild and crazy things that in Doug’s life in the outside world would make no sense.

“Doug’s and James’ relationship begins with my character’s sort of blind faith and trust in James, and as this season has gone on we’ve begun to witness little cracks in that relationship. As a result, the viewer begins to see that Doug is maybe realizing that he shouldn’t have such blind faith in this older man, and just exactly why is James being so elusive about certain things. Why, for example, is he so secretive about the ring he wears and whatever marriage or union that that ring is connected to, or the fact that he has a brother, who Doug later discovers is basically like Darth Vader [from Star Wars]?

“So my character’s relationship with James is slowly deteriorating, or at the very least is developing imperfections. As far as him and Cassie, when my character first walks into the bar, he sees this beautiful girl, and whenever Doug sees a beautiful girl, and if he’s interested, he knows how to get her. He knows how to end the day, or night, with her. It’s very superficial and very surface but that’s how things start out between him and Cassie. However, right from the get-go she gives it right back to him, and that threatens Doug a little bit.

“I also think it turns Doug on in a way that he’s never been turned on before. He’s finally met someone who can maybe break through the hard exterior that my character has. I hope what the audience has seen in the episodes that have aired – and I know that it exists more in the last couple of episodes yet to air – that Doug’s and Cassie’s relationship starts to become more solid and grounded. Hopefully you’ll see that there’s more to Doug than you first expected, and I also feel he’s learning that maybe the best things in life aren’t the one-night stands and short-term relationships, but rather meeting a woman who can challenge him and really be true with him in a way that he’s never experienced before.”

 
Cassie Howarth (Dayna), Matthew Humphreys (Doug) and guest-star Ken Leung in season one's "The Arrival." Photo copyright of Current TV.

The actor chuckles when asked if he has a favorite episode or scene from Bar Karma. “Can I pick two?” asks Humphreys. “I had so much fun the day we shot the scene [in Hack Job] where Doug can’t move and is lying on a concrete slab while a techie [Edoardo Ballerini] is preparing to implant my character’s brain with an Internet connection. There was something so real about the location we were filming in. All you had to do was walk into that warehouse and feel the cold – it was maybe 20 degrees Fahrenheit – as well as look at all the other stimulus around you. Edoardo is an absolutely brilliant actor and we had so much fun shooting that scene. It’s where Doug learns that maybe this whole poker thing isn’t what he thought it was. He sees memories of events that he doesn’t recall and it freaks him out.

“On a character development level and actor-wise, I didn’t want that day to end. It was extremely exhausting but I could have gone on for hours and filmed more and more. On top of it all, we were being directed by Christopher Leone, who is now one of my truly favorite directors.

“Another scene I really enjoyed is one between Doug and James in the episode with the football player [Fair Catch]. It’s a very short scene where Doug is in James’ office and my character says, ‘I don’t get it. Both girls are great. What’s his dilemma?’ He doesn’t really have a dilemma. It’s a no-lose situation for him, and that’s when Doug questions James about the ring on his finger. As usual, James doesn’t give him much information at all. I remember William and I having a great time when we shot that scene, and, honestly, even talking about it now my heart breaks. That scene was so simple and yet William was able to bring such heart to it and help me bring my heart out in it as well.”

Humphreys also enjoyed working on the recently aired episode Three Times a Lady, which guest-stars Genie Francis (General Hospital) and was directed by Francis’ husband Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation).

“If I could be utterly selfish I wish that somehow Genie could be a regular on Bar Karma and that Jonathan could be a regular director on the show as well,” says the actor. “It was one of the best episodes just in terms of the energy on-set. Jonathan is a total pro and has such experience, both as an actor and a director. He knew how to talk to the actors as well as the crew and get what he needed out of everyone. He made everyone laugh every step of the way, too.

 
Guest-star Genie Francis and Matthew Humphreys in a scene from "Three Times A Lady." Photo copyright of Current TV.

“And Genie Francis, wow, I grew up watching her on General Hospital, and in a way the little boy came out in me the week we shot this Bar Karma episode. I didn’t tell her until the very end because, I don’t know, I was embarrassed, but it was like playing out a childhood fantasy being able to work opposite her. We had such fun in that diner, and I think what’s so beautiful about the episode is that we found the comedy in it, and then in the end it really gets to the heart of what’s going on with Genie’s character. We sort of totally flipped things upside-down and, I hope, made the audience go, ‘Whoa, wait a minute. This is really affecting me.’ You laugh at something and then you realize that this is a person with a past and things from that past that torture her. I thought it was handled so well and quite beautifully.”

When you start a new job you typically never know who your coworkers are going to be or how you are going to get along with them.  Humphreys could not be happier with the fellow actors he is working with on Bar Karma. “Cassie and William are just so dear,” he says, “and quite frankly we’re been away from one another for three weeks or so now and I miss them. We were such a part of each others’ lives. Cassie is so sweet and genuine. She really has that quality that Dayna has of just being a good person. Cassie has a huge heart and she shares it with you and wants to be there for you in everything she does. That’s how Cassie is on-set as well as off-set and she’s been an utter joy to work with.

“And William Sanderson, well, I was thrilled when I heard that he was playing the role of James. I know him from his work in [the feature film] Blade Runner and [the TV series] Newhart, and then William’s character and performance in Deadwood changed my life. I can only dream of having a career with the versatility that William has had with his career, and to be able to work opposite him and learn from him truly is like being in an acting workshop.”

 
Poor Doug (Matthew Humphreys) ends up in a tight spot in "Hack Job." Photo copyright of Current TV.

From the time he was a child, Humphreys wanted to be an actor, but it was not until he was a little older that he realized that it was his true calling. “At one point when I was young he wanted to be a stockbroker,” says Humphreys. “When someone asked me why I told them, ‘Did you ever see the movie Trading Places? I loved Dan Ackroyd and what they did in that movie, and I think I want to be a stockbroker.’ It was, however, because of the movie and not my desire to be a stockbroker.

“When I was 10 I saw the movie Navy SEALs, and after that I wanted to be a Navy SEAL.  Again, what I think I was really responding to was being a performer and acting in these films or plays. I saw people doing something I wanted to do, but at that age was having a tough time differentiating between acting and the actual roles that the actors were playing.

“My true passion is theatre, and eventually I began doing regional theater all over the Midwest and then in New York, where I decided to go back to graduate school. I went to the Yale School of Drama and after I graduated I began getting more work and more recognizable jobs. It’s been a slow journey and sometimes it doesn’t move as fast as I want it to, but the journey is the goal and I’m enjoying every step of the way.”

Obsessed, Chapter 27 and The Good Shepherd, which was directed by Robert De Niro, are among Humphreys’ film credits. He has also guest-starred on several TV series including Big Love, Burn Notice, Medium, Journeyman and the Supernatural episode Fresh Blood in which he played Dixon.

“Supernatural is my favorite acting job so far other than Bar Karma,” says the actor. “That show has done such amazing things and I wanted so badly to go back and do more episodes. They’re an awesome group of people on Supernatural, and with my particular episode I had the good fortune to be directed by Kim Manners, who died a few years ago. He was absolutely unbelievable.

“What I think is so neat and fun about the show is that it’s about vampire, demons and warlocks, and there is no overacting when you’re dealing with those kinds of topics.  Yes, it’s on the small screen, but the bigger your performance the better because if you don’t commit to those types of lines then they just don’t work. I can’t say enough about that job. I didn’t want to leave at all.”

Listening to the enthusiasm in Humphreys’ voice it is clear that that young boy who was once enamored of the idea of acting could not be happier about taking the leap and pursuing a career as an actor. “I feel so fortunate to be able to go to work and be a storyteller,” he says. “Sometimes the stories can be silly, other times the stories have really deep meaning, and the fact that I can play a part in telling these stories is the biggest reward that I could ever ask for in this business.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos copyright of Current TV, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Andrew Jackson - King For A Day

 
Actor Andrew Jackson. Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

This coming Sunday, April 24th, U.S. and Canadian fans of feature film, TV and stage actor Andrew Jackson can get a double dose of his work (depending on where you live). North of the border in Canada, he will be guest-starring in the Showcase network’s brand-new police drama series King, while in the States and Canada, the actor will be appearing in an episode of the A&E Network drama series Breakout Kings.

In King, Amy Price-Francis stars as Detective Sergeant Jessica King, a veteran police officer with a unique eye for detail who receives a promotion to the head of Toronto’s Major Crimes Task Force after her predecessor suffers a breakdown on television. Jackson’s character of T-Bone makes his debut in this Sunday’s episode of the same name, and as auditions go, the actor was surprised at the outcome of this particular one.

“It was one of those days where it didn’t matter how much coffee I had in my system,” recalls Jackson. “I felt like my energy level was around a negative three. I was in a fog, and maybe that was a good thing, but at the time I felt frustrated. Fortunately, the show’s producers/writers in the audition room were great. They really worked with me on the piece and were extremely supportive, but I still left the room thinking, ‘I’m not going to book this one.’ I’ve had numerous other auditions where everyone has been nothing but supportive and I’ve walked out of the room feeling wonderful. This is one time, though, where I just thought I wasn’t able to fully rise to the challenge because I literally did not have the energy. So you can imagine my shock when I received a phone call telling me that I had booked the job.”

 
Andrew Jackson as T-Bone on the set of King. Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

Given the name T-Bone it might not surprise some to learn that Jackson’s character is, in fact, a biker, and as the actor reveals, slipping on a leather jacket and getting in touch with his Harley Davidson side is something he has longed to do.

“I’ve always wanted the opportunity to play a biker,” he says. “I guess there’s a tiny part of me that’s a bit of a biker at heart, anyway. I love bikes and have always been a little curious about that world. In fact, when I was in California I went to a place in Trabuco Canyon called Cook’s Corner, which is a famous biker bar hangout. I think I was one of three cars that pulled into the place, everyone else was on bikes. It’s an old historical landmark saloon with dirt floors and where they serve incredible burgers. While I was there I bought a couple of rings from a woman from England. The rings look like they’re straight out of the Middle Ages and I still wear them today. The people at Cook’s Corner made me feel like I was amongst warriors from 300 or 400 years ago. It was an incredible experience.

 
Andrew Jackson on T-Bone's Harley Davidson. Photo copyright of Wamstrom & Associates.

“As far as my character of T-Bone on King, it’s a very, very interesting role in that you’re talking about an individual who comes from a rather questionable background and has bouts of extreme violence. Five years prior to the beginning of this particular episode, this character had worked as an independent biker in the drug world and basically been hired as an enforcer. When I was living in Vancouver I actually met a couple of people who did that for a living, one of whom was a screenwriter who was desperately trying to get out of that business. He wanted to strictly be involved in the film industry, but kept going back into that world because he couldn’t fund his productions unless he continued to work as an enforcer. This guy was tough as nails, a real fighter, and you could see the spiritual struggle that he was facing.

“So with T-Bone I needed to create a character that was potentially terrifying during his bouts of violence, but someone who also made you feel a great deal of heart. I wanted to give a voice to the people out there who come from really rough backgrounds and have dabbled in drugs, made some incredibly bad choices and done some extremely dark things in their lives that they’re not proud of, but who are still human beings. They’re people who still have great hearts and want to change their life and do something about it, but they’re forced to battle various handicaps because of the choices they’ve made. And in some cases it’s not the choices they’ve made, but rather those that were made for them, or the result of environmental factors that came into play. I see these people in the streets, sometimes on a daily basis, and I wanted to bring an element of their struggle into this role to make T-Bone as real and as accessible as possible.”

Like all actors at one time or another, Jackson was experiencing a “lean” period prior to booking his role on King – along with a host of other acting jobs at the same time – and could not have been happier with how the shoot turned out. “This is very personal, but I was struggling before I got this slew of projects and was in a bit of a mindset where I thought, ‘Please, I need something, anything as far as work is concerned,’ because I’d hit a dry spell,” explains Jackson.

 
Behind-the-scenes shot of Andrew Jackson on the King set. Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

“So I sort of put that out in the universe, and it was actually right before I got this particular job. It was, I think, my second day on-set and we were shooting some scenes where as T-Bone I was finally getting the chance to play some ‘meat,’ no pun intended,” says the actor with a chuckle. “I was sitting in this car on-set and found this emotional place that related both to my character as well as a little bit to my own life. It was the last scene of the episode and I wanted to bring something emotional and truthful to what this character had experienced because of his feeling of having lost everything. I was thinking that T-Bone  has, in essence, been ‘saved’ through the storyline, and the director, Clark Johnson – who is one of the most amazing people that I’ve ever worked with - simply said after we finished the take, ‘I smell an Emmy!’ The show’s producers were, once again, really supportive, too, and with this scene I just found a place within myself that was just very rooted and honest.

“We were shooting in a junkyard and there were trashed vehicles all around it, some of which were getting crushed while others had been chosen to be saved. After we finished this scene and I was walking off the set, I looked at the vehicle that was directly opposite me and written in paint on the windshield was the word, ‘Saved.’ It’s hard to try to encapsulate what that experience was like, but as I said it all related not only to the character but to what I was going through in my own life at the time.

 
(L-R): Conrad Pia (Lucio Barrata), Andrew Jackson (T-Bone) and Vladimir Cubrt (Max Barrata). Lucio and Max are members of a Mafia gang in the "T-Bone" episode. Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

“So there are many sides to the T-Bone character.  He’s a biker with heart who ultimately and hopefully will win over the audience and you will come to care about him and want him to live a better life. Amy Price-Francis, who by the way is exceptional and a completely down-to-Earth and wonderful person to work with, plays Jessica King, hence the name of the show, King. Her character forms a personal bond of sorts with my character as this episode unfolds. She needs his help to break a case that seems impossible, and T-Bone is her only potential lead despite him being an extremely volatile individual.”

The actor’s other small screen outing this weekend, Breakout Kings, follows a group of U.S. Marshals that work with various prison inmates, who help the law enforcement officers track down fugitives in exchange for reduced sentences and a transfer to a minimum-security facility. In Steaks, Jackson plays Kellen Stackhouse, a former prison inmate who has an unexpected reunion with two escaped prisoners, one of whom has an old score to settle with Stackhouse. This time around Jackson had plenty of energy when it came to the audition, but he still had to jump through one or two hoops before finally getting the job.

 
Behind-the-scenes shot of Andrew Jackson after his character of Kellen Stackhouse is "roughed up" in the Breakout Kings episode "Steaks." Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

“I originally read for a guest-starring role in the pilot and was told that the director really loved my work and wanted me to do a callback, for which I was given an hour-and-a-half to prepare for,” he says. “I had greased my hair for the initial audition, applied fake tattoos and darkened my facial hair. The lines had changed from my first audition and there was barely enough time to physically make it to the callback. Unfortunately, there was no time to prepare. I opted to do the audition the following day but I’d risk not meeting the director. I was quickly informed that I could do the audition the next day and that the director would, in fact, be present.

“Just as I was leaving for the audition, I received a phone call telling me that the location for the audition had been changed to the studio. When I arrived at the studio, the security guard stared at my rather frightening appearance and was a little reluctant to let me in the gate. I waited for 20 minutes before the director’s assistant delivered the news. He said to me, ‘The director and producer want you to know that they love your work and are very sorry, but the studio has to give its approval.’ I left in a state of confusion, and as I stared at the building across the street, which read, ‘A.J. Storage – Scrap and Waste,’ I had to believe in my heart that some good would eventually come from this experience.

 
"Steaks" director Phil Abraham and Andrew Jackson (Kellen Stackhouse). Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

“Months later I auditioned for a second time for a different episode and character on the show. This audition experience was far less complicated. There weren’t many lines and I made a couple of bold choices and I wound up booking the role.”

Kellen Stackhouse first meets fellow inmate Oliver Day while in prison, which sets off a chain of events that eventually comes back to haunt Stackhouse. “A wonderful actor, Jonathan Keltz, plays Oliver, a teenage boy who ends up in prison after a joyride goes tragically wrong,” says Jackson. “While he was in prison, Oliver was used and abused in unfathomable ways, and my character was integral in that. Kellen is now out of prison, is engaged to a beautiful woman, has a big house, etc., and Oliver cannot deal with the fact that my character has gotten ahead like this on the outside. He works with a fellow inmate, Carl McCann, who’s played by another terrific actor, Matthew John Armstrong, to get enough money to escape and go out into the world and make new lives for themselves. However, Oliver doesn’t tell Carl that he wants to seek revenge on my character. The two of them end up at Kellen’s house and what he is put through by the two escapees is somewhat extreme.

 
Behind-the-scenes shot of Jonathan Keltz (Oliver Day) and Andrew Jackson (Kellen Stackhouse). Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

“At one point we were filming a scene where my character is trapped and he’s about to be potentially used,” continues the actor. “I was playing him as this tough guy who had been in prison, and the director, Phil Abraham, came up to me and said, ‘You’re a pussy. ‘ I was like, ‘What?’ and he said, ‘No, no, no. For this scene to work I need you to break down and be a pussy. I need you to be so terrified knowing what you did to Oliver in prison.’ When the tables finally turn and the bully is in a situation where he’s going to be bullied, he cannot deal with it. Sometimes bullies are like that.

“So Phil needed me to completely break down, but there was no warning ahead of time. Luckily I was able to find that emotional place, and part of that I attribute to the experience of just having worked on King.  As an actor that was tricky for me to do, and when I was on the sets of both shows I used meditation, which really helped ground me and open me up so that I could bring such emotions to my performance. I got to a place where I was lost in the experience of being completely in the moment, which was truly exhilarating.

 
(L-R): Matthew John Armstrong (Carl McCann), Andrew Jackson (Kellen Stackhouse) and Jonathan Keltz (Oliver Day). Photo copyright of Wanstrom & Associates.

“Character-wise there’s isn’t much that is redeeming about Kellen, but like T-Bone I wanted to bring a degree of humanity to the character so he wasn’t a total monster. Both roles were wonderful challenges and I enjoyed myself immensely.”

For details on when the above episodes of King and Breakout Kings are airing in your area as well as more information about Andrew Jackson and his career, check out the actor's official website - http://wanstrom.com/andrew-jackson/

Steve Eramo

As noted above, all photos copyright of Wanstrom & Associates, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

This Week On Doctor Who - 04 - 23 - 11

 
(lL-R) - Karen Gillan (as Amy Pond), Matt Smith (as The Doctor) and Arthur Darvill (as Rory Williams) in Doctor Who. Photo copyright of the BBC.

SPOILER ALERT!! - Four envelopes are received, numbered 2, 3 and 4, each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but TARDIS in blue. Who sent them? And who received the missing number one? This strange summons reunites the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) and River Song (Alex Kingston) in the middle of the Utah desert and unveils a terrible secret the Doctor's friends must never reveal to him. Placing his life entirely in their hands, the Doctor agrees to search for the recipient of the fourth envelope - just who is Canton Everett Delaware III? And what is the relevance of their only other clue: 'Space 1969'? Their quest lands them - quite literally - in the Oval Office, where they are enlisted by President Nixon himself to assist enigmatic former-FBI agent Canton (Mark Sheppard) in saving a terrified little girl from a mysterious spaceman. Part One, The Impossible Astronaut airs Saturday, April 23rd @ 9/8c on BBC America.

As noted above, photo copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

The Crying Game's Stephen Rea And Singer/Songwriter Roisin Murphy In Syfy's Road Kill

 
Stephen Rea as the long arm of the law in Road Kill. Photo by Bernard Walsh and copyright of Syfy.

SPOILER ALERT!! - Road Kill, premiering Saturday, April 23rd @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy, features a group of friends on a scenic RV road trip through Ireland, whose cross-country adventure takes an unexpected turn when they accidentally run down an old gypsy woman. Before she dies, the woman curses them, summoning a giant bird of prey called a Simuroc to exterminate the young people, one by one. Road Kill stars Stephen Rea (The Crying Game, V is for Vendetta) and Roisin Murphy (Johnny English, Grey’s Anatomy).

 
Roisin Murphy (Anita) in Road Kill. Photo by Bernard Walsh and copyright of Syfy.

 
Stella McCusker plays The Fortune Teller whose curse causes a group of teens some major problems in Road Kill. Photo by Bernard Walsh and copyright of Syfy.

As noted above, photos by Bernard Walsh and copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - John Rhys-Davies (Star Trek: Voyager)

 
John Rhys-Davies as Leonardo da Vinci in Star Trek: Voyager. Photo copyright of Paramount Pictures.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, veteran stage, feature film and TV actor John Rhys-Davies talks about playing the legendary Leonardo da Vinci on Star Trek: Voyager.

Stop and think for a moment about the trust you place in the entertainment industry when you turn on your television or queue up at the local movie theatre.  Is this much hyped new television show or supposed blockbuster film really all that it is cracked up to be?  For actor John Rhys-Davies giving audiences what they have come to expect is a big part of his responsibilities as an actor.

“They say that success is unpredictable in Hollywood.  I always thought that was nonsense,” says the actor.  “Yes, there’s a huge element of luck but the truth of the matter is that if you consistently give audiences thirty-five dollars of entertainment for the seven dollars they give you at the box office, then one day you will be wholly appreciated.  That investment, of course, is not in how big the production is or the amount of money studios spend.  The core of a project’s success is in the imaginative investment.  If you look deeply and honestly into your imagination and try to give people the best value you can, then, with luck, in the end you will be rewarded.  It’s about doing all you can to give them not only value for money but richness for spending part of their short lives watching you.  It’s a great honour and privilege.”

One recent piece of acting Rhys-Davies is particularly proud of is his work as Italian artist and all-round genius Leonardo da Vinci in the first half of Star Trek:Voyager’s third season cliff-hanger Scorpion.  With his dignified stature and rich voice it is not surprising that Trek producers chose him to play such an important historical figure.  “When you reach a certain point in your career you really aren’t required to read for that many parts.  It’s just taken for granted that if you’ve been doing it for thirty years and have gotten away with it for that long then you must know what you’re doing,” he laughs.  “Funnily enough, when I told my oldest son about it he said, ‘Gosh, Dad, you’re doing Star Trek?  Well, I’ve never said this to you before, but all the other things you’ve done have been pretty good, I guess.  If you’re going to do Star Trek, though, you’ve really arrived in my book.’  I couldn’t agree with him more.”

In Scorpion Voyager’s journey home comes to a standstill when they encounter the Borg.  They locate an area of space that appears devoid of Borg activity, but when they attempt to traverse it they are faced with an even greater threat.  With her options dwindling, Captain Janeway retreats to the holodeck with the hopes of being inspired by da Vinci.

“Janeway’s creatively exhausted.  She does not see any way out of her current dilemma, so she conjures up Leonardo in the holodeck and he basically talks to her about the problems of creativity,” explains the actor.  “How do you get the juices flowing?  How do you come up with the ideas?  For example, as a writer there are extraordinary times when the ideas just bubble out of you.  It’s as if you’re being given them.  The question is how to order them quickly enough and put them down on paper before they can go all over the place.  There are also times when all you see are the problems and no solutions.

“When you’re an officer in command like Janeway the weight and responsibility of the lives you’re entrusted with is overwhelming and to come up with a strategy that might work is a nightmare.  So it was lovely to have her talk to, I suppose, one of the great creators of our time and to be told that there are times when even he fails.  It is in their relationship her own mind is able to relax and for a solution to emerge.  Much as the illusion of the holodeck becomes a reality for the participant, so the idea forms out of the illusion.

“Kate Mulgrew is a gifted actress and a wonderful person,” enthuses Rhys-Davies.  “It was a delight to work on the program.  The writing was solid and the direction very sensitive, especially within the constraints of its being the last episode of the season and everyone wanting to get away for break.  Still, one had the time to make it work and it’s these moments when actors are most satisfied.  You go home and think, ‘Well, I don’t know what it’ll turn out like, but, by God, I feel good about it,’ and one so needs these restoratives from time to time.”

While some films and television programs paint a bleak future for the human race, Star Trek gives its viewers hope that people will eventually learn to work with instead of against each other.  This is a vision that Rhys-Davies feels is particularly important to today’s younger generation and he is proud to have been a small part of such a program.

“Star Trek is a very important series,” he says.  “Obviously, it is the dream of many people that we can get off-world one day and that humanity will spread out among the stars.  These dreams are kept alive with the help of good science fiction and Star Trek at its best is going to be the stuff all those young, and I use the word in the real sense, space cadets are going to be watching.  They might laugh at some of it but the overall impression they will take away from the program is of humanity standing by its ideals, acting morally and trying to cooperate with whatever species of life it encounters in the universe.  These are the things that people in the future will remember about Star Trek.

“One way or another the show will continue even if they do the terrible Hollywood thing of parasitising the earlier stories and revamping them with new people.  It’s important that a series such as this is done and done well for the future of our species.  Those of us who write or perform on such a grand scale as present day technology gives us, whether in films or on television, are helping to dream for humanity.  It is these dreams which will be invested in the generations to come.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, photo copyright of Paramount Pictures, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Zachary Quinto (Heroes)

 
Zachary Quinto as Gabriel Grey a.k.a. Sylar in Heroes. Photo copyright of NBC.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Zachary Quinto talks about stepping into the villainous shoes of Sylar on Heroes.

It’s late February and actor Zachary Quinto is getting ready to do some time traveling, or to be more precise it’s his soft-spoken psychotic alter ego Sylar from the hit NBC series Heroes who will be taking a little trip. “The episode we’re about to start work on involves an exploration of a different time,” notes Quinto. “If you recall, we had a story earlier this [first] season, Six Months Ago, that sort of looked at our characters’ lives unilaterally from another point in time. Now, we have another such experience, only it’s a peek into the future.

“From an acting standpoint, the challenge here is to consider everything that’s happened so far with your character and keep track of how things pan out in the story. You have to remember, though, that this is only one potential future we’re portraying here. It’s not necessarily the future that will come to past. So it’s fascinating. It’s like looking at these characters that we’re all creating and getting to know more and more as this season unfolds from an entirely new angle, and that’s always creatively fulfilling.”

If you’re a comic book fan and/or just enjoy a well-written, engaging TV drama, then you’ve likely checked out Heroes, the story of ordinary people with extraordinary abilities who are out to save the world from possible armageddon. Unfortunately for our heroes, there are obstacles, both human and superhuman, standing in their way, including Gabriel Gray, otherwise known as Sylar. A second generation watchmaker who despised his profession, he hoped to make a new life for himself when he was told he might possess special abilities. In fact, Sylar can steal another person’s superpower by murdering him or her and mixing their DNA with his. This serial killer kept in the shadows early on during this season of Heroes, but when it came time to reveal his face, the show’s producers decided to cast Quinto in the role.

“My first audition for the show was actually on the day it premiered,” recalls the actor. “So in between my first and second auditions I became acutely aware that this was not just another job. Heroes had this immediate impact on viewers, which has subsequently translated into an instant following. So I became a part of this ‘phenomenon’ at the absolute best time; before the show really took off, but after people knew it was going to be a success.

“The audition itself was intense, or should I say the material was intense as well as heightened. At the time, the producers didn’t know exactly what they wanted where this character was concerned, so I felt like my take on Sylar and the flexibility that I brought to the audition process helped me a great deal. As a result I was able to work with them and bring aspects of what I thought they were looking for in the character to the way I was playing the part.”

Although Quinto makes his Heroes debut in Seven Minutes to Midnight, the first footage he actually shot as Sylar was for the episode Homecoming. In it, his character goes after Claire Bennet [Hayden Panettiere], a teenage girl who has the power to regenerate from even the severest injuries. “I was cast as Sylar on a Tuesday and was on-set the following morning,” says Quinto. “The first thing we did was the scene where my character is chasing Claire and Peter [Milo Ventimiglia] through the high school and Sylar and Peter end up fighting and both fall off the school’s roof.

“It’s always a challenge working with special effects because they add a whole other dimension to your performance and aren’t always apparent on-set. So you can be acting with things that aren’t really there, which has happened to me a couple of times, and those days tend to be a bit more tedious. Homecomingwas more stunt-oriented. Sylar’s murdering of the cheerleader Jackie [Danielle Savre] involved a variety of stunt and special effects pieces, as did the scene with Peter and Sylar going over the roof and falling. It was an interesting way to come into the series because many of my scenes were so technical.

“The hardest part, though, about initially stepping into Sylar’s shoes was that I didn’t yet have a full understanding of my character because I hadn’t read the script for Six Months Ago. That’s the episode where you get the majority of my character’s backstory. As such, when shooting Homecoming I focused on the more savage, ruthless and murderous aspects of Sylar. Following that, I went into the very character-driven elements of Six Months Ago, and that was so cool. It was like a gift for me to now have all this information about Sylar and I was able to hit the ground running with it.”

Long before Quinto’s character embarked on his self-appointed “mission” to steal the powers of as many superheroes as possible, a shadowy organization established a vested interest in these extraordinary individuals. Claire’s father, or HRG (Horned-Rimmed Glasses) Man (Jack Coleman), works for these people who are pulling in heroes for scientific study. In the season one Heroes episode Fallout, HRG has captured Sylar and is holding him captive in a small cell that supposedly prevents him from using his powers.

“The progression of my character from his introduction through to what we’re shooting now is pretty remarkable because it gives you so many different aspects of his experiences and personality,” explains Quinto. “You see Sylar go from this meek, mild-mannered, lonely watchmaker who is hungry for attention and validation to, in Fallout, this sort of monstrous caged animal. It was great fun to swing that pendulum from one extreme to the other and go from Six Months Ago into Fallout where we pick up our story six months later and my character is already in captivity. It was neat to work in a confined space like that and I was allowed a lot of creative freedom with my scenes.”

Sylar finally manages to escape in Distractions and, after terrorizing the Bennet family, he acquires another heroes’ power (Run!) before lying about his identity to Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) in Unexpected and hooking up with him to search for more heroes. “Unexpected is my all-around favourite episode so far,” says Quinto. “I just thought it was well-executed and further ups the ante as everyone races to stop armageddon. Sadly, we lose the Simone [Tawny Cypress] character, but that’s a catalyst, I think, for a lot of changes as well as the realization by our heroes to see the potential for their abilities to spin out of control.

“Greg Beeman, who directed this episode, is terrific to work with, and I also loved working one-on-one with Sendhil. We discovered some neat stuff in our rhythms together as well as with the dynamic between our characters, all of which was really enjoyable.”

Looking ahead, what are Quinto’s hopes for his character as the Heroes saga continues to unfold? “While Sylar has certainly crossed over into the realm of irrevocable evil, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other parts of him that are less vengeful, less sadistic,” muses the actor. “I think there’s a gentler, wounded and quite sad part of Sylar and I’d like to explore that side of him.

“The places that the producers and writers are taking my character and allowing me to go as an actor on this show are so rich and rewarding. I couldn’t ask for a better story arc than the one I’ve got,” enthuses Quinto.

Steve Eramo

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

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Forbes March (Mutant X)

 
Jesse Kilmartin (Forbes March) in Mutant X. Photo copyright of Tribune Entertainment.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Forbes March talks about playing his super-powered alter ego Jesse Kilmartin in season three of Mutant X.

Saving the world week after week leaves a superhero very little time for anything else, including romance. That said, there could be some sparks flying between Jesse Kilmartin and Lexa Pierce, two members of the Mutant X team. This came as a bit of a surprise to Forbes March, who plays the density-shifting, high-tech whiz Jesse on the popular syndicated action-adventure TV series Mutant X.

“In the episode we’re shooting at the moment [Art of Attraction], Lexa [Karen Cliche] falls for an art dealer and Jesse is jealous,” says March. “All this season, our writers have been hinting that he might be attracted to Lexa. That’s been fun for me to play because the two are such opposites. Jesse is a guy with principles and there are times when he feels Lexa’s behavior is incorrect. However, I think deep down Jesse knows that she’s a good person and sees the potential, perhaps, for a relationship. The latter hasn’t been explored in any real depth, though, until now. Suddenly, we have a story where Jesse is upset with and becomes possessive of Lexa because she’s fooling around with this guy. We had to figure out a way to make those scenes look convincing and I’m happy with how everything has turned out so far.”       

Lexa unexpectedly comes on the scene in Mutant X’s season three opener Into the Moonless Night. She finds Jesse, Brennan Mulwray (Victor Webster) and Shalimar Fox (Victoria Pratt) mourning the deaths of their leader Adam Kane (John Shea) and fellow teammate Emma deLauro (Lauren Lee Smith). They were lost at the end of the show’s second season after a battle with the group’s archenemy Mason Eckhart (Tom McCamus). Into the Moonless Nighthas the dying Eckhart returning one last time to cause more grief for our heroes. Not surprisingly, March felt slightly unsettled while filming this story.

“It was weird because two people who we had all grown very attached to were no longer there,” notes the actor. “Lauren and John are both really cool and have strong personalities. I got along especially well with Lauren. Not that I don’t get along with everybody else but we all seek out our ‘partner’ or ‘venting partner’ as Lauren and I called one another. You let off steam with that person, and that’s what I did with Lauren and vice versa. As for John Shea, he was my mentor. Whenever I’m on-set I try to look for the most experienced actor and watch him or her at work. On Mutant X that was John and I learnt so much from him.

“I worked with David Canary for quite a while [on the soap opera All My Children]. Whenever I couldn’t memorize my lines he’d say to me, ‘Don’t worry, as soon as the panic sets in your memory will come back,’ and I’ve found that to be so true,” smiles March. “You’ll notice that I’m stuck behind a computer for the first six or seven episodes this season on Mutant X.  Basically what that means is they shove a camera in front of your face and if you know your lines then everyone is out of there on time. If not, then you’re all screwed. There’s no blaming anyone else if you do a lousy job. It’s all on your shoulders.

“Earlier this season I arrived at work one morning with fourteen pages of dialogue to do. The director of the episode, whom we had worked with two weeks before on another story, came on-set and said, ‘OK, last time we shot fourteen pages with Forbes in four hours. Let see how fast we can do it this time around.’ I began doing my first scene and halfway through it I heard him say, ‘Keep going.’ He didn’t stop the camera so that I could look at my notes. We carried on filming and did the same with all my other scenes. I’m proud to say we finished on time that day.”

It’s obvious from the enthusiasm in March’s voice that he’s enjoying his work this year on Mutant X. Unlike the first two seasons, he’s looking beyond the script when playing Jesse. “I was taught that as an actor it’s your job to turn up to work, hit your mark, say your lines and deliver as solid a performance as possible given what’s on the page,” he says. “That’s fine when you’re first starting out, but if you really want to develop as an actor you have to do more. So this season I’ve made a point of fighting for my character. I didn’t do this during the show’s first two years and we all saw the result of that.

“In season three I don’t want there to be any empty moments with Jesse. I try to bring something to every scene I’m in. It’s difficult because there’s so much exposition in a TV series like this that has to be presented to the viewers. What’s our assignment this week? Who are the bad guys? Who do we have to save? It’s often Jesse who ends up spouting off this information. That’s OK with me, but at the same time I also make certain that he expresses his opinion with regard to the situation at hand. Every character has a point of view, and they aren’t always the same. That inevitably causes a clashing of opinions and that’s wonderful grist for the dramatic mill. It contributes to character development, too.

“Before shooting began on the third season, Jonathan Hackett [producer] took each of us [actors] out to lunch. He explained to me that I’d have a great deal more on my plate this year and was confident I could rise to meet the challenge. That got me fired up, and I wasn’t the only one. This cast and crew have really tried to raise the creative bar and we’re determined to make Mutant X the best it can possibly be. When you’re around people who are passionate about their jobs it gets you pumped as well. Another thing I’m excited about is that I’m getting to know our writers and directors much better this time around and gaining a greater insight into what they do. So I feel more involved in the show than ever before.”

It was as if the actor was back in the classroom when filming the third season episodes Wasteland. In it, Jesse is reunited with his ex-fiancée Alisha Keary, whose company is involved in the genetic manipulation of crops. “The woman they hired to play my character’s girlfriend, Krista Bridges, is, in fact, a method actress,” explains March. “I studied method acting in school and liked it. In order for it to really work, though, you have to do it with another method actor. They have to understand that kind of crazy, neurotic realm, so this was an ideal situation for me.

“My very first scene with Krista was a brief conversation at a table. At the end of it, our two characters share a kiss, which Alisha breaks off and then walks away. Well, for whatever reason I wasn’t concentrating on the scene. We were in the middle of a take and Krista gave me a look that was completely out of character. It was as if to say, ‘What are you doing?’ When it came time for us to kiss, she got up from her chair, bowed her head, said, ‘No,’ to me and walked way. Krista sensed that I wasn’t totally in the moment and called me on it. Well, she was right. We did a second take and it was a lot different. The pressures of doing a TV series and working long hours are sometimes such that you can fall into the trap of, ‘Let’s hurry up and finish this scene so we can go on to the next one.’ When that happens, it’s good to have someone come along and snap you out of that. I enjoyed working with Krista and I hope the fans like the episode.”

Along with Mutant X, March recently appeared in an episode of the PAX TV series Doc. He also has a starring role in the independent feature film Way Off Broadway. “It’s about a group of young adults trying to make it in New York City,” says the actor. “My character of Jay is a couch potato/aspiring musician. It’s a neat part and I got such enjoyment out of playing him. This is the first time a movie I’ve been in is actually showing in theatres. I’m looking forward to sitting in the back of a theatre one night and seeing how a truly neutral audience reacts to my performance.”

March took a big gamble when he dropped out of pre-med school to pursue a career in acting. He couldn’t be any happier with the outcome. “This is the only environment where I feel truly comfortable and free,” he says. “I love looking at the words on the page and trying to figure out how to bring them to life so that people believe them. Then there’s the moment when the director yells, ‘Action,’ and you get into that [acting] groove. The times when you get it ‘perfect’ are few and far between, but when you do it’s so rewarding. That’s the greatest high I’ve ever known.”

Steve Eramo

As noted above, photo copyright of Tribune Entertainment, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Doctor Who's Elisabeth Sladen: 1948 - 2011

 
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who's "The Time Warrior." Photo copyright of the BBC.

Doctor Who fans have lost yet another familiar face associated with the long-running British Sci-Fi series. Elisabeth Sladen, who portrayed the strong, fiercely independent journalist Sarah Jane Smith, has died at the age of 63.

The Liverpool-born actress made her debut as Sarah Jane opposite Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor, in the 1973 episode The Time Warrior, and remained at the Time Lord’s side as his companion until the character’s regeneration into Doctor Number Four, as played by Tom Baker, in Planet of the Spiders. Sarah Jane and Dr. Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) traveled with The Doctor onboard the TARDIS until Harry decided to remain on Earth at the end of Terror of the Zygons, leaving Sarah and The Doctor to carry on with their journey through time and space.

Sladen’s character, who became one of the most popular and beloved of the Doctor Who companions, parted company with The Doctor when he was summoned back to his home world of Gallifrey at the end of the 1978 episode The Hand of Fear. The actress subsequently reprised her role of Sarah Jane in the 1981 pilot for K9 and Company as well as in Doctor Who’s 20th Anniversary Special, The Five Doctors, and in various radio and audio stories including a series of Sarah Jane Smith adventures for Big Finish.

The actress once again walked through the TARDIS doors as Sarah Jane in the 2006 David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor) Earth-based episode School Reunion. Looking as if she had just stepped out of a time machine, Sladen immediately re-embodied the role, winning over a whole new legion of fans, not to mention the new producers of Doctor Who. Not long after, the actress was cast in the lead role of her own spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, where the freelance journalist once again took up the fight to keep Earth safe from alien invasion.

Sadly, I never had the chance to meet or interview Ms. Sladen, but I do have a lovely letter and autographed photo of her that I shall always treasure. As one of Doctor Who’s brightest stars, she truly will be missed.

As noted above, photo copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Mercedes McNab (Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel)

 
Actress Mercedes McNab.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, Mercedes McNab talks about her experiences playing Harmony Kendall on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

She’s strong, quick, and can type like a superhero, that is if there was a superhero whose power was typing. She also knows how to whip up the perfect cup of pig’s blood to help get you started in the morning. What’s her secret? Why a touch of otter, of course. This hardly describes your typical office worker. Then again, Harmony Kendall has never been what you’d call typical.

As a single undead girl trying to make it in the big city, Harmony has been working in the steno pool at the evil Los Angeles law offices of Wolfram and Hart. However, at the start of Angel’s fifth season, she was promoted to an executive assistant and now reports to the company’s new boss, Angel. Having threatened to kill the perky vampire during their last encounter, he is hardly pleased with this arrangement. Harmony, on the other hand, thinks her new job is made in heaven – or should that be hell? As for actress Mercedes McNab, the offer to reprise the role she originated on Buffy the Vampire Slayer came out of the blue.

“It was back in May, and I was getting ready to move to New York City,” recalls McNab during her lunch break on the Angel set. “Two days before I was set to leave, Joss Whedon [Buffy and Angel series creator/executive producer] phoned me. In all the times I’ve worked for him he’s never called me personally, so I knew it had to be pretty important if the boss was on the phone. Joss asked me, ‘If Angel is picked up for a fifth season we really want you to have a pivotal role on the show. What do you think? What’s your availability?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m moving to New York, but when you definitively know whether or not it’s a go just let me know.’ Two days later I was on a plane to New York and a month into my stay the Angeloffice called and said, ‘How about coming back to Los Angeles?’ And here I am today.”

The actress was one of many who originally read for the starring role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the end, Sarah Michelle Gellar won the part, but the show’s producers were so impressed with McNab’s audition that they hired her to play Cordelia Chase’s (Charisma Carpenter) best friend Harmony. She made her debut in what became the show’s unaired pilot.

“I remember Charisma and I had to wear these insanely short skirts and really high platform shoes that were very uncomfortable and nearly impossible to walk in. The two of us always thought we were going to fall over, so we made up a song about our shoes – which we called stilts – and sang it as we stumbled to the set,” laughs the actress.

“Something else that sticks out in my mind about those early days was watching everyone getting to know one another and the fact that we were all so young. We were just kids. I actually got my driver’s license the week before we shot the pilot and my mom wouldn’t let me drive alone on the freeway. I was 16 back then and now I’m 23. So much has changed in my life since then.”

McNab was not in the second Buffy pilot Welcome to Hellmouth – which actually aired – but she did finally appear as Harmony in the next episode, The Harvest. The actress was convinced that this was a one-time job, but the show’s producers kept asking her back to do more stories. Her character became one in a clique of so-called popular Sunnydale High students that turned up their noses at Buffy and the rest of The Scooby Gang.

“Initially, Harmony did whatever Cordelia told her,” explains McNab. “The problem was both roles were very much alike, that of two bitchy girls. It’s just the way they were being written. I began to wonder, though, why would you want two girls basically playing the same type of character? So I decided, ‘OK, rather than her only being a bitch, I’ll make Harmony into the ditzy sidekick. So I did. The writers quickly caught on to what I was doing and we began working together to develop that side of her.”

In the two-part third season Buffy finale Graduation Day, Buffy and her friends learn that Mayor Wilkins (Harry Groener) is planning to transform himself into a pure demon. They come up with a way to defeat him and enlist the help of their Sunnydale High classmates, including Harmony. In the midst of battle, she is attacked and killed by the mayor’s vampire henchman. It’s not until the show’s fourth year that audiences discover Harmony did not die but, in fact, was turned into a vampire.

“That came as a total surprise to me, but I’m usually the last one to find out anything,” jokes McNab. “It’s just a quick flash in Graduation Day where you see Harmony being bitten on the neck. At the time I assumed, ‘She must be dead.’ I had no idea my character was going to be killed or that she’d eventually make a comeback.”

Harmony’s true fate is not revealed to The Scooby Gang until the fourth season episode The Harsh Light of Day. In it, British bloodsucker Spike (James Marsters) returns to Sunnydale with his new girlfriend, Harmony. He’s searching for the Gem of Amara, a stone that makes vampires invulnerable. According to McNab, becoming a vampire was the best thing that could have happened to her character.

“Suddenly, Harmony was strong and able to take care of herself,” notes the actress. “She was no longer friends with Cordelia and her gang because they couldn’t be friends with vampires. For the first time in her life Harmony had to find her own way as opposed to being a follower. Then there was her relationship with Spike, which was great. It finally gave the writers a solid direction in which to take her. Of course, it was a joy to act opposite James Marsters. I love his style and I’m so excited to be working with him again on Angel.”

It didn’t take long before Spike grew tired of Harmony and abandoned her. She had the pleasure of doing the same to him when he came to her begging for help. During Buffy’s fifth season, Harmony became the leader of a ragtag group of vampires with delusions of grandeur. Like Spike, they soon turned on her and Buffy wound up slaughtering most of them. Harmony fled back to Spike and the two remained together for a while until finally parting company in Crush.

“That episode was a lot of fun because it was the one fight between Spike and Harmony that my character actually won,” says McNab. “Normally they’d get into a fight and she would end up running away into the woods or whatever. She was such a wimp,” laughs the actress. “This time, though, Harmony got to kick some ass and tell Spike exactly what she thought of him.”

Harmony may have left Spike but she wasn’t gone for good. Only a few months after her Buffy swan song, the vampire paid a visit to former Sunnydale residents Angel (David Boreanaz), Cordelia and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) in the second season Angel episode Disharmony.

“The first time we were all together again was for a night shoot,” says McNab. “We were sitting in a convertible and the scene had Harmony yapping incessantly. I had a ton of dialogue and David and the others were reading the script and probably thinking, ‘We’re going to be here all night.’ I was so nervous and all that kept going through my mind was, ‘What if I mess up? They’ll never want me back.’ Thankfully, I did the scene in two takes and everyone, especially my fellow actors, seemed pleased. It was such a treat to play Harmony once more as well as be reunited with David, Charisma and Alexis.

“So it felt like old times coming back to Angel this year,” she continues. “When it comes to my character, Angel still doesn’t really know how to deal with Harmony. Obviously, he’s not the most trusting person and it’s going to take time for my character to reestablish his trust in her. In the meantime, she makes him laugh, so that’s a good thing. Otherwise, their relationship is very businesslike.

“Wesley picked Harmony to be Angel’s secretary, so he has some faith in her. Fred [Amy Acker] doesn’t know a thing about my character or her history with Spike. So far Gunn [J. August Richards] hasn’t really dealt very much with Harmony, but she and Lorne [Andy Hallett] appear to be becoming fast friends.”

Now that she’s on Angel, McNab is hoping to explore new facets of her character as the show’s fifth season continues to unfold. “The writers have done a wonderful job so far of providing some background on Harmony for those fans unfamiliar with who she is,” says the actress. “I’d like for her take on a little more responsibility and not be so self-centred. I also think it would be neat if Harmony became involved in a real romantic relationship. Well, I did film a love scene this morning, but I can’t say with who,” teases McNab, “so perhaps we’re on the right track in that area. I’m having a great time and I’m sure I’ll enjoy playing anything that they throw Harmony’s way.”

Steve Eramo

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Megan Gallagher (Millennium)

 
Megan Gallagher as Catherine Black in Millennium. Photo copyright of Fox Television.

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, actress Megan Gallagher talks about her early days playing Catherine Black on Millennium.

In her job as a clinical social worker Catherine Black has witnessed numerous cases of human suffering and tragedy.  At home Catherine uses her work experience to assist her husband, ex-FBI agent Frank Black, who has the uncanny ability to see into the minds of serial killers.  She tries to help Frank make sense of the horrors while continually working to assure him that she and their daughter Jordan are safe from the very people he is fighting.  For Megan Gallagher, her role as Catherine on Millennium is one job that is truly one in a million.

What was the audition process like for Catherine Black?

MEGAN GALLAGHER - It’s a lovely story because it’s something that doesn’t happen very often.  I was told that I had a meeting with Chris Carter [the creator and executive producer of both Millennium and The X-Files] and David Nutter, who directed the pilot.  The meeting was at the end of the day on a Friday, so they sent me the script the night before.  I read the script and loved it.  I was a big fan of The X-Files and was very excited about going in to meet with these gentlemen.

I got there the next day and met with Chris very briefly.  We talked about the part and one thing that Chris said to me almost immediately was, “There is much more of an important role for Catherine than what appears to be in the pilot.  She won’t be tethered to the house.  Catherine has a job and this whole other reality that has to do with what she does and how she functions as a professional.  I’m not interested in writing a woman who exists only as somebody’s wife.  She has to have a life of her own.”

So I was very happy to hear that.  At the end of the meeting he said, “I have only one question.”  I said, “Yes,” and he asked, “How could you sleep with Hank Kingsly?” (she laughs) which is a reference to my part on HBO’s comedy series The Larry Sanders Show.  That really cracked me up.  Up to that point it was a very serious meeting, but after that question I thought, “Great!  Chris Carter has a sense of humour.”  It was a lovely meeting and I left there feeling good about the whole thing.

When did you actually find out that you got the part?

MG - I was on a plane going up to Portland, Oregon to do an episode of The Nowhere Man.  I checked my messages from the plane and there was one from my agent telling me, “Fox wants you to test for the female lead in Chris Carter’s new project.”  I called back and said, “Do you realize I’m on a plane right now going up to Portland to do The Nowhere Man?”  I was just sick about it because although my character on The Nowhere Man was a recurring one it was essentially a guest spot.  Then they told me, “Don’t worry about it.  You are the person Chris wants to cast.  He wrote the part with you in mind and there is no other choice.  He’s going to the network himself to pitch you and tell them why you’re the right person for the part.”  That’s exactly what happened and he got me the job.  So I was really touched and flattered.

I remember Chris’s calling me at my hotel in Portland to congratulate me.  He said, “Hats off to you!  You got the job!”  I said, “Hats off to you!  You got me the job!  I was dead in the water.  They wouldn’t have given me this opportunity if it weren’t for you.”  Chris is a powerful producer and they know how good he is so they were anxious to give him his choice.  It really was a wonderful way to be cast.

How would you describe Catherine Black?

MG - In today’s world some people are either the tough businesswoman or the nurturing mother.  Catherine is someone who straddles both of these worlds.  I see her as someone who can be feminine and vulnerable and all these other similar types of things, but not at the expense of her strength, competence and intelligence.  I think that’s what will be interesting about the character.

Did you do any type of research for the role?

MG - There’s a clinical social worker named Hillary who lives in upstate New York and who has been a tremendous resource for my role.  She’s actually the cousin of Chris Carter’s assistant Mary in Los Angeles.  Early on before we started shooting Mary had said to me, “Do you want to talk to my cousin?  She’s a clinical social worker.”  I said, “Absolutely.”  I got on the phone with Hillary and we talked for a couple of hours.  She was just wonderful and I took pages and pages of notes.  I asked her if I could give her number to Chris Carter.  He called her and spoke to her for about ten minutes and then said, “Could you come to Los Angeles and work with the writers?”  They flew her out to California and she spent some time working with the writers.  Since then she’s been on the phone helping us.  I’ve talked to her a couple of times including this past weekend because we’re getting into some scripts which are very heavily into Catherine’s work.  So Hillary just continues to be this great resource for the character.

One of the things about Hillary is that while she is a very sensitive and compassionate human being she’s also a real tough cookie.  She deals with grisly crime scenes as well as victims of horrible crimes and situations that could be quite demoralizing for a weaker person.  So, while her job calls for someone who’s understanding and caring, she also has these boundaries which allow her to do her work.  She’s really quite heroic and extraordinary.  That’s who I want Catherine to be like and that’s what I aspire to bring to the character.

What has it been like working with Lance Henriksen who plays your husband Frank Black?

MG - Lance is a doll and a dream.  From the very beginning we had to be this couple who just gets along and has this very significant and special sort of connection and I think it all came very naturally.  We trusted each other and liked each other right away.  Lance and I are very different actors who come from very different backgrounds.  There was something there which just made it easy for the two of us to kind of connect and know who these people are right from the start.  You always hope for something like that but chemistry is chemistry.  It’s not anything you have control over.  Fortunately, we had it.

How would you like to see the relationship between Frank and Catherine develop?

MG - This is really a question for Chris, although we’ve talked about it a bit.  What will hopefully be clear in this situation is that Frank and Catherine are a couple of people who truly love one another.  Despite all the stresses and strains that accompany their lives - his work takes him out of town and she becomes involved with certain cases - we will not see their relationship deteriorate into one of those “Honey, I’m not having my needs met” type of thing.  When they talk to each other or debate things they will be dealing with global issues. The fact that they don’t get caught up in their own stuff is very important to their sort of heroic natures.  It’s about something that is greater than either of them as individuals.  Sometimes this is not the case in marriages between two professionals simply because of those stresses and strains.  Of course, all that is very real.  It’s not that it doesn’t exist.  It does exist.  I can relate to that in my own day-to-day life and from working in a profession that tends to gobble you up.  In any case, the intention is to have their relationship exist on a higher level.

Have you had an opportunity to work with either Bill Smitrovich (Lieutenant Bob Bletcher) or Terry O’Quinn (Peter Watts)?

MG - I really know Terry only socially now because we’re all up here in Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)  working on the series.  I’m sure that at some point Catherine will interact with the Millennium Group.  Because Peter is the main group member who always contacts Frank I think he and Catherine will probably meet, but they haven’t as yet.

Catherine has had and will have many more meetings with Bob because he’s with the police department and she deals with it through her work.  In episode two, which we’re shooting right now, Bill and I have a very nice scene together in which we talk about Frank and some other things.  His character has known Frank for twenty years because of his work with the Seattle Police Department, so he’s been through a lot with him.  We talk as the two people who know him the best.  So Bill and I will have a lot more to do together as the series continues.

Some critics have accused the series of being too dark and violent.  What are your feelings on this subject?

MG - I hate to say this but the idea of something being too violent, I don’t think, has ever hurt a project in a commercial sense.  That said, however, and I know that’s certainly the take some people have on the series, I don’t feel that it is too violent.  Unfortunately, we’re not doing anything that isn’t pretty much on the local news.  These things exist and they’re around us every day.  What Chris has said is that he wants to create a type of dark context to have bright heroes.  The point of the show is about hope and about people fighting the good fight, but if you don’t set it up in a certain way then there is no fight.  So, yes, the show is about the truly terrifying things which exist in the world.

When you see the pilot you don’t see shooting, slashing and killing.  What you do see, and in a certain way this is more insidiously violent, is the aftermath.  You witness the effects of what people have been through.  It’s very, very frightening but it’s frightening because it also engages your imagination so that you suddenly think, “Oh, my God. He did that to that person.”  What exists in a person’s imagination is going to be much more terrifying to them on a personal level than anything they are spoon-fed.  So you don’t actually see these things happening but you do see the outcome and that is what is meant to be terrifying.

What do you feel is going to set Millennium apart from similar types of shows currently on the air?

MG - I think Chris is really the pioneer of these types of shows at this time.  Not that people haven’t written dark things in the past, but he’s certainly hit a nerve and is coming at it from a new angle which is being imitated.  I just think that, generally speaking, when this happens the imitations are not as powerful as the original.  It’s the vision involved that makes it something special.  I haven’t seen these other shows so I can’t comment on them, but there’s this phenomenon in show business that when something’s popular it becomes part of American lore.  This is true of The X-Files, although it wasn’t the case when the show first started.  There will always be clones popping up, but usually they’re not as interesting as the original.  Chris is the guy, so I’m lucky to be working for him.

Did you always want to be an actress?

MG - It was going to be an actress or veterinarian, so now I’m an actress with a lot of pets (she laughs).

What were some of the things that went through your mind when you got your first professional acting job?

MG - The first time I stepped on stage was in a community theatre production of the Neil Simon play The Gingerbread Man.  It was absolutely thrilling and one of those moments that just felt right.  I remember the great letdown when the play was over and how I was aching to do it again.  I also recall someone at the theatre saying, “Oh, you’ve been bitten by the bug,” and that was certainly true.  It was like being in the right body at the right time and in the right space.  I felt just as comfortable when I began working in front of the camera.  People always talk about the adjustment or change but I felt there wasn’t a huge one.  Obviously, there are technical differences but for me the work is the same.

What has been your most challenging role so far?

MG - It would have to be my work as Harper in Angels in America on Broadway.  The part just sort of chews you up and spits you out by the end of the day.  She’s vulnerable, brilliant, imaginative, funny, terrified, angry.  The part runs the whole gamut of emotions.  It’s the only show where I had to eat during the show and I still lost weight because I spent the whole time running from one costume change to the next and this place to that place (she laughs).  It was emotionally, physically, intellectually, artistically and spiritually challenging and I loved every second of it.

What are your strongest memories from your work on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "Invasive Procedures" and "Little Green Men?"

MG - I had such a good time doing that first episode, so when they called me about doing Little Green MenI said, “Sure, I’d love to.”  I thought the idea of Quark, Nog and Rom being those aliens in the alien autopsy video was terrific.  You look at them and think, “Hey, they do kind of look like those aliens.”  I’ve gotten a lot of mail from Star Trek fans who loved that episode and I found the whole thing to be a lot of fun.

What makes a career as an actress exciting or rewarding for you?

MG - There’s a tremendous amount of validation in telling stories and just knowing that they’ve affected people.  I enjoy being part of a good story and that’s why I’m excited about Millennium.  Chris Carter is a wonderful storyteller and I’m happy to be part of the series.

Steve Eramo

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