« May 2012 | Main | July 2012 »
Anna Silk as Lost Girl's Bo. Photo copyright of Showcase/Shaw Media.
It's very much a who's who next week on Lost Girl when a Dark Fae's diabolical plot leads to a body-switching conundrum for Bo (Anna Silk). Make sure to check out the clip below and tune into the all-new Original Skin on Monday, June 18th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.
Eureka's Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson). Photo copyright of Syfy.
In next week's all-new episode of Eureka, Carter's (Colin Ferguson) genius gets out of control after he is dosed with a smart drug and the sheriff starts to re-write the laws of physics, putting his friends along with the whole town in danger. Check out the sneak peek below and be sure to tune into Smarter Carter next Monday, June 18th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on Syfy.
Actor Brent Spiner.
Brent Spiner (Star Trek: Next Generation) will guest star on Syfy’s Warehouse 13 as Brother Adrian, leader of an intensely secretive sect, when the hit series returns for a fourth season Monday, July 23rd @ 9;00 p.m. EST/PST.
Brother Adrian’s sect, The Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Diamond, is descended from the Knights Templar, loosely connected and protected by the Vatican. Like Warehouse 13, The Brotherhood's charge is to protect various powerful artifacts from history. However, they follow no rules and will do whatever they must to fulfill their duty.
Spiner joins Sam Huntington (Being Human), who plays jazz musician “Ethan,” as an upcoming guest star.
Warehouse 13 will anchor Syfy’s “Powerful Mondays” programming block this summer, followed by the second season return of Alphas @10:00 p.m. EST/PST.After the powerful, two-hour season three finale, the Warehouse team struggles with the horrible reality of the Warehouse’s destruction and the tragic loss of Steve Jinks (Aaron Ashmore), Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) and H.G. Wells (Jaime Murray). With matters so desperate, Pete (Eddie McClintock), Myka (Joanne Kelly), Artie (Saul Rubinek) and Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) must decide whether to knowingly use a dangerous artifact for their own personal gain – at the risk of deadly consequences.
Actor Connor Jessup. Photo by/copyright of Benny Haddad.
In Live and Learn, the series opener of TNT’s hit Steven Spielberg-produced Sci-Fi series Falling Skies, six months have passed since an alien invasion of Earth destroyed 90% of the world’s population including its military. Among the survivors is a group of resistance fighters known as the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment, led by ex-military Captain Dan Weaver and former Boston University history professor Tom Mason. Although their primary goal is to strike back at the immediate extraterrestrial threat (Skitters and Mechs), Tom is more concerned with finding and rescuing his middle son Ben, who was abducted by the aliens. The young man was once just a name in the scheme of things, but for actor Connor Jessup, who plays Ben, all that changed and for the better.
“The bulk of the Falling Skies pilot was shot in July 2009, and my character wasn’t originally in it,” says Jessup. “Ben existed, but was just never actually featured. However, they [the producers] did some re-shoots in November and decided to add my character into the pilot. I was then cast based on one taped audition, because at that point I was only in it for about 20 seconds. So it was a relatively painless [audition] process to start, and, funny enough, a couple of days after that I heard that Steven Spielberg had seen my audition and liked it, which was really cool.
“I did that one-day shoot on the pilot and then six months later in June 2010 I found out that not only had the show been picked up for a full season, but that the Ben character had been significantly expanded and they wanted to re-audition me. So I did two or three more auditions, including one with co-executive producer Greg Beeman, who I’ve since become good friends with, as well as a few callbacks and that was more or less it. Things happened quicker than I thought, and then a couple of weeks later we began shooting the first season.”
Ben Mason (Connor Jessup) in the season one Falling Skies episode "What Hides Beneath." Photo copyright of TNT.
Jessup chuckles when asked about his first day of work on the Falling Skies series. “The first thing that comes to mind is how boiling hot it was. We were shooting in August and the very first scene that I was in and that we shot was where Ben’s older brother Hal [Drew Roy] is out scouting and through a pair of binoculars he spots my character up on a rooftop collecting scrap metal with other kids.
“Again, this was the very first scene I shot for the show and my first take, and it was something like 100 degrees on that roof. So I was nervous, and it was also the first time I had ever worn the [alien] harness, which was very uncomfortable as well as sweaty and hot. Fortunately, I wasn’t really doing anything in the scene, right? I’m not talking, I’m just walking from A to B and dropping some metal piping, but all I could think was, ‘OK, don’t screw this up, Connor.’ Sure enough, I pick up the lead pipes, walk to where I’m supposed to, and drop the pipes, only I drop them right on the cameraman’s foot.
“Well, he yells out loud, jumps up, we cut the take, and I’m so embarrassed. Nowadays it’s not a big deal; stuff like that happens a lot, but back then, it was my very first take and on my very first day of work – I was mortified. I’m happy to say that that same cameraman is actually a good friend of mine now.”
Ben (Connor Jessup) from the season one Falling Skies episode "Mutiny." Photo copyright of TNT.
Like his fellow captives, Ben was fitted with an alien harness when he was taken by the invaders. Attached to the spine, it controls the wearer’s mental processes. When Ben and a handful of other children are rescued in the first season episode Silent Kill, Anne (Moon Bloodgood) operates on them – starting with Ben – and removes their harnesses. Unfortunately, one of the children dies, while the others experience serious withdrawals that must be controlled with massive amounts of drugs. Even without his harness, Ben is not quite the same person he once was.
“Ben in the first season is very different from Ben in season two,” explains Jessup. “For the first half of season one he’s really just zombie-fied, which doesn’t take a lot of acting experience or knowledge to be able to do. You just stare blankly and walk. Now that I look back on it, that was probably a good thing for me. It was a nice little kind of wading in period where I got to know everyone and became comfortable with everything before the real acting started.
“So last year Ben came across as a very youthful, optimistic and naïve type of kid. The character was bookish and not very athletic – in other words he was much more like me in that we had a lot of the same character traits. This [second] season, however, he becomes a very different type of character. Three months have passed between seasons one and two, and Ben and his brothers think that their father Tom [Noah Wyle] is missing and presumed dead.
The Mason brothers (L-R): Hal (Drew Roy), Ben (Connor Jessup) and Matt (Maxim Knight). Photo copyright of TNT.
“It’s been a tough time, and the group has lost a number of people. Ben has become quite violent and aggressive. He’s kind of using the alien powers that he’s developing [as a result of the harness] to fight Skitters. My character is very hateful in that way and full of rage, which is quite unlike the Ben in the first season, and that was more challenging for me acting-wise. There was far more physical stuff for me to do, which I’d never really done before. I’m not a physical person, so to have to do all these scenes where I’m jumping out of buildings, sprinting down streets and firing guns was a wonderful new challenge for me.
“I hadn’t heard anything about what was happening in the second season until about three weeks before we began shooting,” continues the actor. “I was just expecting more or less a continuation of the stuff that I’d been doing last year, which I was more than happy to do. It was a blast, the scenes with Ben and his family and staying clear of the battles. Then, however, Greg Beeman called me up, said, ‘You’re going to be an action hero this season. Get buff,’ and then hung up. That was pretty much it. Greg has a way of saying things very quickly and to the point. I was like,’ Oh, ok,’ and started working with a trainer, but at that point I still hadn’t read any of the scripts, so I didn’t know exactly what that meant. When I finally started to get the new scripts a few weeks later and read them, I discovered that Ben is one of the central characters in season two and he has one of the central storylines. He’s closely tied into the mysteries of the show, so I’m really fortunate to have been able to play the character this year because a got to do some very cool stuff that I’d never done before as an actor and probably will never get to do again.”
As Ben has changed and developed throughout Falling Skies’ first two seasons, so has his relationships with the other characters, especially his father Tom and older brother Hal. “It’s sort of a triangle relationship and a very interesting one as well,” says Jessup. “In the first season Tom is obviously the parental figure. He’s the level-headed one who’s calm and tries to think rationally, whereas Hal in season one is kind of the headstrong, stubborn, aggressive gung-ho character. When Ben comes back into the picture, he has a playful type of relationship with his older brother in that they make fun of one another. Hal calls him a ‘math geek,’ and Ben calls him a ‘dumb jock.’
Ben (Connor Jessup) and Hal (Drew Roy) in the season two Falling Skies episode "Young Bloods." Photo copyright of TNT.
“In season one, Ben gets along very well with his dad because they’re of a similar make-up. However, this [second] season, that entire dynamic shifts. Tom is missing, so Hal has stepped up to take over the parental role. He’s become more responsible and level-headed, while my character has stepped into Hal’s shoes. Ben has become more aggressive, more violent and more gung-ho this season, just like Hal was in the first season. That’s put him and Hal at odds, so at the start of season two there’s a great deal of tension and conflict between the two of them that never existed last year.
“When their dad returns in season two there’s a lot of that same conflict, too, because it’s no longer as easy a relationship as it once was. In the first season the tension was really just between Hal and Tom, but now there’s tension amongst all three of them in every direction, so it’s definitely more of a complex triangle.”
While there might be some onscreen tension between characters, no such friction exists behind the camera, which Jessup is quite pleased about. “When you’re working on a TV show or a film you can sometimes be unlucky enough to have one or two people in the cast who are insufferable, unbearable or egotistical,” he notes, “but despite the large cast on Falling Skies, there isn’t one such person.
The Mason family (L-R): Ben (Connor Jessup), Matt (Maxim Knight), Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) and Hal (Drew Roy). Photo copyright of TNT.
“I hate to say everyone is nice because it sounds trite and cliché, but it’s the truth. Everyone is nice, talented and completely professional. They show up on-time to the set with their lines memorized and prepared to give %100 in a scene. Working with someone like Noah Wyle, who is so experienced and has so much to offer, is like having an acting lesson. It’s not like he’s trying to be a teacher, but he is just by nature of his talent and experience. Whenever I’m working with him, Will Patton [Captain Dan Weaver] or Drew, all of whom have done a lot more as actors than I have, it raises me up. They try to ‘pull’ me up to somewhere near their level, which is really fun because you feel like you’re being challenged to perform at their level. That type of challenge drives you forward.”
The actor admits to being his own worst critic, which makes it hard for him to choose a favorite episode from the show’s first season. “I find it very difficult to watch myself, especially after a certain amount of time has passed,” says Jessup. “When you’re a young actor, you feel like you’re getting better much more quickly than you actually are or that you’re actually showing on the screen.
“So watching stuff I did two years ago is painful for me, but in the first season of Falling Skies I really love the two-episode Sanctuary arc. It’s when Ben comes to the forefront as a character and kind of becomes more independent and you see a little bit of the Ben that you will see this year on the show.”
Ben (Connor Jessup) and Matt (Maxim Knight). Photo copyright of TNT.
Having done his best to “get buff” per co-executive producer Greg Beeman’s request, the actor dove right into the challenge of playing an action hero during the filming of Falling Skies’ second season.
“Last year I didn’t fire a gun at all, and when you use a gun on the show you have to take weapons training, and I did both this year, which was fun,” enthuses the actor. “I did motorcycle training as well, and there were some specific stunts I had to do as Ben, so I also spent a couple of days with our stunt coordinator learning, among other things, how to throw a punch properly as well as fall properly.
“One of the stunts I had to do, which I can talk about because it’s out there on the Internet as part of the season two preview, is where Ben jumps out a window in the very opening of the season premiere. I worked on that stunt for a couple of days. I was harnessed up and there was a crane off-camera. Although the jump was a freefall, they controlled my landing with the crane and then painted the [harness] wires out in post-production.
Ben (Connor Jessup) in season two of Falling Skies. Photo copyright of TNT.
“There was a whole bunch of other different stunts that involved my character fighting other people or Skitters. I know those things don’t sound like much, but if you knew me and how graceless and physically inept I am, they’re quite an achievement. It was a scary experience because right from the beginning I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to do any of that stuff properly, but everyone was extremely encouraging and I’m glad I did it. They say you should expand your horizons and I certainly did that in season two,” he says with a laugh. “This season our characters are always on the move and every episode is about making their way towards a destination. So there’s a much more tangible, kinetic energy to the series this year and it has a much faster pace.”
The Canadian-born Jessup began performing when he was 11 years old. Two years later he booked his first series regular role in the children’s show The Saddle Club. “That was a blast,” recalls the actor. “I got to live on a ranch for eight months in rural Australia and learn how to ride horses. I also had the opportunity to develop my acting abilities in an environment that was very friendly and forgiving. That’s an experience I’ll always be grateful for and never forget because it was really important to where I’m at now.”
Behind the scenes, the actor writes and has produced a number of short films. In 2011, he worked as an executive producer/camera assistant on the small Canadian independent film Amy George. “That was about a month’s worth of shooting, and it was amazing to see people so young and passionate doing what they love most and being so creative on such a tight budget,” he says. “I learned a ton about the process of filmmaking, and it’s another experience that continues to benefit me. The film turned out really well and played at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is one of the biggest film festivals in the world. It was a great project to be involved in and I’m very proud of it.
Connor Jessup. Photo by/copyright of Benny Haddad.
“What’s important in this and every job is to have passion in what you’re doing. If you’re doing something and you wake up every morning and feel like it’s the last thing you want to be doing in the world, then you know something is wrong. I’m incredibly lucky to wake up in the morning and actually want to go to work. I think that’s really all you can ask for as an actor, or as anyone.”
Steve Eramo
Season Two of Falling Skies premieres Sunday, June 17th @ 9:00 p.m EST/PST on TNT. As noted above, all Falling Skies photos copyright of TNT, and all Connor Jessup photos by and copyright of Benny Haddad, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
(L-R): Being Human's Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington. Photo copyright of Syfy.
Syfy’s hit drama series Being Human, starring Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington, begins production on its third season today in Montreal. Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) is executive producer/showrunner with Muse Entertainment producing 13 one-hour episodes forSyfy.
In Being Human, vampire Aidan (Sam Witwer) ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath) and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington) share the creature comforts of their Boston brownstone while struggling to keep their supernatural secrets from the outside world. Together they strive to resist the temptations of their true paranormal natures and live lives that are as near to “normal” as possible.
As the new season unfolds, Aidan resurfaces from being “grounded” and finds the vampire community vastly changed; he must find a new approach to feeding that will change his life forever. Sally fights to return from limbo and Josh must deal with an ominous visitor who comes to Boston looking for him and Nora.
Kristen Hager, who recurred throughout the first two seasons of Being Human playing Josh’s (Sam Huntington) girlfriend Nora, will return this season as a regular series cast member. Nora, it was revealed in the Season Two opener, had been turned into a werewolf by Josh and plays a significant role in the drama’s tense season cliffhanger. Kristen Hager previously appeared in supporting roles in the features Wanted with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy and Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There with Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere. On television she has recurred on CSI: Miami and guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles.
As noted above, photo copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Actor Tony Amendola.
"Twenty years ago when the corporations bailed out our failed governments, they sold it to us as salvation. Now we see that we have paid for that rescue with our freedoms. We have awakened to the truth. We have become slaves to the corporate congress. Today all that changes. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that we have passed the torch to a new generation unwilling to permit the undoing of human rights and dignities. And let every corporation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price in order to assure the survival and success of liberty."
These are the words spoken by Edouard Kagame in the opening teaser of A Stitch in Time, the first episode of the hit Canadian Sci-Fi/Police Drama Continuum. No sooner does he finish making this announcement to the outside world, when a CPS (City Protective Services) team, led by Officer Kiera Cameron, bursts into his office to arrest him. They may have their man, but are still too late in one regard. Kagame’s words have lit the proverbial blue touch paper and sparked off a revolt against corporate control in 2077. For veteran stage and screen actor Tony Amendola, taking on the Kagame role was a true gift in more ways than one.
“When the script for this project first came across my desk I thought, ‘How wonderful,’” recalls Amendola. “It was a sort of an interesting road back to Vancouver, a place I love, and the opportunity to work with Jon Cassar, who directed the first two episodes of Continuum. So I had the initial audition, and then a couple of weeks later I had a second one. The [casting] process extended into the holiday season and, in fact, I heard that I got the job two days before Christmas [2011]. My agent called and said, ‘Merry Christmas.’ I said to him, ‘Merry Christmas to you too, Greg,’ and he said again, ‘No, no, no, Merry Christmas.’ It then dawned on me what he was talking about.
“You know, you go to these auditions, do them and then just have to put them out of your mind. Every so often, though, you feel like there’s a finger pointing at you as if to say, ‘This is yours.’ In this case, after my third audition, I felt that finger and thought, ‘Hey, you know what, this might actually work.’ There are so many reasons why you do or don’t get a part, but that’s a whole other conversation and how random casting can be sometimes. However, in this case the process was relatively painless and I was very excited to get this role.”
Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola). Photo copyright of Showcase/Shaw Media.
In the aforementioned A Stitch in Time, Edouard Kagame is convicted of terrorism along with his accomplices and sentenced to death. In the final seconds before their execution, something happens that transports the inmates along with Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) back in time to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2012. For Amendola, shooting this episode was not unlike the first day of school or a first date.
“In this type of situation you’re trying to get to know people as well as putting your best foot and face forward,” he explains. “One of the things that first comes to mind about starting work on Continuum is meeting the show’s costume designer, Maya Mani, who is just sensational. We were trying to figure out who this guy Kagame is. She clearly had a point of view and an aesthetic of style, but as an actor you could also say to her, ‘There’s this aspect of my character that I feel would be very interesting,’ and then watch where she took that.
“Afterwards I was driven to the set and met with [series creator and executive producer] Simon Barry, who gave me a more detailed look inside Kagame’s head and the world he was trying to create. I also had a chance to read the series bible, which is essentially the concept of the show as well as its characters. Then I met [executive producer] Jeff King, who wrote the first episode of Continuum and, in fact, the script for the first episode of Stargate SG-1 [Bloodlines] that I was in way back in the first season of the show.
“I have to tell you that Simon has created a truly mind-bending TV series. There are a lot of surprises, and just when you think you know who the bad guys are or who’s manipulating who, you find out that there’s this whole other level. Simon is very careful, too, about what information he gives you so that you aren’t ahead of your character. That makes for a very tricky deal and a strange kind of trust as well. It’s sort of a wonderful opportunity not to know too much so you don’t end up even unconsciously playing something out that you shouldn’t, if you know what I mean.
Amendola and fellow castmates being directed by Jon Cassar in "A Stitch in Time." Photo copyright of Showcase/Shaw Media.
“As the day went on I got into my wardrobe and they did this long shot of me as Kagame that you see in episode four. I also got to meet the rest of the cast, including Lexa Doig [Sonya Valentine] who I already knew from Stargate, Roger Cross [Travis Verta] and Stephen Lobo [Matthew Kellog], who oddly enough I had worked with six months ago in an episode of a TV series called Chaos. So all that sticks out for me about my first day on the Continuum set, along with remembering to breath and, most importantly, that you don’t have to do it all in one day. I had to tell myself, ‘This is just a piece of it, so be patient because there’s more to come.’”
Like many of the charismatic history makers before him, Kagame uses his mind as well as soul to inspire his devoted followers. “My character is the intellectual and spiritual leader of this movement called Liberate, which is a rebellion of a corporate takeover of the government,” says Amendola. “As always, the dilemma is when is killing justified or is there ever any justification to killing. Without getting into spoiler territory, some of the things Kagame does are quite extreme, and yet there is a sort of logic to it and a sense of trying to create, because I also see him as an architect or visionary for a better society.
“It’s like having friends who never change their home or anything like that, and other people who come in, look at a home, see something and just rip it apart,” continues the actor. “It doesn’t make any difference how recently any changes or renovations were made. They feel like they have to release what’s in that house and rebuild it. Again, without getting into spoiler territory, that’s how Kagame feels, and it comes from personal pain. He more or less believes that peoples’ minds need to be changed and converted in order for them to truly see what’s going on around them. I think he sees the general population as being sheepish and naïve, and gradually with the help of his followers, he attempts to change conditions in 2077.
“Now, of course, Kagame is back in 2012 and what a wonderful opportunity it is for him. We’re straying into interesting territory and a big question mark, especially with Sci-Fi, insofar as if we go back into the past, can we change the future, and what are the implications of doing so. In many ways my character is all about social change, and the thing is that I, Tony, can’t picture Kagame as an evil man, nor do I think he’s an evil man. However, given some of the things he does, he’s quite violent and operates from his own world or morality, not unlike, frankly, many 20th or 21st century politicians. Just take a look at any of the wars. Sometimes we think we’re becoming more civilized, but meanwhile the body count just continues to go up.”
Kagame (Tony Amendola). Photo copyright of Showcase/Shaw Media.
Almost immediately after arriving in 2012, Kiera manages to corner one of the escaped terrorists and, without yet revealing herself, hands him over to the authorities. Another of the terrorists ends up dead after he and some of the others create a diversion in order to draw attention away from an attack on the local police precinct. Although their numbers might be slightly diminished, the remaining terrorists are still committed to the cause as well as Kagame.
“Kagame is not only the leader but certainly also the father figure in the group, by age and by the fact that he assembled the group, so his vision is practical as well as theoretical and spiritual,” notes Amendola.
“This group is not the most harmonious of 'families,' and over the course of the season, my character is sort of drawn to Sonya, while there’s some familial-type tension that develops between him and Travis – the super soldier of the group – when it comes to what’s the best way to get things done. Then there is Stephen Lobo’s character of Kellog, who I feel Kagame converted or enlisted because he’s the social lubricant if you will. He’s a person that you put in a bad situation and can charm anyone. Kellog is a bit of a hedonist and someone who was once very important to Kagame. Their relationship is almost like father/son, and he’s the favorite son who gets away with more. For some reason my character is hardest on Travis and easiest on Kellog. Travis is always there, so Kagame is toughest on him. Meanwhile, Kellog returns and for some reason Kagame finds it much easier to forgive him for any transgressions or violations he’s committed.”
Unlike his fellow Liberate revolutionaries and even Kiera Cameron, Kagame is very much at home in the present. Born in 2012, he grew up in a time before corporations took over. As such, he knows the changes that need to be implemented in order to stop the future from unfolding as they all know it. Continuum’s fourth episode is Kagame’s reintroduction to the past and was a special one for Amendola to work on.
Behind-the-scenes on Continuum with Tony Amendola. Photo copyright of Showcase/Shaw Media.
“What’s interesting is that we go from 2077 to 2012 and it’s like me revisiting my youth,” says the actor. “These other people are coming back to a time that’s a little strange, but to me, it would be like going back to the 50s. I still have memories of the types of cars back then, how people dressed, the smells, barely having a television at that time, let alone all the technology we have today, etc. So for Kagame it’s a reintroduction to the environment of his youth and how much it has changed in 2077.
“We filmed some scenes at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens here in Vancouver where Kagame’s wife and child are present. It’s before things went bad and when he really was like Gandhi. He was politicized but it wasn’t about violence. At the time Kagame was a bit off-balance and somewhat lost, and then you have my character’s arrival in 2012 and reintroduction to the present day world, which was quite powerful to me and I enjoyed shooting those scenes.”
Having performed comedy, drama and even the classics onstage as well as on TV and in feature films, Amendola is well-versed in the art of creating three-dimensional and believable characters. With his Sci-Fi and Fantasy roles, however, the actor relishes the chance to break out of the more traditional storytelling mold.
“I find Sci-Fi and Fantasy rather intriguing because you’re not relegated to being a talking head,” he muses. “Generally there is an expansiveness in imagination as well as language with that genre, so I enjoy the variety of going from a gritty, realistic sort of show to all of a sudden going over to Sci-Fi and Fantasy where you typically get to do more insofar as visually and, again, with language.
Kagame (Tony Amendola). Photo copyright of Showcase/Shaw Media.
“A good example of this would be to play a lawyer or a judge where it’s nothing but the facts - which is great and which I’ve done on many TV series – but it’s nice to get away from that three-piece-suit and engage more of who you are as an actor. That’s what I really love about doing shows like Stargate, Angel, The X-Files, The Sarah Connor Chronicles and now Continuum, which is quite clever because while it operates in contemporary society, my character’s experiences are not so much from 2012, but 2065-2077. So I truly have the best of both worlds,” enthuses the actor.
Steve Eramo
As noted above, all Continuum photos copyright of the Showcase network and Shaw Media, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Edward James Olmos as Commander William Adama on Battlestar Galactica. Photo copyright of Syfy.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, veteran actor Edward James Olmos talks about playing Commander William Adama on Battlestar Galactica.
No one can ever accuse Battlestar Galactica’s Commander William Adama of being a quitter. For over a year he’s been leading a determined and seemingly endless fight to protect what remains of the human race from being wiped by the Cylons. This battle became a very personal one for Adama in the final seconds of the show’s first season when he was unexpectedly shot by Lt. Boomer, who turned out to be a Cylon sleeper agent. That scene caught most fans by surprise, and Edward James Olmos, who plays Adama, wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“First off, working on the two-part episode [Kobol’s Last Gleaming] that closed out last year was an extraordinary experience,” says the actor. “I truly appreciated the actual story and Michael Rymer, who directed the Battlestar miniseries that preceded the show’s first season, did a wonderful job on those two episodes as well. The cast, including myself, were amazed at the impact it had on us when we filmed the scene where my character is shot. What’s especially nice is that everyone involved with the series kept that a secret and didn’t talk about it outside of work. In doing so, the audience could really respect the scene, and I’m very grateful to those who made that possible.”
At that moment, Olmos is called away to shoot a scene for the second season Battlestar episode The Farm. The actor stands just out of camera range and in one of the open doorways to the Galactica’s command deck. Director Rod Hardy yells, ‘Action,’ and as Olmos walks into frame, a thunderous applause fills the air along with the sound of peoples’ voices chanting the name Adama. In this scene, the Galactica crew is celebrating the commander’s return to duty after almost losing him to Boomer’s (Grace Park) assassination attempt. Adama is genuinely moved by this show of support and, after a few words of thanks, says, “Let’s get back to work.” Although his voice sounds strong and he appears confident, Adama’s brush with death has left its mark on the man.
“I think viewers are going to find my character far more ‘confused’ this season,” muses Olmos. “We start to learn more about the abilities of the Cylons, and it really becomes difficult for humankind to deal with what they uncover about these creatures’ capabilities. So Adama is now struggling with the question, ‘How do we defeat these things?’ Meanwhile, there’s also the fact that he died twice on the operating table. A near-death experience usually changes a person and that’s definitely true here. Adama ends up with a different sense of balance and that makes it tough for those around him.
“My character has been driven to a point of trying to understand what happened while he was bedridden and in a coma,” he continues. “Adama isn’t in the first four episodes this season. Well, he is, but, again, he’s unconscious, and there’s been a lot going on. So he’s trying to figure out why certain individuals are behaving the way they are. In the episode we’re currently shooting, Adama takes back command of Galactica from Colonel Tigh [Michael Hogan], who’s been in charge during his absence. They’ve all had a rough time of it; there’s been a great deal of destruction, the unity of the fleet has been severely disrupted, and both Adama’s son Lee [Jamie Bamber] and President Roslin [Mary McDonnell] have disappeared.
“The situation is very bad, and quite tragic, and it takes a toll on Adama. Within a week of being back on duty he suffers a setback, and I’m amazed that the show’s producers and writers are doing this. They’re not trying to keep their heroes and heroines pristine at all, which I think is so smart. It makes the ordeal these people are facing all the more real to audiences.”
Last year on Battlestar, Adama knew that despite their differences, he could count on his son and the president as well as Colonel Tigh for their trust and support. In season two, however, that’s not always the case, at least at the beginning. How this will affect the characters is anyone’s guess, including Olmos’s.
“Those three relationships are truly the core of Adama’s soul, and they’re being extremely well drawn out this year,” notes the actor. “The writers are often writing right up to the day of shooting, so you don’t know exactly where these relationships are headed. Right now there’s a tremendous amount of discord and conflict among the characters, and that’s really helping drive the piece. As human beings there’s a very delicate line that you walk trying to embrace another person while at the same time guarding yourself. As actors, we’re having a wonderful time working on the level.
“The second season has just been extraordinary. They’ve been pushing the creative envelope insofar as what they’re asking us to do with our characters, and it’ll be interesting to see where it takes us. My only fear is that the writers won’t be able to sustain the intensity they’ve built up. People have really grown to appreciate the reality base of the show, and if that were to go then they’d be like, ‘Well, it was nice while it lasted.’ However, the writers are doing an incredible job and my instincts tell me they’ll continue doing so.”
An accomplished director and producer, Olmos had the opportunity last year to step behind the camera on Battlestar to direct the episode Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down. “One of the challenges with that story was that it was humorous, but it would’ve been a mistake to try to do it as a comedy,” explains the actor. “So the situations themselves had to be humourous. Another challenge is the amount of time you have to shoot an episode. It’s hard to do that in eight days, but luckily the actors on this show are so strong that they make it look easy. Directing is just a matter of documenting that work, so it was a very pleasant experience.
“I think the most rewarding scene in that episode for me is the one at the table where Colonel Tigh’s wife Ellen [Kate Vernon] almost seduces Adama’s son with her foot. I thought that was really well done by everybody and the cinematography was just beautiful. The funniest scene is where Baltar [James Callis] is making love to Number Six [Tricia Helfer] and Starbuck [Katee Sackhoff] walks in. Of course, no one else can see Six, so there’s Baltar with his pants down around his knees and looking like he’s humping the table. It’s absolutely hysterical.”
Having played Lt. Martin Castillo on Miami Vice, Olmos is familiar with working on a hit TV show. While Battlestar hasn’t quite yet attained the same pinnacle of success, it has captured the attention of a wide audience, a fact that pleases the actor to no end.
“I’m very excited that the mainstream press and media have embraced the series and commented on it,” he smiles. “Hopefully, they’ll stay with it and we can continue to evoke the feeling in people of wanting to stick around and watch more. I think the whole Sci-Fi world deserves this type of respect. This genre can be very motivational as well as provocative and ingenuous, and it would be a great shame to waste that.”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of Syfy, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
Pauley Perrette during a studio recording for Superman Vs. The Elite.
Strong willed, intelligent, feisty, relentless, outspoken. You’d be speaking of Lois Lane or Pauley Perrette?
Actually, both – which made the NCIS star the perfect match as the voice of the resourceful reporter for Superman Vs. The Elite, the latest DC Comics Premiere Movie coming June 12 courtesy of Warner Home Video. Perrette’s raspy vocal tones and spunky, never-back-down approach gives a new-yet-familiar perspective to the animated Lois Lane, particularly playing opposite the strong, traditional performance of Justice League veteran George Newbern in reprising his role as Superman.
Over nine seasons and more than 200 episodes, Perrette has mesmerized audiences with her portrayal of Gothy forensic specialist Abby Sciuto on NCIS, regularly the top rated drama series on primetime television. The role has elevated Paulette’s popularity into are air – in August 2011, she registered the top Q-score in all of primetime television. Not only was she the only female to rank among the Top 10 TV actors, her score matched that of feature film luminaries like Tom Hanks.
In addition to NCIS, Perrette has appeared in feature films like The Ring and Almost Famous, and had recurring roles on The Drew Carey Show, Jesse, Dawson’s Creek, 24 and Murder One. For the 2009 indie short To Comfort You, Perrette earned the award for Best Female Performance at the Beverly Hills Film Festival in the Short Film Drama category. And while Perrette doesn’t boast a large amount of experience in animation, this isn’t her first time in the Bruce Timm pool – having given voice to a police officer in an episode of Batman Beyond.
Lois Lane as voiced by Pauley Perrette.
In Superman Vs. The Elite, Superman's effectiveness as a super hero comes into question when a new group of super powerful crusaders, known as "The Elite," appear on the scene. As super heroes, the Elite know no bounds, and are more than willing to kill, even on a massive scale, to stop villainy -- putting them on a collision course with the ever-ethical and decidedly non-lethal Man of Steel. Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated film arrives June 12, 2012 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Both the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViolet™ Digital Copy.
The ever-gracious Perrette spent some time after her initial recording session to chat about her love of Superman and Abraham Lincoln, her hatred of bad guys, her own super heroic efforts on behalf of numerous human rights charities, and the benefits of a criminal science collegiate background in acting today. Please read on.
Was there any special personal significance for you to act in a Superman movie?
Pauley Perrette: When I was little, I think that I wanted Superman to be my boyfriend. So this is the next best thing. I get to pretend to be Superman’s girlfriend. Although the older I’ve become, I’ve sort of decided that I would rather be Superman myself. So I’m trying (she snickers). But even my first memory of a super hero was of Superman, because I had a crush on him. Well, it was on Clark Kent, Superman and Christopher Reeve, all rolled into one.
Did you have any preconceived ideas of how you wanted to play Lois Lane?
PP: When you’re doing voice work, and I said it right when I came in the door, I said, ‘I’m very obedient, and I will take direction.” Because the people who have written this, and the ones who have been envisioning the animation in their head, they have such a specific concept on what they want, that it’s good for me to say, “Give it to me. Give me every piece of direction you want. I’ll do it 10 different ways. Whatever you want.” It’s their vision, and I want to achieve that. If I get an idea while I’m doing a voice, I will offer it … “Hey, can we try this?” But it’s still up to them.
Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
Your emphasis in college was rooted in studying subjects like sociology, psychology and criminal science. How do you think that’s benefitted you as an actress and, in particular, has it lent new perspective on Lois Lane?
PP: I do think my background in sociology, psychology and criminal science has helped me as an actor because I spent years and a years and years studying human behavior as a science, and as an actor -- in approaching a role like Lois Lane or any character – it’s always fascinating to me to try to figure them out psychologically and sociologically. In many ways, acting is really like a science to me to figure out the human behavior of any character that I’m playing.
Now we know how you come to understand your characters. Do you have any acting tricks to then convert that information into a portrayal?
PP: I always tell myself that when you’re playing a character, pretend like they’re on trial and you’re giving the best witness of their life. You really need to think about every element of the character and represent them properly, as if they were a real person. You want to give 100 percent of what they’re worth and what they deserve as people.
Do you see Lois Lane as an important role model for girls, and who inspired you as a kid?
PP: Lois Lane is an inspirational character because she’s a smart and powerful woman. Even when she’s with Superman, she has no problem putting him in his place, and giving her opinion. It’s quite an honor to give voice to Lois Lane and be part of that legacy. My personal inspirations were a lot of the smart women throughout history, like Marie Curie and Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart. Those are the ones that really inspired me. And the love of my life, Abraham Lincoln.
Lois Lane and "Superbot."
It seems as though you spend almost as much time volunteering for charities as you do on set. With as much charity work as you do, aren’t you a bit of a super hero yourself?
PP: My life outside of work is pretty much about charities. I have a big passion about civil rights for everyone – whoever is being downtrodden at the moment, it doesn’t matter: racial discrimination or sexual orientation or gender. Whatever it is, I’m there. I think I was a born civil rights activist. I can’t stand the smashing of a community. It’s not fair and it’s not right. We’re supposed to be here for liberty and justice for all, right?
Is there a geek within Pauley Perrette?
PP: My geekiness is in science and math. So if I had an ultimate geek role to play, I’d be a super scientist who was also a crime fighter. But on NCIS, I’m actually playing a crime-fighting super scientist right now, so maybe all my geeky dreams have come true!
Please note, all photos above copyright of Warner Home Video, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
