SciFiAndTvTalk

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Penny Johnson Jerald (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Avery Brooks and Penny Johnson Jerald in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Once again, I  have decided to open up the interview vault and revisit some of the many interviews I have had the pleasure of writing over the years and that just appeared in-print and not on-line. Today's interview is with Penny Johnson Jerald, who talks about life on Deep Space Nine and playing Kasidy Yates on the Star Trek spin-off. Enjoy, and keep coming back for more familiar faces and shows! 

Captain Benjamin Sisko thought his life was over when he lost his wife Jennifer to the Borg during the battle at Wolf 359.  Three years later, having been given command of a former Cardassian space station orbiting the planet Bajor, Sisko’s painful memories had to be relegated to the back of his mind as his responsibilities on Deep Space Nine began to grow.  His deeply buried desire for love and companionship surfaced, however, when he met the captivating and capable captain of a space freighter, Kasidy Yates.  It is ironic that actress Penny Johnson Jerald, who never really considered herself a Star Trek fan, would end up capturing the heart of one of Starfleet’s finest.

“My husband’s a Trekkie, I mean a big time Trekkie,” says Johnson Jerald.  “When the call came in about a part on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine I said, ‘Oh, well, I can’t do that.’  He said, ‘Oh, yes, you can and you’d better, too.’  So I went in and read for the part of Kasidy Yates and it was offered to me.  One thing about acting is that when you’re not believing that you have to have a job and you’re relaxed and just do what comes naturally then you’re more likely to get the job.  So I thank God I did just that.  Oh, and I thank my husband, too, because I’m in love with Star Trek now.  I truly am.”

While Johnson Jerald may not have been familiar with Deep Space Nine, she did know of Avery Brooks (Captain Benjamin Sisko) and was looking forward to working with him.  “I was familiar with Avery Brooks and that’s all I needed to know.  There are certain questions that I ask before I’ll even think about a job.  Not just, ‘What show is it?’ or ‘Who’s writing it and who’s directing it?’  I like to know whom I’m playing opposite because that lets me know if I’m going to have a good time and a good time means there’s going to be good work, strong chemistry and beautiful repercussions.  Without all of this, work can sometimes be like pulling teeth,” she laughs.  “So I was excited to have the chance to work with Avery as he’s classically trained and has a great intellect.”

With such a strong and commanding presence as Avery Brooks in the captain’s chair on Deep Space Nine, the show’s producers needed to develop a romantic interest for Sisko who could be his equal on all levels and not just in the bedroom.  “Kasidy is extreme in the sense that she can really hold her own,” explains the actress.  “I definitely think she could survive on her own but it’s Sisko who introduces her to real love.  Kasidy is sexy and romantic and I feel that’s what she contributes to his life.  She’s on the ball, straightforward, no-nonsense and very much skilled at her job.  Kasidy also has a big heart because she believes in what she does.”

Johnson Jerald made her first appearance as Kasidy Yates in the third season Deep Space Nine episode Family Business which was directed by Rene Auberjonois who plays Odo, the station’s shape-shifting chief of security.  Being directed by a fellow actor afforded Johnson the freedom to create her character and also gave her the chance to learn about the world of science fiction.

“First of all it was a treat to be directed by an actor because an actor/director is very sensitive to the ability of the actor he chooses.  So Rene was very gifted in that,” says Johnson Jerald.  “He allowed me to discover what it was that I needed to do and then guided me inside of his picture.  The ultimate picture is the director’s and a smart one will guide the actors so that he can still end up with his vision but inside of that can get certain specifics or mini-pictures that he didn’t envision to begin with.

“Something else I found when I first began working on Star Trek is that they’re very strict with their words.  They desire their scripts spoken verbatim and that’s a challenge for an actor such as myself who comes off a program like, for example, The Larry Sanders Show, where if a line doesn’t feel natural you can change it.  On Star Trek the challenge is to make the lines so much a part of you that the audience won’t think, ‘Oh, that really sounds like a speech.’  Instead they’ll hear the individual and think, ‘Oh, that’s what that person would probably say.’

“So my first experience on Star Trek was great,” she enthuses.  “Avery was lovely, Rene was incredible and it was a very comfortable set to come onto because Star Trek is a real family thing.  They’ve been together, forever so your place of friendship is established.  Being an outsider could be difficult, but the whole atmosphere was very warm, particularly because of Avery, Rene and the producers.”

In Johnson Jerald’s second appearance on the show, Indiscretion, the romance between Sisko and Kasidy begins to blossom and the couple is seen sharing some very intimate moments.  The actress was pleased to have been directed in that episode by another actor/director, LeVar Burton, Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge on The Next Generation.  She feels that Burton’s gentle and thoughtful directorial touch was just the thing to help guide Sisko and his newfound love as they took their relationship to the next level.

“Oh, my gosh.  That was a real treat because LeVar is from the other Star Trek.  My husband always makes sure the show is on so I’ve seen a lot of The Next Generation,” she laughs.  “I remember that I’d always watch the show and wonder, ‘Why does that man wear that visor?  Why did he make that choice?’  I thought, ‘If I ever meet him I’m going to ask him that.’  Then I found out that LeVar was directing my episode I said, ‘Great.’  I really had planned on asking him about that because the actor in me thought it wasn’t a good choice on his part.  After working with him I thought, ‘This man knows exactly what he’s doing.’  I realized that he was very smart to wear that visor.

“As far as his work as a director, LeVar is very attentive and concerned, not just with his overall picture but how we thought Sisko and Kasidy needed to be seen together.  What is different about working with LeVar is that he’s an African-American and this is important because an issue came up about Sisko and Kasidy in bed.  In the original script it had Sisko’s son Jake walking in on them.  All three of us, Avery, LeVar and myself thought, ‘No, that is not right.’  Many times when you see an African-American couple in bed it has to do more with a basic sexual act as opposed to something romantic and beautiful.  As an African-American, LeVar was extremely sensitive to how we should be handling that and how it should be viewed.  We did the scene without any interruptions from Jake because we thought that was a bit disrespectful.  By doing this I would not be thought of as just some woman sleeping with his father but, instead, our relationship would develop into a nurturing one that meant something more than just a one-night stand.  Unfortunately, in the end, the scene was cut because of time.  We were all very disappointed about that because of the thought and consideration that went into putting it together.  LeVar is a very generous man and working with him was a wonderful and very warm experience.  We talked about possibly collaborating on other things in the future because we enjoyed working with each other so much.”

In getting to know Captain Sisko, Kasidy has become quite attached  to his young son Jake, played by Cirroc Lofton.  When Johnson first began working on the series Lofton barely reached her shoulders whereas now he towers over her.  Over the past few years the actress has enjoyed watching Lofton grow into a fine young man and actor.

“Our three characters, Sisko, Kasidy and Jake have managed to mold themselves into a nice little family thing,” explains Johnson Jerald.  “You could see a hint of that in the beginning with this concerned son wanting a companion for his father.  Jake liked Kasidy from the very start and I now believe he has bonded with her and wants Kasidy to be a more permanent part of this relationship.  He truly believes that she is not just some woman who has stepped into his father’s life through him but is someone who would be a good friend to him because she’s fun.  Cirroc is such a joy to work with and I’m pleased with the direction in which the relationship between our two characters is going.”

Things between Sisko and Kasidy took a turn for the worse during the fourth season of Deep Space Nine.  In For the Cause Sisko discovers that the woman he loves is smuggling supplies to the Maquis.  The captain must make a choice between happiness or duty.  Like all good Starfleet officers he chooses the latter and turns Kasidy over to the Federation.  This is Johnson Jerald’s favorite episode simply because it brings together each and every facet of her character.  “Actually, they’re all in one scene,” she says.  “It’s when Kasidy decides to come back and face the consequences and Sisko must make the decision as to whether or not to cart her off to prison.  He must choose where his allegiance truly lies.  It’s a wonderful conflict and out of all that turmoil so many beautiful things happen.  This episode is, by far, the best experience I’ve had so far playing the character.”

A year later Kasidy returned to Deep Space Nine and into the waiting arms of Sisko in the episode appropriately titled Rapture.  Having paid her dues to the Federation she is ready to get back to work and determined to make things right between her and Sisko.  She, along with the audience, is never quite sure when Kasidy will show up next.  Her semi-regular status on the series gives her the chance to pursue other jobs and this is something for which the actress is most grateful.

“It’s the difference between doing a classical play and being able to cut loose and do something very contemporary,” she explains.  “It’s a nice balance.  I could not do Deep Space Nine every week.  I’d enjoy the company and I’m sure I would probably enjoy that steady income but I need to do other things including theatre and films.  This series is a nice factor in this whole equation called ‘Penny’s career.’  I love being able to be upright in a literal sense.  I find Kasidy very upright in stature and in speech as well as in her attack and approach.  I can then counterbalance that with someone who is very lateral,” chuckles Johnson, “like the drunk in What’s Love Got to Do With It.  So Deep Space Nine is a good thing for me and I would not like to take it out of my equation.”

Ever since she can remember Johnson Jerald has wanted to be an actress.  At one point she entertained the notion of becoming a lawyer but her passion for the arts eventually won out over that of law.  She also wanted to be a teacher and is pleased that her performing has allowed her to do both by instructing young adults in the craft of acting.  “I do have a gift of imparting knowledge,” she says, “and I’ve been a teacher since I was sixteen.  Being an actor, however, has been my calling.  It truly has.  My husband puts it this way: when you discover your calling or your passion it is something you desire to do whether or not you get paid for doing it and you can actually do this thing for the rest of your life and not feel any kind of remorse.  That is what acting is for me.  I could do it forever without pay and be fulfilled.  I wouldn’t eat or be clothed,” laughs the actress, “but I could definitely do it, so I know this is it for me.”

Along with her work on Deep Space Nine, Johnson Jerald has also guest-starred in numerous made-for-television films and popular shows such as Coach, Hill Street Blues, Tour of Duty, Grace Under Fire and Simon & Simon.  Her feature film work includes The Great Pretender, Swing Shift, Goin’ to Chicago and Hard Boiled.  On stage she has appeared in The Picnic, Night of the Assassins and Our Country’s Good.  For Johnson-Jerald her work does not end once the curtain falls or the cameras stops rolling.

“What makes my job rewarding is when I can see that I have lifted a frown to a smile or when I have instilled something in a kid who feels completely empty.  It’s when I go to my congregation at church and know the people respect me as a person who’s a strong believer in God and who can also be an actor because, somehow, we’ve been led to believe that the two just don’t go together.   Whenever I’ve finished a project I feel as if I’ve eaten this incredible meal and now I can just lay back and have some very sweet dreams.  It’s these things that make acting special to me.  I give a lot as an actress but I get so very much in return.  It’s one of those businesses where some people will say, ‘I give, give, give all of the time and I don’t see the fruits of my labor.’  I tell you, I do.  Whenever I plant some seeds I get that fruit right back.”

Johnson Jerald recently appeared opposite Clint Eastwood in the feature film Absolute Power and with Bill Cosby in an episode of his sitcom Cosby.  Currently, she is working on the sixth season of The Larry Sanders Show as well as with Gregory Hines on an as yet unnamed pilot for CBS Television.  She is eager to return to Deep Space Nine next season and is grateful for the love and support the show’s fans have shown towards Kasidy Yates.

“Yesterday, I’m not exaggerating, I must have answered over one hundred pieces of fan mail.  I couldn’t believe it because, I will confess, it is the first time I have ever received that much fan mail at one time.  Not all of it was about my Star Trek appearances but the fans of the show that do write to me have, I think, the same opinion of Kasidy that I do.  They love the different rhythm and the little bit of spice Kasidy adds to the Star Trek family and I must say that the Star Trek family adds that same spice to my family which is my life.”

Steve Eramo

Don S. Davis - August 4th, 1942 - June 29th, 2008

Just taking a moment to remember a wonderful actor and dear friend Don S. Davis (August 4th, 1942 - June 29th, 2008) a.k.a. Stargate's Major General George Hammond. I still miss our wonderful conversations over dinner, Don!

 

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Leni Parker (Earth: Final Conflict)

Once again, I  have decided to open up the interview vault and revisit some of the many interviews I have had the pleasure of writing over the years and that just appeared in-print and not on-line. Today's interview is with Canadian actress Leni Parker, who talks about her playing the alien Taelon Da'an in Earth: Final Conflict. Enjoy, and keep coming back for more familiar faces and shows! 

Life has certainly been busy as of late for Leni Parker, who plays the kind-hearted, insightful and androgynous alien Taelon Da’an on Earth:Final Conflict.  The Canadian actress recently returned home to Toronto tired but professionally invigorated after what she calls her “European tour.”  Parker flew to Paris to attend a science fiction convention, then on to the Ukraine where she spent a month-and-a-half shooting a feature film, and finally arrived in London for a well-deserved rest.

“I had a wonderful trip and my time in the Ukraine was amazing,” she enthuses.  “The movie I did is called Furnace and it’s about the life of Russian director Sergei Eisenstein [best known for the classic 1925 film Potemkin].  It’s a Canadian/German production starring British actor Simon McBurney and directed by fellow Brit Renny Bartlett.  I play Anya, one of Mayerhold’s students during the revolution.  She ages from 25 to 40 during the story, so on the days that I worked I got to sit in the make-up chair for half-an-hour while they made me look pretty before I went on set.  What a difference from putting on my Da’an head,” jokes Parker.

“Doing this movie was the most fabulous experience I’ve had in my career so far and I don’t expect to top it for quite a while.  I had my first love scene, which was really fun, and I got to try out my British accent.  We’ll have to wait and see about that, though.  The jury is still out on that one for me,” laughs the actress.  “Emotionally, I was so into the character that I’m hoping the accent was strong enough.  For a while there I was worried and thought, ‘Can I do this?’  Finally I convinced myself, ‘Yes, of course I can.  After all, this [acting] is what I love to do.’ ”

The film came right on the heels of Parker finishing her work on the third season of Earth:Final Conflict.  Longtime viewers of the series will remember the pilot episode Truth and seeing Da’an for the first time when he arrives by Taelon shuttle to meet with Jonathan Doors (David Hemblen).  Although loyal to his race, Da’an was not comfortable with the Taelons’ plans for humankind and often expressed his disapproval to the Taelon Synod.  After all this time, he is still trying to help humanity but his tactics have changed, allowing Parker to reveal different and sometimes darker sides of her character.

“It’s always interesting for an actor to be going into a third season of a show,” says Parker.  “You hit a stride in a certain sense.  I will say that I was more relaxed and confident about what I was doing as far as my character was concerned.  I didn’t question a lot of things, mainly because we had an excellent writing team.  The producers brought together a very strong group of writers that succeeded in getting the program back on track after what had been a slightly uneven second season.  Beyond that, things just kept getting better and better in terms of the storyline.

“They focused a lot on Zo’or last year, which I thought was great for Anita La Selva.  With Da’an, probably not as much as I would’ve liked but he remained important to the plot.  There were still those secrets and alliances that Da’an was holding close to him and that’s what the writers concentrated on.  For example, in the episode The Cloister, we learn that Da’an and Zo’or are related, in fact, very closely related.  That was a shock to us all,” laughs the actress.  “However, it was fun to play with that knowledge throughout the rest of the season and realize that that’s what motivated Da’an to make the decisions he sometimes did.”

The Taelon mothership became a bit more crowded during Earth: Final Conflict’s third season with the arrival of two new crewmembers – T’Than (Michelle Nolden), the Taelon war minister, and Mit’gai (Anaya Farrell), a Taelon healer and scientist.  Both these semi-regular characters, along with FBI Special Agent Ron Sandoval (Von Flores), had a part to play in the ongoing battle of wits between Zo’or and Da’an.

“There was a lot of animosity between T’Than and Da’an which could have been played out in a number of ways,” notes Parker.  “At one point I thought, ‘OK, maybe Da’an’s alliances are with T’Than.’  Originally, the T’Than character was supposed to be an older Taelon who was more mature and more staid than Zo’or, but he actually turned out to be quite a feisty individual who rubbed Da’an the wrong way.  The two had a couple of run-ins and Da’an finally chose not to side with T’Than and his allies, including Mit’gai, and essentially remained loyal to Zo’or.

“After The Cloister and the revelation that Zo’or was Da’an’s child, I had hoped that we would have seen Da’an teaching Zo’or and guiding him towards a path that would have made him a more compassionate character.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened.  Zo’or is the young upstart and, despite their parent/child connection, he and Da’an are always pitted against each other.  Da’an is forced to sit back and watch as his child makes mistakes and must try to protect the Taelons from Zo’or’s errors in judgement.  At the same time, he has to save Zo’or from himself.  Boy, he’s a busy little bee,” jokes the actress.

“I also noticed last season that there was a storyline developing between Da’an and Sandoval,” she adds.  “When we left off at the end of the second year it was evident that Sandoval had come to arrest Da’an, but for some reason the writers didn’t follow through with that idea.  I don’t know where they would’ve taken it or what the charges against Da’an would have been.  Now, suddenly, the two of them are back in cahoots, but they definitely still have their own agendas.  I don’t think Da’an’s allegiances necessarily lie with Sandoval but there are certain things they know about each other that they want kept secret.  This is what precipitates their need for mutual cooperation.”

Da’an’s covert efforts to help his people as well as Zo’or sometimes put him at odds with his Companion protector Liam Kincaid (Robert Leeshock), who began to wonder if his trust in the Taelon had been mislaid.  “I think they wanted to see less of a teacher/pupil relationship in the third season and more animosity between the two characters,” explains Parker.  “Of course, having said that, Liam is, first and foremost, Da’an’s Companion protector.  He might not have been given a CVI [Cyber-Viral Implant], but he does possess that old die-hard loyalty where he will ultimately protect Da’an no matter what, even if he doesn’t agree with his politics.  Deep down Liam probably knows that my character is, in a sense, the lesser of two evils, but just doesn’t know what to make of what he considers to be Da’an’s recent ‘odd’ behavior.”

Parker is quick to praise series lead Robert Leeshock for helping her make the scenes between Liam and Da’an so convincing.  “My God, there were times last season when we’d finish a take and I’d look at Robert and think, ‘Wow!’  He’s just so talented.  He and I are often amazed by some of the things we discover together about our characters.  We push each other in a really nice way that’s similar to how Kevin Kilner [Captain William Boone] and I worked together back in the first season.   We’d do a scene and, as actors, instinctively knew, ‘OK, that was the one,’ or,’ Yes, we got somewhere that time.’

“I had a discussion with Paul Gertz [writer/executive producer] and told him, ‘The material you wrote for Liam and Da’an this [third] season was fantastic’ and he said, ‘Well, you guys take it and make it better than I thought it could be.’  I’m fortunate in that Paul knows the Da’an character and how to write for it.  I’ll be sitting in the make-up chair reading a script and think, ‘This story is great.  I’ll look at the cover and see Paul’s name.  You’ve really got to understand who and what you’re writing about.  I’ve mentioned this before – if the words don’t ring true then the audience isn’t going to buy it.”

After surviving several assassination attempts, a kidnapping and even being transformed into an Atavus (a primitive ancestor of the Taelons), Da’an’s luck may have finally run out in Earth:Final Conflict’s third season finale Arrival.  The Taelon holds the lives of Captain Lili Marquette (Lisa Howard) and his race’s archenemies, the Jaridians, in his hands, but will he make the supreme sacrifice to save them?  Meanwhile, Da’an’s future depends on what the show’s producers and writers have up their sleeves.

“I’m not quite sure what’s going on for the fourth season.  It’s a bit of a cliffhanger for Da’an,” chuckles Parker.  “I’m in the first two episodes, but after that I’ll have to wait and see.  Depending, of course, on what happens, I’d love for there to be even more intrigue in Da’an’s life.  It would be great to continue his relationship with Sandoval and really push it right to the edge.  I think the scenes between Anita La Selva and myself are fabulous.  I never get tired of them and I don’t think the audience does either.  I’d also like to see the writers explore more of the Taelon’s history.

“Honestly, I’m up for anything this year, as long as it’s fun and a challenge as well as rewarding,” says the actress.

Steve Eramo

This Week on Dark Matter - "Give It Up, Princess" (SYFY US)

 

This week on an all-new episode of Dark Matter, a friend of Adrian’s (Mishka Thebaud)  is taken captive by one of Tabor’s rivals, demanding a specific data file in exchange for her release. When the crew discover that the file contains information about the construction of a secret Ferrous battle fleet, they agree to help in exchange for the file. The only problem is Adrian isn’t exactly sure where Tabor hid the data file. Check out the clip below from Give It Up, Princess and then make sure to tune in Friday, June 30th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. CT on SYFY (US).

 

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Gena Lee Nolin (Sheena)

Once again, I  have decided to open up the interview vault and revisit some of the many interviews I have had the pleasure of writing over the years and that just appeared in-print and not on-line. Today's interview is with the lovely Gena Lee Nolin, who talks about life in the jungle playing TV's Sheena. Enjoy, and keep coming back for more familiar faces and shows!

The TV weatherperson is calling for another hot and sunny day in Orlando, Florida, but everything on the Sheena set is cool and relaxed.  Series star Gena Lee Nolin is playing with her young son while waiting to go into the hair and makeup trailer.  It is obvious that life in “the sunshine state” agrees with this ex-model and Baywatch babe.  “The scenery here works for our show,” she says.  “It really looks as if we’re shooting in Africa.  Things probably wouldn’t have worked nearly as well had we tried to do the show in Los Angeles, which is unfortunate because that’s where I call home.  However, I have to say that living here temporarily with my family has been wonderful.  I couldn’t be happier.”

Relocating to the East Coast and portraying a sexy comic book heroine was the furthest thing from the actress’s mind a few years ago.  Having played lifeguard Neely Kapshaw for three seasons on Baywatch, Nolin left the show to spend more time with her husband and newborn son.  She and her family were living in Scottsdale, Arizona when she received a phone call one day from Doug Schwartz, the creator and executive producer of Baywatch.  “Doug said, ‘Listen, I know you’re taking some time off and it’s really what you want to do, but I’ve got a TV pilot called Sheena.  Hundreds of women have read for the role but the only one I could think of for it is you.  You’re perfect.’

“The first thing I thought was, ‘What a nice thing for Doug to say.’  Then I asked myself, ‘Do I really want to do this again?’  After all, I left Baywatch to have a normal life for a while and be there for my son.  I thought about it long and hard, discussed it with [my husband] Greg, and then called Doug and told him, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’  I had to audition for Columbia Tri-Star to prove myself to them so to speak.  I went in, met with its executives, and got the job.”

Orphaned in the African jungle after both her parents were killed, Sheena was adopted by Kali (Margo Moorer), a Shamaness and last living member of a native tribe, the Kaya.  Kali’s people possessed the power to “shape shift” into the forms of wild animals by simply looking into their eyes.  It is a gift she passed on to her young charge.  Kali also taught Sheena to respect the land in which she lives, the La Mistas, and those that share it with her.  The blonde jungle beauty is fiercely protective of the territory and shows no mercy to those who try to invade it.  In the show’s first year, Sheena proved to be a kick-ass, no-nonsense heroine who is not afraid to take charge of a situation.  Now, in season two, Nolin is looking forward to showing audiences her character’s softer side.

“Sheena is developing in so many ways as far as her relationship with the civilized world,” explains the actress.  “She’s really opened herself up to meeting people and allowing herself to interact with them.  In the beginning, she was very skeptical, and that’s mainly because she had led a very sheltered life.  This year, viewers will find she’s a bit more polished, especially in her communication skills.  Also, there’s going to be more humor, which I think is so important.  Sheena’s a very serious gal, and while there’s nothing wrong with that I think she needs to lighten up every now and then.

“One of the things I really enjoyed in the first season was when Sheena got to ‘dress up.’  It was a treat to get out of the chamois cloth costume, put on something feminine and, when necessary, go into the outside world.  Of course, most of the time Sheena thought this was a pain in the neck.   For instance, she hated walking in high heels, and she also had a hard time fastening a bra strap,” she laughs.  “Things like that made her seem more real, though, and I think it helped the fans to further identify with her.  Hopefully, she’ll be getting out of the jungle more this year.  At some point she’s going to want to trace her roots.  I mean, where did she come from?  Sheena will one day venture out into the world to track down her relatives.  I think that would be exciting and great fun.  When that day comes, viewers will be left wondering if she’s going to remain in the civilized world or return to the jungle.”

Climbing trees and swinging through the jungle is right up the alley of this former tomboy who grew up in Duluth, Minnesota.  Nolin was in her senior year of high school when her parents divorced and she and her mother moved to Las Vegas.  It was there that, with her friends’ encouragement, the actress began entering modelling contests.  Much to her surprise, she won the Ford Agency and Elite Agency regional “Look of the Year” competitions and the Miss Barbizon USA national title.  “They flew me to New York, I did the advertisements for all their magazines, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is great!’”

With no intention of either continuing modelling or pursing acting, Nolin eventually moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in Santa Monica College.  It was her then-boyfriend-now-husband Greg Fahlman who told her about the opening for a Showcase model on the daytime game show The Price is Right.  With his help, she arranged to meet with the producers and they hired her on the spot.

“I was terrified,” recalls Nolin.  “I was the type of girl that wasn’t shy until the cameras were turned on.  At first, it was hard for me to go on stage and show a microwave oven or whatever.  Fortunately, I overcame my fear and grew to love the job.  Then the producers of Baywatch called and asked me to come in to audition for a part on the show.  I’d never acted before.  I had never even seen a script until I got on the series, so I took baby steps when I started out.  God was definitely watching over me and still is.”

After a brief hiatus, Nolin and the rest of the Sheena cast and crew returned to Florida this past March to start filming thirteen new episodes for the show’s second season.  Back for another round of jungle adventures was John Allen Nelson, alias Matt Cutter, ex-CIA agent-turned-entrepreneur.  Sheena was hardly enamoured of Cutter when they first met.  Over the past year, though, the two have fought side-by-side and come to respect and depend on each other in times of danger.  Although some fans would like them to become romantically involved, Nolin is doubtful this will ever happen.

“Sheena and Cutter are good friends.  Actually, they’re like brother and sister, or should I say sibling rivals,” jokes the actress.  “I think we would ruin the on-screen chemistry they have if we tried to turn their relationship into something else.  Having said that, I think Sheena has to become more comfortable with her sexuality.  We’ve never really seen that side of her.  She is definitely uninhibited as far as living in the jungle.  Sheena’s a savage, so it makes no difference to her whether or not she’s dressed.  However, that doesn’t have any bearing on how she’d feel in a relationship with a man she’s truly taken with.  It would be interesting to see how she’d react to that, and I’m thrilled to say we will,” enthuses Nolin.  “Sheena is going to have a romantic encounter with a character played by a terrific actor named Peter Reckell.  I think the audience is going to really enjoy watching things between her and her new beau unfold.”

One aspect of Sheena that has taken Nolin time to get used to is working with animals.  In the show’s first season, her character morphed into a lion, black panther, leopard, elephant, rhino and even a 20-foot python.  No doubt there will be more “shape shifting” in the second year.  Has the actress had any problems getting close up with her animal co-stars?  “Well, let’s just say it can get pretty interesting when you’re half-dressed and standing in a lagoon late at night with a big snake wrapped around you,” she chuckles.  “My husband Greg was actually on set with me when I did that scene and he’s scared of snakes.

“In my training for Sheena I wanted to face my fears in every way.  I can’t stand spiders, so I asked the show’s animal trainer to bring in a dozen tarantulas and I forced myself to work with them.  I was petrified but I did it, especially since I knew I was going to be around big cats and potentially more dangerous critters.  Honestly, though, the way things are done I’m very safe and so are the animals.  In fact, they’re treated like royalty.  They even have their own air-conditioned trailers,” laughs the actress.

Earlier this year, Sheena made its debut in worldwide syndication, and new episodes will begin airing in the States this month.  If ratings continue to be good, the program will resume production and shoot the remaining nine episodes of the second season.  “I’m putting my heart and soul into it,” says Nolin.  “I get up every morning ready to kick ass and give it everything I have for the people that enjoy this show.  Until viewers get tired of seeing Sheena’s little life unfold, well, then, we’ll keep going.”

Steve Eramo

Tremors Pilot Starring Kevin Bacon Picked Up By SYFY

Kevin Bacon as Valentine McKee in the 1990's Tremors feature film.

SYFY announced today that Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon reprising his original role from the 1990 film of the same name, has been ordered to pilot. From Universal Cable Productions, the drama was written by Andrew Miller (The Secret Circle), who will also serve as showrunner and executive producer along with Bacon and David Schiff (Southpaw) in association with Blumhouse Television.

“This is the only character I've played that I've ever thought about revisiting. I just got to thinking, where would this guy end up after 25 years?” commented Bacon. “Andrew Miller has a fantastic take on it and we hope to create a show that will be fun and scary for fans of the movie and folks that have yet to discover it. Let's kick some Graboid ass!”

The killer Graboid worms that nearly destroyed Perfection, Nevada 25 years ago are back, and the town’s only hope for survival is Valentine McKee (Bacon) who beat them once. But to do it again he’ll have to overcome age, alcohol and a delusional hero complex.

"We are so pleased to continue our partnership with SYFY and UCP in reviving this cult classic with none other than Kevin Bacon as Valentine McKee; we look forward to thrilling original fans and new audiences alike," commented Blumhouse founder, Jason Blum.

This Week on Doctor Who - "The Doctor Falls" (Season Finale - BBC America)

(L-R): The Master (John Simm), Missy (Michelle Gomez) and The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) in "The Doctor Falls." Photo copyright of BBC America.

This week on the season finale of Doctor Who, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) makes a final stand against an army of Cybermen, to protect a tiny band of humans from destruction. Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Rachel Talalay, The Doctor Falls airs Saturday, July 1st @ 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CT on BBC America. Check out the clip below from BBC America, followed by the clip from BBC One in the UK, and then make sure to tune in this Saturday on BBC America!

 

This Week on Wynonna Earp - "She Ain't Right" (SYFY US)

Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano) and Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon) in "She Ain't Right." Photo copyright of SYFY.

Wynonna Earp is back this week with another brand-new episode! in She Ain't Right, when a Black Badge agent is savagely attacked, the team must recover his briefcase before it falls into the wrong hands. Check out the clip below and then tune in Friday, June 30th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/9:0 p.m. CT on SYFY (US).

This Week on Killjoys - "Boondoggie" (Season Premiere - SYFY US)

Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) . Photo copyright of Killjoys III Productions Limited.

The Quad's favorite bounty hunters are finally back with the return of Killjoys! In the season three opener, Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) and D’avin (Luke  Macfarlane), with the help of an obnoxious black market dealer, are on the hunt for a weapon that will draw out the Hullen. Meanwhile,  Johnny (Aaron Ashmore) receives an SOS from Clara (Stephanie Leonidas) , leading him into the underground world of Hackmods. Check out the third season teaser below and then make sure to tune in for Boondoggie om Friday, June 30th @ 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CT on SYFY (US).

 

Sci-Fi Blast From The Past - Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager)

Once again, I  have decided to open up the interview vault and revisit some of the many interviews I have had the pleasure of writing over the years and that just appeared in-print and not on-line. Today's interview is with the always-engaging veteran stage and screen actor Robert Picardo, who talks about his early days playing The Holographic Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager. Enjoy, and keep coming back for more familiar faces and shows! 

Do you remember a time when doctors used to make housecalls?  Now this type of individual treatment is almost nonexistent.  Even in the twenty-fourth century getting a physician to come to see you can be difficult, especially if you are serving aboard the U.S.S. Voyager.  When the starship is unexpectedly pulled into the Delta Quadrant by an unknown alien force it suffers not only severe damage to its systems but the loss of several crewmembers including the ship’s doctor.

Luckily, or unluckily, as the case may be, the computer is able to generate a temporary replacement in the form of a holographic projection.  Along with his vast knowledge of medicine the Doctor is also equipt with sardonic wit and a bedside manner best left outside sickbay.  While his behaviour might sometimes be unorthodox the Doctor gets results, one being the popularity of his character on Star Trek: Voyager.  Credit for this must be laid at the doorstep of some clever writers and actor Robert Picardo, who uses his many talents to play one of Starfleet’s most unusual officers.

“I was busy doing a play at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles when I was approached about playing the holographic Doctor,” says Picardo.  “My schedule left me very little time to read a script.  A friend of mine and fellow actor [Megan Gallagher, who appeared in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode Invasive Procedures and costarred with the actor in the Vietnam War television series China Beach] thought the script was terrific and suggested I read it.  I forced myself, given my time constraints, to plow through it.

“I’m really not a big science fiction fan but I enjoyed the story and wanted to play the part of Neelix,”  the actor reveals.  “I called my agent to tell him that I didn’t quite understand the Doctor and that I’d much rather go after Neelix, and, so, I did.  The producers quite liked me in the role and I very nearly got it.  It boiled down to a three-way competition among Ethan Phillips, myself and a third actor whom I never met.  Because I was working on the play they had to arrange a special audition for me, so, as a result, I didn’t see my competition.  Ethan has been a friend of mine for seventeen years and I didn’t even know that I was up against him.

“I read very well and was delighted with the audition, so, I thought that I might get the part.  At the time I knew it involved makeup but had no idea how heavy the makeup would be.  They sort of hid that fact from us because the makeup was still being designed.  When you asked them how much makeup there would be they said, ‘More than a half-hour,’ and if you said, ‘Less than an hour?’ then they kind of went, ‘More than a half-hour,’“ he laughs.

Although the actor was pleased with his audition for Neelix the role  of Voyager’s chef and resident morale officer ultimately went to Phillips.  The producers were still having problems finding the right person to play the Doctor and, much to his surprise, asked Picardo if he would reconsider reading for the role.

“That’s an unusual thing in television.  Because the casting process for a television series is so fast-paced and frantic you’re often thrown out like a used paper towel after you’ve read for one part.  They don’t necessarily try to fit you into another place in the equation.  From what I’ve heard, they apparently liked the regular cadence of my speaking voice, so, I went in and read for the part.  I read the lines only once - no one had heard me read them before - and they pretty much cast me on the spot.

“I took the role not knowing what it would become and, frankly, not being that excited about it because I felt the character was sort of dull in the pilot.  I was delighted when the individual episodes came along and found out that I had really lucked into a wonderful role.”

Destiny has led Picardo to play a doctor in numerous television, stage and film projects.  His ties to the medical profession, however, began long before he ever was an actor.  “My childhood ambition was to be a doctor,” he says.  “I was a biology major at Yale [University in Connecticut] and in my second year switched to what had been my hobby throughout high school, which was acting.”

While he was an undergraduate student at Yale, Picardo was cast in the school’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s opus Mass, which the great maestro himself attended.  Bernstein was so impressed with the group’s performance that he took them to Vienna for the show’s European premiere.

“Having had experience in Vienna sort of turned my head around,” the actor admits.  “My work was praised by Mr. Bernstein and other people in the profession who said that I should pursue an acting career.  Ironically, I’ve done very few musicals since then.  I thought at one time that it would be my main career avenue, so, hopefully, I will sing on Voyager someday.”

Although Yale has a very famous drama school Picardo wanted to begin making a living as an actor as soon as possible.  “I didn’t feel that I could really afford the luxury of spending three more years training at Yale without also being able to work and make some money.”  He moved to New York and enrolled in Circle in the Square, a professional theatre workshop where he was allowed to work as an actor while studying his craft.  “I got my first professional job at the age of twenty-one while I was a student at the Circle and this past January [1996] I celebrated my twentieth year as a working actor.”

Throughout his career Picardo has worked on numerous stage productions including Gemini and The Normal Heart.  He has also appeared in such films as Legend, The Howling, Explorers, Inner Space, 976-Evil, Jack’s Back and Total Recall as well as guest-starring in episodes of countless television comedies and dramas.  Although best known to television audiences for the Emmy-nominated role of Mr. Cutlip in The Wonder Years and as Doctor Dick Richards in the critically acclaimed China Beach, it is his work as yet another doctor in Star Trek: Voyager which has launched him into interstellar stardom.

“Just after his initial activation the Doctor was much more of an artificial intelligence than a human one.  He differs from Data [Brent Spiner] on The Next Generation in concept in that firstly, he’s software and Data’s hardware.  Secondly, Data has no emotional capabilities, at least not until the Generations film.  The holographic Doctor is programmed to have a certain emotional repertoire which helps him interact with patients.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work and he tends to be gruff and has no bedside manner whatsoever. 

“Any emotions he has seem to be centered on his happiness alone.  If you’re writing a literary critique of our show I would say that the Doctor is sort of a parody of managed healthcare.  He’s the ultimate doctor on the time clock.  He wants to commit only so much of his time to any particular treatment and then wants to be off the clock, so to speak,” laughs Picardo.

“I would also liken him to a star relief pitcher in baseball who’s forced to pitch batting practice.  Although the Doctor was designed for emergency medical application only, he is now forced to handle any banal medical and scientific problems that comes down the pike and he’s not at all happy about this.  The essential joke and what people found most amusing about the holographic Doctor, at least when Voyager first started, was that he was a computer program with a bad attitude.”

Because of the Doctor’s holographic projectors his interaction with the Voyager crew is limited either to the confines of sickbay or to audio and visual contact using the ship’s communication system.  This type of limited exposure to those around him briefly extended to the actor himself when he began working on Star Trek: Voyager.  While most of the cast worked practically nonstop during the forty days it took to shoot the show’s pilot episode Caretaker, Picardo’s work on the set amounted to only two-and-a-half days.

“No one knew me,” he chuckles.  “I was kind of the non-castmember.  In retrospect I think that sense of, ‘I’m not really part of this,’ was beneficial in terms of how the holographic Doctor actually views himself.  The rest of the cast developed some friendships and early bonding relationships through the grueling pace of the pilot that I, unfortunately, could not share.  I didn’t really feel as if I started to become a member of the company until the third or fourth episode of the season.”

Throughout Star Trek: Voyager’s first and second seasons the writers have come up with different ways to involve the Doctor in the action as much as possible.  One of their most successful attempts is an episode entitled Heroes and Demons in which the Doctor is transported to the holodeck to investigate the disappearance of several crewmembers.  “I really had a great deal of fun shooting that episode,” enthuses Picardo.  “It’s basically an Alice in Wonderland story with a bald, middle-aged, cranky, arrogant Alice at the centre of the story instead of the cute little blonde girl,” he laughs.

“I also enjoyed Projections, which was a difficult episode because the Doctor’s character is in virtually every frame.  Jonathan Frakes [who directed] and Dwight Schultz [who reprised his Next Generation role of Lieutenant Reginald Barclay] were a delight to work with and the whole experience of shooting that show was like a party.

“There’s an upcoming episode called Lifesigns in which the Doctor becomes involved in his first bona fide romance.  It’s quite a good episode and wildly romantic for Star Trek.  To say that my character, knowing him as we do, has a romantic interlude is reason enough to tune in.

“One of my favorite moments so far in the whole series comes at the end of Eye of the Needle when I tell Kes that I would like to have a name.  This episode is oddly touching in that if the crew were to leave Voyager the Doctor would end up being left like a little lamp burning in the window of an empty ship.  I thought it was a compelling subplot for my character.”

Since he first was activated the Doctor has assimilated a vast amount of information in his capacity as Voyager’s chief medical officer.  While most of this knowledge is medical in nature some of it deals more with emotions the hologram has experienced in his relationships with various crewmembers.  Two characters in particular, Kes (Jennifer Lien) and Chief Engineer Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson), have played an important role in the Doctor’s emotional development.

“Kes is the first member of the crew who takes an interest in the holographic Doctor as something more than just a sophisticated computerized tool,” explains Picardo.  “She has asked questions that have piqued the Doctor’s own curiosity about his standing on the ship as well as  that of his existence as a lifeform of artificial intelligence.  Kes has a natural appreciation and interest in learning, particularly about medicine, but she’s sort of in awe of what the Doctor knows.

“It’s a wonderful symbiosis and a classic student-teacher relationship which, at times, seems a bit like To Sir With Love.  There are moments when Kes seems to be flirting with the Doctor as well as he with her.  How much audiences are reading into this and how much is actually intended by the writers I certainly won’t say,” he laughs.  “Their relationship, while primarily mentor and student, is occasionally father and daughter as well as older man and younger woman.  All these variations seem to work and have captured the audience’s imagination.

“I’m not telling you that the Doctor has conscious romantic feelings for Kes - I don’t think that’s the case at all - I just think she is extremely important to him, far more than anyone else on the ship.  He has true affection for her.  Whether it could mutate into some form of romantic love in the future, I’m not sure.  I have no idea what the writers intend.

“As for Torres, I get on her nerves tremendously because she is extremely impulsive.  She, like the Doctor, is an expert in her field.  When she is at the edge of her own knowledge and needs help in a medical or scientific area she’s forced to turn to the Doctor and that’s something she finds very frustrating.  I can see why I get on her nerves because she’s always in a rush to get the information and complete the task while I always seem to have the time for satiric digression.

“There’s a scene in Elogium in which the Doctor acts like a teacher and bruises Torres’s ego a bit while also encouraging her talent.  I certainly had teachers like that at Yale.  By the Doctor’s challenging as well as coaching her she is able to solve the problem.  He sort of helps her but at the same time she does it on her own and I think that was a turning point in the relationship between the two characters.”

While many of the situations faced by the Voyager crew are sometimes serious and often life-threatening, there also are moments of comic relief, particularly those which never make it to the television screen.  “Whenever there’s a particularly portentous moment in the dialogue, it’s irresistible to make fun of it in rehearsals,” says Picardo.

“I had my first really dramatic curtain line [spoken before cutting to a commercial] in the episode Phage when Neelix is squirming and huffing on the medical table.  I had to turn to Robert Beltran [Chakotay] and say, ‘His lungs have been removed.’  Of course, he guffawed in my face when we did it.  As we continued our rehearsals the line went from, ‘His lungs have been removed and...that’s a bad thing,’ to ‘His lungs have been removed.  You haven’t seen them, have you?’  My personal favorite is, ‘His lungs have been removed.  You haven’t seen them?’ and then all of sudden I say, ‘Oh, my God’ and begin wiping my shoe furiously on the rug.

“I got Mr. Beltran back in a later episode called Cathexsis in which Chakotay is in a coma.  I have a very similar curtain line which is, ‘He’s brain dead.’  I varied that with, ‘He’s brain dead.  I can’t tell the difference, can you?’

“On more than one occasion I’ve had three-quarters of a page of solid technobabble to say, after which Kate Mulgrew as the Captain will turn to me and ask, ‘Doctor, what are you saying?’  Sometimes I answer, ‘I haven’t a clue,’ or ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t ask me that.’  We often work our way through technical talk like that and then have a joke afterwards.  Whenever one actor has a lengthy and complicated speech everyone else is on edge thinking, ‘Let’s hope he or she manages to navigate the way through this so that we’re not here all day,’“ laughs Picardo.

All this good-natured ribbing taking place on the Voyager set is just further proof of the teamwork and sense of camaraderie shared by the entire cast.  “It’s such a strong company of actors and everyone is secure in their own abilities, so, we don’t have a difficult castmember.  In past experiences I’ve found that actors often becomes difficult when they are having problems in their private lives or because they are not secure in their own personal techniques and talents.  Along with being talented actors everyone on Voyager is a solid professional, so, each person is a pleasure to work with.”

Looking back over his career Picardo counts his work opposite Jack Lemmon in the Broadway production of Tribute as one of his most memorable roles to date.  “I was only twenty-three at the time and that part was a very high-profile job for a young stage actor.   Mr. Lemmon was an absolute delight and I learned a lot from working alongside him.

“The most challenging role I think I’ve ever had was that of the character Ned in The Normal Heart.  The play chronicles New York’s response to the AIDS epidemic before the virus had even been identified.  My wife and I had been married only a couple of months when I got the part and, although it was a sacrifice to go away and do something like this, it was well worth it.  The emotional dividends as an actor that I reaped from this experience paid off years later with my role in China Beach since we often dealt with very emotional and life-and-death situations.

Along with work on this season’s Star Trek: Voyager, Picardo has appeared in a Showtime cable film and an episode of the medical television drama ER.  He has also found the time to train on the Voyager set as a director and will be making his debut behind the camera next season, the show’s third.  Before returning to work on Voyager, however, the actor is set to speak at various science fiction conventions in places such as London, Wales, Ireland, Germany and Australia.  It’s all part of the job as Starfleet’s first holographic Doctor and something Picardo is happy to do.

“This new thing about public appearances and becoming a lounge act at this late stage of my life has taken me by surprise,” he admits.  “I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy it, I actually do.  It would be great to work on ER, the number one rated show on television, but if I did I wouldn’t get to travel all around the world and have speaking engagements.  I certainly wouldn’t have an action figure, either.  I mean, Emmys are great but they don’t bend,” laughs the actor.

Steve Eramo