Carmen Argenziano in Stargate SG-1. Photo copyright of MGM.
As many fans of Stargate SG-1 already know, actor Carmen Argenziano, who played General Jacob Carter/Selmak, passed away a few days ago. I thought I'd pay a small tribute to this wonderful actor and genuinely warm and affable human being with a print interview I did with him years ago that never appeared on-line. Hope you enjoy this Sci-Fi Blast From The Past.
Have you ever had one of those days when you just do not feel quite like yourself? Stargate SG-1’s General Jacob Carter has felt this way ever since he agreed to have his body serve as host to Selmak, a friendly Goa’uld parasite and member of the Tok’ra race. This “arrangement” gave the dying military officer a new lease on life. It also presented the talented Carmen Argenziano, who plays Jacob, with a unique acting challenge.
“I thought long and hard about how to play Jacob after he joined with Selmak. In the end, I decided to portray him as having a duality or kind of well-adjusted, schizoid personality,” chuckles Argenziano. “Jacob is very grateful to Selmak for saving his life. He knows of the alien’s wisdom, therefore there’s no real competition between them. I think both he and Selmak are quite symbiotic and when one consciousness emerges it truly is that individual and vise versa.
“So I decided to somehow merge the two personalities within myself and make a smooth transition from one to the other. I try to keep my performance as real and natural as I can and just let the script take the characters wherever it wants. There’s almost a spiritual or ethereal quality with Selmak in that when he speaks through Jacob it is all-consuming like a burning bush. Jacob acts as a universal conduit for the alien and I find that fascinating. I must admit, though, I’m still getting used to the fact that Selmak is a woman,” jokes the actor.
As a youngster, Argenziano was more interested in performing on the sports field than on a stage. “I was too much of a macho jock to be associated with thespians,” he says. “Although I thought about acting in high school I didn’t dare share my dream with anyone because I was sure no one would understand.”
After graduating, the actor went to New York City and spent two years studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He then further honed his skills under the direction of Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. At 23, Argenziano moved to Los Angeles to continue his studies and pursue an acting career. His first professional job was playing a security guard in an episode of the TV detective series Mannix.
“There was a scene where I had to stand in front of an elevator. At one point the cameraman said it was hard to keep me in focus because I was shaking so much,” laughs the actor. “In another of my early TV roles I played a lawyer. My character had to cross-examine a suspect, portrayed by the famous song and dance man Donald O’Connor. I remember my voice got progressively higher and higher during the take. Eventually, I asked Donald, ‘Where were you on the night of February 4th?’ He said, in an equally high-pitched voice, ‘I was at home.’ That relaxed me and I was able to finish the scene. Thankfully, it [acting] has gotten a little easier as time has gone on.”
Argenziano became involved with Stargate SG-1 through the ordinary audition process. According to the actor, he faced some stiff competition for the role of Jacob Carter and, much to his surprise, ended up getting it. “The batting average when it comes to auditions is normally around one in ten,” he explains. “It’s tough for us journeymen actors and it can sometimes get to you. You have to learn to stay positive and make it more of a creative experience as opposed to just going in and trying to get the part. With Stargate, things happened to work out for me and I got this wonderful little job that takes me to Vancouver on occasion.”
Jacob Carter first appeared on the series in the second-season episode Secrets. In it, Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) has an unexpected reunion with her father only to discover that he is dying from cancer. “As an actor coming into what was more or less an established family, I felt a little like the new kid on the block when I started working on Stargate,” recalls Argenziano.
“I think Amanda sensed my apprehension on that first day. I remember struggling with the scene in Secrets when Jacob is about to tell Samantha that he has cancer. Just as they were about to roll the cameras, Amanda took my hand and gave it a warm, reassuring squeeze. That meant so much to me. I can’t say enough good things about her. Amanda is a Meryl Streep-quality actress as well as a generous, gracious and supportive person. I genuinely love working with her.”
Originally, Jacob Carter was supposed to lose his battle with cancer. Happily for Argenziano, the show’s creators and executive producers, Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright, had a change of heart. In the two-part episode The Tok’ra, Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and the SG-1 team travel to planet P34 353J to meet a race of rebel Goa’uld called the Tok’ra. O’Neill tries to establish an alliance with the aliens but they refuse. Only after Jacob Carter agrees to help save Selmak’s (Joy Coghill) life do they reconsider O’Neill’s offer.
“The Tok’ra, particularly the second half, was one of my favourite projects to work on,” enthuses the actor. “In fact, part of the scene in which my character is about to join with Selmak is on my demo reel. In that moment, Jacob tells Sam how much he loves and cares about her. Again, I’m lucky to have such a strong on-screen chemistry with Amanda and I believe it helped make that scene all the more convincing.
“It was also fun to work with the episodes’ director, Brad Turner,” he adds. “As an actor, it’s nice to have a director’s reassurance and know that he or she is thinking along the same lines as you. Brad and I agreed with where the Jacob/Selmek storyline was going and he pretty much stood back and let me do my ‘thing,’ which was great.”
After merging with Selmak, Jacob went to live with the Tok’ra and became their liaison to the human race. He returned to Earth later that season and joined forces with SG-1 to deal with an invisible enemy called the Reetou in the episode Show and Tell. O’Neill and his team returned the favour the third season in Seth when they helped Jacob/Selmak track down an ancient Goa’uld Lord.
“I really enjoyed doing Seth because of the scholarly approach Jonathan Glassner took when writing the script,” notes Argenziano. “He included a great deal of mythology about the series and its characters in the story and I found all that very interesting.”
The actor is far less complimentary of his own work in the third-season two-parter Jolinar’s Memories and The Devil You Know. “I felt my performance was very one-note. Even though Jacob/Selmak was near death most of the time I should have found a way to animate him more. So I was a bit disappointed with myself, but in the end I decided to look upon it as a learning experience.”
A family man, Argenziano keeps busy helping his wife raise their two little boys. He recently appeared in the feature films The Cactus Kid, Gone in Sixty Seconds and Hellraiser V: Inferno. With Stargate SG-1 currently in its fourth year and set to continue for at least one if not two more seasons, the actor hopes to once again reprise his role on the show. “I’m ready for another trip through the Stargate,” he says.
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of MGM, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
