SciFiAndTvTalk

Stargate Atlantis' David Hewlett - The Deconstructed Man

Stargate Atlantis' Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett). Photo copyright of the Syfy Channel.

Stargate Atlantis' swan song fifth season proved to be one heck of a ride for the show's resident genius, Dr. Rodney McKay. Having been buried alive together with some of his colleagues at the end of season four, he and his teammates were eventually found alive in Search and Rescue. Soon after in The Shrine, McKay contracted a deadly virus that temporarily robbed him of his intellect as well as memories and almost killed him, while in Tracker, the scientist wound up off-world with Ronon and trying to track down a Runner who was hellbent on eluding them. By mid-season, McKay was playing host to Stargate SG-1's Dr. Daniel Jackson, who visited Atlantis in the two-part First Contact and The Lost Tribe. McKay was not exactly thrilled with Jackson's arrival, as his alter ego, actor David Hewlett, explains.

"The dynamic between Daniel [Michael Shanks] and McKay is not a particularly friendly one," says Hewlett. "He shows up on Atlantis to do some more research, and my character is not happy because McKay then gets stuck taking him around the city while dismissing Daniel's theories about various things and then ending being horribly wrong on many occasions. The two of them eventually get pulled off to another planet where they meet an armor-clad race, and then get to become a bit of an armor-clad race themselves.

"It was terrific to have Shanks on the show," continues the actor, 'and fun, too, as I got to sort of pick his brain because he did this [Stargate] for so long. As for our scenes together, well, we both talk incredibly fast, and I'm not used to lines being picked up so quickly and thrown back at me in such a way, because Michael adds in these cool little character-related things. The guy is amazing. I don't know how he does it, and not only that, but he gets younger every time I see him. Actually, the whole SG-1 cast is on some kind of reverse aging process, whereas I'm on an advanced aging process. By the time we finish this conversation I'll have aged 10 years," he jokes.

Not doing too good in "Search and Rescue." Photo copyright of The Syfy Channel.

"As I mentioned, Michael and I ended up in those armor-clad suits for a period of time. All I can say is, I now have a new respect for those people at Comic-Con who dress up as Storm Troopers [from Star Wars]; I don't know how they stand it because you sweat buckets in an outfit like that. That's what happened to me in that spacesuit. Of course, Michael glowed and was in a really good mood," teases Hewlett. "Again, we had a ball. There's some fantastic back and forth banter when Daniel and McKay get together, if I do say so myself. You've got that great sense of McKay being up against someone who's as smart as he is and knows as much as he does, so there's a lot of attitude being exchanged."

At the start of Atlantis' fourth year, Rodney McKay thought for sure he was next in line to take over command of Atlantis after the loss of Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) to the Replicators. His ego took quite a beating when, in fact, Colonel Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) got the job. In the fifth season, he and the rest of the base personnel had to get used to yet another change in leadership when International Oversight Authority (IOA) member Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo) replaced Carter. In Hewlett's eyes, his character saw a number of similarities between himself and Woolsey.

"Woolsey is a bureaucrat in the same way that McKay took a professional type of approach to the entire Stargate program," says the actor. "Woolsey's background is government, diplomacy, the IOA, etc., whereas McKay's is very much academic. So in a way, Woolsey has had similar growing pains to those that my character initially had. First of all, he's learning to like these people on Atlantis, which he never expected. Woolsey is also getting his nose out of books and regulations and into the real world. So it's neat to watch him go through that, and, again, because McKay has been through it as well, he's more disdainful of it than, perhaps, others are. I think you tend to jump on people for making the same mistakes as you and having the same weaknesses as you. McKay is like, 'My God, doesn't Woolsey realize that you can't live your life with your nose in books.' Of course, it's taken my character five years to figure that out, which is rather amusing.

Rodney McKay, helping to save the universe - again! Photo copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"One of the things I really like about Atlantis and Stargate as a whole is that sense of humor. Sci-Fi can be incredibly dry and dark, and what we have here, which really helps, is that underlying sense of humor. There's almost, not a winking at the camera, but a realistic humorous response to certain situations. I think there was a lot of that on our show, and Robert Picardo was the ideal person to bring that out. For example, our conference room scenes became hilarious because there was so much going on. I mean, Joe Flanigan [Colonel John Sheppard] had his sense of humor, I had my uptight McKay stuff, and Robert added a whole other level to it. As a result, the directors had to occasionally rein us in a bit so that it didn't turn into an all-out comedy, like Scrubs in Space," laughs Hewlett. "So it was definitely a pleasure to have Robert around, and he enjoyed himself, too. As new people came onto the show you got a new lease on your performance because you got caught up in their own excitement about the work."

After the disastrous end to his budding relationship with Katie Brown (Brenda James) in season four's Quarantine, Dr. McKay was decidedly cautious when it came to further romantic entanglements. Lucky for him, he chose to take another chance at love and, in the fifth season, became involved with Dr. Jennifer Keller (Jewel Staite). They go on their first official date in the season five episode Brain Storm, but, naturally, things do not go quite as planned.

"Prior to this, McKay and Jennifer had had a beer together, but this is the first time they go somewhere as a couple," says Hewlett. "My character has to attend a presentation with all these famous astrophysicists who are basically his peers and did their doctorates at the same time as he did. Not surprisingly, McKay gets as prickly as he gets. Meanwhile, poor Keller has shown up for some champagne and a couple of little sandwiches, and all hell breaks loose. The experiment that is being shown goes horribly wrong and my character has to save the day. I think it's a great payoff to a number of things that had already been established on the series, and to top it off, Jewel and I got to do some actual romantic stuff, which was fun.

Trying to put on a brave face. Photo copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"We had a great guest-cast in Brain Storm, which included Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was an advisor to God knows how many presidents. Not only is he a genius, but he's hilarious, too. He and Bill Nye, the Science Guy, who's in this episode as well, are friends and Bill is just as funny. Their banter was amazing. Nye is an improv master, except you actually learn something when he speaks. so it was like a dream come true for a nerd like me. We also had Dave Foley [Malcolm Tunney], who's a super-nerd himself. He's a Sci-Fi fan and knows a lot about this sort of stuff. So it was this amazing combination of some of the world's smartest people all in the same room. As a result, I didn't say much. I tended to keep pretty quiet and retiring in-between scenes."

Besides The Shrine and Brain Storm, another season five Atlantis story that the actor especially enjoyed shooting is Remnants, in which McKay and Dr. Zelenka (David Nykl) discover an alien device that uses  an unusual method to communicate with select members of the Atlantis team.

"This is kind of a creepy episode and one that really throws people off," says Hewlett. "David Nykl and I had a number of scenes together, and it was neat because we were playing a very different type of dynamic between Zelenka and McKay. My big joke was that Robert Picardo's character got to see this beautiful Australian woman as his vision, while McKay got Zelenka. I was like, 'Can he [David Nykl] at least wear some nice lip gloss or something else to sexy his character up a bit?'" says the actor with a laugh.

McKay senses something is not quite right here. Photo copyright of the Syfy Channel.

"We had fun messing with the usual dynamic of McKay's and Zelenka's relationship, and, of course, there was lots of bantering back and forth with the two of them. When in doubt, McKay just talks, as does Hewlett in a lot of cases. It's that horrible mix between the two, otherwise known as McKaylett."

While filming season five of Atlantis, the cast and crew were told that the show would, unfortunately, not be returning for a sixth year. In the show's finale, Enemy at the Gate, our heroes fly the entire city of Atlantis to Earth to help defend the planet against an attack by a rogue Wraith hive ship. While this was the last episode to air, it was not, in fact, the last one to be shot. That distinction goes to Vegas, an alternate universe story involving a series of Wraith killings in the city that never sleeps.

"I'm generally not a fan of alternate reality stories because they can easily feel like a cop-out, but I really wanted Vegas to be our final episode," notes Hewlett. "We knew that Atlantis was cancelled and I thought it would be a daring and original way to end the series. Of course, they [the producers/writers] would have had to figure out how to get Teyla [Rachel Luttrell] and Ronon [Jason Momoa] into the story. They could have had the role that I wanted - exotic dancer at a casino. That was my first suggestion for McKay, partly just so I could actually go to Las Vegas, but also to showcase my pole dancing talents," chuckles the actor.

Things were not looking too good for poor Rodney in "The Shrine." Photo copyright of the Syfy Channel.

It was way back in season five of Stargate SG-1 that Dr. Rodney McKay first arrived on the scene in the episode 48 Hours. Little did anyone, let alone Hewlett, know that he along with the fans would become better acquainted with the character over the next eight years.

"That was a lot of hair ago on SG-1. I don't know if I actually lost the hair or if I've just expanded so that it looks like I've got less hair," jokes the actor. "It's weird because McKay seems like a different guy now. I think what happened in Atlantis is that we began to see the cracks in the character's armor. He came into SG-1, I feel, fully protected. McKay had sort of inch-thick armor around him, which made him incredibly prickly from the very beginning. And it's not so much that he warmed on Atlantis, but rather he cracked a bit.

"I've always said that the neat thing about McKay is that he's unlike the other characters. You're learning about them as you go along, whereas with my character it's as if you're deconstructing him. We already knew what McKay was like, and later on we got figure out why he's like that. After five seasons, we'd deconstructed him enough to roughly know what his deep dark secrets are, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are a few more," laughs Hewlett. "So as a character he did evolve. McKay's own personality finally began to shine though, which was a real joy for me to play."

Steve Eramo

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

Joe Flanigan And James Naughton Guest-Star On Warehouse 13

[caption id="attachment_2346" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Joe Flanigan as Jeff Weaver in the Warehouse 13 episode "Elements." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2347" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pete Lattimer tries to get some answers from Gilbert Radburn (James Naughton) in "Elements." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel"][/caption] TUNE IN ALERT!! - Joe Flanigan (Stargate Atlantis) and James Naughton (Gossip Girl, Damages) guest-star this week in Elements, an episode of the new Syfy Channel series Warehouse 13. When a sculpture is stolen thanks to a Native American artifact that allowed the thief to walk through the steel walls of a vault, Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) are sent to New York City to investigate. The hunt for the truth eventually leads them to the discovery of a sacred place - and they'll do all they can to protect it. Elements airs Tuesday, August 4th @ 9 p.m. EST. [caption id="attachment_2349" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="James Naughton as Gilbert Radburn in the Warehouse 13 episode "Elements." Photo by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_2350" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jeff Weaver (Joe Flanigan) confers with Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) in "Elements." Photo by Philipps Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel"][/caption] As noted above, all photos by Philippe Bosse and copyright of The Syfy Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!

The Syfy Channel Annouces Its Fall Line-Up

ON the heels of its successful summer series launches, Syfy will continue its tradition of imagination-fueled original entertainment this fall with a strong line-up of series and season premieres, along with new episodes of some of its most popular returning shows. Syfy's fall 2009 line-up includes: Stargate Universe - New Series Premieres October 2nd @ 9 p.m. (2-hour premiere). Airs Fridays @ 9 p.m. beginning October 9th. Syfy's upcoming one-hour series, Stargate Universe, follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship's Stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on-board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them. Set to premire in October 2009 with a two-hur special, the series stars Robert Carlyle (Transpotting, The Full Monty), Lou Diamond Phillips (Che, La Bamba), Ming-Na (ER, Vanished), Alaina Huffman, Louis Ferreira, David Blue, Jamil Walker Smith and Brian J. Smith with special guest-stars, Grammy nominated artist Janelle Monae, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, Gary Jones and Carlo Rota. Edgier and younger in tone, Stargate Universe will take the franchise in a dynamic new direction, appealing to longtime Stargate fans and first-time viewers alike. The two-part premiere is directed by Andy Mikita (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1) and lensed by Ronn Schmidt (The Shield, The Mist). Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) serve as executive producers and writers on the new series. Stargate Universe is distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution. Destination Truth - Season Three Premieres September 9th @ 9 p.m. This fall, Syfy will premiere the third season of its reality hit, Destination Truth. World traveler and intrepid explorer Josh Gates will return to host nine all-new episodes - each an off-the-map adventure in search of the answers to some of the world's most intriguing unexplained mysteries. This season on Destination Truth, Josh will travel to some of the most extreme locations on Earth, including the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and the heart of the worlds worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Viewers will also ride along on unprecedented investigations, including the world's first overnight exploration of King Tut's cursed tomb and pitch-black dives in ancient Caribbean caves. A graduate of Boston's renowned Tufts University, Josh holds degrees in archaeology and drama, and was recently inducted into The Explorers Club, a prestigious global organization dedicated to the advancement of exploration and field research. An avid scuba diver, he has participated in sub-sea archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean and his work as a photographer has taken him from sweltering African villages to the icy heights of the Himalayas. In addition, he has scaled "the roof of Africa" on Mt. Kilimanjaro, climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas, and set foot in more than 75 countries around the world. Destination Truth is executive producer by Brad Kuhlman for Ping Pong Productions (1,000 Places to See Before You Die, Celebrity Rehab, FM Nation). Bechara Gholam will serves as co-executive producer. Sanctuary - Season Two Premieres Friday, October 9th @ 10 p.m. Syfy's groundbreaking hit original series Sanctuary, the first TV show based on an online series to be picked up for a second season, will return to Syfy in October. Sanctuary follows the adventures of the beautiful, enigmatic and always surprising Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), a brilliant scientist who holds the secrets of a clandestine population - a group of strange and sometimes terrifying beings that hide among humans. Along with forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), Magnus seeks to protect those threatened phenomena as well as unlock the mysteries behind their existence. Joining the cast in season two is Agam Darshi as Kate Freelander, a con artist and thief who finds herself in an uneasy alliance with Dr. Magnus. Sanctuary also starts Ryan Robbins as tech whiz Henry and Christopher Heyerdahl as the sinister John Druitt. Special guest-stars this season include Christopher Gauthier (Eureka) and Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1). Created by Damian Kindler (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis), Sanctuary is produced in association with Syfy and distributed by Tricon Films and Television. Season Two of the series is executive produced by Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Martin Wood and Keith Beedie. Scare Tactics - Season Three Episodes Return Tuesday, October 6th @ 9 p.m. Syfy's hidden camera reality show Scare Tactics is hosted by famed comedian Tracy Morgan. The hit series captures its frightened victims who have been set up by friends and loved ones. Unsuspecting victims are placed into elaborately staged scary situations involving movie-style special effects and make-up. The horror hoaxes are skillfully designed to tap into the wildest fears of the prank's prey. Viewers laugh along to the hilarious reactions of the show's "stars" as they are caught off-guard and on camera. Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey of Hallock Healey Entertainment are the executive producers and creators of Scare Tactics. Ghost Hunters - All-New Episodes Throughout The Fall - Wednesdays @ 9 p.m. Featuring special guest-investigators Meatloaf and Josh Gates. This fall, Syfy presents all-new episodes of Ghost Hunters every Wednesday @ 9 p.m. Get in the spirit with Jason, Grant and the rest of the TAPS team as they embark on chilling new investigations including a host of historic haunts as well as some of the most daunting locales featured on the show yet, such as the massive long-abandoned Essex County Hospital in New Jersey. In October, music superstar and longtime Ghost Hunter fan Meatloaf will join the team as a guest-investigator in a special episode featuring a home in Thousand Islands, NY, one of last year's finalist locales in the Great American Ghost Hunters contest. Ghost Hunters is produced in association with Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Films and Television (Dirty Jobs, The Ultimate Fighter, My Fair Wedding). Piligian and Thomas Thayer, along with Rob Katz and Alan David, serve as executive producers. Warehouse 13 - All-New Episodes Throughout September - Tuesdays @ 9 p.m. Syfy's newest one-hour hit dramedy series Warehouse 13 continues through September 2nd with a host of special guest-stars including Battlestar Galactica's Micheal Hogan; Eureka's Joe Morton, Erica Cerra and Niall Matter and Stargate Atlantis' Joe Flanigan. Warehouse 13 follows two Secret Service agents who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota, which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping to control the warehouse itself. Warehouse 13 also stars Allison Scagliotti as Claudia Donovan and CCH Pounder guest-stars as Artie's boss, Mrs. Frederic. The series is produced for Syfy by Universal Cable Productions. It is executive produced by Jack Kenny (The Book of Daniel), who also serves as showrunner. David Simkins (Dresden Files) is executive producer and Stephen Surjik (Monk, Burn Notice) is producer/director of the show.

Rachel Luttrell - Working Mom

[caption id="attachment_1656" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Rachel Luttrell as Stargate Atlantis' Teyla Emmagan. Photo by Matthias Clamer and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Things are hot, really hot on the Stargate Atlantis set - literally. It is an unusually warm August (2008) day in Vancouver, which is not exactly ideal if you have to spend the day inside a Wraith spaceship, whose walls are made of latex. The Atlantis cast, including actress Rachel Luttrell, who plays Teyla, are doing their best to keep cool as they film the fifth season story Infection. "Essentially, the premise of this episode is that the retrovirus gene, which Dr. Beckett [Paul McGillion] originally created and Dr. Keller [Jewel Staite] then modified and implemented, has been unleashed on a hive ship that is being run by Todd [Christopher Heyerdahl]," explains Luttrell. "The retrovirus has gone awry and created a disease amongst him and his crew, so great numbers of them have died. The survivors have put themselves into hibernation pods and sent out a signal to Atlantis because we're the only ones who can help them. So we go to the hive to see what we can do, and it becomes a question of do we help the Wraith or not. [caption id="attachment_1657" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Teyla and Major Lorne (Kavan Smith) defend themselves against some especially nasty Wraith in the season five Atlantis episode "Infection." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "The retrovirus is successful on the one hand in that the feeding opening on the Wraiths' hand disappears, so they are forced to eat using their teeth and mouths. As a result, several of our Marines are attacked, taken away and eaten. Not only that, but because the Wraith hives are organic, this ship has also been infected. The hibernation pods are linked into the ship, and minerals and whatnot from the bodies of the diseased Wraith are transferred into the hive. So tunnels are appearing where walls used to be, walls are appearing where halls used to be, and huge caverns are forming because entire rooms are disintegrating. Our people are trapped onboard this ship, which is going out of control and heading into the atmosphere of a planet. Next to Rodney McKay [David Hewlett], who's a genius, Teyla is the only one who knows how to operate the hive ship, and she does her best in terms of trying to land it safely. So it's a pretty dark and exciting episode." Five years ago, handling the controls of a Wraith ship, let alone being onboard one, was the farthest thing from Teyla Emmagan's mind. Her life has taken a very different path since she decided to leave her people, the Athosians, and join the Atlantis team in its battle against the Wraith. Along the way, she has also helped save the Pegasus Galaxy from a variety of other alien threats. In year four, Teyla fell in love with Kanaan (Patrick Sabongui), a fellow Athosian, and in the season five Atlantis opener Search and Rescue, she gave birth to their child. The experience has further changed her, and given Luttrell more to play with in her performance as well. "If it's possible, Teyla seems to me more grounded and there's a deeper strength within her," muses the actress. "And that, I think, is due to the fact that she's a mother now. So all her subsequent missions have taken on that added concern of if she doesn't come back, then she's leaving behind somebody who's not only very dear to her, but who is also this incredibly special being, which was hinted at last season. Because of what I've recently gone through in my life, and the fact that I, too, am a new Mom, I really do draw a great deal on who I am when it comes to playing certain aspects of Teyla. This has been a very challenging year for me, personally, just because I'm juggling a whole heck of a lot. However, it gives me a greater sensitivity to what's going on in Teyla's life in that's it's pretty much the same thing. There's no downtime for either of us. She's out there saving the world and then comes back to take care of her wee one, and I'm shooting a TV show and then I go home and take care of my wee one," smiles Luttrell. [caption id="attachment_1661" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Teyla gives Dr. Zelenka (David Nykl) a helping hand in season five's "First Contact." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "In portraying a character for so long there's an ease that comes with it because you really get to know how she will respond in any given situation, and that's something quite wonderful for an actor to take on. You become protective of that character, too, because you're their voice and eyes, which is lovely and fun as well. At the same time, you don't want to become complacent; you have to try to keep your performance fresh. That's always in the back of my mind because i genuinely care about this character so much. So how do I keep her fresh? I don't want to sound silly, but I think it's something that comes naturally to me. As I've come to know Teyla more and more, there are various textures and nuances that I've been able to add to her, and I guess that keeps her fresh. As the audience learns more about her, I'm continuing to grow into her as a person." Towards the end of Atlantis' fourth season, the half-human/half-Wraith Michael (Connor Trinneer) kidnapped Teyla with an eye towards harnessing the unique abilities of her as-yet unborn baby. Fortunately for mother and child, they were saved in Search and Rescue, but Michael was not about to give up. In year five's The Prodigal, he invades Atlantis and threatens to destroy the city unless Teyla and her baby Torren come away with him. [caption id="attachment_1664" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Teyla and her child face Michael's (Connor Trinneer) wrath in "The Prodigal." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "Once and for all we decisively take care of Michael, and with the help of Colonel Sheppard [Joe Flanigan], my character gets to deliver the final blow that sends him to his demise," enthuses Luttrell. "When it came to filming the actual fight with Sheppard, Teyla and Michael, we were around 15 feet off the ground and standing on a portion of stage that was supposed to be the top of the Atlantis tower. I don't like heights that much, but I had no idea how much I didn't like heights until after I got up on this little ledge and [director] Andy Mikita yelled, 'Action!' "Prior to that, they said there would be a little bit of wind, but when I heard, 'Action,' there was this blast of wind that almost sent me flying over the ledge. At one point, Connor's stunt double Simon told him to hang onto Joe's jacket as an anchor because there's a moment when, God bless him, Michael has to flail backwards. So he's pretty much teetering on the brink of falling off the ledge. That was tough from an acting standpoint, but, of course, from a story standpoint it's a wonderful moment and a very heroic one for Sheppard as well as Teyla. It's also the last kind of desperate cling for Michael to his power, not to mention his life, and there's absolutely no mercy whatsoever in Teyla towards him." [caption id="attachment_1668" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ronon (Jason Momoa), Dr. McKay (David Hewlett), Teyla and Colonel Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) end up trapped atop a nearly submerged Stargate in "The Shrine." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Not long after filming wrapped on the aforementioned Infection, it was announced that Atlantis would not be renewed for a sixth season. A few weeks later the series finale, Enemy at the Gate, was filmed, and Luttrell graciously takes time to look back at the experience. "Well, unlike a lot of shows that get cancelled, we had the good fortune to know in advance that what we were doing we'd be doing for the last time," notes the actress.  "So the whole mood of the set took on a very nostalgic feel. We truly had a wonderful sense of camaraderie on our show and the crew was very much a part of that, so we all felt the weight of the occasion. We continued to have a lot of laughs, but we also had the opportunity to say good-bye to all the amazing people whom we'd worked with day in and day out for five years, and still very much liked!" [caption id="attachment_1669" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Teyla in season five's "Ghost in the Machine." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] As Luttrell mentioned earlier, her life has become considerably busier since the birth of her and husband Loyd Bateman's son Caden Dar on October 12th, 2007, and the actress is enjoying every moment of being a Mom. "It's just great," she enthuses. "My Mom once told me that your children will take you to places you never thought you would go, and you'll meet people who you would have never met if it weren't for your children. She was so right. Something else that both my parents always said is that with the birth of your child, you come to truly understand love. I mean, everyone talks about love and they say that love isn't really love unless it's an unconditional love. If it's a judgemental kind of love, then really what is that? Can it truly be love or is it just ego, but there is no ego involved in taking care of your own child. Regardless of what this person does, I will forever love him, which is amazing. "I'll share this one moment - during our last hiatus I was going to visit my husband, who was shooting a movie in Germany, and I was happily travelling in business class. I was waiting in the lounge, and no offense to those people who travel business all the time, but it can sometimes be a little bit reserved in there. Everyone is sitting back, drinking their cocktails and preparing for, in this case, a nine-and-a-half hour flight. And there's usually this one woman with a baby, and I was sitting there thinking, 'Oh, my God, here I am. I'm that woman.' Well, my little guy just wanted to talk, so he hopped down from his seat, walked up to everyone in that lounge and melted the hearts of the sternest of businesspeople. Each and every person started opening up, and it was an encapsulated moment of what my Mother had told me. All of a sudden I was listening to stories from people who I probably wouldn't have interacted with had it not been for my son's spirit. He's gorgeous and I absolutely love being his Mom." Steve Eramo As stated above, all photos by Matthias Clamer or Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!

The Warehouse Job

LAST week, the Sci Fi Channel announced that a number of very familiar names and faces will be guest-starring on its new one-hour dramdy adventure series Warehouse 13. Premiering on Tuesday, July 7th @9pm EST, the program follows two Secret Service agents who find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota, which is home to every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse's caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the warehouse itself. Some of the annouced guest-stars include: Ivan Sergei (Crossing Jordan, Charmed) plays Ross, an EMT from Unionville, New York who, along with some of the other townspeople begin to display bizarre behavioral symptoms, including involuntary (and potentially dangerous) expressions of their subconscious desires. Tricia Helfer  (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice) plays FBI Agent Bonnie Belski, who clashes with Pete and Myka when they interfere with a case on her Chicago turf. However, after a third inexplicable bank takeover, she finds herself willing to make use of the agents' expertise. Joe Flanigan (Stargate Atlantis, First Monday) portrays the handsome, wealthy Jeff Weaver, whose charm catches Myka's interest, but he finds himself under her and Pete's scrutiny when a sculpture on which he bid, vanishes in an impossible heist. James Naughton (Ally McBeal, Gossip Girl, Planet of the Apes) is Gilbert Radburn, a well-tailored, Donald Trump-esque high-profile entrepreneur. When a competitor threatens his intended acquisition, Radburn's suspicious behavior attracts the attention of Pete and Myka. Roger Rees (Cheers, The West Wing) plays MacPherson, one of Artie's former Warehouse colleagues who has gone rogue and is now competing with the team to gather dangerous and powerful objects for his own use. Erica Cerra (Eureka, The L Word, Battlestar Galactica) and Niall Matter (Eureka, Watchmen) portray Jillian and Gary Whitman, small-time thieves on the Las Vegas strip whose fortunes, twisted by the strange power of a luck-inducing artifact, take a fantastic turn. Joe Morton (Eureka, Terminator 2) guest-stars as John Hill, a charismatic prison inmate and an extremist religious leader in a Florida prison. Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica, The L Word) plays Myka's father Warren Bering, who receives a dangerous object anonymously in the mail which puts his life in jeopardy.

Robert Picardo - Learning Curve

[caption id="attachment_1033" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Robert Picardo as Stargate Atlantis' Richard Woolsey. Photo by F. Scott Schafer and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] From Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years to Dr. Richard on China Beach and Star Trek: Voyager's Holographic Doctor, Robert Picardo has carved out a niche for himself playing a host of diverse, interesting and believable characters on TV as well as in feature film and the theater. The actor's small screen credits also include Richard Woolsey, a bureaucrat who made his debut in the Stargate SG-1 story Heroes, Part 2. His negative report on Stargate Command made him some enemies at the SGC, but Woolsey subsequently redeemed himself by following his conscience and not protocol. Still, our heroes on Stargate Atlantis were apprehensive when in the fifth season he was placed in charge of the Ancients city. Once again, though, Woolsey made some decisions that eventually earned him the respect and trust of those around him. "My character started out on Atlantis as the jerk we remembered him being, but he quickly realized that he needed to toss out the rulebook," notes Picardo. "There's a story early on in season five called Ghost in the Machine, which is Woolsey's first really heroic episode involving a Cuban Missile Crisis-type scenario where he stares down the enemy, and the enemy blinks first when calling his bluff. It's a really nice, charged scene, and what I enjoyed about it when we shot it is that even though he's completely poker-faced in this time of crisis, when it's over you can see that Woolsey had nearly pooped his pants," jokes the actor. "That huge exhalation of relief after the fact is what helps define him. This is the first time he has succeeded in pulling something like this off, and that, to me, is what made his development far more interesting because you see him brick by brick build himself into a leader. [caption id="attachment_1034" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Mr. Woolsey stares down the enemy in "Ghost in the Machine." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "The real acting challenge with a character like this is just to keep the integrity of what you've done before. Every actor likes to be liked. It's easier to try to be liked as a human being as opposed to keep that mask up that puts some people off. I've played characters that, as an actor, you initially don't like, but then grow to like despite that first impression. Whatever led to them having that sort of arrogant or officious and intimidating veneer, you come to see cracks in it and realize that there is some kind of neurotic motivating force that makes them act in such a way. Then you will learn to 'laugh' at that and enjoy the dramatic tension between their behavior and what's behind it. "I think that's what appeals to the viewers about someone like Woolsey. He's not just the completely well-adjusted ass he wants to be, do you know what I mean? My character has a certain desire to relate better to people, and, ultimately, his most redeeming quality is that he passionately believes in being a good leader. He wants that more than anything else, but he doesn't know how to do it. Woolsey is learning, however, and as I've said, viewers see him wanting to grow into a leader, which I feel really redeems him. I can't suddenly turn my character into this intrepid, steely guy; it wouldn't make sense. I can, though, turn him into someone who can fool the enemy into thinking he's intrepid and steely, and that's the cool part of this job." [caption id="attachment_1037" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) and Woolsey in the season five episode "The Seed." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Of all the people who Woolsey is now responsible for, the first one to befriend him is Teyla (Rachel Luttrell). "The confession by my character to her in Broken Ties of how much he loved his dog is a really sweet moment," says Picardo. "It actually reminds me a little bit of The Doctor and Kes [Jennifer Lien] early on in Voyager where he was sort of a puffed up, closed off guy making small confessions of his burgeoning humanity to his coworker. That's something he would never do with the rest of the crew,but he seems to be able to let Kes in on these little things and take her in as his confidant. "That scene in Atlantis reminded me of that because it's a whole trust issue," continues the actor. "Teyla could have gone off and ridiculed him to the others. She could have said, 'This idiot told me how much he loved his dog, and that he not only lost his wife [in a divorce], but he couldn't even hold onto a dog.' However, I think Woolsey senses immediately in Teyla that she's the most open and what-you-see-is-what-you-get of all the crew, so he chooses to confide in her. Later, when she has to rush off on a mission, she entrusts her baby to him to hand off to her husband, and he's never held a baby before. That was very adept of the writers to kind of open the door to the audience getting to know Woolsey in a different way and accept him together with the fact that he's occasionally going to rub people the wrong way because that kind of conflict is fun. It's also common [dramatic] fodder and has ongoing story possibilities." Like his predecessors, Woolsey occasionally strays beyond the Atlantis city limits to offer off-world support to his people. In the Atlantis mid-year two-parter First Contact and The Lost Tribe, he ends up in a tight spot when the Daedalus is commandeered by Todd the Wraith (Christopher Heyerdahl), who believes that he and his people have been betrayed by the humans. For Picardo, this resulted in some additional, and welcome, acting challenges. [caption id="attachment_1040" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Colonel Steven Caldwell (Mitch Pileggi) and Woolsey assess the situation onboard the Daedalus in "First Contact." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "In this instance, Woolsey faces another life-and-death situation where once again I tried to keep the integrity of the character intact," he says. "There's a point where it looks as though he's about to be fed upon by the Wraith, and I did my best to create some genuine fear of being in that moment, rather than the sort of unwavering resolve that we might see from Colonel Sheppard [Joe Flanigan]. I don't know how the scene was cut together in the episode, but I thought it was both scary and funny at the same time. "With this two-parter there are some other amusing moments where my character, who also wants to build himself up into a great Barack Obama-style elocutionist, looks for a way to raise everyone's spirits by saying here's what's important about what we're doing right now. So Woolsey is trying to learn how to recognize the moment and rally the troops through these inspiring speeches, which, of course, he can't do. If you remember, when he first arrives in Atlantis, he doesn't make any type of speech, and Sheppard [jokingly] says, 'Good speech, very inspiring.' The show's writers play upon that a couple of other times later on in the season where Woolsey recognizes that public speaking isn't one of his gifts and he's trying to learn how to do it. However, it doesn't happen overnight. And in The Lost Tribe it's not even that he fails, but rather that he's cut off by Todd, who's like, 'Shut up and let's get down to business.' [caption id="attachment_1041" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Woolsey and Dr. Keller (Jewel Staite) take up arms to help Ronon (Jason Momoa) take on Todd and his fellow Wraith in "The Lost Tribe." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "So I think the writers definitely kept weaving the threads of Woolsey's growth as a leader throughout season five of Atlantis. Another episode I think was a nice surprise for viewers was our clip show - and I hate to call it that -  Inquisition, because Woolsey's legal skills end up saving the day. If you saw the episode, you know that our main group are held against their will and put on trial for supposed war crimes. When my character finds out that this is more or less a kangaroo court and his people have no possibility of getting a fair trial, he goes in and uses his legal skills to outwit the lawmakers on this planet. But he can't do it by playing fair. Woolsey basically has to play as dirty as they did, so I thought that was a great story." On Voyager, Picardo's holographic alter ego had more than one chance to engage in a romantic encounter. Woolsey is given the same opportunity in the season five Atlantis episode Remnants, but as is often the case on the show, all is not as it seems. [caption id="attachment_1042" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Richard Woolsey prepares himself for court in "Inquisition." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel "][/caption] "My character meets an attractive woman, Dr. Vanessa Conrad, who seems very interested in him, which I think throws him a bit because he's been divorced for some time and leading a very work-oriented life," explains Picardo. "His initial response to her is that of a man who hasn't been flirted with by a woman for so long that he doesn't even recognize it when it happens. Anna Galvin, the actress who played Dr. Conrad, was absolutely delightful, and it turns out that there's a surprise about her character, who also has a secret agenda. As a result, the story ends up being about something else, but it gave me the opportunity for some humorous moments because of another plot twist where it looks like Woolsey has an imaginary friend. So there's a certain amount of concern that he's losing his marbles," chuckles the actor. "The other interesting aspect of my character's involvement in this story is that he is having his leadership evaluated in the same way that has evaluated others. A representative from the IOA [International Oversight Authority] has been sent to evaluate his leadership of Atlantis thus far, so the shoe is on the other foot and he appears to be having some kind of mental breakdown at the same time. Woolsey's story line is one of three unfolding in this particular episode. There's a whole different plot involving Sheppard that is very dark and dramatic, and another with Dr. McKay [David Hewlett] and Dr. Zelenka [David Nykl]. And what's really wonderful about this story is that at the end, the three separate plots that seem totally unrelated are suddenly linked in an unusual way. [caption id="attachment_1046" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ronon (Jason Momoa) and Woolsey in a scene from the fifth season story "The Prodigal." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "So there's a lot going on, and this episode was terrific fun to shoot. [Executive producer] Joe Mallozzi wrote a really good script, and it's wonderful for my character because the audience sees stuff with him that they haven't as yet seen. It's also great to see a middle-aged bald guy hit on by an attractive woman. This woman clearly looks beyond Woolsey's soul, which she finds very attractive. It's one of those hey-this-might-still-happen-to-me-type fantasies with guys everywhere," he says smiling. Unfortunately, Richard Woolsey's TV tenure was cut short when Atlantis was not renewed for a sixth season. A made-for-DVD Atlantis movie is in the works, and in the meantime Picardo's schedule has been as busy as ever. Along with guest-spots on Chuck, Pushing Daises and Castle, the actor has completed work on four feature films, Chasing the Green, Confined, Trail of Blood and Sensored. He has also been collaborating with noted writer/director Travis Oates, who also runs the Acme Theatre, on a new Internet venture. [caption id="attachment_1047" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Robert Picardo and Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett) during the closing scene of Atlantis' finale "Enemy at the Gate." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "It's called The B Team, which is basically about CSI forensic examiners who aren't quite as good," jokes Picardo. "We're going to be shooting vignettes and put them up on the Acme Comedy Theatre website in the hopes we can sell a semi-improvised comedy show. I love the character we've developed for me in our little staff of investigators, so I would watch for The B Team to start showing up in the not-so-distant future." Steve Eramo As stated above, photos by Eike Schroter and F. Scott Schafer and courtesy of/copyright of the Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!

Andy Mikita - The Direct Approach

[caption id="attachment_1007" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Director Andy Mikita hard at work on the Stargate Atlantis season five episode "First Contact." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] As a longtme member of the Stargate family, Andy Mikita has lent his creative talents to directing as well as helping produce dozens of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis stories. He kicked off the fifth season of Atlantis directing the opener, Search and Rescue, followed by The Daedalus Variations and The Shrine, in which one of our heroes almost met his maker. Mikita barely had time to catch his breath before he began prepping to direct the mid-season two-parter First Contact and The Lost Tribe, which guest-starred SG-1's Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson. "First off, I want to say how great to was to have Michael on the show," enthuses Mikita. "He just brings so much to the table and the chemistry between his character and David Hewlett's [Dr. Rodney McKay] was phenomenal. We shot both these episodes, which were written by [Atlantis executive producer] Martin Gero, together, and he did some of the directing as well. Martin did the lion's share of the scenes with Michael and David, including the one where the little Asgard alien came out of the spacesuit. So it was a really sensible approach to shooting these stories. We were able to divide the schedule between Martin and myself, which kept us on track financially and time-wise. Because Martin is also a director I felt completely confident in his execution of things, and I really enjoyed all the work he did. "Probably the biggest challenge with First Contact and The Lost Tribe was making sure that the spacesuits were going to be functional as well as believable and have the desired impact. Real kudos go to our art department and model shop for designing and constructing some incredible suits. They had qualities of a lot of different ideas in there. Also, Iron Man was just coming out at the time we were building these suits, and while we didn't want there to be obvious comparisons to the movie, I will say that we went straight out and copied the inside-of-the-helmet shots. In The Lost Tribe, specifically, we did close-ups of Michael and David when they were wearing the suits and we literally put in an inside-the-helmet point of view using VFX [visual effects] graphics. "The VFX team did an amazing bit of work, and I thought the effects in both these episodes were incredible, especially in First Contact where the aliens in their spacesuits came out of their ship and entered Atlantis. The whole concept that Martin came up with involving the transport bubble that allowed the aliens to move through multiple surfaces was really clever and extremely well-executed by the VFX guys. With that, you got another sense, again, of the size of Atlantis, and the concept of finding Janus' [Gildart Jackson] secret lab was quite compelling. It was a fun episode, or episodes, to shoot and I'm very pleased with how they turned out." [caption id="attachment_1010" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Mikita confers with Amanda Tapping (Colonel Samantha Carter) on the set of "Search and Rescue." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Mikita's next episode, The Prodigal, sees the return of the human/Wraith hybrid Michael (Connor Trinneer), who comes to Atlantis to execute yet another insidious plan. "This was a tremendous action-packed story with some great fight sequences choreographed by Bam Bam [stunt coordinator James Bamford]," says the director. "The Michael/Ronon [Jason Momoa] fight was really cool and culminated with Ronon actually going over the Atlantis Gate Room balcony. Then there was the big penultimate fight on the rooftop with Michael versus Sheppard [Joe Flanigan] and Teyla [Rachel Luttrell]. That was a tough sequence to shoot. We were fairly limited as far as how large in scope we could build that [rooftop] set piece. To help sell that idea, we used a large projection screen so we could see off into the background and the moonlit sky. Then there was the big sort of helicopter shot that shows the very top spire of the city and just how high up our heroes are when they're fighting. That was another impressive VFX sequence. "Obviously, staging a fight on a ledge or precipice like that is pretty tricky. For instance, when Michael throws Sheppard down the ledge and he's left dangling, the first time we shot that, the Sheppard stunt double went right over the edge of the set. If that was real life, he would have been a goner. After that, we were joking around and saying, 'Well, that's it. Michael wins the fight, the series is over.' Also tricky to shoot were the scenes in which Major Lorne [Kavan Smith] and Woolsey [Robert Picardo] run afoul of Michael's stun bubble and we had to choreograph their falls. We had a fantastic Woolsey stunt double who looked so much like Robert that at times if you were standing a little bit away from him, you couldn't tell the difference between him and Robert. And the stunt double did such an amazing job on the fall as well. This was a real highlight episode for me to shoot and definitely one of my favorites from season five. "Something else I thought was really cool with The Prodigal was how [Atlantis executive producer] Carl Binder, who wrote this episode, gave the character of Amelia Banks a much more significant role. We got to see her as more of an active participant in the story as opposed to just being a technician when she and Ronon take on one of the hybrid guards. The actress who plays Banks [Sharon Taylor] is quite proficient at martial arts, so she got to show off some of her skills onscreen and I think the fans picked up on that." The director along with the Atlantis cast and crew spent a little over a week  last August trying to keep cool while filming inside a very hot Wraith set for the fifth season episode Infection. "We had a fairly limited Wraith set, so as our characters were walking through the ship, we were basically reusing the same set over and over again," explains Mikita. "So we had to move things around as well as relight and redress the sections in order to make it feel like we were constantly on the move and create a sense that it was a much larger space than it actually was. [caption id="attachment_1011" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay) hangs around with Mikita during the filming of season five's "The Shrine." Photo courtesy of and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "Then, of course, there's the fact that in our story, the gene therapy that Dr. Keller has been developing really isn't working as well as we hoped, so we come across these new gruesome creatures onboard the Wraith ship. They were based somewhat on the Spoils of War [season four] creatures where we saw the birthing sequence of the Wraith warriors. In this episode, we took it a step further and, as a result of the gene therapy, the Wraith lost their ability to feed with their hands. So they basically became flesh-eating monsters and needed to eat using their hands and teeth and ingesting the way we humans do. So that was another challange to make the attacks from these monsters scary and, again, believable, and I feel we achieved both to a great extent." In mid-September 2008, Mikita took on the job of directing the 100th episode of Atlantis, Enemy at the Gate, which, ironically, was also the show's season/series finale. "I was absolutely honored to be given that opportunity," he recalls. "At the same time, it was kind of a daunting responsibility, given that the episode was shooting at the same time as Rob Cooper's [Atlantis co-creator/executive producer] Vegas. That was a big hallmark episode as well in that it was a real departure type of story that takes place in an alternate reality, so a great deal of attention was going to that one, too. "By the time we got around to Enemy at the Gate, we had to be very careful because we didn't have any extra money or time to shoot it," continues the director. "We couldn't make it any bigger or splashier than any other story we had previously done, but we did want to make a really good, solid, conventional Atlantis episode with the stakes essentially being that the Wraith are attacking Earth. The highlight for me was having Amanda Tapping [Colonel Samantha Carter] back, which was just sensational. It was a very proud moment for the cast and crew to have made it to the 100th episode mark, but also a very bittersweet time because we'd had so much fun for five years and now the series was coming to an end." [caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Director Andy Mikita. Photo courtesy of and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Although his time on Atlantis may have ended, Mikita still remains very much a part of the Stargate franchise and has already begun his involvement in the second spin-off, Stargate Universe. "I'm hoping I can take what I've learned from SG-1 and Atlantis and apply it to whatever new challenges I'm given on Universe," he says. "We're approaching that show from quite a different perspective stylistically, so that should help me grow even further as a director for sure." Steve Eramo As noted above, photos by Eike Schroter and courtesy of and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!

Kavan Smith - Major Impact

[caption id="attachment_686" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Major Evan Lorne (Kavan Smith) and Colonel John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) in Stargate Atlantis. Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] As an actor, when playing a recurring role in a TV series, the last thing you want is to receive a script and read that your character is among those trapped in a building that is collapsing on top of them. That, however, was the fate that befell Stargate Atlantis' Major Evan Lorne in the year four finale The Last Man. Luckily for him, he and Dr. Rodney McKay, together with Colonel John Sheppard and Ronon Dex, were discovered alive and well in the fifth season opener Search and Rescue, much to the relief of actor Kavan Smith a.k.a. Major Lorne. "The Last Man is actually one of my favorite episodes and I was interested to see where the writers would end up taking that storyline. So when I read Search and Rescue I thought, 'Wow, this [story] picks up from a nice place, and I don't die in the rubble,'" recalled a smiling Smith on the Atlantis set last August. "As a minor character, when there's a massive explosion and you don't know who survived, you always think, 'I'm cashing in my chips. I'd better start looking for a new job.' Fortunately, that wasn't true for Lorne, and he's been carrying on ever since. I really enjoyed filming Search and Rescue, especially all the stuff down in the tunnel with David Hewlett [McKay]. Our wives are friends, so David and I will hang out together, and any time we work with one another it's easy and fun. I get a kick out of the whole love/hate thing with the McKay character. He has that type of relationship with most of the characters on the show, but I like that Lorne gets to explore the more humorous side of him. So that episode was a treat for me. In the aforementioned The Last Man, Smith relished the opportunity to share the stage once again with Hewlett. Both actors spent some time behind prosthetics as a portion of the story takes place in an alternate timeline where their characters have aged a number of years. "Everybody was saying that David looked like Richard Nixon and I looked like Ronald Reagan," chuckles the actor. "I don't know if that's good or bad, but it seemed to be the running commentary on that. Doing prosthetics is always sort of tough; I'm not claustrophobic, but even if you're slightly claustrophobic it can be quite an ordeal. "Acting with the latex is challenging in that your face doesn't move as much," continues Smith. "You're not as able to manipulate your facial muscles, but what it does, though, is really slide you into the character. You look in the mirror and you're like, 'I am old, there's no question about that. I'm a 65-year-old man. That's what they [the viewers] are going to see and I don't have to act that way because I look it.' I feel bad for some of the guys on Atlantis who do the full prosthetic masks when playing Wraith or other aliens. It's four hours in make-up in the morning and then a couple of hours at night to get it all off. When you have a break you can't really sleep because you can't put your face down, put weight on it or things like that. "So performing behind a mask is fun because you really look like the character, but if you have to do it all the time I think it would be somewhat of a drag. I have friends as well as acquaintances who have chosen to leave a show after a few seasons because the prosthetics became so uncomfortable. I had a blast, though, with The Last Man, I thought it was great for McKay to say, 'I just needed one friend,' and for Lorne to be that one friend felt good." Regular viewers of Atlantis as well as Stargate SG-1 know that Major Lorne first appeared in the season seven SG-1 story Enemy Mine. Two years later he made his Atlantis debut in Runner. The character has since become more involved in the action on that series and, in Smith's eyes, he feels Lorne has grown more than ever this fifth season. "It doesn't necessarily mean that he has been featured more in season five, but Lorne seems to have greater authority now," muses the actor. "He has his own SG team, which he's had for a while, and even though Sheppard [Joe Flanigan] is his superior officer, he appears to be running his own show in a way. I don't feel that Lorne is as subservient any more. He's proven himself and is accepted as a leader on Atlantis. [caption id="attachment_691" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Colonel Sheppard and Major Lorne deal with a complete lock down of Atlantis during season four's "Quarantine." Photo by Eike Schroter and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "So I've been exploring that avenue a bit more with my performance and making Lorne less of Sheppard's right hand man, even thought that's technically what he is, and more a leader among his own little group. That just seems to be the way that the writers have gone, which I'm pleased about. They've allowed him to grow in the military vein of what he's doing. Oftentimes a character just plateaus. You're Lt. Jones, or whoever, for the run of a show. So while Lorne may not always be visible to audience, I get a sense that his career is moving forward, and I truly appreciate that." On this particular August day, Smith is in the middle of production on the fifth season Atlantis episode Infection, in which all hell breaks loose on-board a Wraith hive ship. "Lorne is actually very much involved in this story, and he and Sheppard are together for a big part of the episode," he notes. "That's been a treat because Joe Flanigan has such a dry sense of humor and I love people who can make me laugh. "Andy Mikita is directing Infection and he's one of my favorite directors. This story has plenty of gunfire, loads of special effects and fights with the Wraith guards. We finally get to see a bit more of what they look like instead of just their masks and outfits. Best of all because they're so confident on Atlantis on what they do, they can kind of roll with things from day to day. For instance, if an actor has an idea that they want to try, there's a little give and take. Sometimes you get producers or writers who get too caught up in what they're doing and there's a disassociation or disconnect that takes place. That hasn't happened on this show, and that makes coming to work every day a lot more enjoyable." [caption id="attachment_694" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) and Major Lorne go up against a crew of crazed and hungry Wraith in season five's "Infection." Photo copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Besides Atlantis, the actor's other recent credits include guest-spots in such TV series as Supernatural, The Guard and Sanctuary as well as the role of Brett in the TV movie Nightmare at the End of the Hall. He has also carved out a niche for himself narrating documentaries. "Sometimes in this business, as in most, you tend to forget what's going on in the world," says Smith. "Coming from an actor this is probably going to sound a bit cheesy, but it feels good when you get to narrate a documentary about something that you care about. "I did one called Uganda Rising, which is all about the genocide and constant civil strife in that part of the world, and as you're doing it, you think, 'I'd do this for free. It's that important.' You look at the rest of your career and, granted, people like the shows and films, at least hopefully, which is terrific, but you haven't necessarily made the world a better place, do you know what I mean? I love the creative process of what I do; I love to play and imagine, but I also have things I strongly believe in, and as you get older those tend to take on a greater purpose. So it's really gratifying when you get to do a documentary and put something out there that gets people thinking about a subject that needs to be thought about." Away from work, Smith keeps busy with his most important role, that of father to his son, who turns two years old this coming summer. "Having a child has given me much more perspective as a performer, and as a result I don't feel the same pressures," he says. "I don't feel as nervous, and I don't get worked up for auditions or on-set. Nothing really fazes me because I know at the end of the day it's just a job. I do the best I can, but then I go home and I have a good life. That's not always the case in this world, so I'm very grateful for that, and my little boy. People said to me, 'You have no idea how much work it [having a child] is, and how much you're going to love that little person.' As cliche as it sounds, they were right," he says proudly. Steve Eramo As noted above, photos by Eike Schroter and copyright of the Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!