SciFiAndTvTalk

Pascal Verschooris & Philip Spink - A Knight ' s Tale

[caption id="attachment_444" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="David James Elliott as John Serragoth in Knights of Bloodsteel. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] When it comes to directing, Philip Spink likes to be hands-on. On this particular Tuesday in August (2008), he is on-location with the cast and crew of the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Knights of Bloodsteel. They are at a working quarry in Abbotsford, British Columbia, a small area of which has been transformed into a mining village thanks to several imaginative and talented individuals. This set is where some of the action sequences for the film are being shot, including an adrenaline-rushing sword-fight. At the moment, Spink is on-set discussing specifics of the fight with various actors and stunt people. "With this scene I knew it needed some immediate jeopardy," says the director, sitting back down behind the camera. "One of the bad guys breaches the wall and attacks our heroine, Perfidia [Natassia Malthe]. Meanwhile,Klegg [Ian A. Wallace] is trying to get away and all this other action is happening around them. I'll work with the fight choreographer, who then works with the actors and the swordsman, and together we make it a good scene. "So it's very much a collaborative process. With some of the [action] stuff I'm really specific, and other times I'll say, 'Just go for it and let's get some basic hacks and slashes.' Fight swordsmanship is somewhat different from basic action like explosions or a car going over a hill because there are certain techniques using knives and swords that take years and years to learn. With this movie we're fortunate to have Dan Rizzuto as our stunt coordinator because he's extremely experienced at both - he's a great fight/stunt coordinator. We also have Dave Barkes as special effects [SPFX] coordinator. He and Dan get along very well and together they give us what we need." [caption id="attachment_446" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Perfidia (Natassia Malthe) takes on the bad guys. Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption]

Knights of Bloodsteel brings together a diverse foursome - vigilante John Serragoth (David James Elliott), con man Adric Thane (Christopher Jacot), the warrior elf Perfidia (Natassia Malthe) and a goblin, Ber-Lak (Dru Viergever). They accept a quest by the sorcerer elf Tesselink (Christopher Lloyd) to find the last of the bloodsteel, a magical ore that can save their mytical land of Mirabilis from being dominated by the evil Dragon Eye (Mark Gibbon). Also helping tell this tale is producer Pascal Verschooris. Having worked on other Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy projects such as Flash Gordon and Dead Like Me as well as HBO's Masters of Horror, he knew what basic elements were needed to get Knights of Bloodsteel off the ground.

"The biggest challenge was creating a new world," notes Verschooris, who is on-location today as well. "What is Mirabilis? What does it look like? What brings our heroes together and what is their quest? What does Dragon Eye look like? When you read the script, is he The Devil in a way that you've always imagined him to be, or do want to take a chance and take the character in another direction? Along with the evil, is there also a human aspect to him?

"Looking at all the Sci-Fi projects on TV, we wanted to make sure that if someone is flipping channels and they find Knights of Bloodsteel, that it's obvious to them that they're watching something really different. Every frame of this miniseries will remind you that you're not exactly on Earth, but somewhere else. That's been a tough hill to climb, but I think we're doing quite well in creating this world. We've found some locations in Vancouver that haven't been used before, or if they have, very rarely. We've also build some amazing sets from scratch, including a medieval town. So we're using all our assets, resources and experience and I think this is turning out to be a neat project."

[caption id="attachment_448" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Christopher Lloyd as Tesselink. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Earlier today, director Spink shot a complex scene involving a number of VFX (visual effects) that will be added in during post-production. "It was a scene where the evil goblins unleash a flying machine that shoots missiles at our mining commune," he explains. "So what we had to do is shoot all the background plates so that later on our VFX department can put in the flying machine, or what they're calling the war machine. Because there is a little interaction between what people are seeing and the actual machine that is going to be added in, we had to make sure we filmed the sequences at the correct angles in the amount of time that we had. Luckily, we had a storyboard all laid out for this," says Spink, pointing out a large board with various drawings on it, "so we pretty much knew what was going to happen in those scenes. "Because we wanted to get an early start on the VFX, we did what is probably one of the more compelling and visually challenging sequences on our first day of filming, and that was a big dragon attack. It was kind of a scary thing to do right out of the gate, but it was a smart thing, too, because everyone was fresh and ready to work. It also alotted us extra time to plan out the scene, so in the long run I think we ended up with a better product." Adds Verschooris, "The cliffs where we shot that scene are on the same road leading to the 2010 Olympic site [Whistler], so we had to take that into consideration because the highway is being slowed down right now by all the big construction. Today, we're in a quarry and surrounded by trucks doing work, so we're trying to shoot in-between so we won't have too much [dialogue] looping by the time we wrap. However, the end result is that we have this feature-film like place that we're filming in. [caption id="attachment_450" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Perfidia (Natassia Malthe) and John Serragoth (David James Elliott) - comrades in arms. Photo by James Dittiger and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "There was another part of our script that takes place in marshland, and for that we went to an area in Squamish. It's somewhere that most people would probably avoid because you arrive in the morning and the tide is at 13 feet or so, which means you're on the edge of the water. As you film, the tide goes low and you're in the mud, which is where we wanted to be. You then have three hours to shoot before the tide comes back in and you're forced to finish. You have to be very organized with your continuity because it's something that you have to do over two or three days. As a result, though, when you watch the dailies you have this tall beautiful grass wafting in the breeze and colors that you don't often see on the screen," enthuses the producer. Prosthetics/SPFX make-up artist guru Todd Masters and his company, MastersFX, were involved in sculpting the looks for some of Mirabilis' more unusual creatures, and the miniseries' Powers That Be have been suitably impressed by their efforts. "Working with Todd is very cool," says Verschooris. "He's extremely communicative and creative. We've had many meetings with Todd and he always brings all his experience with him. You'll talk with him about how you see a character, Ber-Lak, for example, or another one of our goblins or elves, and he gets it really quickly. It's one thing to create a prosthetic of a character, but it also then has to match the personality of the person playing the part. Thanks to Todd, it was actually quite easy to realize the characters that we wanted. We're fortunate to have him on a project of this size." [caption id="attachment_452" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Perfidia (Natassia Malthe) and Tesselink (Christopher Lloyd) confer. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright by The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Listening to Verschooris and Spink, it is easy to understand why they are excited to be involved in bringing Knights of Bloodsteel to the small screen. "I was just saying recently that I'm not sure if I would know how to do a cop show because I've done so much Sci-Fi," says Verschooris. "However, the more you do in this genre, the more risks you take because it has to be different from the last time. It's hard to invent things nowadays because so much has been done, but I think we've done some things here that people might not have necessarily seen before on TV. So it should be fascinating for the eye." Adds Spink, "I was a commercial illustrator for 15 years before becoming a director, and I got into this industry doing storyboards. When I did TV commercials I was hired for the heavily art-directed ones. I have a very active imagination and with something like that you can do some major [creative] 'damage,' all in a good way, of course," chuckles the director. Steve Eramo As stated above, all photos courtesy of and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!

Ian A. Wallace - Helping Hand

When you are fighting the forces of evil it helps to have as many allies as possible on your side. In Knights of Bloodsteel, a wise man named Klegg risks his life to help our heroes on their quest to find the Crucible and what remains of a very special ore called bloodsteel. This mineral gives its owner magical powers, which is why the story's chief antagonist, Dragon Eye, is desperate to have it. So it is up to Klegg and his friends to find the bloodsteel first. He is more than up to the challenge, as is the actor playing him, Ian A. Wallace. "What I really like about this character and why I wanted to play him is that he actually leads our hero, John Serragoth [David James Elliott] and the others to the Crucible," explains Wallace, taking a break in-between shots while filming on-location in British Columbia. "Klegg is able to translate the old words on this scroll that can help them on their mission. The elf Perfidia [Natassia Malthe], who is on our side, understands the language a little bit, but Klegg is able to properly read it. "This bad goblin named Swope [Peter Bryant] has the scroll but is unable to translate it. He kidnaps one of my character's colleagues because he thinks he can read the scroll, and when he cannot, Swope comes after me. John and his friends arrives at the mining compound where Klegg lives, and at first he doesn't trust them. However, after they tell Klegg that they're knights, he agrees to help them, so here I am." Like most actors, Wallace had to audition for his role in Knights of Bloodsteel, and it was a type of character that he was already familiar with. "It turns out that this is the third project I've worked on for Reunion Pictures," says the actor. "They also did [the 2007 TV series] Flash Gordon, in which I played the Shaman of the Blue People [in the episode Secrets and Lies], and then I was also in [the miniseries] Tin Man, which was done by the Sci Fi Channel and Reunion Pictures as well. "So I had been playing these types of roles in Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories, and when I go to auditions I usually dress up. For this project, I made myself a special pair of glasses and covered myself in dust like a miner. I pretty much looked like I do today and wound up getting the job, so I was very pleased." On his first day of work on Knights of Bloodsteel, the actor had to imagine himself being menaced by a fire-breathing dragon, naturally a computer-generated (CGI) one. Yet again, his prior experience, in particular working with a green screen, came in quite handy. "Years ago I did [the feature film] I, Robot with Will Smith, and because we were playing robots we had to do [green screen] scenes wearing these green costumes," recalls Wallace. "They had to shoot each scene three times - one with us as robots in it, then without us, and finally with just a silver ball moving through it in order to get the lighting right for the [computer] animation. That was a real learning experience for me to work on a huge budget film with a big star like Will Smith. "Not too long ago I played a Fire Creature in an episode of Sanctuary [Sanctuary for All: Part 1]. The program is about this woman [Dr. Helen Magnus, played by Amanda Tapping] who runs a place called the Sanctuary where she has gathered together all these strange creatures, including a mermaid, a two-faced man and a fire creature, who I supplied the face for. When they shot that, I was standing in front of a green screen and the camera came in really tight on my face, which shows through the fire when Dr. Magnus opens the door of my room. I was supposed to express fear because of the presence of her new protege [Dr. Will Zimmerman, played by Robin Dunne] in the Sanctuary, but when I hear her voice I'm relieved. "So I've played some interesting, unconventional parts, but last week I read for the role of a human being, which is really different for me. He's an ex-military-guy-turned-activist. I know I did a good job in the audition and I'd love to play the character, especially as it was a real stretch for me to just say normal everyday dialogue instead of something Science Fiction and fantastical-like. To be honest, though, whatever I'm saying, I enjoy it [acting] very much." Although he had appeared onstage as well as done a little feature film work and TV commercials in Toronto, Wallace almost had to start from scratch when he came out to Vancouver to pursue further acting work. "I tried to get an agent but no one in town knew me," he notes. "So Stuart Aiken, the casting director, suggested that I do some background work, which I did for three years. It was wonderful training just to be in shots and really see how it all works. From there I got a really good agent and have been acting ever since. "The thing I especially like about playing Klegg in Knights of Bloodsteel is that he's going for the light, you know? In Tin Man, my character was working for the Sorceress [Kathleen Robertson] and was a torturer, so it was all really dark. I think Klegg, however, is someone who's more like me in real life," he says with a smile. Steve Eramo

Natassia Malthe - Elfin Charm

[caption id="attachment_396" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Natassia Malthe as Perfidia in Knights of Bloodsteel. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Like many little girls around the world, Natassia Malthe used to dream of one day becoming a ballerina. The Norwegian-born beauty eventually went on to dance with the Norwegian Opera and the prestigious Norwegian State Ballet College. Then, however, her career plans took a very different course when she joined her friends in auditioning for a musical theater class. Much to her surprise, she was accepted, and two months later Malthe was studying musical theater in London. From there, she took the proverbial bull by the horns. "I was visiting my mother in Vancouver for Christmas, and not long after I arrived in town I began meeting a lot of actors and was trying to figure out how to break into the business," recalls the actress. "One night I was at a Christmas party and spent most of my time talking to this woman about the basics, such as putting together a resume and how to go about finding an agent. At the end of the night she told me that she was an agent and she signed me the next day. I then went on my first audition, which was with [director] David Nutter, and he said to me, 'You're in the right business. You should stick with it.' David gave me my first job and that's how I got started. Millennium, First Wave and The Dead Zone are among Malthe's TV guest-star credits. In addition to a number of made-for-TV movies, the actress has also appeared in such feature films as Disturbing Behavior, Lake Placid, BloodRayne II: Deliverance, The Other Side of the Tracks and opposite Jennifer Garner in Elektra. In the latter, she played Typhoid Mary, who could kill with a single touch of her hand or kiss on the lips. "I loved Typhoid Mary," enthuses Malthe. "I came up with an entire back story for her and I wish that the character has been further fleshed out [in the film] because there is so much more to her than we get to see onscreen. What struck me the most about Typhoid was her evilness, you know? I really had to focus on her dark side, which I did through music. I listen to certain musical groups in order to get to 'that place' with a character, and in this instance I listened to a lot of heavy metal," she says with a smile. On this particular sunny day in August (2008), the actress is on-location outside of Vancouver, British Columbia where she is shooting the Sci Fi Channel movie Knights of Bloodsteel. As a warrior elf named Perfidia, she is recruited to help the film's hero, John Serragoth (David James Elliott), in his fight against Dragon Eye (Mark Gibbon), who is determined to rule the magical world of Mirabilis. Our heroes' task is not an easy one, and along the way Perfidia must overcome her own personal demons as well. "I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone, but my character does crash to rock bottom," notes Malthe. "She goes from being a superhero warrior girl to rock bottom. That was a tough scene to do. Perfidia loses the guy and her powers, but in the process she discovers something else. "The other big challenge with this character, at least initially, were the [prosthetic] teeth and practicing the dialogue as well as speaking in front of the camera with two big, clunky teeth in my mouth. Hopefully I'm not lisping in any of the scenes we've already filmed," she jokes. "At first the teeth were longer at the back and had greater support, which allowed them to be smaller and more refined. But it was impossible for me to talk while wearing them. So now I have a brand new prosthetic that grasps my own teeth at the front. They're a bit bigger than the first set, but much easier to work with." [caption id="attachment_399" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="John Serragoth (David James Elliott) and Perfidia (Malthe) check out what lies ahead. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] Malthe's experience as a dancer as well as her prior gymnastics training has been an advantage when it comes to the physicality of this role. "I'm familiar with 'movie martial arts' as well, and that along with my dancing background has been a big help, especially with the sword-fighting scenes," says the actress. "It has a lot to do with coordination and muscle memory, so I don't find the physical stunts all that difficult because I'm able to memorize the moves. We're lucky, too, that we have a wonderful crew along with stunt people. "There was a scene we shot at a waterfall that was extremely slippery and our director, Philip [Spink], was quite concerned about us falling into a big rush of water and being swept into the river. So they put chains, almost like dog leashes, on us to prevent that from happening. There's also a scene where our characters are standing in mud while having a sword-fight with the bad guys. The mud was like quicksand and when we finished filming, the crew literally had to pull us out of the mud. It was quite funny. And then there was the tall grass. Our feet would constantly get caught up in it, and falling over wasn't a good thing, especially because of the thorns." Despite the weighty nature of our heroes' mission, there apparently has been time for levity on the Knights of Bloodsteel set. "Sometimes you just get the giggles," admits Malthe. "The network is probably going to look at the dailies and say, 'Oh, boy, Perfidia is laughing again.' There have been moments where I've literally had to tell myself, 'Please, don't start giggling.' Oh, my God, my first onscreen kiss with David, every time he leaned over to kiss me I began to giggle. It was very embarrassing, but David forgave me, thank goodness. "I have the best cast mates," adds the actress. "Everyone gets along and in-between takes there are so many funny jokes. We're having an incredible time and our character arcs are developing very nicely. Every one of these characters has impressed and amazed me and I love seeing my fellow actors come up with truly imaginative choices with their performances." [caption id="attachment_403" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="The ever-vigilant Perfidia (Malthe). Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] As with ballet dancing, there is a tremendous amount of discipline and hard work that goes along with honing your craft as an actor, and Malthe is not afraid of either. "You pay your dues and work really hard, and I think everyone has a chance to succeed in this business if they persevere and just keep going," she says. "I had tremendous audition stage-fright when I first started acting, and it took me years to conquer that. Once I'm on-set I'm fine, but I think the toughest nut to crack was the entire audition process and feeling like you're going to have a heart attack before walking into the audition room. The biggest reward for me was working through that, and now I'm able to relax in the [audition] room and do the work. So there are lots of [acting] obstacles to overcome, but when you do that, you hopefully get more and more work and new opportunities." Steve Eramo As noted above, all photos are courtesy of and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any form. Thanks!

Christopher Jacot - Doing The Hustle

[caption id="attachment_369" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Christopher Jacot as Adric Thane in Knights of Bloodsteel. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] The hot sun beats down on the arid pre-Industrial Age mining commune as its scruffy residents go about their daily routine. Suddenly, the general hustle and bustle breaks out into a frenzied scene as men, women and children run for their lives trying to dodge explosions and flying debris. A handsome young man named Adric Thane looks up into the sky as something moves menacingly towards him. Knocked to the ground, he lies motionless as his friends rush to his aid. "Cut! That was great!" yells Knights of Bloodsteel director Philip Spink. Getting up off the ground, Christopher Jacot, who plays Adric, brushes himself off and walks over to a canopy. Picking up a water bottle and taking a sip, he sits down for a chat. "The scene we just shot is where our four knights arrive at these mines, and it's the first altercation that they face in our story," notes the actor. "After each of these life-and-death encounters, they become closer and closer and form more of a dynamic. "I spent most of this morning running away from explosions along with everyone else, and then in this shot, my character is trying to get away from a flying weapon. It's missed killing him twice, but he ends up on the ground and covered in debris. The knights rush to see if he's OK, which is when we first acknowledge our characters being dependent in some way on one another. This lovely girl Bess [Paulette Hinz], who Adric met in the vllage, also comes to his aid. She rubs his head and uses her elfin charm to make him feel better after the evil attack," he says with a smile. With his boyish good looks and affable nature, Jacot is the perfect choice to play the roguish confidence trickster Adric in Knights of Bloodsteel. As one of four heroic leads, his character reluctantly agrees to help protect the island continent of Mirabilis from crumbling to the will of a despot known as Dragon Eye (Mark Gibbon). To prevent this, they must first locate the last remaining supply of bloodsteel, a unique ore with magical properties. In his audition,the actor drew inspiration from multiple sources to bring his character to life. "I threw in a bit of a magician as well as con artist and Fagan from Oliver Twist and started to play around with that, " says Jacot. "It's really after you're cast in a role that you're afforded the time to be able to do that and turn the part into less of a character and more of a realistic individual. In this case, a strange but realistic individual," jokes the actor. [caption id="attachment_371" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Adric (Jacot) and one of his fellow comrades in arms, the warrior elf Perfidia (Natassia Malthe), assess their situation. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "Adric is the con man of Mirabilis and holds court within The Keep, which is kind of the bustling New York City of this world. He subsequently gets thrown into this journey involving Mirabilis and finds it very hard to understand what his real purpose is. Throughout his whole [story] arc, Adric finds love, certain strengths and independence that I don't think he knew he had. It makes him that little bit more whole and human." At that moment, an AD (assistant director) comes over to collect Jacot, who is needed back on-set to film a scene where his character delivers a rousing speech to persuade the villagers to help fend off an attack from Dragon Eye's soldiers. "It's around a three-page monologue, which isn't a great deal insofar as memorization," he later says, "but it's more a question of how do you sing the song of a monologue and turn it into layers that tell a story. So that's been tricky, but, honestly, with a project like this, believing in the moment is sometimes more challenging. By that I mean scenes with dragons and things like that. That takes much more [acting] discipline." Led by John Serragoth (David James Elliott), Jacot and his fellow do-gooders travel the land of Mirabilis to complete their mission. A number of British Columbia locales served as the backdrop to our heroes' dangerous journey. "On our first day of work we shot on some cliffs up towards [the resort town of] Whistler, where several of the 2010 Winter Olympic events will be held," recalls the actor. "We've been filming at some other really beautiful places including rivers, waterfalls, woods and even today's almost desert-like setting. [caption id="attachment_376" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Three of our heroes, John Serragoth (Elliott), Adric (Jacot) and Perfidia (Malthe) head into dangerous territory. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "At one point, they built a man-made swamp and us knights walked in up to our necks and trekked through that all night long. When we first went into the water at one in the morning it was funny, but five hours later there was nothing very funny about it," he chuckles. "Next week we're shooting in The Keep of Mirabilis, the capital of this world and where humans, elves and goblins gather. I've seen some of the sets and they're pretty cool. No matter where we're at, though, we're fortunate enough to be working with a great group of people, so that makes the job much easier and enjoyable." If you think you have seen Jacot's face before, you most likely have. In addition to feature films and made-for-TV movies, the actor has guest-starred on such TV shows as Mutant X, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Psych and Smallville. He also plays the recurring role of Larry Haberman on the hit Sci Fi Channel series Eureka. "Larry is the resident kiss-ass on the show," says Jacot. "He's basically trying to climb the ladder at Global Dynamics, which is the scientific facility that the town of Eureka is based around. My character is a scientist there, although I don't know if he's much of a genius, but he'd certainly like to be. Larry harbors a very jealous streak towards anyone who has any particular talents in that regard. So he usually ends up kind of screwing himself, but it's his own fault because he doesn't have any stoplights when it comes to trying to knock someone else down in the hopes of gaining some glory. And that, of course, makes him that much more fun for me to play." Steve Eramo As stated above, any and all photos are courtesy of and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel, so no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any fashion, please. Thanks!

David James Elliott - A Hero ' s Journey

Last August I had the pleasure of spending the day on-location at a working mine in Abbotsford, British Columbia with the cast and crew of Knights of Bloodsteel, a two-night movie event that will be broadcast this Sunday and Monday - April 19th & 20th - @ 9pm EST on the Sci Fi Channel. Over the next three days I will be posting cast and behind-the-scenes talent interviews from my time on the set. Enjoy! [caption id="attachment_348" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="David James Elliott as John Serragoth in Knights of Bloodsteel. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption]

Fans of actor David James Elliott probably best remember him as the clean-cut United States Naval officer Commander Harmon "Harm" Rabb, Jr. in the CBS-TV adventure/legal drama series JAG. This Sunday, he makes his debut played a very different type of hero in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Knights of Bloodsteel. As the sword-wielding John Serragoth, the actor sports long hair as well as a beard and speaks with a Scottish accent. It was brand-new territory for him and one he was happy to explore.

"I'd never done anything quite like this before," says Elliott during a break in filming on-location in British Columbia. "I had just finished filming a miniseries [Impact!] in Victoria and was on vacation with my family in the Bahamas when I got a call about this project. They e-mailed me the script, I read it, thought it was well-written and they [the producers] offered me the role.

"Again, the fact that I had never really played a character like John was what made it interesting to me. My first day on-set was like most in that it feels as if you're about to climb Mount Everest. Not only are you still digging through the script to find the nuances, but you're also trying to find your character from inside yourself. That was certainly true with John because we took some chances with the character, including making him a Scotsman. We felt that that would help reinforce the fact that he's different from everyone else around him and more of an Earth-type guy. He's from the Moorlands, which is a wild territory on this world where our story takes place. So I was excited about the role and the chance to work with a new group of people."

In Knights of Bloodsteel, John Serragoth is one of four unlikely freedom fighters recruited by the sorcerer elf Tesselink (Christopher Lloyd). Their mission is to stop the evil Dragon Eye (Mark Gibbon) and his minions from acquiring the remaining supply of bloodsteel, a sorcery grade ore that gives powerful magical abilities to those who possess it. Should they fail, the island continent of Mirabilis will fall under control of Dragon Eye. Accompanying John on his quest to find the legendary magical Crucible, which is the source of bloodsteel, are Adric Thane (Christopher Jacot), a charming con artist, the enigmatic goblin Ber-Lak (Dru Viergever), and a fearless warrior elf named Perfidia (Natassia Malthe).

"They're a ragtag group," explains Elliott. "Circumstances thrust them together and John has his own agenda as well as this quest for a Crucible that will help his agenda. The latter is how the Elders of our story sold my character on helping them, and, in turn, this will help John complete his 'hit list' for lack of a better term. So he's a man with a list and he's ticking names off. Let's just say that he's got some vengeance issues," he says with a smile.

[caption id="attachment_351" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="John Serragoth (Elliott) and Perfidia (Natassia Malthe) enter dangerous territory. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption]

Off to one side of Elliott, Knights of Bloodsteel director Philip Spink is busy setting up his next shot. This project is the actor's introduction to Spink and in the director he has found a kindred soul. "Philip's enthusiasm is refreshing and he really gets into it, which is very inspirational," notes Elliott. "Like me, he's always digging and looking for the truth in every moment. Yes, we're doing this because it looks very cool, but at the same time it has to be grounded in some sort of reality.

"Before we began shooting I had to get a hair weave, so I came in for a seven-hour process where they were tying hair and attaching the extensions to my own hair. Philip came and kept me company. He and I laughed and talked about the script as well as my character and we had a good time. We sat together until almost two in the morning, and we were starting work at six the following day. It was nice to have that time because you rarely get that; once a project like this gets going there's really no stopping it and taking a pause."

As with many of his previous roles, this one brought with it various acting challenges, including physical ones, for Elliott to face. "The climax of this piece, which we already shot, was extremely challenging just from an emotional point of view," he recalls. "And it was late at night when we filmed it. We were working the night shift for a week straight, so that was tough. Again, you're constantly digging deep inside yourself and embracing areas that you probably wouldn't bother with in your normal day-to-day life.

"There's also been some fighting for my character," continues Elliott, "and I just missed having my eye taken out by a sword. It cut my eyebrow and I had a black eye for a while. People will often ask me, 'Oh, man, do you enjoy doing the fights?' Every time there's a fight I know I'm going to get hurt, and we have a big fight tomorrow, so I can't wait to see what happens then. I'm often cast in physical roles, probably because I have a high tolerance for pain. It's either that or someone has it out for me," jokes the actor.

[caption id="attachment_354" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="John (Elliott) strikes a blow for justice! Photo by Carol Segal and copyright The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] "This is a large script and that makes the work quite challenging because there are numerous things to be considered and to have to hold in your mind. It's important to always be in the moment, too. That's tricky and a struggle every day. You're trying to exist in this [make-believe] world and you're forced to exist in the real world at the same time. Some days are better than others, but you endeavor to put your best foot forward." The second of three sons, Elliott was born in Toronto, Canada and admits that he fell into acting. "Music was my first love, but I just became frustrated because I tried to make a go of bands and you're always having to rely on other people," he says. "I went to Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto and then auditioned for and was accepted into The Stratford Shakespearean Festival Company where I spent a couple of years doing quite a bit of theater." While honing his craft onstage, the actor made his TV debut in an episode of the Scottish-Canadian historical drama series The Campbells. "I played a mentally-challenged young man who lived in the woods," says Elliott. "I don't remember much about the work, but it was a challenging role, especially from an emotional standpoint and trying to portray my character as truthfully as possible as well as with some dignity. It was a great first [TV] role to have." Elliott went on to win the Jean Chalmers Award for Most Promising Young Actor of the Season. Not long after, his performance as Dick, a dimwitted stripper in a stage production of B-Movie: The Play, caught the attention of those in charge of the Canadian TV series Street Legal. They cast the actor as Nick Del Gado, the handsome love interest for the show's female lawyers. The program was a hit and made him a household name in his native Canada. Elliott eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting work there. Along with guest-spots on numerous shows including China Beach, Doogie Howser, M.D. and Dark Justice, he has had recurring roles on Knots Landing, Melrose Place and The Guard as well as regular gigs on The Untouchables, Close to Home and the long-running JAG. "It was a joy to have worked on a character for that long," says the actor. "It was also a pleasure to work with all those people in a collaborative effort for an extended period of time. The show certainly opened a lot of doors for me, so it was a great 10 years spent." [caption id="attachment_359" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Perfidia (Malthe) and John (Elliott) set their sights on the enemy. Photo by Carol Segal and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel"][/caption] All too soon Elliott is needed back on-set, but before leaving he adds to his previous response. "Overall, when it comes to this business, it's rewarding to work with people who take it seriously and give it the respect it deserves. It's also rewarding when people find entertainment value in what you do. That's ultimately what we're trying to do, entertain people, and if we affect someone then we're doing our job." Steve Eramo As noted above, all photos are courtesy of and copyright of The Sci Fi Channel, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any fashion. Thanks!