Terra Nova Coming To The Fox Network

Last week, Fox Television announced its fall 2010-2011 line-up, which includes the Sci-Fi family drama Terra Nova, which is currently slated as a mid-season replacement.

From executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chermin, Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise) and David Fury (Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) comes an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. Terra Nova follows an ordinary family embarking on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a massive experience to save the human race. In the year 2149 the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped, overcrowded and overpolluted. With the majority of plant and animal life extinct, devotion to science has brought mankind to the brink of destruction, but has also provided its only hope for salvation. Knowing there is no way to reverse the damage to the planet, a coalition of scientists has managed to open up a fracture in the space-time continuum, creating a portal to prehistoric Earth. This doorway leads to an amazing world, one that allows for a last-ditch effort to save the human race…possibly changing the future by correcting the mistakes of the past.

The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony of humans in this second chance for civilization. Jim Shannon, a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth Shannon, is a trauma surgeon chose through a global lottery as a new addition to Terra Nova’s medical team. Josh Shannon is their son, mourning the girl he left behind, as he’s torn between two role models – his father and the charismatic Commander Frank Taylor, the leader of the settlement and the heroic first pioneer through the time portal. Maddy Shannon, Jim and Elizabeth’s teen daughter, is as independent and adventurous as her parents, but her distrust of authority soon leads her on a dangerous path. In addition to blue skies, rolling rivers and lush vegetation, Terra Nova offers new opportunities and fresh beginnings to its recent arrivals, but the Shannons have brought with them a familial secret that may threaten their citizenship in this utopia.

Additionally, these adventurers soon discover that this healthy, vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding Terra Nova are filled with dangerous dinosaurs and other prehistoric threats as well as external forces that may be intent on destroying this new world before it begins. But perhaps even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls is the Shannons’ realizationt that something sinister may be happening inside Terra Nova as not everyone on this mission has the same intentions of how best to save mankind.

Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy Talks About Fringe

Leonard Nimoy as Fringe's Dr. William Bell. Photo by Craig Blankenhorn and copyright of Fox

In part two of Fringe‘s second season finale, Over There, Part 2 (airing Thursday, May 20th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on Fox), sacrifices will be made and both universes may never be the same again after Walter (John Noble) and Olivia (Anna Torv) visit the “other side.” Leonard Nimoy reprises his recurring role as Dr. William Bell in this episode. The actor, who has announced his retirement from both acting and directing, recently spoke with myself along with other journalists about his work on the episode as well as other topics. The following is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy! 

I’m wondering what it is that brought you to appear on Fringe. Are you watching this show? Did somebody approach you about being on there? Was there a specific role set up for you? 

LEONARD NIMOY - I had a wonderful time working on the new Star Trek movie with J.J. Abrams, who directed it.  When it was done, he asked me to look into the possibility of playing William Bell on Fringe. I was frankly not terribly aware of what it was all about. I began looking at some episodes that William Bell, the character, had been talked about rather frequently, but had never been seen. I felt that I owed J.J. a favor. He did a great job on the Star Trek movie and treated me extremely well. I’m very happy I did it. The work on Fringe has turned out to be exciting and interesting. It’s a terribly well produced series. The character was a wide open canvas for me to work with. I had a great time doing it. This week’s episode is particularly special for the William Bell character. 

Your character has been a mysterious one; we’re never quite clear of his motives. How much did they tell you beforehand about what he was up to, and if you weren’t quite clear, how did you approach playing him? Is he evil? Is he good? 

LEONARD NIMOY - The ambiguity is the draw of the character. I think all of those questions will be answered this week in the final episode. We are still not quite clear, as of last week, about what his intentions are. He keeps telling Olivia [Anna Torv] that she should trust him, and maybe she has to. I don’t know if she has any choice really, but there will be very strong involvement with Olivia as well as Peter [Joshua Jackson] and particularly Walter [John Noble], which will, I think, answer the questions that you’re asking. Those are the questions that everybody’s asking.  So, what’s it all about with William Bell? We’ll find out this Thursday. 

You’ve talked recently about how you’re retiring from acting.  After William Bell on Fringe, did you feel like you’d played every character you wanted to play, or is it just a time and place that you just don’t feel like acting is going to open any more opportunities for you? Some thoughts on why this show is going to be your last? 

LEONARD NIMOY - It’s really coincidental. It wasn’t anything about the Fringe job or the character of William Bell that made me decide I didn’t want to do this anymore. It’s a coincidence. I’ve been at this for 60 years. My first professional work in film was in 1950.  So 60 years, I think, is long enough. I had decided several years ago not to do anymore acting or directing.  In the meantime, I was called back to work to do the Star Trek movie, which was very attractive. I thought it was going to be a wonderful film. I read the script and it did a great job of handling the Spock character and introducing a wonderful new actor to play him. Then, J.J. Abrams, who is the executive producer of Fringe,asked me to do the William Bell character. I thought I owed him that, and I’m very glad that I did it because it was an exciting project. It’s just coincidental that I decided some time ago that I really didn’t want to do this [acting]anymore. I just did this last job as a favor to J.J. I think we’ll see an exciting episode this week; it’s a very good note to go out on. 

Even though you’ve had a lot of exotic material over the years that you’ve done, it seems like Fringe takes us to another level here because we’re into things like alternate existences and people being in two different places at the same time, etc.  Are there times where it takes you a while to wrap your head around some of the Fringe material, or that make you stop and think, “Whoa!  This is stronger than anything in Star Trek”? 

LEONARD NIMOY - The best answer I can give you is that the Fringe television series is extremely well produced. The production is far more sophisticated than anything I was ever involved with [before] in television. That previous work was much more simplistic, production-wise, and these [Fringe] scripts are extremely complicated, very nuanced and intelligent. I’m intrigued with how well they do these shows, not only in the concept, but in the execution, particularly this week’s episode. I had a chance to be involved in some major production scenes, the likes of which I had never experienced in television. You’re right. The stories are unusually complex, but fascinating for an audience. I’ve become a great fan of the show. 

I just wanted to follow-up a little more on the announcement of your retirement; there were some online reports that you might actually be in the next Star Trek film. Doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen, but any word on maybe whether or not your good friend, William Shatner, might be? 

LEONARD NIMOY - I have no idea about the next film regarding Bill Shatner, but I think I can be definitive about the fact that I will not be in it. I have said that I think it’s time for me to get off the stage and make some room for Zachary Quinto, who’s the new Spock and a wonderful actor who looks a lot like me. I’m very flattered that the character will be continued by an actor of that caliber. He’s very well-trained and very talented. I have no expectations whatsoever even being asked to be in the next Star Trek film. I cannot speak for J.J. Abrams or Bill Shatner. If they have a common interest, I hope it works out. 

Obviously, you can’t reveal too much about the Fringe season finale, but can you give us maybe a few more hints?  Also, can you tell us do you expect to be on next season at all? 

LEONARD NIMOY - No, I don’t expect to be on next season. I have announced my retirement. I will not be doing anymore television or movie acting or directing. I can tell you that I feel very fulfilled with the work that was given to me to do in this final episode, coming up next week. I admire all of the people on this show: Anna Torv, Josh Jackson, John Noble and all the rest. I had some wonderful scenes to play with John Noble who I think is a wonderful actor. I’m excited and looking forward to seeing it [the episode] edited. I have not seen the edited version, but the work that we did on the soundstage and on the streets of Vancouver felt really creative and productive. I’m happy that I did it. 

Tell me a little bit about what you’re doing after acting.  I understand you do a lot of photography these days and have other interests.  Is it hard to say goodbye?  What’s next? 

LEONARD NIMOY - No, it’s not hard to say goodbye. I’ve had 60 years of working in films and television; I’m very grateful for all the great opportunities that I’ve had and all the people who I’ve met and worked with, including the Fringe company. I said on my final day of shooting that they were as good as any company I’ve ever worked with in my 60 years of experience. What I’m working on now is making the prints for an exhibition of my photography, which will open on July 31st as the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. I’m excited about it because it’s my first solo exhibition in a major museum. It’s a show called “Secret Selves,” which is about lost, hidden or secret identities and I’m excited about it. If one cares to see what some of the images look like, you can go to my website, which is leonardnimoyphotography.com and go to “Secret Selves.” 

I was wondering what you could tell me about this week’s episode in terms of your scenes with John Noble.  I assume there will be some Walter-William showdowns I can look forward to? 

LEONARD NIMOY - Yes, there will be some very strong scenes between Walter and William. I’d say that’s at the heart of the episode. It was a great pleasure for me to do those scenes. I admire John; I call him, “Noble John.” His name is John Noble, of course, but I call him, “Noble John.”  He’s a wonderful actor. I’m also am an admirer of the rest of the Fringe cast. I got to do some interesting work with Anna Torv, who I think is a wonderful actress, too.  Yes, there’s a very strong relationship resolution between Walter and William this Thursday night. 

What do you think is the most interesting aspect of William Bell’s character? 

LEONARD NIMOY - I think it’s the fact that he’s disarmingly unpredictable. He keeps saying, “Trust me,” but then you’re not quite sure if you should. That is probably the most interesting thing about him. He’s obviously a man of great intelligence and a powerful figure, but most intriguing is what his intentions are. What is his agenda? What is he really after? What’s he trying to accomplish? We’ll find out more about that on Thursday. 

Could you perhaps tell us what has made a career in this industry rewarding for you after all these years? 

LEONARD NIMOY - Well, I set out to be an actor when I was 17 or 18 years old. I left Boston and traveled to California to try to build a career. My very first efforts were very humble. I worked in a Saturday afternoon serial called Zombies of the Stratosphere. It was very primitive and very crude, but I was eager to do the work and happy to get it. It’s been exciting to me to work on soundstages and on locations all around the world. I’ve worked with some great, great talents. I worked with a number of Academy Award winners and a number of Emmy winners, with wonderful, talented people. The Star Trek character, Mr. Spock, has been a blessing to me because I find it a very dignified and a positive character and a great role model for a lot of people. I am one very, very grateful guy.  Ever since Star Trek went on the air 1966, I have never even had to concern myself with whether or not I’d work again. There was always work available to me. So it’s all about gratitude for me these days. Thanks for the question. 

What was it like for you on the last day of filming on the set of Fringe since this was the season finale? 

LEONARD NIMOY - It was very moving. I had the same experience on the last day of filming on the Star Trek movie about a year-and-a-half ago. This was a very moving experience. It was a night scene, a very brief scene. In fact, the last night, the last work that I did was the scene that was on last week between myself and Anna Torv. I had mixed feelings about it. I didn’t want it to end because the experience had been such a positive one, but of course, we had to get it done. When it was done, the entire company gathered around. There was a lot of love exchanged. I said to them, “I’ve been at this for 60 years. I have never worked with a better company.” I meant it. They do an amazing job on the Fringe series. It just feels really good to know that I’m saying goodbye to the work on a very positive, good note. I feel very good about the work that was done. I’m looking forward to it being on the air next Thursday. That’s a lovely question. I appreciate your thought. Thank you. 

 As you’ve said, you’ve spent 60 years in film and TV.  How has the job changed for you from Zombies of the Stratosphere to Fringe, or has it been all the same once the cameras began rolling? 

LEONARD NIMOY - The work is the work, of course. When they yell, “Action,” it’s time to deliver the goods. My position in the industry, of course, has changed drastically. When I came on the set of Fringe, I got a sense that people who said, “Uh, oh, here he comes, the old timer is coming.” When I first started out, I was in awe of the people who had great stories to tell about different locations they’d been to and different directors they’d worked with, different actors they’ve worked with and so forth. Now, I discovered I was the guy doing that, telling the stories about directors I worked with 40 years ago. It’s time to get off the stage; I think we’ve had our run. Thank you very much. 

What excited you the most about how William Bell has developed over the season? 

 LEONARD NIMOY - Well, there’s always been the question of what are his intentions. The writers have done a very good job of keeping the answer to that rather obscure. I’ve tried to make him disarming. I’ve tried to play him ambiguously so that, although he keeps saying, “Trust me,” you’re still not quite sure if you should. Even in last week’s episode, he said to Olivia, “I know that you have reason not to trust me, but I’m afraid you’re going to have to.” I think we’ll find out whether or not he’s telling her the truth in this week’s episode. It’s going to be a very exciting one and extremely well-produced. The performances by all of the actors that I got to work with are wonderful. I had a great time doing it. I’m looking forward to seeing it air on Thursday. 

As noted above, photo is by Craig Blankenhorn and copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Human Target’s Mark Valley – Chance Encounter

Mark Valley as Christopher Chance in Human Target. Photo by David Gray and copyright of Fox Television

MARK Valley is a versatile film and TV actor who is known equally for his comedic, witty turns as he is for his dramatic, weighted performances. He is a familiar face to Fox viewers, having appeared as FBI Agent John Scott on the hit drama Fringe. His additional television credits include a three-year run as Brad Chase on Boston Legal, starring roles on Keen Eddie and Pasadena as well as recurring roles on Once and Again, ER, The 4400 and Swingtown. His film credits include John Schlesinger’s The Innocent, The Seige with Denzel Washington, John Frankenheimer’s George Wallace, The Next Best Thing with Madonna and Rupert Everett and Shrek III as the voice of Cyclops. Valley also wrote and performed in Walls, Wars and Whiskey, a one-man show about his experiences growing up in upstate New York and serving in the military.

Valley graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and began his acting career while serving overseas in the Army. The Gulf War veteran is a native of Ogdensburg, New York, and these days divides his time between Vancouver and Los Angeles. Currently, he stars as Christopher Chance in the Fox action TV series Human Target. On March 8th, I and other journalists had the pleasure of speaking with the actor on a conference call. The following is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy!

When did you realize that you had lightning in a bottle with the chemistry between you and Jackie Earle Haley (Guerrero) and Chi McBride (Winston)? When did they come into the project? I’m sure you got the script first and then they were added.

MARK VALLEY - Yes, I got the script first. I was the first one cast, I know that. I think we all realized that we had something pretty amazing when we were shooting the pilot in downtown Vancouver. I think it was at the very end of the episode. It wasn’t the end of shooting, but it was the end of the episode, and rarely are the three of us together in any episode, but in this instance we were. They were getting ready to set up a shot, and we were sitting around in our chairs and started talking, as actors do. Suddenly we just realized, my God, we all come from different places in terms of parts of the country and experience in the industry and so forth, and the three of us just kind of clicked. The thing I liked about Chi and Jackie is that I was just really kind of curious about them and wanted to get to know them better and thought they were both quite interesting. I think the three of us had that same feeling about each other, which is kind of cool and rare as well. And that kind of shows up on the screen and, perhaps, makes the viewer wonder how did these characters meet up, or come together, and what’s their history.

I know that you cannot possibly take risk taking and thrill seeking to the extreme that your character of Chance does, but how much of a daredevil do you allow yourself to be in real life? What are some of the more outrageous adventures that you might have taken? Have you ever jumped out of planes for  fun, or any of those things?

MV - Yes, I’ve done that. I’m a little more now into taking calculated risks. I like to mountain climb, and the better prepared you are, the safer it is. I don’t just run out and climb a mountain with a T-shirt on, you know? That would be kind of foolhardy. There are some inherent risks, you know, with mountaineering and stuff, but yes, I generally like to be well-prepared. I had parachuted. I did it in the Army and I also did it trying to get my certification to parachute down in Paris Island. I did it a few times, and that was pretty exciting, but for the most part, I’d say now the biggest risk I take is probably every once in a while I forget to put my seatbelt on. That’s about the limit of it these days.

How much has your military training helped you with acting, especially with Human Target?

MV - It’s funny, because they lay out all these weapons and talk about the ammunition and its effectiveness and so forth, and you know, we worked with weapons obviously in the Army. It’s actually something, though, that you can pick up pretty quickly. The hand-to-hand fighting, I learned a little bit of that in the Army, along with boxing as well as wrestling and those sorts of thing. But I think for the most part it’s working as a team under extreme circumstances with a limited amount of time to get something done. That’s probably the biggest experience I got from the Army that applies to this job because we’re really making a little movie in eight days, and that’s an awful lot of work that has to be done. So yes, it’s sort of that kind of teamwork and camaraderie that I experienced in the Army that seems to be showing up again here in this show.

So far your character has had cases in Los Angeles, Canada, the Russian Embassy, an airplane and South America. Is there anywhere in particular that you’d like to see Chance travel to?

MV - I would like to see Chance go to Paris. We do go to London in one episode. Where else? Africa, I think, would be kind of an interesting place. There are all kinds of places he could do. Somewhere down south, maybe Texas? I’d love to do an episode that is sort of a quasi-Western. That would be interesting. There’s Vietnam and all these other places in Asia that he could go, and there are things going on in China. You name it. We could even write an episode that takes place inside a contained area, like the airplane episode, for example. We really didn’t go anywhere for that. That all took place inside the fuselage of an airplane, so maybe we’ll be doing something like that as well.

What were some of the acting challenges you found first stepping into the role, and how have you seen the Chance character grow and develop in the episodes you’ve shot so far?

MV - When I first read the script, which is based on a comic book character, there are certain things that comic book characters can get away with that regular actors can’t really do, or at least do convincingly. One is to hold a pose for a long period of time, or to look concerned as if you’re in a comic book. So there was that. The show sort of had a feel of a comic book, so there was a challenge of trying to find a way to bring a real person into this. It wasn’t written in any sort of hyper-reality. I mean, there’s kind of a casual thing that can exist in John Steinberg’s [series creator/executive producer] writing, so it’s not that hard to kind of do it. It’s not complete melodrama or anything. That was the biggest challenge. Reading it and enjoying it like it could have been a comic book, and then thinking, “OK, wait a second, this is me now. How am I going to do this?” It’s kind of hard to explain, but that was the biggest challenge. And maybe picturing all the other actors who could do better at it and thinking, “OK, so I’m going to do this?”

As far as development, the way I’ve grown as an actor is that I’ve become much more comfortable with some of the action and fighting scenes, and the way Chance’s relationships with Jackie’s and Chi’s characters are starting to become a little bit clearer. And with Chance’s development, I’d say he’s beginning to come to terms with his past. He made a big change in his life about six or eight years prior to the present that we have now on the show. And I think the reality of why he made that choice and the repercussions that it’s going to have is starting to come back to him, so essentially his baggage is starting to arrive.

A lot of shows spend their first season throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Do you feel like Human Target has found its groove and, if so, was there a particular moment for you when you felt like it really clicked?

MV - I think when it really clicked for me was probably the episode Rewind, where we didn’t have a lot of locations or big set pieces going on. It all took place in an airplane and you got an idea of, OK, very simply, this is something that has to get done in this plane. And it was broken down and all our characters were – well, Chi and I were in the same location shooting as well, which was kind of cool. Then I think it was the second or third episode in, and the pace that we came up with as well as the shorthand that we developed with the crew and the cameras was pretty amazing. We realized, “Oh, wow, this is what we can do. We’ve really got something here.”

Did you have a vision for what you expected the show to be when you first came onboard, and has it lived up to that?

MV - I didn’t have that clear a vision of how it would be. I’d been on shows before that have been new, and with this one, not only is it new, but I’m new to this genre, and Chi is kind of new to it as well, and even the show runners are sort of new to this. So I went into it with an open mind and thinking, “This is going to be exciting as to how it’s going to come together” And it has been. It is sort of a collaboration in some ways, where everyone’s influence is, if not heard, then it’s felt and reacted to, and the end product is something that everyone feels a part of.

How do you balance comedy and drama on the show? Particularly in your performance, you always seem to bring the humor to certain scenes where other  people wouldn’t, but then it doesn’t get too serious, either. How do you guys manage that?

MV - Something I really love to do is find the lighter moments. A lot of it depends on the scene and the person you’re working with and where the jokes can come in or seem appropriate. So there are a few elements that come into that. And, of course, there’s the way that the scene is written as well. Maybe it’s my soap opera background, where there were no jokes at all. It was all complete melodrama and I wanted parts of it to be funny, so I remember searching and combing through the material and saying, “Well, there’s this moment or that moment.” I was just so hungry for something to be funny, that I developed, perhaps, a perceptive eye for it.

What’s it like to play a lead character when you don’t have all the pieces of his background? Is that more difficult for you at all?

MV - Well, it’s definitely easier to have some of the pieces. It’s somewhat of an advantage to have a bit more of an idea because as actors, we create characters and create things in our imagination, but, ultimately, we’re interpretive artists and interpreting what the writers have created. Some people will say that doesn’t matter. If it’s not in the script, it really doesn’t exist, so don’t make a big deal about it, but I think in television, it’s different. Yes, it would be nice to know, but there are two sides to that. It would be nice to know ahead of time because then maybe I could plan a scene or have that in mind if this might have happened before. On the other hand, it’s pretty exciting to find it out as you go along with the rest of the viewers. So not only are you working on a show and acting in it, but it’s also fun to be experiencing it as a viewer as well and finding out things as they reveal themselves.

Is the master of disguise aspect of your character from the comic books ever going to make it into the TV series?

MV - Nobody’s ruled it out. I know John’s attitude was like, let’s start off the show where you get to know the central character before we begin dressing him up in disguises. Chance does have an aptitude for languages and my theory with that is he doesn’t use it more than is necessary. I mean, he doesn’t wear a mustache or glasses or anything if it’s not really necessary. or become that other person unless it’s absolutely necessary. So that was an adaptation for the TV show, I think, but, again, the disguise aspect hasn’t totally been ruled out.

So what’s in store for the season finale, and what other guest-stars can we expect to see in the second half of the season?

MV - Well, in the season finale, Baptiste, who is played by Jericho‘s Lennie James, comes back. His character is Chance’s nemesis and is probably the most talented assassin who’s still out there working for hire. He and Chance come to blows in an episode called Baptiste and then again in the season finale. Amy Acker shows up and plays a pivotal character from Chance’s past in that she was sort of the catalyst for his ultimate transformation into Christopher Chance. Lee Majors is in that episode, too. Armand Assante plays Chance’s old boss, and there’s a couple of major confrontations there. Emmanuelle Vaugier returns in another episode, too. She plays an FBI agent in Baptiste and Chance, Winston and Guerrero have to figure out a way to enlist her help. Autumn Reeser comes back as well. She sort of has a recurring role on our show. Grace Park is in an episode called Corner Man, and Leonor Varela is in Sanctuary. She’s a beautiful and talented Chilean actress who made this one episode look and feel like a movie. She just came in and completely took on this character of an ex-revolutionary who lives in South America and is an ex-lover of Chance’s. She was just fabulous.

As noted above, photo by David Gray and copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Human Target’s Jackie Earle Haley and Jonathan E. Steinberg – On Target

Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero in the Human Target episode "Rewind." Photo copyright of Fox Television

IN 1992, ABC launched what turned out to be a short-lived TV series loosely based on the Human Target comic book title created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. This past January, Fox began airing its version of the project. Developed and executive produced by Jonathan E. Steinberg, the series stars Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), a private contractor, bodyguard and security expert who supplies a very unique protection service to his clients. Rather than shadowing them, he becomes them, and, in the process, becomes the human target as well. Chance is assisted by his business partner, Winston (Chi McBride) and hired gun/techie, Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley). A few weeks ago, Jonathan Steinberg and Jackie Earle Haley chatted over the phone with myself and several other journalists about their involvement in the series. The following is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy! 

Jonathan, what turned you on to this comic book more so than others? 

JONATHAN STEINBERG - It was pitched to me, actually. This was a property that had been in development both for TV and the movies for a while, and I think for good reason. It’s a very enticing idea – a guy who is always looking to or is willing to become you and get into the trouble that you made for yourself, and I think everybody had tried to figure out a way to make it work. It was pitched to me as something that Peter Johnson and Warner Bros. were looking to do. And from there, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up – to be able to do an action show and set it anywhere in the world for any given story. 

Are there any clients that Chance (Mark Valley) wouldn’t take on. If, let’s say, Bernie Madoff approached him would he turn him down? 

JS -We’ve played early on that there are some hurdles that you need to clear in order to gain his interest or get him to the point where he’s willing to take a case for you. I don’t think that means that he wouldn’t necessarily take the case of somebody who he didn’t necessarily agree with or sympathize with, but you definitely have to make your case to Chance when you ask for his help. 

Did your work with Jericho change your approach you took with putting this show on? 

JS - Jericho was actually really good boot camp for us and a number of the other writers on-staff here. It was a big show and one that we tried to imbue with some adventure. However, because we had to make it on our soundstages, we couldn’t really do as much of the action as we would have liked. So it forced us to get better at doing more with less, but now that we have a slightly bigger sandbox to be playing in, hopefully we’ll be able to use every last ounce of what we’ve got. 

Jackie, what turned you on to this role in the show? 

JACKIE EARLE HALEY - Jon came to me and I ready the script, which I thought was real kick-ass and a lot of fun. I liked how it was comic book-related as well as light in tone and this really cool kind of action hero character of Chance, and the Guerrero character supporting him. I also loved the idea of getting in there and working with these guys on a long-term basis and working on one specific character as opposed to what you do on a movie – you do it and you’re done. This is an ongoing process, which is kind of neat. 

What do you think of Mark Valley as an actor and a person? 

JEH - Mark is an awesome guy. He’s fun to hang around and a wonderful actor. I specifically love what he’s doing with Chance. I mean, the tone of this thing is so wonderfully kind of steeped in that 80′s tone, like Die Hard or The A-Team, and I think Mark just seems like he’s nailing it. 

Jackie, how much did you know about your character going into this project, and how would you describe him? 

JEH - That’s what’s fun about this guy – it seems like we’re all kind of learning about Guerrero together. Obviously we’ve shot more episodes than what have aired so far, but it seems like I’m still coming up with more questions about him than we have answers. But I think as each week goes along, we’ll add a little bit more to Chance’s background and the fact that there’s some event in his past that was quite a pivotal one that kind of caused Chance to go from one side to the other. And I think Guerrero was a part of that. That holds a lot of interest for me; I definitely know that Guerrero has worked on the dark side of things and now he’s working on the more righteous side with Chance. What’s neat, though, about my character is that you never quite know where his loyalties lie. It’s really fun riding that line with the writers, and the thing is I don’t think we want to find out too much and too quickly about Guerrero. I’m really enjoying exploring the multi-dimensionality of this guy and seeing where it leads and what makes him tick. 

Having come off doing mostly movies, what else has been different for you about doing a TV series from an acting or even a logistical standpoint? 

JEH - Let’s see, it’s a much faster process, although these guys are really doing a heck of a job technically. It’s amazing what you can do on TV now, and these episodes look like little movies. I think the biggest difference, though, is in the development of the character. So often you kind of get a screenplay and then you can work with the directors as well as the writers in learning about and developing who your character is, what his back story is, what kind of brought him to this point, etc. From there, you dive in, do the work and it’s done. With TV, it’s kind of the reverse of that. It’s like you try to figure out so much before you start shooting, but so much of the development and answers end up coming later. So I guess instead of making one two-hour movie, hopefully we’re making 100 one-hour movies. 

Jonathan, as the series goes on, are we going to get more background on the characters week-to-week or might you just focus on one character one week, and another the next? 

JS - From the very beginning, the back story of Chance, Guerrero and Winston was important, and not just as a mystery for its own sake, but it defines where they came from and their shared experience defines their relationships now. What was interesting to us was that they all share this one traumatic, but also very big mythic experience between the three of them, and how that experience rippled through their current relationships. And I think before the end of this season you’re going to learn a lot more about them as well as that event. 

Jackie, I was wondering how you balance Guerrero’s darker nature with the sort of lighter action feel of the show? 

JEH - It’s a constant balancing act for all three characters, especially for Guerrero. The show needs to be fun, it needs to feel like an adventure in the truest sense of the word, and I think part of what that means is not just that it’s light, but that there’s something underneath, some gravitons to it. In some ways, I feel Guerrero is right at ground zero of that tightrope that we try to walk every week, and it’s a matter of being able to have one foot in both worlds. 

JS - The Guerrero character is in this show that definitely has a fun, kind of tongue-in-cheek element from the 80′s. And like I said earlier, Mark Valley is just nailing that, and Chi McBride is brilliant at playing Winston. As for Guerrero, he’s fun because he has one foot in that world in the sense that he kind of plays the straight guy for Chi’s character. At the same time, there’s an interesting addition to that tone where Guerrero is also this slightly unhinged character. His background is a little bit questionable, as are his morality and ethics. It’s kind of neat how he brings this little darker tone to an otherwise lighter tone. 

As noted above, photo copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Past Life’s Kelli Giddish And David Hudgins – Regression Theraphy

Past Life's Price Whatley (Nicholas Bishop) and Dr.Kate McGinn (Kelli Giddish). Photo by Craig Blankenhorn and copyright of Fox

HAVE you ever experienced déjà vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? Have you ever had an out-of-body experience? 

From writer David Hudgins (Friday Night Lights) and inspired by the book The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose, comes Past Life, a new Fox Television drama series about an unlikely pair of detectives who investigate the world of the unexplained. Dr. Kate McGinn (Kelli Giddish) is not your typical psychologist. Confident, outspoken and highly educated, she works at The Talmadge Center for Behavioral Health in New York City, a world-renowned institute dedicated to the study of science of the soul. After experiencing a past-life regression in her 20s, Kate became a believer in reincarnation. Using therapy and her natural gift for reading people, Kate helps solve the mysteries of her troubled clients by investigating their consciousness. She believes that there are levels of consciousness and explanations for human behaviour that science can’t begin to explain. Accustomed to skeptics, but not bothered by them, Kate is an unapologetic believer and a force of nature who marches to the beat of her own drum. 

Kate’s partner, Price Whatley (Nicholas Bishop), is a different story. A former NYPD homicide detective, pragmatic and cynical, Price is a damaged soul who constantly battles grief and guilt over the accidental death of his wife. He feels that Kate, though not certifiable, certainly operates on the fringes of science. Theirs is a volatile relationship, but with Price’s solid detective skills and Kate’s penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, together they make a formidable, albeit somewhat dysfunctional, team. 

A fast-paced emotional thrill ride, each episode of Past Life finds Price and Kate working with their colleagues to unravel a new mystery and solve the mysterious of consciousness. Dr. Malachi Talmadge (Richard Schiff) is Kate’s mentor and the center’s namesake, an avuncular but gruff elder statesman who is a legend in the field of cognitive research. Dr. Rishi Karna (Ravi Patel) is the rookie of the group, a baby-faced therapist from Calcutta who loves bad American TV, Cuban jazz and driving everyone crazy. 

Series lead Kelli Giddish and creator/executive producer David Hudgins spoke with myself and several other journalists last week about Past Life and what viewers can expect from the series. The following is an edited Q & A from our conversation. Enjoy! 

Kelli,  can you tell us a little bit about how you first became involved in the series and some of the acting challenges you found stepping into the Dr. McGinn role? 

KELLI GIDDISH - Well, there’s a pilot season every year and this is actually one of the first projects I went out for probably a year ago. I really loved the character and went right in for it. Actually, David and Deran Serafian, the director of the pilot, and [executive producer] Lou Pitt were all down in Baltimore [Maryland] and I was living in New York at the time. I went in, tested for the role and it went from there. They had found Nick Bishop [Price Whatley], so it kind of just rolled into a project from there. When I first got the script, Dr. McGinn was someone who I immediately connected with in terms of just a through-line for me. I immediately felt like I didn’t have to take a lot away from myself to play her. I just got to add on layers, one being that she believes in a system of reincarnation and past lives and that’s her way to help people. A challenge which I think will be really nice to see her overcome as a character, and one for me as an actor, is to really get the patients on her side. I think she really acts as an emotional conduit to individuals who are having trouble or experiencing trauma that Kate assumes is somehow connected to their past lives. 

David, where did your inspiration for this series come from, and what were some of the challenges, both creative and production-wise, getting the show off the ground? 

DAVID HUDGINS - First let me add to what Kelli was just saying. The way we cast Kelli Giddish in this role was very unique. Here’s what happened. I got her audition on tape, which is actually an e-mail they send. I was sitting at my computer and I queued it up, watched it and was absolutely blown away. In the moment I said to myself, “That is Kate. That is exactly who I had in mind.” So we flew Kelli down to Baltimore and screen-tested her for this pilot, which is not that common anymore these days. As soon as we did that and showed it to the studio as well as the network, everybody agreed that she was perfect for the role. I just think that there was good karma from the beginning with Kelli. 

In terms of my inspiration, the series is inspired by a book called The Reincarnationist, written by M. J. Rose. I had a pilot deal with Warner Bros. who sent me the book and asked me to read it, which I did. Frankly, I didn’t really have any expectations when I picked up the book, but as soon as I finished it I was immediately engaged. I thought, “This is an incredibly cool world.” It was a world that I was not that familiar with, so I immediately began doing research and started talking with people. I happened to see a three-part special on Oprah that she was doing with a guy named Dr. Brian Weiss about past lives and regression. I just got hooked immediately and thought it was such an interesting, different and unique world. From a storytelling point of view, what I love about it is that it’s so wide open. There are so many different stories you can tell based on this world. I came up with this franchise of the Past Life detective team and building around that just sort of went forward with the series and creating these characters. 

You asked about production challenges. One of the great things about this show and, frankly, something that we were pretty surprised with when the pilot and first episode started coming together, is that there are these regression episodes within the shows where the patients are basically having flashbacks. They’re going back and experiencing their past lives, and we really wanted to give those sequences a unique look. Deran Serafian did an amazing job with that, and he came in and created this visual style that’s very cinematic as well as scary and fast-paced. What we ended up with were these really interesting sort of mini-thillers that play throughout each episode, which were a challenge to shoot because there’s a lot of different coverage and a lot of different pieces that you have to get. At one point, Deran was running through a forest with the camera in his hands. I mean, it was that much fun and that sort of outlaw style of shooting, and it really worked and cut together well. We then developed a whole system for filming these regressions with a second unit. It required a lot of cutting and a lot more visual effects than we originally anticipated. We actually hired a special editor to do the visual effects and edit those sequences. So that was a challenge to do the regression episodes. The rest of it was really just a dream. We had a really wonderful crew in Atlanta [Georgia] and it was a great time. 

Kelli, are there any similarities between you and your character? 

KG - Well, yes, I think so. In the script, Kate McGinn is a girl from Texas. She drives a big old pickup truck, and so did I for a long time, with a stick shift as well as a camper top. On an emotional level, she tries to calmly guide people, as opposed to beating them over the head with her agenda or her beliefs. She does her job in a way that gets people on her side and allows her to heal them. As a Southern woman you can kind of get into peoples’ heads in a way that maybe other people can’t. Like I said, with this character there was a lot of stuff that I didn’t feel like I had to take away from myself to play her. It was just kind of adding layers on. 

David, what have you learned from your experience of putting this show together and from your past lives research? 

DH - From the past lives research, well, number one is to be open-minded. One of the things about the show that I think is really interesting and that people are responding to is this question of what if? We’re not our here preaching to the world about reincarnation. We’re not saying it’s this way or that way. What we’re basically saying it let’s go on a ride here. Let’s ask the question, ”What if this were real?” Think about all the possibilities that that opens up and all the stories we can tell. So I have learned to be incredibly open-minded about it. I’ve learned that there is an entire world of people out there who are fascinated by this stuff, not only in the United States, but all over the world, and I feel like it’s something we’re tapping into. It’s wish-fulfillment in a way, and it’s also a fantasy show. There are definitely Sci-Fi and paranormal elements to the show as well, all of which come together with these great characters. 

Kelli, can you tell us anything about the relationship between your character and Richard Schiff’s character? 

KG - Well, he’s her mentor. I think as the series goes along we’re going to find out more about what exactly they mean to each other in terms of personally, but professionally, they think very much alike.  At the same time, he sometimes thinks around things in a way that maybe Kate hasn’t gotten to quite yet. Sometimes he can simplify things in a great, creative way that perhaps my character misses. So it’s neat to see his character as well as his perspective on things inform the work that Kate is doing. 

David, will Kelli’s character have any romance on the show? 

DH - Oh, yes, she will. I mean, you can’t look at that character and not wonder if there is a romantic interest in her life. It’s interesting, any time you have a show with a male and female lead, there is always the question of of a romantic relationship between the two of them. What’s great about Kelli and Nick Bishop is that there’s obviously chemistry. We saw that in the screen-test; we saw that the first time we got together and put them on film, and it really translates to the screen. We all know that it’s there, but as a storyteller and creator of the show, it’s also something you have to be careful with, you know, hooking your two leads up, I guess would be the phrase. For now, I think their relationship is strictly professional. They’ve got a lot of issues to work out in their personal and professional lives, so right now they’re just friends. But, again, there is definitely chemistry between the two of them, and as to whether or not that goes anywhere, hopefully people will tune in to find out. Dr. McGinn is single and she lives at home right now with her dog and her mother, who is very interested in her daughter getting out there and meeting people. 

Kelli, have you done any research or met any people who have challenged or changed your belief system in any way [with regard to past lives]? 

KG - Well, as David was saying, it’s been kind of neat to see how much of an interest there is in all this stuff and belief in reincarnation and past lives. I actually went and did my own regression, mainly to check out the woman who was doing them. I went to see if she was a “kook,” you know, and to see what type of person would be doing past life regressions as her job. She wasn’t a kook, though. She had blonde hair, was around 32, from Texas – it was like Kate McGinn in real life. I did that regression, which was on the Upper West side in New York, and what was interesting about it was that when she pulled me out of the hypnosis she asked me, “How long to do you think you were under?” I said, “Like half-an-hour. It was great though, thanks.” She said, “An hour-and-forty-five minutes.” I said, “No kidding? Wow!” So I have an hour or so unaccounted for where I was off being an Alaskan boy and a fruit picker in the 1930s. Whether or not I really believe I was an Alaskan Native-American, I’m not sure, but I came out of her office really feeling light on my feet and looking around at things with a little gleam in my eye. It was nice. We play that what-if game with ourselves all the time, and this is certainly a wide-open world in which to do that. 

Kelli, do you have any special message for the guys here in your home town who might be checking out the show? 

KG - It was such a great experience to be able to come home and know, for example, that there were biscuits and gravy just around the corner; the teamsters fixed chicken and dumplings out in the parking lot during one day of filming. There was always sweet tea as well on the tables at lunch, so all that was certainly nice to come back to. I left [Atlanta] when I was 18, and you can’t really go downtown and listen to music and have a drink when you’re that age, so it was wonderful to really be able to explore Atlanta, and it was like being introduced to a new city, too, because so much has changed there in the last decade. 

DH - Atlanta was fantastic. That was my favorite part of the whole experience, being able to shoot there. The crews were incredible. We got so many looks out of Atlanta. It was just an absolute pleasure to be there, and by the way, we can’t wait to come back. Our sets and our wardrobes and props are all sitting on our stage behind a locked door. We’re ready to come back. 

Kelli, what has been your most memorable moment so far from filming Past Life? 

KG - The most memorable things that happened on the set were with the guest-stars and being surprised at their ability and talent to go into all these regressions that we had them go into and seeing each person do it in a totally different way. I have to say my favorite, I think, was Juliette, the girl who played Sarah. She was around 12 years old, and I just remember being on-set with her and she knew more words to Beatles’ songs than I did. I was just so impressed. I was like, youth is not lost. They’re OK. 

DH - What about the improv dance at three in the morning? 

KG - Yes, that was amazing. We were working with Dean White, who is our directing producer, or producing director, however it goes. He had been with us the entire time in Atlanta and was directing this episode. David was there, too. It was three in the morning and we’re shooting the last scene of the day, and of that episode, when Dean put on this song, Ooh-la-la by Rod Stewart. Nick Bishop and I just started dancing in the middle of Talmadge Center and it got captured on film. It was such an organic and beautiful thing that came out of this really great conversation that had been written. We just began improv-ing with each other and all of a sudden I’m begging him to dance and we’re laughing our heads off.  It was great. 

David, can you tell us exactly why people will want to tune in to watch Past Life? 

DH - Well, first of all, I think they’re going to be immensely entertained. It’s a mystery show, we’re solving a mystery each week, but we’re doing it in a way that is different because of the past life angle. It’s a very satisfying viewing experience because you’re seeing a mystery being solved from start to finish in a very different and unique way. We’re also doing it with characters that are arguing about it as they go along, who are also agreeing on certain things as well as taking different approaches, and the conflict part of it, I think, is very entertaining and informative, but fun, too. At the end of the day, the episodes are really about hope because patients are, in 90% of the cases, being healed. They’re not always going to be healed, but most are. It’s just a very satisfying experience and very emotional, I have to say. It’s sort of a rollercoaster ride in each episode. There are great comedy moments in the show, and there are also scary moments with these regression episodes. Each week, though, in doing all the cuts, what’s consistent each time are the performances of Kelli, Nick and all the other actors. It’s really amazing just to go on the ride with them each week and see them do their thing. 

The Price Whatley character is a cynic; how important is it for the show to have a cynic there to challenge Kate and the other team members about their thoughts and hypotheses? 

KG - I think it’s a pretty important character for the audience. If I were watching the show, I’d want to see the other side, and I think Price does that very well and a lot of humor comes out of it. 

DH - The skeptic and the believer is sort of a classic twosome, but what Kelli and Nick did is bring a lot of romance to it. Price Whatley, who is played by Nick Bishop, is not completely one note. He’s not just sitting there in every episode saying, “I don’t believe.” He goes on a journey and Kate takes him on that journey, and that’s what I think is interesting to me. Price is sort of voicing the other side of the coin in a lot of episodes, but he’s also going on a journey because of his back story with his wife, who accidentally died. 

Can you tell us a little about the rest of the team. We’ve heard about Richard Schiff’s character, but there are a few other characters; maybe you can shed some light on them? 

DH - There are four people working at the Talmadge Center on this team. I look at them as a family, both personally and professionally. On a professional level, Richard Schiff’s character, Malachi Talmadge, is the boss. He’s the namesake of the center. He’s the one who sorts through all the cases and who all the questions and decisions go through. He puts the team through their paces each week. It’s sort of like the Socratic Method in that they bounce ideas off him and he sends them off on certain journeys and tasks. 

Of course, you’ve got Kelli’s character, Dr. McGinn, a psychologist, who was actually one of Malachi’s graduate students. Nick’s character is a former NYPD detective. Price’s job is to essentially take the clues that Dr. McGinn gets out of the regressions and use his detective chops to solve what happened in the past life. Ravi Patel plays Dr. Rishi Karna, who is a great character. Dr. Karna is the team’s medical doctor. His specialty his cognitive research and brain science. He’s this incredibly smart, quirky and funny student of the human brain. He is medically involved with the patients each week and sort of looks at all the possible physical causes of their symptoms. He’s also the rookie of the group and sort of like the younger brother to Kelli’s older sister. Nick’s character is kind of like the new fiancé and Richard’s is kind of like the Dad. 

I know that each life has some lesson you’re supposed to learn, and I know what mine is, but have you ever thought about what yours might be in this current life? 

KG  – Well, you know what, as an actor it’s almost an exact parallel, really. I mean, with every project that you’re involved in and with every character that you’ve invested in, you learn something from that experience. I know that sounds a little cheesy, but it’s true. You learn something and then get to apply it to what you do next. 

DH - It’s funny, I’ve obviously been talking with a lot of people over the past couple of weeks insofar as doing press and publicity for the show, and several people have asked me similar questions or asked if there is a spiritual aspect to the show. I used to be a lawyer and I quit to start writing, and one of the reasons I did that was that I had an older sister who was sick – she had breast cancer – and it just got me to this moment of really looking at my life and saying what do I really want to do? What is really going to make me happy? Do I want to look back when I’m 65 years old and regret not ever having taken the chance or the risk? I think that informed the writing of this pilot, for sure, and probably the series. I can’t say exactly how, but there is just this feeling I have that life is short, and when you see somebody you love get sick and die, it really hammers that point home. I wanted this show to be about hope. I wanted it to be about the fact that there is good out there. 

Past Life premieres Tuesday, February 9th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST and then settles into its weekly slot beginning Thursday, February 11th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST.

As noted above, the photo is by Craig Blankenhorn and copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

24′s Anil Kapoor – Bollywood’s Finest

Anil Kapoor as Omar Hassan on 24. Photo by Kelsey McNeal and copyright of Fox

This season of 24 is set in New York, where Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is unwillingly drawn back into action just as President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) negotiates international security with Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor), a determined Middle Eastern leader visiting the U.S. on a peace-keeping mission. As the new day unfolds, an upgraded CTU operates under the command of M.B.A.-schooled, razor-sharp head-honcho Brian Hastings (Mykelti Williamson), who supervises quirky Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), expert data analyst Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff) and systems analyst Arlo Glass (John Boyd). 

One of the most versatile and successful actors in India, Anil Kapoor has been entertaining audiences for more than 25 years. His talent, charm and professionalism have set the benchmark for a new generation of Indian actors. He has appeared in close to 100 Hindi movies and won numerous awards over the years, including four Filmfare Awards (the Indian equivalent of the Oscars) and much coveted National Award. 

A native of Mumbai, Kapoor recently starred in the Academy Award-winning hit Slumdog Millionaire. The film was the actor’s first feature released outside of India and a favorite of both critics and audiences. It was awarded a multitude of prizes, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as BAFTAs, National Board of Review and Golden Globes. His additional credits include Race, Black and White, Welcome, Naksha, Chocolate, My Wife’s Murder, Bewafaa, Arman, Rishtey, Lajia, Taal, Yuvvraaj and Salaam-E-Ishq. 

Kapoor is married with three children. He has two daughters, one is a successful model and the other is a film student in New York, as well as a son who is a film student in Los Angeles. The actor divides his time between India and Los Angeles. 

On January 14th, Mr. Kapoor graciously spoke with journalists, including myself, about his work as Omar Hassan on 24 and career in general. The following is an edited version of our conversation! Enjoy! 

In the early episodes of 24,  Hassan is a very standup guy. Over the course of the storyline will we get to see what the problem is with his marriage and why he’s having an affair? 

Anil Kapoor - Actually it is not an affair, but kind of a relationship, which he feels is more like a minor relationship and, intellectually, he believes it’s more of a friendship. While there is a possibility that it might develop later on into a relationship, it doesn’t.  And, yes, you will see the details of his marriage when the other episodes progress and develop after the fourth episode. 

So you think that his relationships with these women is a big part of the character? 

AK - Absolutely, because he is a normal person who has his gray areas, which makes him very human and very real. So yes, of course, he has these relationships and he has his problems with the relationship with his wife and he has a relationship with this journalist. 

Can you talk a bit about what it’s like to work with Kiefer Sutherland and Freddie Prinze, Jr (Cole Ortiz)? 

AK - I’d heard so much about 24 and Keifer, and it never felt to me as if he had done eight seasons of this show. It felt like he was working as if it was his first year, and his commitment and excitement was as if he had just started shooting 24. I was really impressed by his commitment and professionalism. It was wonderful to work with him and every line he speaks, every performance he gives, it looks as if he’s Jack Bauer and not Kiefer Sutherland. He’s completely into the skin of Jack Bauer; he’s become more Jack Bauer than Kiefer Sutherland now when he’s on-set. And working with Freddie Prinze, I could see that he was very eager and curious, as well as extremely hardworking, very sincere and a very good-looking guy. He fits the role and I think  24 is going to gain a great deal from his addition to and participation in the show. 

How was Kiefer welcoming to you, and did he offer any advice? 

AK - The first time we met he said he had seen Slumdog Millionaire and loved my work in the film, so those words of encouragement from Kiefer eased my mind and gave me a lot of confidence. When two actors meet and there is a mutual respect for each other’s work, it makes the job much, much easier. This is only my second stint as a performer in the United States of America, but Kiefer never made me feel like an outsider, and that was really great. 

Did you have any concerns about going on 24? To be honest, most Indian or minority actors on the show play terrorists, whereas your character is a much more positive and very standup guy. What did you think of all that when taking on the part? 

AK - When I first heard about the role I became really inspired because it was not just your [typical] bad man, and I felt that here was someone who stands up for his own convictions and what he believes in. It’s a very strong character and there all these layers and this complexity involved. Being from India, I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to play this role of Omar Hassan and that it was on 24. I’ve read a lot of scripts in India as well as internationally, but the writing on 24 is very special. 

After 24 do you have any plans to keep trying to get work in the U.S. whether in TV or movies or would you be interested in spending more time focusing on your film career in India? 

AK - As an actor, especially the way the world is today where the communication is so easy, I don’t think it’s very difficult to juggle both worlds. And I think wherever it is in the world, I’m going to go where the material is exciting, especially if it’s from the West because for me, it’s much more challenging. I’m performing in a different language, and mostly I’ve been doing films in my local language, which is Hindi, and now here I get an opportunity to speak in English, which is my first language in India. Sometimes I would have difficulty working in films over there because I would think in English, but now I’m finding it much more exciting and easier  to work in films made in the West. So this is an exciting phase in my career, and this second TV experience [on 24] has been wonderful and absolutely terrific. 

Could you tell us how you first became involved in 24 and getting this particular role? 

AK - I feel it’s thanks to Slumdog Millionaire, because they [the 24 producers] saw that the movie was such a huge success, critically as well as commercially. It swept all the awards and everyone was talking about it. I got rave reviews and I never really expected this kind of appreciation for my role. I’m sure people on 24 had seen and liked my work and that’s the reason I was given this offer and I grabbed it. 

If Slumdog Millionaire didn’t happen, would you have tried out for a part like this? 

AK - I don’t think this would have really happened if Slumdog Millionaire never happened. Again, I think it’s thanks to Slumdog Millionaire that I’m in 24 and it couldn’t have been a better follow-up. On 24 I play something which is completely opposite to what I did in Slumdog Millionaire, and that’s always exciting for an actor when you do something completely different and opposite in terms of a role. I’ve done over 100 feature films in India but I’ve never done TV there, so for me, this second time doing U.S. TV was something new, fresh, exciting, educational and I really loved every moment of it. 

Was there anything in particular that you did to prepare for this role? 

AK - Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, the most exciting part of all this was the preparation for the role, which I really loved. I play the leader or president of a fictitious country, which is supposed to be a Middle Eastern country, so I looked at a lot of world leaders, past and present, and researched their speeches, their body language and how to speak. I read a number of books as well on the United Nations as well as peace treaties, nuclear disarmament, etc. So all that really helped me. Also, even though I speak English, I had a dialogue coach. I had long sessions with him during the entire filming of 24, and he was of great help to me as far as figuring out how my character would speak. Because Hassan is British, or was educated in Britain, we gave him a bit of a British accent. So in 24 you’ll find a complete change in the way I look, the way I walk, the way I talk and in my voice quality as compared to what I’ve done before. 

Can you tell us a little bit about any other projects that you may have in the works? 

AK - At the moment I am working on two movies in India, one is a comedy called No Problem, which is a mainstream Indian film and I play a cop, and then there’s I Shall, which is based on Jane Austen’s Emma. Both these films are almost in post-production and they’ll be released this year. As soon as I return to India I’ll be doing a play, which is going to tour all over the world.  

What has made a career in this industry rewarding for you so far? 

AK - I’ve been very fortunate from the first time I faced the camera, and it’s always been in terms of satisfaction as well as financial stability, education and meeting people all over the world. I’m not a very academically educated person, but I think being educated is through people and people I work with and the work I’ve done in films, etc. So it’s been very, very rewarding for me. 

As noted above, photo by Kelsey McNeal and copyright of Fox, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Gregory Itzin Returns In Season Eight of 24

Blast from the past - 24/Day 6 - Former President Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) and Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). Photo copyright of Fox

THE anticipation for Season Eight of 24 continues to surge with Gregory Itzin reprising his acclaimed role as Charles Logan. The Emmy award-winning drama starring Kiefer Sutherland returns for its next astonishing day with a two-night, four-hour premiere event Sunday, January 17th, 2010 (9 p.m. – 11 p.m. EST/PST) and Monday, January 18th, 2010 (8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST/PST).

The disgraced former President Logan was last seen after being shockingly stabbed by First Lady Martha Logan (Jean Smart) in Season Six. Itzin’s return to 24 will bring together the series’ two Emmy-nominated “presidents” for the first time when sitting President Allison Taylor (Emmy award-winner Cherry Jones) reluctantly enlists Logan to assist with an escalating international diplomatic crisis.

When asked about this onscreen pairing, 24 executive producer Howard Gordan said, “The opportunity for these two remarkable actors to share the stage was simply too compelling to pass up.”

Season Eight resets in New York City where a retired Jack Bauer (Sutherland) is unwillingly drawn back into the intense action after learning of a plot to assassinate Middle Eastern peace-keeping leader Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor). Meanwhile, Renee Walker (Annie Wersching) and Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) return alongside CTU newcomer Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff), Brian Hastings (Mykelti Williamson) and Cole Ortiz (Freddie Prinze Jr.).

As noted above, photo is copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Dollhouse’s Eliza Dushku – A Not-So-Distant Echo

Jamie Bamber (Martin Klar) and Eliza Dushku (Echo) in the season two Dollhouse premiere "Vows." Photo copyright of Fox Television

What would you give to have the perfect man or woman to perform everything from a daring heist to a kinky sexual act? That is the premise behind Fox TV’s Dollhouse, which stars Eliza Dushku as Caroline Farrell, a former college activist who, against her will, has her personality and memory wiped and becames an “Active” or “Doll” for a worldwide organization called  The Dollhouse. As Echo, she is programmed with various personalities depending on the needs of the person or persons who hire her. At the end of the show’s first year, our heroine had started to regain snippets of who she once was, and this (second) season, Echo is fighting to regain her true self while fighting The Dollhouse from within. 

The daughter of an Albanian-American administrator father and Danish-American professor mother, Eliza Dushku was raised with ambition in her blood. At the early age of 10, she was discovered by casting agents for the lead role of Alice in the feature film That Night.

Most recently, Dushku co-starred with Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman in Bottle Shock, a drama about the birth of the Napa Valley wine country. In 1993, the actress landed the role of Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in This Boy’s Life. The following year, she starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies, opposite Paul Reiser in Bye Bye, Love and alongside Halle Berry in Race the Sun.

After high school, Dushku returned to acting with the role of Faith Lehane in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though initially planned as a five-episode arc, the character became so popular that the actress stayed on for the entire third season and returned for a two-part appearance the following season. The remainder of her original story arc was played out in the first season of the spin-off Angel. Repentant and rededicated, Faith returned as a heroine in a number of later episodes of Angel and the last five episodes of Buffy.

A few weeks ago, Dushku graciously spent part of her day off speaking with me and other journalists on a conference call about season two of Dollhouse. Here is an edited version of that Q & A. Enjoy!

How do you feel the direction of this (second) season differs from the last one?

ELIZA DUSHKU - Well, there’s so much being cracked open and explored, especially with Echo having this new place that she’s in, in terms of what we picked up from last year. She had all these personalities downloaded into her in one swift punch, and they’re not going away. This year, Echo is still tapping into these personalities. Sometimes it’s of her control, other times it’s not. Overall, she’s absorbing things from her engagements as well as The Dollhouse and she’s really becoming self-aware. However, it’s not necessarily as Caroline, but as Echo, as her own person, so she’s definitely more complicated. This season it’s a little darker all around. We’ll explore things such as the origins of some of the other Dolls as well as other characters. We’re also bringing in a number of guest-stars and other fabulous people, so there’s a lot of exciting stuff happening this year.

What trouble will Echo run into during her attempts to save everyone?

ED - I’m sure every kind and all kinds because it’s a Joss Whedon show. We’re starting episode seven and there are so many directions as well as layers. It’s all over the map. Of course, one of the main storylines is Agent Paul Ballard’s [Tahmoh Penikett], who spent last season trying to get into The Dollhouse. Now that he’s in and Echo’s handler, he’s working with her and they may possibly be trying to bring The Dollhouse down from the inside. We also get some backstory involving Dell [Olivia Williams] and her superiors along with other Dollhouses around the country and the world. We get an idea of just how big the Rossum Corporation is, and Summer Glau [Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles] will be joining us as well. She’ll play a programmer from the D.C. Dollhouse, and we’ll get an idea of the way the other houses are being run.

How does a Watertown (Massachusetts) girl become Joss Whedon’s muse?

ED - That’s such a funny and good question, and I have no idea. When I made my audition tape for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I went to the Arsenal Mall [in Watertown, Massachusetts] and bought my outfit at Contempo Casuals. I remember telling the clerk that I was making a tape for Buffy and they were so excited. And then I was actually emancipated by a Boston judge, who was also a Buffy fan. Obviously it’s a show that dealt with vampires who come out at night, and I was still technically a minor, so I had a great judge who emancipated me so that I could go out to Los Angeles and do the show. Fortunately, I was already out of high school at that time. I guess I’ve always gotten by with a little help from my friends, in Boston and everywhere else.

What do you like about working with Joss and doing his shows?

ED - First and foremost, I love the guy as a friend. Joss has been a friend, a brother, a teacher, a mentor, but the other obvious thing is just his talent. Joss’ skill is so beautiful to me, and he’s just wildly creative as well as smart, a feminist,  funny, dark, scary and twisted. Joss combines all that and more into such a sweet little package, and he gets me every time.

As great as the show is, as talented as the cast is, and as clever as Joss and his team are, obviously you want people to watch the show, and I’m just wondering, do you think Fox has put the show in a position for that to happen, airing you on Friday night after a comedy?

ED - Well, I think they realized last year that people who wanted to find the show did, and, obviously, there has been a lot of talk about DVR and TiVo and how we really are alive for a second season because of that in a major way. I can see how they would say that people found the show last year, so we’re just going to leave it where it is and hope that that continues.

Ratings are obviously important, but, you know, having a professor for a mother, she always taught us about qualitative versus quantitative research. I know we’re making a quality show and that we have quality fans and people who tune in experience something different and out of the ordinary. There are so many shows on TV that are instant hits; we’re not that, but we have a core following, and I think that people check the show out and aren’t intimidated by it. In fact, they find themselves being sucked in pretty easily. It’s sharp, intelligent fun. Sometimes it’s off-the-wall TV, too, and I know that when I’m spending an hour of my life sitting down to watch the boob tube, I love getting a rich experience out of it. And I’ve always found that to be true with Joss, in particular, as well as his shows. Having been given a second season, we’re just so grateful to the fans and to Fox for giving us another chance, and we’re making the most of it.

You and Summer Glau shot a promo last year, and back then your two shows kind of were fighting for the last spot in the line-up. Now that she’s part of your show, what’s the dynamic like between you and her?

ED - Summer is great. I love her. We’ve had such a good time during the past two episodes. She has come in with her A-game and is such a sweet, positive and fun actress. Summer is great to play off of. Our characters have some backstory that we have to fight out, and so that’s a lot of fun. Also, anyone who’s from Joss’ past and who he’s bringing back to work with, I assume he had a great working relationship with them. He wouldn’t bring any bad eggs into our house, so I can always pretty much safely know that we’re going to have the cream of the crop coming back and coming in.

You mentioned that Echo was kind of all over the place this year as a character; as an actor, how do you approach that?

ED - It’s easier this year because we don’t have as much of that sort of ‘dumb down Doll’ with Echo. She has all these personalities and is the sum of all these parts, including Caroline. At the same time, she’s not really any of these personalities, but is, in fact, Echo. There’s something grounding in that, and there’s a strength in the personality that she’s forming through that. Echo is picking and pulling information from all these different people that she’s been, and as a result she’s coming to understand and form her own ethics and morals. This character is constantly absorbing, thinking and processing, whereas last year she was switching from this dumb down Doll to a singular personality imprint, and it was always a different one. This season, there’s something going on inside Echo that’s not just what you’re seeing on the surface and it’s fun for me to play.

It seemed that you guys had such a strong fan base even before the show premiered. Do you guys pay attention to the blog sites and what the fans are saying when you’re coming up with how to shape the episodes and the series as a whole?

ED - I know that Joss and I have always paid attention to the fan love, and we love the fans right back, absolutely. I don’t know how much he takes tips from the fans when it comes to storylines. On the contrary, from what I’ve seen, when he sees someone falling in love with a character, he’s been known to assassinate that character or do something else terrible to him or her. Maybe that’s a blessing in itself, but Joss definitely has a mind of his own. Within the group of writers, they aren’t really conformists, I can confidently say. So whether it’s fans or critics or studios for that matter, they do their best work when they’re sort of left alone and they reveal things as and when they feel they should be revealed. And that goes for me and the other actors as well.

Sometimes it’s really exciting for me. I don’t want to necessarily know what’s going to happen three episodes down the road because it may affect the way I’m playing Echo today. I enjoy the thrill, the adrenaline that comes from reading the next new chapter, and the next layer that Joss reveals is one of the most exhilarating things that I’ve experienced as an actress.

Is there a particular role or character in an upcoming episode that you’re going to play that was hard for you to get into, and if so, why?

ED - Well, I’ll tell you, playing a mother was certainly something I hadn’t expected. I’m an aunt, and I’ve always loved other peoples’ children and babies, but playing a mother and trying to tap into that maternal instinct was a challenge, but also a thrill, and a beautiful thing, too.

Do you sit down with a script and break it down insofar as how aware Echo is of what’s going on with her, or do you just sort of do a scene and see what feels right in how to play it?

ED - We’re absolutely breaking it down more this year because those realized moments with my character are much stronger. It’s actually been deeper work for me, but, again, it makes the character more interesting and challenging for me to play. I have to say it’s been a blessing this year to also be shooting in HD [high-definition] because we have more time,which means i get to spend a lot more time with the material and these characters and their glitches, etc. I feel like that’s paying off for me a lot this year, and that my performance has gotten stronger and more honest.

In the season opener with Jamie Bamber there’s that scene in the office where he catches me, then bashes my head off the table, and then I end up in that sort of tailspin. I sort of famously now burst into tears in the middle of that scene because it was so emotional, and I now feel this real connection to the character that came from the inception of the show. Joss and I have tried to make this character a little bit based on me where it’s this struggle, this battle of who I  am. Even with all the pressures of society and things pouring in on me, where does that break and where is my authentic self, and how it feels to stand and live in that. So it’s very personal as well as exciting, terrifying and gratifying.

Do you feel like Dollhouse is really about the experience of being an actor living and working, in particular, in Los Angeles, and people expecting you to kind of fulfill their fantasies and the dark side of that? Is that something you feel when playing Echo?

ED - Yes, I absolutely think there’s a layer or more of that. When Joss and I had our infamous lunch, that was one of the threads and one of the themes, but I think it also translates to young women all over the world. I was the only girl in a family with three boys, and I remember my mother reading this book called Reviving Ophelia about adolescent girls and the way young women are broken down starting in their teens, where they’re starting to get hit from all sides by images in the media and how things start to change in their lives, especially when it comes to their fathers as well as their peers. It’s like the spirit of a young woman is so fragile and can be so toyed with and broken. My mother was always aware of that and really tried to fight against it and to teach me how to be comfortable in my own skin and all of that. So when I sat talking about that stuff with Joss, it’s so extraordinary that, as a man, he tapped into that in such a profound and intelligent way. I can’t think of anyone else that gets that and can create a fantasy show that encompasses such a universal and serious thing in our society. So it’s definitely parallel to me and, I feel, to women all over the world.

How much closer will Echo get to rediscovering her true self this season?

ED - Every single episode it’s been a little bit more. Again, we’re on episode seven now, and in this one we’ve been building to a real extreme. I’m scared to say too much because I don’t want to ruin it for the viewers, but Echo really is becoming an entirely different character in many ways. She’s getting further away from Caroline, even though she is Echo’s original self. Caroline is there, but Echo is discovering things about her that are unsavory or that are not Echo.

The development of my character has been so exciting and fascinating because of the way Joss and the writers pick pieces from each of her experiences and weave them into this new character. So you’ll be seeing a whole new Echo this season who is the sum of all the parts that she’s been.

They just released a film you did called Open Graves that kind of flew in under the radar. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

ED - I shot Open Graves in Spain about two-and-a-half years ago, and as is sometimes the case in this business, there are times that movies don’t come together at the pace or with the expectation that was initially intended. I actually haven’t seen the movie. It premiered on TV when I was in Italy, but I have yet to even watch it on my TiVo. The movie was a cool experience. I was interested in working with the director [Alvaro de Arminan], who had worked very closely with [producer/writer/director] Pedro Almodovar, and I thought the script had some interesting and different Sci-Fi/Horror twists to it. I enjoy working in that genre but it never quite gelled into the movie that I had anticipated, but, again, it happens, but you keep going. You don’t quit, and I certainly won’t quit that genre.

How much of a factor does (the Dollhouse episode ) Epitaph One play into season two, because it wasn’t originally broadcast but is part of the DVD set. Joss Whedon was saying that he’d like to revisit that in the future. Could you tell us a bit about that, please.

ED - Epitaph was so well done and it brought me to tears. Truly, when Joss told me about it, I wondered how the hell he was going to do it, but I was just so impressed and proud of him and everyone involved. It was such a beautiful episode and I think it’s a shame that it didn’t air here [in the States]. But also the fact that it didn’t air was sort of the reason we came back, because they didn’t end the story. Getting picked up for a second season, the network probably wanted to pick up where we left off.

I know that in the first episode of this season, Joss originally planned on weaving some of that [Epitaph] into it, but there was already so much to cover. We had Amy Acker [Dr. Claire Saunders], who we’re not going to be able to have with us for the entire season, so we had her character’s storyline and we had to have a big, fierce engagement. So we took anything to do with it [Epitaph] out, but I do know Joss wants to slice in some stuff into future episodes. I loved the way the future looked, so dark and terrifying, and I hope we see more of it.

As noted above, photo is copyright of Fox Television, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Fringe’s Leonard Nimoy – For Whom The Bell Tolls

Leonard Nimoy as Fringe's William Bell. Photo copyright of Fox Television

IN the original Star Trek series, Leonard Nimoy’s character of Mr. Spock had to figure out a way to help his fellow crewmates get back from an alternate universe in the second season episode Mirror, Mirror. Now, years later, the actor is playing another character, Fringe‘s William Bell, who apparently has information about a parallel universe. Introduced in the season one finale, There’s More Than One of Everything, Bell returned in the recently telecast year two episode Momentum Deferred, which shed some light on Agent Olivia Dunham’s (Anna Torv) past and her alternate-reality encounter. Nimoy has already reprised his role for an upcoming episode, which will hopefully reveal more of Bell’s true motives.

Earlier this month, Mr. Nimoy joined me and other journalists on a conference call to discuss his work on Fringe as well as his acting career in general. An edited version of that Q & A follows. Enjoy!

Did you have any reservations about taking on another role with the potential of such a fanatic following?

LEONARD NIMOY - I love this question. I can’t help but laugh because you’re absolutely right. It’s an interesting set of circumstances. What attracted me to it were several things – J.J. Abrams, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who I worked with on the Star Trek movie. I admire their talents and the work that they do. The series is at the very least to say intriguing. The character of William Bell was somewhat of a blank slate, but we began talking about it, and it was attractive to me because there was an opportunity to build an interesting and unpredictable character. I’m enjoying it a lot.

So lately it seems as if you’re J.J. Abrams’ muse of sorts. Can you tell us a little bit more about your relationship with him?

LN - Well, I first met him, I guess about three years ago when he first contacted me about the possibility of working together, and I went to a meeting with him, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman as well as some of his production staff. They told me a very good, strong and touching story about their feelings surrounding Star Trek and, specifically, the Spock character. And that gave me a sense of validation after all these years. I had been out of it [Trek] for some time, as you’re probably aware. There were several Star Trek TV series and movies in which I was not involved, so this was a re-validation of the work we’d done on the original Star Trek. I felt very good about it and went to work for them. I had a great time doing the [Star Trek X1] movie. I think they did a brilliant job, and the audience response shows that that was the case and has reinvigorated the franchise. So when they contacted me about doing Fringe – with the same creative team and attitude - it was very enticing.

Had you seen Fringe? Were you a fan of the show prior to that?

LN - I watched it periodically and think it’s extremely well-done. It’s very nuanced and complex. It’s a mixture of Science and Science-Fiction in an interesting and intelligent way. It tells a terribly compelling story, and the character that I was offered was potentially an extremely intriguing, controversial and fascinating one, which is very inviting for an actor.

I was wondering how you felt about the current state of Science-Fiction on TV and film?

LN - Well, I’m concerned about the positioning of story in terms of importance. When I see a lot of explosions and chases, I’m not terribly impressed. I think there are three important elements that must be given priority in Science-Fiction as well as any other kind of drama. The first is story, the second is story, and the third is story. Story, story, story, story, story. If the story is compelling and interesting, I think the rest will find its place. We have great technology in our industry, and that technology can be overused at the expense of story. That’s a problem for me, but when the story is in place, I think the special effects can find their proper place as well. Fringe uses the technology brilliantly and in the service of excellent storytelling.

Are there any other projects you’re currently involved with?

LN - I’m doing a lot of photography work. That’s one of my major creative outlets right now. I have an exhibition, Secret Selves, which is opening at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art next year and I’m really excited about that. Check out my website – LeonardNimoyPhotography.com

You had not been acting for a while, and then you’ve done Star Trek and Fringe pretty recently together. Having stepped away for a while and then returned, are your feelings about acting what they were, or have they changed?

LN - Well, I’m enjoying it. I’m very comfortable in the two offers that I’ve accepted. The Star Trek movie was a joy to do. I admire the production team that made the film, and I admire the new cast, too. Zachary Quinto, I thought, was a great choice for the new Spock and it was a pleasure to work with him and all the other people on the project. The Fringe character was intriguing because, as I’ve mentioned, it was kind of a blank slate and we had some very interesting and intense conversations about what we might or might not learn from him, and what we might or might not trust about him. These are fascinating opportunities for an actor, and they came from a group of people I had respect for. They piqued my interest and I went back to work. Frankly, I did not expect to be acting so much at this time in my life. My concentration was on my photography, but I’m having a wonderful time doing it.

After your role on Star Trek, your projects weighed heavily towards the Sci-Fi genre. Were you always a big fan of Sci-Fi?

LN - Well, it’s a good thing if you can find your niche as an actor and be able to support a family. Very early on – I’m talking many, many years ago, probably 1950 or 51 – I acted in my first Science-Fiction project, and I’ve since acted in Science-Fiction over the years. That first project is probably not terribly well-know. I thought it was going to rocket me to stardom, if you’ll pardon the expression. It didn’t quite work. It was a great project called Zombies of the Stratosphere, and I was the third of a group of zombies that came to Earth to take over its orbit. It’s funny as I think about it now, but it was a way of making a living. Science-Fiction seems to be a fertile ground for the kind of work that I do, the kind of presence that I offer, and I’m grateful for it and the niche it’s given me.

Have they mentioned anything about their needs for you on an upcoming Star Trek movie?

LN - My understanding is that they’re working on a script right now. I expect there’s going to be some time before they know exactly who and what they need. I frankly doubt, though, that I will be called upon again. I think I was useful in the last film to help bridge the gap between the original characters, the original actors, and the new cast. They have a wonderful new cast in place now and I’m sure they’ll move ahead with them. So I don’t see why they would need me in the next film, although if they called me, I’d be happy to have a conversation about it.

Your character of William Bell believes the world has “soft spots” – do you believe in this as well?

LN - What the show deals with in this wonderfully intriguing way is a question of an alternate universe through which one can slip through from one universe to another. I’ve been involved in stories of this kind before. I did a series called In Search Of…some years ago in which we dealt with subject matter like this. In terms of whether it’s scientifically accurate, I think that’s a question you’d have to ask people like Stephen Hawking.I’m not a scientist, and I can’t really tell you whether or not there is a soft spot where you could slip through to another world, but I think the Fringe series deals with that idea in a very intriguing way.

Do you believe William Bell is good or evil?

LN - That’s a really wonderful question. Time will tell.

What sort of acting challenges have you found playing the William Bell character?

LN - Well, the first thing was some wonderful and creative conversations that I had with J. J. Abrams, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman as well as Jeff Pinkner, who’s the show runner, to try to create from scratch a character that’s never been seen before, but only been referred to. There are certain things that were a given, including that he’s a power figure and a very wealthy and obviously terribly intelligent man with a scientific background. But in terms of characteristics, we started from scratch, and I think in the episode that recently aired [Momentum Deferred], a lot more of those characteristics were made evident. It’s great fun to be building the character from scratch, with certain givens, but so much to be developed as well in terms of the way he talks, walks, idiosyncracies, his tastes, is he difficult, is he gruff, is he charming, is he a nice guy, what are his real intentions? All of these are great exploration for an actor.

Can you talk a little bit about your love of photography and where that comes from?

LN - I became enamored of photography when I was about 13 or 14 years old and I’ve been at it ever since. I studied seriously in the 70′s and have a Masters degree in photography as a fine art. I would call my work primarily conceptual. I don’t carry cameras with me where I go. I get an idea of a subject matter I want to deal with and then I pull out my cameras. I have published two books – one is called Shekhina about the feminine aspect of God, and the second is called The Full Body Project, which deals with body images in our society.

You had your scene with Olivia (Anna Torv) in the recent episode; did you get a chance to meet any of the other actors and, if so, did you form an opinion of them?

LN - No, I have not worked with the others, only Anna so far. I think she does a wonderful job in the show, they all do, and I’m looking forward to meeting and working with the rest of the cast. They’re all very talented people and I admire the work they do.

What do you think of Anna Torv as an actor and a person?

LN - I think she’s really excellent in the role. We spent a bit of time working together and I was impressed with the way she works. I’ve seen quite a bit of her work on the screen. I think she handles a wide range of activities, from internalized psychological questions to all sorts of physical stuff, quite well. She’s extremely competent and interesting to watch. I think she’s terrific.

Have you found that there’s anything different in the way TV is done these days or what it requires of you as an actor, or is that aspect of the work still pretty much the same?

LN - I think it’s safe to say that what an audience is seeing today onscreen in a TV episode is far more complex than what we were doing when, for example, making the original Star Trek series in the 60′s. We were very heavy on pages and pages of dialogue and very little special effects, but because the technology has advanced so greatly, it’s possible to do some very complex, exciting and very useful technical stuff on a show these days. So we don’t have to rely quite as much on the story being told by the actors speaking. On the other hand, there’s a danger, as I mentioned earlier, of going too far with the special effects at the expense of the story. However, if the story is well done, if the story is in place strongly, the special effects can be enormously helpful to the actors, far more so than they were years ago when we were doing Star Trek. Delivering exposition is the toughest part of the job, and if it can be done visually and physically, it’s a big help.

Looking to the future, do you have any goals in mind, any invisible timeline where you just want to get out of the spotlight and retire, focus on photography, etc.

LN - I thought I had reached that point some years ago. I like to think about myself as an oceanliner that’s been going full speed for a long distance, and the captain pulls the throttle back all the way to “stop,” but the ship doesn’t stop immediately, does it? It has its own momentum and keeps on going, and I’m very flattered that people are still finding me useful. I try to pick my spots so that I have a balance between the work and my personal life, which I enjoy very much. I don’t know that I would actually any longer say, ‘No, I’m going to stop, 10, 12, 15 months or two years from now.’ I don’t know. I still feel strong and healthy and active, and as long as there’s interesting work to do, I’ll probably keep on doing it.

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