“Fargate” special: Ben Browder speaks
Ben Browder wants to set the record straight.
Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune, 10th Feb 2005
[On watching all eight previous seasons of “Stargate SG-1” for the past few weeks] It’s not like it’s a burden, but it does take some time. Your family does end wanting to kill you. “But honey, the Tok’ra are in trouble!”
[On how he will pronounce the name of “SG-1” marquee enemy, the Goa’uld] Whatever Chris Judge [Teal’c] says is right. He knows. I mean, if you’re working for them, you must know what their name was, and he worked for them. Either that or I’ll just imitate Daniel Jackson [Michael Shanks’ character]. Or I’ll come up with a new pronunciation that will have nothing to do with anything that has come before.
[On meeting various “SG-1” people in advance of arriving in Vancouver] I’ve met a number of the writers and producers. Martin Wood, [executive producer] Brad Wright — Brad and I got on really well. I’ve met Joe Mallozzi and his writing partner [Paul Mullie], and I’ve met Michael Shanks.
[Whom you don’t look like at all] Yeah, he’s my secret brother [laughs]. We don’t look that much alike. That’s a myth. He’s six foot and built, and I’m 5 foot 3, 235 lbs and pasty.
[On whether “Stargate SG-1” and “Farscape” share a sense of humor] “Farscape was probably guilty of more irony that perhaps SG-1 is. I don’t know. They certainly have a sense of humor about it. We’ll see when I get up there how much of that was Richard Dean Anderson and how much is other people. You never really know, even after watching a show, because shows change, they evolve, they become different, that’s all due to the producers and where the story is going and the persons involved in telling the story. Season nine will probably be different from season eight and my only problem is that people will attribute that to me.
[On joining a show in its eighth season] It’ll be interesting for me to join a production going on for that extended period of time, to integrate into that environment. Everyone knows each other and knows the routine. Truthfully everyone up there knows what they’re doing and know their jobs, I’ll just be trying to figure out where the bathrooms are. In my first month or two I’m really just going to be learning names and where the bathrooms are and when’s lunch.
Probably a reasonable analogy is going to a new high school in senior year, it may be even more accurate to say, it’ll be like joining a high school football team senior year and trying to find your space.
[On contributing to the writing, as he did on “Farscape”] As far as stories and characters, that’s all someone else’s job. In a way, that’s kind of comforting. There are a lot of people there responsible for the show. My job is to do the best I can [bringing those stories to life]. Every time you get a job as an actor, you’re like “Great, I have a job!” Followed by, “Oh God, it’s gonna be my last job. I’m gonna be terrible.” I’m coming into a series that’s been successful for eight years — I’ve got to learn how they do things.
With “Farscape” it was an invitation to do [writing], I wouldn’t push to do that on “Stargate,” there’s way too much for me to learn before I figure out if I have anything to contribute or not. To presume that my job on the show is to write – it’s not my show. I may have watched the entire series, but I don’t know it the way that the people doing the show know it. It would be presumptuous of me to come in and say, “I want to write.”
[On working with Claudia Black in Season Nine of “SG-1”] They’ve shown a great degree of intelligence by hiring Claudia and bringing her in to do as much as they want her to do. Claudia is a great actress and it’ll be good for me to have a friend there. Is it weird for two actors from one show to be on another show [together]? Who knows. We’re gonna be playing different characters, and I’m not sure how big the [`SG-1’/ `Farscape’] crossover audience is. Most people won’t care past the first scene.
[On his new character] The truth is, I plan on doing everything exactly the same as John Crichton would [laughs]. No, the similarities [between Crichton and his new character] end fairly abruptly. I was talking with the producers, who were saying, “How does it feel to play another military character?” But John was an anti-military character, especially through the first year of “Farscape.” He was not in the military. He was a civilian pilot. Both characters fly planes, that’s about it [as far as similarities go].
Who the character is – that’s to be determined. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do sometimes until I’ve done it. I have certain ideas, but my ideas are as likely to change as the wind. I haven’t met most of the cast face to face, I haven’t met the directors, there’s a lot for me to figure out.
[On comparisons between “Stargate” and “Farscape”] I know something about both series, they are sort of related. They were both on Sci Fi and they were in close proximity to each other for a period of time. I’m aware of the links but I’m also aware that they’re very different creatures. Fans of both will realize that. I’m an actor, I’m there to serve the story and the script and beyond that, what it means, well, I’m grateful to Sci Fi for allowing me to join another show on the network.
[On “Stargate’s” evolution] At a certain point, you have to keep swimming or die, you have to keep moving or die. Most shows, you look at great shows in TV, “Cheers” or “MASH,” any long-running shows, they have their transitions. “NYPD Blue,” too. The show itself, the story being told, is what’s important. You can change out cast members and the show will survive. Shows add characters, they lose characters, that’s the nature of a solid show.
Even in four years on “Farscape,” we lost characters and added characters. Whether the audience embraces that [on “Stargate”] or how they respond – there’s absolutely nothing I can do about that. Other than enjoy the experience and see where the thing goes and hope the producers feel that they made a good decision.
The great thing with introducing a new character is that he’s got no powers. He’s useless. That’s a great thing. He can’t sense when a symbiont is present. He doesn’t know anything about Ancient technology. He’s not a translator.
If nothing else, it’s going to be interesting. That’s a good thing. On the bright side, everyone can blame me if it doesn’t work out.
[A few random favorite episodes] “The Torment of Tantalus,” “Cold Lazarus” and “Heroes.”
Read the full article in Maureen Ryan’s column at the Chicago Tribune