Stargate star Michael Shanks did a phone interview with Sci Fi Talk Live host Tony Tellado about the actor’s recent projects. The focus of the interview was Living Out Loud, the Hallmark Channel movie that is premiering this weekend, May 2, but the two did get to touch on Stargate Universe, Stargate SG-1‘s two DTV movies, the upcoming SG-1 movie that has been green-lit for fall shooting, Desperate Escape, Burn Notice, Rage of Angels, and even Amanda Tapping’s Sanctuary.
Tellado was very complimentary about Shanks’ performance in Living Out Loud (see “Catching Up with Michael Shanks”), a movie about the impact that breast cancer can have on not only the woman who’s been diagnosed, but her family as well. Shanks plays the husband to Gail O’Grady’s character. He talked about how great it was working with O’Grady and director Anne Wheeler and even admits that he got a little choked up when he watched the movie with his ten-year-old daughter. Tellado rates it as a “three hanky” movie.
Concerning the Stargate franchise, Shanks talked about how very much different Stargate Universe is from its predecessors. But he feels that going in a different direction was necessary for a third installment of the franchise that is to run so closely with the SG-1 and SGA movies. “It’s not your daddy’s Stargate, basically,” he declared, but at the same time commended Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper for their bravery in taking this new direction.
Long-time fans can still look forward to “old-school” Stargate with the third SG-1 movie, which has been green-lit (the production has its financing from MGM) and will begin shooting in the fall. He didn’t have any details concerning the movie’s plot, but did mention that Richard Dean Anderson’s Jack O’Neill has a larger role than in Continuum. Filming in the fall will help the production take advantage of the end of Universe‘s filming for its first season (scheduled for around October 23) and of Amanda Tapping’s and director Martin Wood’s availability after shooting their own television show Sanctuary.
Speaking of Sanctuary, Shanks mentioned that he and Tapping touched bases when they appeared at the Vancouver Creation Con a few weeks ago and discussed the fact that the show’s casting director mentioned his name for a possible guest role. At the end of the day, though, Tapping wants Sanctuary to not be so heavily linked to Stargate, so the chances are that we’ll never see Shanks appear on that show.
Rage of Angels with his production partner Christopher Judge is currently in “development hell.” Because of its uncertain status, Shanks has had to move on from it. Although he didn’t mention his recent casting in the pilot of The Eastmans in the interview, that particular job is an example of his continuing to actively seek new roles in various types of projects. Tellado complimented him on his performance as Victor in Burn Notice and stated that he’s noticed a change in the actor’s work, feeling that he’s at the top of his game right now. Shanks agreed that he’s more mature, but at the same time, is still growing up.
The interview starts at around the 10:15 mark (I used the “open in your default player” option to download and play the file).
Thanks for summarizing the interview. I probably won’t be able to listen to it for a few days, so it’s very helpful.