Lou Diamond Phillips Fan Q&A

Stargate Universe star Lou Diamond Phillips was the guest blogger at executive producer Joe Mallozzi’s weblog recently wherein he answered several questions put forth by fans.

Here are a few highlights:

Acting was my dream from a young age and I pursued it in high school and college (I have a BFA in Theatre from the University of Texas at Arlington) I truly love this Art form and this craft and feel it should be approached with respect and diligence. Still grateful to be doing what I’m doing.

I was not a regular viewer of the previous incarnations but I certainly have respect for the success they achieved and am grateful that their legacy has been passed on to us. Having said that, I would like to think that SGU can stand on its own and perhaps even expand and build upon what has come before. Since I was virtually an SG virgin (although I loved the feature film written and produced by my buddy Dean Devlin) I came into this show with no preconceptions and could honestly and without baggage put my own stamp on this character and this world. I know many of the other cast members feel the same way.

Believe me, at my age, I have to hit the gym not only to make up for the food I love but just to maintain a shape I’ve had most of my life. (These SGU bastards like seeing me in fight scenes and will sometimes get my shirt off! Pervs!)…

I have to say, the SGU set is one of the most joyful sets I’ve ever been on. Everyone has a sense of humor and everyone is funny! We laugh a lot which is ironic for such an intense and sometimes dark show.

Acting in front of the green screen is probably one of the most difficult and frightening propositions there is. Obviously, there’s nothing really there and you have to imagine what it is you’re looking at, be it a spaceship an exploding star or a bunch of aliens. It requires a lot of focus, consistency and a huge amount of trust because you have to commit to it fully to help create the illusion. It can make you feel pretty stupid but you have to let go and put your self-consciousness aside. It’s an old saying but, if you believe it, the audience will believe it. All that said, our VFX team on SGU, led by wizard Mark Savela, are brilliant and always make us look good. I’m blown away by what they accomplish on a weekly basis and it gives the cast a lot of confidence when we have to deal with otherworldly stuff. In addition, they usually provide us with renderings that help us imagine what we are seeing and can adjust the timbre of our performances. I really think they are the finest team working on television effects today! (As evidenced by their recent Emmy nomination!)

I have to say the last 3 eps (Subversion, Incursion 1&2) were probably my faves of the work I did in Season 1. Lots of meat for Telford and the great reveal that he was a brainwashed spy! Fun stuff to play. Plus, the character’s arc in three eps took so many twists and turns and there were so many levels to play in his interaction with Young, TJ, Kiva et al. And, since it was a continuous storyline, it truly felt like we were filming a movie instead of a TV show. (Although, I have to say the quality of the show on a daily basis rivals a lot of features I’ve been on.) That said, I truly enjoyed making Earth as well. Probably one of the trippiest love scenes I’ve ever been a part of!

Make sure to visit The Greatest Lou Diamond Phillips Interview Ever! for the rest.

Stargate Universe is scheduled to return at the end of this month on Tuesday, September 28, at 9 PM ET on Syfy. We’ll soon the learn the fate of Phillips’ Colonel David Telford and get some of the answers that Phillips himself had to avoid giving away in this incredibly long and informative interview!