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Interview: Alaina Huffman and Jamil Walker Smith - Page 2 of 2 - SciFiNow

Interview: Alaina Huffman and Jamil Walker Smith

We talk to the actors behind TJ and Greer on Stargate Universe.

nup_135134_0287You mentioned that the show has an inbuilt fan base, but do you think that has also made it come under more scrutiny from critics and fans as a result, and has that been difficult for you?

JWS: You’re absolutely right about that. It’s not difficult for us to deal with because we’re in Canada, in Vancouver. So we’re kind of isolated.

Come and get us?

JWS: Yeah! We’re in an isolated community, so unless I go and search out the information online…

Do you?

JWS: No, I make a point not to.

AH: There are dedicated websites…

JWS: To hating us.

AH: We all know which ones they are.

JWS: Tell them.

AH: No! We’re not going there, no. Absolutely, I think that the Stargate brand helped us. Up to a point we were riding coattails of course, you can’t help it, you have this in built audience. But at the same I think it’s really difficult to say “You know what? We’re going to take this brand and go a whole different direction with it” and to stick to your guns. I think that’s the hardest part; I wouldn’t want to be in [the producer’s] shoes. But that being said, they were very excited about getting a new audience as well, and appeasing the old audience.

JWS: Can we tell them we’re moving?

AH: To Tuesday nights? Yeah, we’re moving to Tuesday nights.

Because of the wrestling?

JWS: Oh is that why?

Yeah, [Syfy] bought a big wrestling show they’re putting on Friday nights, so you’re moved to Tuesdays.

AH: I think that’ll help.

JWS: Yeah, we’re talking about expanding our audience, and Tuesday night isn’t a night where everyone’s out and DVRing – is that what it is? DVRing shows.

Now you’re into season two, how is the atmosphere on set? Less nervous perhaps?

JWS: We’re never nervous, I wouldn’t say that.

AH: We always get along, everyone enjoys each other – because we’re such an ensemble, there’ll be an episode that goes by and you’ll be like “God, I didn’t work with so and so in the last five days”.

JWS: But the answer to that question is that even if it was horrible, no actor would ever say that to a journalist. “The on vibe set is horrible! I can’t stand that guy and that girl!” What I’ll say about that question – the mood and the energy on-set starts from the top down. And when I say ‘top’ I mean the real top line, who are the veterans. And that’s Louis Ferreira, and Bobby Carlyle, Lou Philips and Ming Na. And they are super professional, their doors are always open and they leave their egos at the door, so to speak. So they set that tone, and we all just kind of work in and around that, and it makes it very conducive to working. You know we live charmed… Look, if you don’t know what you want to do, think about acting. Because it is a charmed life. We eat like kings and queens, get to spend all day in your trailer smoking cigarettes and watching movies, and from time to time you go on set, stand on a mark and do it.

AH: He’s never had kids. I have to do laundry and cook dinner. No it’s a great atmosphere and he’s absolutely right. I think on a big feature the tone of the set is set by the director, and on a show it’s set by your number one. That’s Bobby Carlyle, he’s amazing to say the least, he’s salt of the earth, as well as Ming, Louis, Lou, and all of – we have a great supporting cast too, Volker and Park and James and we all get along famously.

Just coming back to the previous point about the show making its own identity. It’s interesting that in the later episodes of the season you’ve chosen to bring an antagonist from SG-1 into the forefront again. Do you think that’s maybe a creative misstep, given all the steps SGU has taken to individualise itself?

JWS: I’d say one of the things that’s interesting to me about what Brad and Robert have done over 15 years is create this mythology. You could write a dictionary…

AH: There is one, there’s a bible.

JWS: Yeah, a bible or encyclopaedia. So when you have a well that deep of history, I have no problem tapping into it. It’s just how you do it.

AH: I think it’s actually a really nice marriage as well. Coming into a new series with a new fan base, as someone who hasn’t seen the previous two Stargates, I follow everything fine. That being said, if you’re a fan of the previous Stargates, it’s something that you recognise. So you can still enjoy a new show and have the mythology from the other two series, and that is something – they created a world, and that’s amazing.

We spoke about not needing to spend as much time on character development in the next season. Is there going to be more action then, a chance to hook fans of the previous series who maybe haven’t been tuning in already?

AH: I think there was still a lot of that in the first season as well. It may have been a little slower but I feel like there was always that kind of drama, the epic thing that needs to get solved and I think that’s true to Stargate. But moving forward to season two… Yeah, I think the fans who go to that website that we’re not going to name… I think they’re going to enjoy it. But they watch all of the episodes anyway, they describe them in great detail and then say that they don’t like it. So I hope they’ll watch, and… you didn’t get ten years of SG-1 because everyone tuned out. You got ten years because they created a personal storyline and developed it, and then you had five years of Atlantis, which is a very long run for a show, and so two seasons of SGU, we’re building. We’re adding more.

So what are your backgrounds, in terms of acting?

JWS: Stage. Born and bred on the stage, I love the stage.

Did you receive training?

JWS: Yeah, I went to college and studied theatre, went to boarding school and high school and studied theatre. If I had my way I’d die on the stage, I love it. Being in London – you guys have phenomenal theatre, and I know a dream of mine is to one day come out here and do some theatre.

A bit of West End?

JWS: Yeah, a bit of West End Theatre. Yeah I love it, it’s beautiful, but it doesn’t necessarily pay mortgages.

There are quite a lot of stage trained actors on Stargate – Brian J Smith went to Julliard, David Blue, Robert Carlyle obviously. What about yourself Alaina, did you have training?

AH: I don’t have a lot of theatre training. Actually it’s something that I’d love to do. But I started my career as a model and it kind of transitioned into an acting career – it started with film, a lot of indie films. I was living in Texas at the time with that scene there. Then I moved to Los Angeles and did a lot of work in television. But I love it all, if I get to perform and develop a character then I’m there.

JWS: And Ming is from the theatre, and Lou Diamond Phillips. I saw him on Broadway in The King And I.

So do you guys have any side projects you’re working on? Anything outside of Stargate?

AH: Our schedule keeps us really busy, Jamil though…

JWS: Our schedule does keep us busy. Over the hiatus though I wrote and directed a full-length feature film called Make A Movie Like Spike. IMDb it. Hopefully that’ll be done very soon, it’ll get out soon, and all of the Stargate fans of the world… will go online and buy it!

AH: And at any time in the future keep up with me on Twitter – @alainahuffman. Anything I’m doing will be on there.

Stargate Universe airs on Sky1 in the United Kingdom, and Syfy in the United States.