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David Hewlett Talks McKay & Stargate
Atlantis
By Julia Houston
David Hewlett talked with me about his somewhat anti-hero character, Dr.
Rodney McKay, and the hit sci-fi spin-off, Stargate Atlantis, between shoots
for the second season
JH: You have an impressive résumé…
DH: I’ve made a living playing Everyman.
JH: …but you don’t have much background in science-fiction acting. Were you
prepared for what working on Stargate Atlantis was going to be like?
DH: No, you never are. You don’t believe it’s real. I still don’t believe it
when people come up and talk to me.
JH: You underestimate the power of sci-fi.
DH: Well, I grew up with sci-fi; that’s what I loved
JH: What were your three favourite TV shows growing up?
DH: Dr. Who.
JH: With Tom Baker?
DH: I got into it with Jon Pertwee, then there were the sort of “golden
years” with Tom Baker.
JH: What do you think of the new one?
DH: I love some parts, hate others.
JH: Christopher Eccleston’s not coming back.
DH: That’s the part I hate. Why would you do that? Why would anyone do a
show like that for only one year?
JH: So I take it we can rest easy?
DH: Yeah. I’m not going to jump ship. And you know, the films --
JH: Wait, wait. What are two other favourite shows?
DH: Oh! Well, yes ma’am. I would have to say…The Tomorrow People and the
other one, The Bionic Man.
JH: Ahem. The Six Million Dollar Man. No Star Trek?
DH: Well, growing up in England, I wasn’t that into American television.
JH: So those were the shows that really defined sci-fi for you as a child?
DH: There were the films too. And you know, when you’re a kid, these stories
take you to a place…as an adult you go to recapture it, but you can’t do it.
It’s impossible to recapture how they made you feel.
One of the first films I saw with my dad was Star Wars. I remember him being
really busy, and to have him sit down and watch that with me, and take that
sort of time…
JH: I know what you mean.
DH: And then, for example, Blade Runner...
JH: Excellent film.
DH: I wanted to be Harrison Ford. Seriously.
JH: Well, now there are young people who want to be you.
DH: Oh, I feel for those children.
JH: McKay has some admirable qualities…but I can’t help thinking that you
have a somewhat unenviable situation with that character. I mean, he did
start as a joke on Stargate SG-1.
DH: Right.
JH: And he has all the joke qualities -- he’s brainy and arrogant, and he’s
got a crush on Carter, and he’s ultimately proven wrong and we’re really
happy about it. Now, as a main character, he’s got to be more likeable.
DH: My theory is The Breakfast Club -- a bunch of people who would never get
along are forced into a room where they get to know each other beyond the
stereotypes. And so you learn more about McKay and find out what’s behind
the obnoxious snarkiness. You see a guy who does have feelings and hopes and
dreams.
My fear when I got the role actually confronted me when we were at ComicCon.
A fan walked up to me and said, “Don’t lose McKay.” And we have to watch for
that. He doesn’t say or do the right thing. He’s a misogynist, and he
doesn’t play well with others. As long as you maintain that you’re okay.
JH: Yes, if he becomes too nice or too PC, the character will fall apart. --
I’ll spare you, gentle reader, the long analogy I drew between McKay and
Major Burns on M*A*S*H -- But those are just behaviours, ultimately. What do
you see as the core of your character?
DH: Science. Discovery. Proving that he’s always right, which is somehow
still the same thing. I think there’s an innate need for him to learn, and
yet, never to acknowledge it. His frustration has come through in SG-1 that
he was only reading about this stuff, and he felt he would have had the
answers if he’d only been there.
But now, it’s so frustrating for him that real life is not as cut and dried
as the reports are. Things really become fuzzy when your friends are
involved. Eventually, he’ll be forced into making the right decision, but
first he sees the Platonic world where everything works out correctly. It’s
the battle between the Theorist and the Realist.
And it’s happened to me, as well. I thought I was going to come in for a
couple days, stand next to the computer, snap a few lines at Tori, and then
do a couple pages of exposition. But that’s not what the writing’s turned
out to be.
JH: Yes, I heard something about you having been hung up-side down in a tree
while it was raining?
DH: Yeah, they call it “writing.” I call it “just figuring out ways to
torture Hewlett.” But you know, I have a theory that if it’s comfortable to
make, it’s not fun to watch. The most trying, tiring, painful experiences
I’ve had filming things ultimately have superior product. The beauty of TV
is you have limited time and budget, and you’re always bouncing against the
ceiling.
I think that’s an advantage of coming from stage and indie filmmaking --
you’re used to going on whatever happens.
I remember, when I was doing Cube, the last day of shooting, [Vincenzo
Natali] comes in and says, “David, stand there. Look up. Look down. Cut.“
And I ask him if that’s all right, and he says, “Yeah, now if I need
something, I can cut to you looking in one of the directions.”
JH: I’ve heard from other actors that in doing sci-fi stage experience is
helpful, because it’s similar to working in front of a blue screen.
DH: Hummm, I would say the opposite. On stage, people are always there and
always present. Working with the cameras, there’s so much stuff you don’t
see. Stage for me is…you’re on all the time. With film, you jump in, jump
out. It’s all in the editing.
And these guys here at Stargate, the editing is incredible. They could make
my dog look like an Oscar-winning actor.
JH: I’ll keep that in mind.
DH: The whole show is great, really. All the characters are trying to do
with they think is the right thing. That gives the show a message, but it’s
pretty good about not hitting you over the head with it.
Of course, it’s another thing to be self-referential. The writers are
terrific about looking at the situations we’re in and seeing how ridiculous
they are. The whole franchise is good at basing these way-out events in
real-world sensibility and humour.
JH: Absolutely. And with your TV background, I think I must be talking to a
Monty Python fan here.
DH: Of course.
JH: The Stargate shows sometimes have that sense of the absurd. I’m thinking
about Wormhole X-Treme, for example.
DH: Ha! Great episode. But ultimately, the humour on the show, its sense of
being “in the world,” just comes down to banter.
JH: Ah, yes, I wanted to get to McKay and Sheppard.
DH: Flanigan is a lot of fun. It’s very nice to have our leading man so
jocular. None of that high-falutin’ stuff. Sheppard and McKay, we’re the
glue, arguing the things that need to be debated.
JH: Mr. Flanigan described you guys as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the Road
Movies.
DH: He’s a lot of fun to work with.
JH: Yes, but are you Bob or Bing?
DH: That’s what I’m always asking!
Here, Mr. Hewlett was called away by an AD before I could ask him my
all-important action figure question. Well, maybe next time…
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