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Close Encounter: David Hewlett
Every issue, Dreamwatch asks a key genre figure the questions that
really matter. This month, Stargate Atlantis star David Hewlett is
quizzed by David Bassom
What’s the meaning of life?
[Laughs] I never get the number right. Is it 42? Beyond that I don’t have
anything to say. Douglas Adams answered that question
long ago.
If you could invite four guests from any time and place to dinner, who
would you choose?
I’d start with Richard Feynman. He was this amazingly brilliant
astrophysicist who also played bongo drums. You wouldn’t want him
as a neighbor, but I would say he would make a great dinner guest. I’d then go
with Jessica Lange, just because of King Kong, Jack Lemmon and Bob Hope.
What would you describe yourself as a fan of?
I’m a sci-fi fan and have been a huge fan of Doctor Who all my life. I’m
also a real science geek. I love keeping up to date on scientific stuff.
Who’s your most famous friend?
Probably (Cube and Cypher director) Vincenzo Natali who I went to high
school with. There was a time when people used to say “Wow, Vincenzo, you’ve
got David to be in your films!” Now it’s like, “Wow, David, you get to do
films with Vincenzo!”
What type of car do you drive?
[Laughs] I am very proud of my sporty, high powered Toyota Echo. It’s pretty
much the cheapest car Toyota makes. You load it with groceries and it
struggles up that hill! [Stargate producer/director] Peter DeLuise said that
I went up in his estimation when this
Toyota Echo trundled in, because
everyone here drives these huge SUV’s for the two times a year they actually
have to drive down a
gravel road.
If you could be someone else for a day, who
would you be?
When he was alive, I think it would have been so much fun to have been
Marlon Brando for a day. It would have been great to do that whole island
thing and just be that weird. Failing him, I’d now choose David Tennant.
What’s the biggest project you auditioned
for but didn’t get?
I think it was probably Unforgiven. That was years ago, but that was
definitely the most traumatic experience for me. I would have
loved to have
done that film.
If you could pass one law, what would it
be?
I think I’d go with no smoking right now, being an ex-smoker.
What TV shows do you watch?
Little Britain, which is just insane and so much fun to quote here in
Vancouver because no-one has a clue what you’re talking about!
We also watch
Doctor Who, The Office and home and gardening programmes, as we’re currently
looking for cheap renovation ideas
for our new home.
Who or what has been the biggest influence
on your life?
Mom, Dad and my siblings, for sure.
Do you have a favorite cause or charity?
Doctors Without Borders. I love them because when they get a donation, the
vast majority of the money goes to actually doing
something. My father is a
doctor and I have a lot of relatives in the medical profession, so I’m
biased…
Who is the scariest person you’ve ever worked with?
Probably Robert Davi. Whether he’s singing opera or hurling me off balconies
he’s good at putting the fear in me. But he’s a great
guy, really – and he’s
a fantastic villain on our show.
Have you ever been tempted to hit a
colleague?
Oh, millions of times! There’s nothing more irritating than finishing a
really long speech and then looking for that next line that isn’t
there. But
that irritation always goes away after a couple of seconds.
Do you have a ‘Hollywood’ lifestyle?
[Laughs] I wish I had a Hollywood lifestyle. No, I’m actually the dullest
man alive. I don’t have an entourage, I have a dog, and that’s
about it.
What’s been the most embarrassing moment of
your career?
That was probably an audition I had for CSI. I had a new phone at the time
and I was doing this intense reading when I must have accidentally
‘ass-dialled’ my girlfriend Jane. I suddenly heard Jane’s voice coming out
of my pocket and I realized what I’d done!
I then took my phone out and said
‘Hi Jane. Can I call you back? Now’s not a good time.’ I hung up, put the
phone on vibrate and put it
on the table, apologized profusely and then
started again. Unfortunately Jane thought we had been cut off and called me
back, so everyone spent the rest of the audition watching my phone
vibrating. It was just so embarrassing.
The other embarrassing moment that comes to mind was on Pin, a film I did
when I was very young. I went to the set to meet the
actress who was playing
my sister and I leaned on a wall that turned out to not be a wall and I took
out and entire wall of medical instruments! That was before I’d even started
working on the film.
When was the last time you worried about
money?
I worry about money all the time. When you buy a house, all you do is worry
about money! This is a shameful admission, but when I signed to be in
Atlantis I literally had £60 in the bank. It could not have come at a better
time. So Atlantis really is the best thing that
ever happened to me!
What’s your biggest ambition in life?
Right now it’s to get my damn house finished. That or to have some kids. I
must start building the army!
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