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Playing Doctor
By Kathie Huddleston
David Hewlett channels C-3PO as fatherhood
comes to the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis
“I think of myself as C-3PO,” says actor David Hewlett about his character
on Sci-Fi’s Stargate Atlantis. “I’m always worrying and a bit
uptight.”
“I saw this special on Star Wars at Christmas. Nothing says Christmas
like Star Wars. And there was a whole thing about Anthony Daniels,
the guy who played C-3PO, and I suddenly had this horrible realization that
I was, in fact, C-3PO in Stargate Atlantis [laughs]. I play C-3PO to
Sheppards Han Solo, I think.”
Hewlett, who plays the irascible Dr Rodney McKay, is a bit of a maniac. He
has more that a little Robin Williams in him and barely stops talking long
enough to take a breath, let alone get back to the subject in hand – his
shows fourth season.
“It was an insane season for me. McKay everywhere, doing everything. It was
one of those non-stop running-around-between-sets seasons. Which I think is
usually a good sign, because it means there’s a lot going on. That’s the
terrifying thing. They have far too many ideas of what to do with my
character. None of them comfortable, I may add [laughs]. …Actually, the
worst thing this year was aging. There was some aging involved in one of the
episodes, and I tell you, that is hell,” says Hewlett.
When he was hired on Stargate, Hewlett made his agent check to make
sure he wasn’t playing anyone with funny ears. “I’ve been keeping a low
profile, because so many of the other characters on the show have had to be
aged. It’s like an ongoing Stargate thing, that you are jumping
around in time and space and all these things. I’ve been dodging the bullet
the whole time, and then at the end of season four I’m like ‘Aw, come on!’”
Executive producer Joe Mallozzi had a different reaction to Hewlett’s makeup
job. “I was working in the office and I heard a knock at the office window,
and it’s this old man who’s waving at me. And I was like ‘I don’t know this
old man,’” he laughs. “He just kind of wanders up the stairs, and I’m
thinking I’m going to have to go out and escort him down to the guard shack.
And then I give him a closer look and I realise, ‘Jeez, it’s David.’ They
did a terrific job on the makeup.”
“An episode where I look younger, that would be great,” quips Hewlett. “Get
Makeup to make me look 25 [laughs]. And then I demand it for the rest of the
time. You know, they bring the hairline down a little bit. Remove some of
the wrinkles. They can do amazing things with CG. Why not make me look
younger?”
Despite his humorous tirade and the wish to reverse time, Hewlett admits
that getting out of his characters head has been something he’s had to work
on, especially when it comes to his wife, Jane.
“I think the biggest challenge with McKay is stopping McKay when they say
‘Cut,’ says Hewlett. “He just wants to keep going, and he’s just not that
pleasant [laughs]. I find my ability to censor myself is much more difficult
when I’m in character. I mean, the first season or two, Jane would give me
about 15 to 20 minutes to lose McKay when I got home. There’s this tendency
to come in a little bit McKayish. ‘Where’s dinner?’ type thing. I’ve now
been given that 15-to-20 minute grace, where I go ‘Right, right. I’m David,
not a brilliant astrophysicist and I have absolutely no right to be
arrogant.’”
While Jane reminds Hewlett that he’s not a genius, the viewers sometimes get
a little confused on the subject.
“The funny thing is, fans will come up and ask me if a number is prime or
not, and I’m like ‘Look, I don’t know. Unless I’ve got a script, I don’t
have a clue.’ I wish I was as smart as this stuff. I love the computer
programming, and I love astronomy and all that kind of stuff. But I could
never get into it [to] the level [of] these guys who I talk to. A number of
them are real astrophysicists. I just feel apologetic. ‘I’m really sorry. I
don’t even know what you guys do,’” he laughs.
“I’m a nerd…I always gravitated towards the future rulers of the world than
the future jocks of the world. I was drawn to the kid who was trying to
build a laser beam to melt his bicycle. I grew up on that stuff. I’m a big
Blade Runner fan. But I think what’s so nice about Stargate is it
isn’t just about a dystopian future. It isn’t quite so dark. It’s an
adventure form of science fiction. I think that stuff is a great way to get
out of your life, to get away from the mundane. I always embraced it that
way. I never wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a Time Lord [laughs]. It
just took me a while to figure it out.”
While the Time Lord thing might have to wait for a bit, what he’s most
excited about on the show this season is the addition of Amanda Tapping
fresh from Stargate SG-1 and Col. Samantha Carter and Jewel Staite as
Dr Jennifer Keller.
Hewlett believes the additions have changed the dynamics of the characters
in the show. “It’s reinventing all of the relationships again. It’s been a
great season, because we have Jewel as a sort of integral part of the team.
And when Amanda steps in, a shock wave moves through the entire city.
Because, basically, that’s a job I wanted. It’s a job that Sheppard didn’t
want, but now he’s got someone he’s got to answer to. He’s supposed to be
working for her, but they’re basically equals. So there is a great sort of
play for power throughout the season.”
The actor has another reason he’s delighted to see Tapping reprise her role
on Atlantis. Hewlett believes the character of McKay would never have
made it onto the new show if it weren’t for their initial chemistry on
SG-1.
“I think if McKay had had scenes with anyone else other than Sam, he would
still be just a guest star on SG-1. The fact that Amanda was so
giving as an actor at that time, that she would allow herself and her
character to go where we did in those early scenes…I mean, that’s the reason
why I’m here. It worked because she took some risks. Guest stars are there
to support the leads. You are basically a plot device to make the leading
actors look good, and she lets her characters guard down.”
As Hewlett evolved from a guest star on SG-1 to a regular on
Atlantis, he admits his character has become even more McKayish, if
anything. “As the character goes, you can only change so much [laughs]. I
think the thing about McKay is that he’s gone from fighting the friendships
he has to sort of depending on them more now. He always felt out of place,
and now I feel like he’s more worried about losing those friendships than
anything else, if that makes sense. Because he’s sort of grown accustomed to
having, basically, a family around him. …There’s a rhythm to the characters
he’s sort of allowed himself to fall into. You generally know that if McKay
and Sheppard are going to have a conversation, it’s going to be a very
married-couple or odd-couple,” Hewlett laughs.
“You don’t choose your family or the people you work with,” says Hewlett.
“They’ve just been thrust together. But now that they have been together for
so long all the little pieces of the puzzle have stuck together and they
have become a team, dysfunctional as it may be. I’m sure all of that will
get blown apart in season five again.”
“New character dynamics, the surprising developments regarding Dr Elizabeth
Weir, and babies all has a significant impact on the direction of the fourth
season,” says Mallozzi. “We set up a bunch of storylines in the first half
of the season. We had the mystery of the missing Athosians, the
Wraith/Replicators and a bunch of elements and mysteries that come to
fruition in the back half and dovetail together. Especially very late in the
season, in a two-part titled ‘Kindred 1 & 2.’ We find out what
happens to the Athosians. We find out what’s going on with the Teyla
pregnancy. In the final episode of the season, ‘The Last Man’, we’ll
also get a glimpse of the aging McKay, and there will be a big cliff-hanger
to kick off the fifth season of Stargate Atlantis.” says Mallozzi.
With the Wraith weakened, societies that once his themselves along the lines
of the Genii will begin to emerge next season. “Whether they’ll be friends,
foes or a little of both remains to be seen. That’s sort of a general goal
that we’re working towards for the shows fifth season,” he says. The series
is set to begin production on the new season in February. One thing that
probably won’t happen next season is another run of pregnancies for the cast
members. Rachel Luttrell, who plays Teyla, didn’t have the only pregnancy on
Atlantis this season. Both Jason Momoa, who plays Ronon, and Hewlett
had babies too.
“It’s the weirdest thing,” says Hewlett. “I think it’s something to do with
actors. You give them four years of gainful employment and they suddenly
start procreating. It’s something Jane and I have been looking forward to
for a while. It worked out beautifully. She was literally in labour the day
after we wrapped season four. I think Sebastian might be a producer. His
timing is absolutely impeccable.”
“Season four was the season of the baby,” says Mallozzi. “We had Rachel, so
we had to adjust our storylines and work her pregnancy into the show. We had
David near the end of the season, when Jane had Sebastian. We had Jason, who
had his first child, where basically we were on baby watch and we knew it
was coming. As soon as it happened he jumped on the plane. We had to switch
out the scene that we had planned to shoot that day. We had a contingency
plan to shoot some Ronon-less scenes. It all worked out in the end.”
“I was trying to sell MGM on Stargate Babies. Like they did the
Muppet Babies, I think we should have Stargate Babies. Have a
little McKay and a little Teyla and stuff [laughs]. Do it like a
Saturday-morning cartoon,” says Hewlett.
And he’s off again, bubbling over like a joyous and proud new dad. “I just
downloaded the complete ABBA from iTunes. I felt it was important for my son
to be able to sing ‘Super Trooper’, and then we would change the words to
Pooper. I’m reinventing the ‘80s as baby songs. So far it’s working well. I
remember having ‘Super Trooper’ way back when. Weird things happen with the
kid. I get all sort of reminiscent about all these incredibly cheesy old
songs [laughs]. I’m slowly working my way through and learning all the
words…I was never much of a singer, never really a big singing guy. Now all
of a sudden, all the time. Everything is an excuse to sing a song to
Sebastian.”
From C-3PO to brilliant astrophysicist to daddy. Can Time Lord be far
behind?
“Actually, we’re thinking a dinner-theatre presentation of Stargate
Atlantis. When the show finally is put to rest, I think that’s where
we’ll end up. Like a creaky little stage. ‘Eat the fish, it’s great,’” says
Hewlett in a funny old man voice. “’There are only two chickens left.’ There
would be a certain charm to science-fiction dinner theatre. I think Amanda
and Jewell are on board, I just need to rope the rest of them in now.”
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