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Doctor On Call
by
Steven Eramo
As a
child, David Hewlett reached for the stars, figuratively speaking, of
course, insofar as what he wanted to be when he grew up. “I wanted to be Dr
Who,” he says, “but then as I got older I realized I could be an actor who
plays Dr Who. So at an early age I became interested in acting. It
was a bonus to, in that this was the only way to meet girls because I went
to an all boys school. I played the
female roles in the first few plays that I did,
but finally the headmaster started to invite girls from other schools to do
the plays with us
boys. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was,”
smiled the actor.
“Computers were also a love of mine and a big rival for my attentions. I
actually spent two years working as a full-time technician. I did network
support, programming and all that stuff. However it’s much more fun to
pretend. As an actor you never really lose that feeling,
so here I am today.”
Since
March, Hewlett has been quite busy enjoying himself and playing make
believe. That’s when filming started on the Stargate SG-1 spin-off series
Stargate: Atlantis in which the actor portrays Dr Rodney McKay. A brilliant
but sometimes arrogant scientist. McKay was first introduced to fans in the
Stargate fifth season episode 48 Hours. Having spent a year at Area
51 studying a virtual computer model of the Stargate, McKay was called to
the SGC to help find a way to free Teal’c, who was trapped in the Stargate.
The
character returned the following year in the sixth season opener
Redemption. This time, he and Major Sam Carter had to figure out how to
stop Anubis from using the Stargate to destroy Earth. McKay seemed an ideal
way to help bridge the gap between Stargate and Atlantis but, as is often
the case in TV, things weren’t that easy.
“Originally the producers were looking to bring me into the series and then
decided to go a different way,” explains Hewlett. “They
created a new character called Dr Ingram and were casting for that. So I was
both flattered and disappointed. However one day I
received a phone call saying they had re-thought their approach and would I
like to come in and read for the part of Ingram. I said “Sure”.
I think I have an advantage in this genre because I’m such a big Sci-Fi fan
anyway. The technical jargon doesn’t seem like jargon to me. Half the fun is
figuring out why you’re saying what you’re saying. The most important thing
is to get the information out to the audience
and still keep some personality to your character.
“So I did the audition, had some laughs with
the material and before I knew it they had changed the characters name back
to McKay
and offered me the role,” continues the actor.
“Filming had already begun on the pilot by the time I was flown up to
Vancouver. My first
day on the job, Brad Wright (series co-creator
and executive producer) took me on a tour of the Atlantis set. There
were all sorts of people putting things together, standing on ladders and
painting walls etc I was stunned. This is such a huge undertaking. Two days
later we were shooting on the set and it was just incredible. The set is
designed in a very modular fashion so that sections can be pulled out and
that allows you to extend spaces. It’s like a new room every day, so
invariably I always get lost while wandering about trying to find where the
food is. I’m like a rat in a maze. They keep changing things around so I
can’t get a snack. As you can probably tell, food is very important to me
and McKay,” he chuckles.
Eating,
and McKay’s inability to do so, is part of the storyline for an early
Atlantis episode called Hide and Seek. In it, the scientist – with
a
little help from The Ancients – saves the day when an entity that consumes
energy is released into the city. “Early on in the series it’s established
that certain people have the gene that allows them to interact with Ancients
technology,” says Hewlett. “McKay isn’t one of them. He’s the go-to guy when
it comes to the Ancients technology so it’s frustrating as hell for him not
to have the gene. Well at one
point I found myself asking [the shows
producers], “why doesn’t he have the gene? Shouldn’t he have it?” Obviously
my whining paid off,” he jokes, “because they came up with Hide and Seek
where McKay receives gene therapy”.
“In
this episode, McKay discovers an Ancient artefact that is, in fact, a
personal shield. It’s like a second skin and makes the wearer virtually
invincible. The problem is that, once he turns the device on, McKay can’t
figure out how to turn it off. Much to his shock, the shield prevents him
from eating or drinking. So he’s longingly looking at power bars and unable
to do anything about it. Of course, with this shield protecting him, his
colleagues take great glee in throwing punches at my character and tossing
him off balconies. It’s a really fun story and in the end, McKay gets to be
the hero”.
He may
not be at the controls of the TARDIS, but being part of Atlantis is,
for Hewlett, the next best thing. “One of the first comments my younger
sister made when I got this job was, ‘You’re doing Dr Who,’ and in a
way it’s similar,” muses the actor. “Part of this shows
charm is that, yes; you’re travelling to other
worlds and meeting new people. However, you always have this core of
characters who you know are going to react a certain way to situations.
“So I
feel very lucky to be a part of this show. When we were in high school, my
friends and I used to make these little Sci-Fi movies.
One of my friends, Vincenzo Natali, went on to
direct the film Cube, which I was in. So Sci-Fi has always been my
favourite genre, and
to think they pay and feed us for doing this.
What more could you ask for?”
First Impressions
It was
Stargate executive producer Robert C Cooper who first spotted Hewlett in an
episode of the Canadian series Traders and thought he would be
perfect for a role on the show. “On Traders I played this very
strange fellow who lived in a broom closet,” says Hewlett. “Apparently,
Robert liked the idea of someone like that on Stargate. Originally I was
supposed to play a very similar character in an episode. However at the time
I was working on a project in Los Angeles, so things didn’t pan out. However
the part of McKay in
48 Hours then came along and they just
offered me the job, which was great. As a guest star you really have the
hardest job on TV
shows because you’re coming into a totally new
environment where everyone knows each other. I’d watched Stargate a few
times but I didn’t know anyone on the programme. Fortunately, my first few
scenes were with Amanda Tapping [Major Carter]. She is just so lovely and we
immediately got along. Amanda has the same sense of humour as I do and that
allowed us to get a nice on-screen banter
going. From that point on I was able to relax
and have fun with the role”.
Return Engagement
No-one
was more surprised that Hewlett when he was asked to reprise his role of
McKay in the two-part Stargate SG-1 episode Redemption. “I’m always
pleasantly surprised when I get invited back to someone’s house for dinner,
“jokes the actor. “My dad
always said that the testament to a relationship
is if someone is willing to pay you to come back. Chances are you weren’t
mistaken in believing your first visit went well. It was marvellous to be
asked back to Stargate. As before, the problem was timing. The
producers
would call and I’d be like ‘I just got another
job’. Thank God we were eventually able to work out the scheduling because
doing that second story was even more of a treat. Let that be a lesson to
all young actors – be as obnoxious as you can in the role and chances
are good that as long as you don’t offend
anybody you’ll be back. It also helps if your character dodges bullets and
any other dangers
that comes his or her way.”
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