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| Subject: BOBW 12 Transcript | |
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Author: MissyKat |
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Date Posted: 07:47:34 07/28/02 Sun this is a really neat transcript that a Micheal Shanks fan sent me to put up in the interview page - thought you might enjoy a peak at it: Wayne Pygram transcript - BOBW, October 20th Question: Do you read sci-fi? Answer: I grew up with Doctor Who so I love Doctor Who, but I'm not a sci-fi person. From my perspective it's more fun to do than watch. Q: What do you read? A: I read a lot. I love thrillers - I'm reading the J. R. Landsale books at the moment. What's his - ? I read a lot of pulp. I like easy books to keep me company. Q: Do you find it odd watching yourself on TV? A: I don't find it odd. I don't watch myself a lot. I don't go to rushes, or… You know I see the occasional finished episode, I obviously see myself in ADR - um, but I don't watch a lot of my work. (Um) Unless I think there's a problem and I need to check it up… um, I think for me, anyway, I believe in a naivete as an actor, so … um… There's nothing to be gained from, y'know, watching myself and going, "Ooh. That works. I'll do that again." So I only - I obviously go to functions and events where we have a screening and I'll watch it but I don't watch at all away from work, whether it's Farscape or anything. (um) So… because I like to keep it - as I say, I like to try and maintain some level of naivete because it gets very difficult - the more you do, and you know something works, it's inevitable you know you're going to do it again. And so I try to keep some distance. Q: Do you watch each other's shows (eg Farscape/SG-1)? A: Again, I'd rather do it than watch it. I was at the theatre a few weeks ago watching a good friend (? Goddard?) from Farscape playing with the Sydney Theatre Company and it was a sort of - it was a period piece, I think 350 years old, very difficult, I think the language was very difficult, and I walked away from that - you know, I took someone to the theatre that night and I said, "Ah, you know, it's demanding, it's very demanding theatre, it's - the audience loved it, it was a season that was extended - but even then I said to my, my, the person that I took out that night, "As an actor I'd much rather do it than watch someone else do it." Which is an odd thing I suppose, but I'm not trained, never even desired to be an actor, I've never even trained to be an actor. I fell into it. I was almost dragged into it. So I've never had a desire to do it. It's my job. It's what I'm meant to do, I have no doubt about that, but - even my social life has nothing to do with my work… So, as I say, I'd rather do it than watch someone else do it. Particularly the theatre, the theatre's such a hard nut to crack, it's such hard work. I appreciate the work, but I can honestly say there's not too many plays that are being done at the moment that have any relevance to me. We have a bit of a dearth of playwrights at the moment in Australia that are writing Australian stories. There's not too many Australian stories, the arts are suffering without subsidies for the arts, and so the arts - the subsidised companies are quite conservative as they have to be to survive… So, um, you know, it's a funny thing, I haven't come to be an actor - I've never desired it, so I look at it with different eyes, I think. Q: How do you cope with hitting your marks and techno-babble? A: (cockney accent) What's that love? What's that hen? What's that babble stuff? Hitting your marks… there's lots of technical elements that you have no control over and at the end of the day the acting's the least of their worries. They're more concerned with the lights or whatever you're trying to do. So, um, so it can be technically demanding but it's in the doing, like anything else, the more you do it becomes subconscious and I like a good challenge when it comes to hitting the marks, bring the marks on, doing as many different lights I have to find as possible. Working under big costumes and the make-up adds to the difficulty. I mean, I have a limited range of movement, I have - I use my periphery as you do as an actor, peripheral vision and things like that but it is, it's like anything, the more you do, the better at it you get. But - sci-fi, yeah, it's technical, it's highly technical, and you have to hit the mark. You know, there's a problem or if it's soft or there's a problem or there's a CGI element you're trying to work with there's no second best. There's no, "It'll be right on the day." You'll actually have to get it right exactly. And I like a challenge, although the technical side of the work is challenging, and it's - it makes every day different, which is I think one of the great things about working in front of a camera as opposed to the theatre… I come from the theatre, I love the theatre, but the great thing about TV or film work, with the camera you have to move forward, you have to let it go the minute they say, "Gate's clear, whatever, we're moving on," you move on. So you can't be neurotic, you can't be too precious, and that's one of the reasons I particularly like working in front of the camera. 'Cos I was late to the camera, I didn't start working in film or TV until at least 15 years into my acting career. But, again, that's one of the great challenges in sci-fi, it's highly technical. You have to - you know, as they're looking after you, you have to be looking after a lot of other people as well, to help them during the day, and make their days efficient. (More about hitting the mark, following Michael Shanks's comments): Just more on that, briefly - some scenes, you know, Michael would have the same sort of deal on his show, I'm sure, some scenes are organic scenes for the actors who will dictate the main blocking. So - the marks and the blocking, it's subconscious because you dictated it. You moved there because you wanted to move there. Other days - you've got a day when you've got a special effect or for whatever reason you'll walk on and the marks are already there - you've got to find a way to meet those marks. They're more challenging days. So that's what I call a scene that's been blocked from a technical aspect, and most of our work I can honestly say comes from the organic side of it. The actors come to the soundstage and you rehearse the scene and the marks are organically placed around it feel comfortable and that's where you went in the scene and that's where we'll shoot it. Other days, it's purely technical and you're told, "You're standing there!" Because they've spent four hours setting lights or setting an explosion or whatever. So there's two ways to come to it depending on the scene. Q: Tell us about PK Barbie? A: PK Barbie? Ah, okay - from the very first episode one when I appear I have a nurse, who basically helps me with my aurora chair and the torturing elements, and I also have the coolant rods and I need someone to help me out to replace it. So the PK Barbie was the idea that I'll always have a female assistant. As you know, or as you don't know, we've been through four! To find someone who fits the leathers as well as they do, and can talk and walk is proving difficult. So… what - we're testing out the front today for the PK Barbies of the future. For the life of me, mate, they cannot find someone who's gonna stay. I'd love someone to stay but they haven't found the right person. But they’ve been looking in the wrong areas, they've been looking for people who looks great and at the end of the day you need someone who looks great and can do the stuff. Literally, my first PK Barbie, um , Niamh she was called, I think she lasted two episodes and we finished on one set and were moving to another set and she was supposed to be leaving the scene with me, and I said to the director, "Well, where's Niamh?" and he said, "She's right, mate, got it covered, got it covered" - never saw her again. Then a new one turned up a month later. So we've been through four. Nor a good job to have I'd suggest. Q: What do you do outside of work? A: I play music, I play the drums in real life, so I have two musical projects going at the moment, so that fills up my time, and you know, extra stimulation and ah - You know, playing music is probably the most immediate, you know, satisfying, stimulating thing that I do. On my show I average at the most two days a week so I have lots of time to spare. So I need other little projects to keep me alive and keep me active. Um... I grew up in the country, so I like the dirt. You know, I get back out to the dirt as much as I can. Q: Do you socialise much (with rest of the cast) off the set? A: We probably see more of each other in the off season. We have obviously functions that we go to, birthday parties or whatever on at work, but the same (as MS's comments), I mean not so much for me but the main cast, the work is such big demanding days, we work at Homebush, it's a long way away, people just want to go home and be with their family and friends and stuff, but you do … I play in a band with Anthony Simcoe, so I see Anthony quite a bit, but generally we would probably see more of each other in the off season by doing events like these overseas, and it's because our break is anything from 2 to 4 months, so we have our dinner parties and get togethers… But yeah, in the off season mainly. Q: What is your musical taste? A: Me? I have every eclectic taste. I'm a rock head from the old school. Oh, look… it's almost an impossible question. I listen to a lot of heavy metal and rock, big rock, so I love all the stuff from seventies, the Deep Purples and the Led Zeppelins, Black Sabbaths and all that stuff. But I also have a lot of contemporary bands and you probably wouldn't know any of them. I bought 2 records yesterday by a band called Platypus, do you know them? There's a guy called Ty Taber, he's the guitar player, comes from a Christian band called King's X, so nahhhh - I mean, I listen to a lot of rock music and these days reckon music is - certainly, unless it's really poppy, it's not going to be played on the airwaves, you won't see it on 'Rage' or anything, so I listen to a lot of music that's really old-fashioned but new… but rock. (A member of the audience got up and thanked Michael Shanks for coming over, calling it pretty gutsy (a month after September 11). MS response - "Wouldn't have missed it.") WP: We had a bunch of boofheads called the Australian Rugby League Team who up until a few days ago weren't going anywhere, so Michael - you got the nod from me, mate. (Poss: The Australian Rugby League Team almost cancelled a trip to an international competition in the UK because of security fears re the flight). (During the auction, a photograph of RDA wearing a mullet haircut is offered) WP: We have Brian Mannix, we don't need another one. (Poss: Brian Mannix was the lead singer of a band called the Uncanny X Men, and always wore a dreadful mullet haircut. This comment got a good laugh) (WP was asked to sign a Stargate T Shirt) WP: I'll sign it. Absolutely. An interloper. Scorpius can go anywhere. (He donates a black cap for the auction) WP: Part of my uniform, mate. (hands cap over). Yes, I apologise, I wasn't equipped. Short notice, I didn't bring anything, but anyway… it's been on my head today. It's responsible for this (rubs baldness). It has my autograph and it also has the hieroglyphic autograph that you'll see nowhere else int eh world except on my body somewhere. It is my signature with a pi sign, you'll work it out. (Fifty dollars is bid). Don't embarrass me. (MC: Scorpius will be coming to your house.) I'll suss out those wormholes and I'll find you. ******** MK [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
