With the end of production on Stargate Atlantis less than a month away, I’m going to do my best to introduce you all to some of the amazing unsung heroes who have worked very hard behind the scenes these many years. They may not get the all-expenses-paid invites to the overseas conventions but that doesn’t mean that their contribution to the success of the show was no less important than the likes of the series regulars, writers, or producers. Over the past couple of months, you got to know the likes of VFX Supervisor Mark Savela, Director of Photography Jim Menard. In the coming days, it’ll be Props Master Evil Kenny Gibbs and Director Andy Mikita. Among the many others on my “to pester” list: Composer Joel Goldsmith, Stunt Coordinator James Bam Bam Bamford, Director Will Waring, Playback Supervisor Krista McLean, SPFX Supervisor Wray Douglas, Costume Designer Valerie Halverson, Production Designer James Robbins, and many others. Can’t promise they’ll all have the time to drop by, but it doesn’t hurt to ask – or apply extreme pressure if they prove reluctant (Yes, I’m talking about you, Will.).
As for today, I’m happy to turn this blog over to actress Sharon Taylor who went from a “blink and you’ll miss her” appearance as a replicator in Progeny to a recurring role as gate technician Amelia Banks…
2cats writes: “Is this the ONLY show you’ve worked on with such a zealous (i.e. fanatical/passionate) fan base?”
– Yes!
“What is your quirkiest experience on set so far?”
– Having a conversation with Christopher Heyerdahl in his Todd makeup was surreal. He’s smiling and chatting like a regular man, and meanwhile I’m completely mesmerized by his creepy appearance.
Wraithfodder writes: “1) How did you get into acting? Was it a lifelong goal or is something you sort of fell into? (as some actors do) And how did you get the role of Amelia Banks?”
– I knew I wanted to be an actor ever since high school. I was in all the school plays and then I went on to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre from Simon Fraser University. In season 4, I auditioned for the role of the Replicator Technician in Lifeline, and I got the part. A few months later, they offered me the part of a female gate technician in Quarantine, who was later given the name Amelia Banks in season 5. I was pretty darn happy to be on the good guys side!
“2) You’ve worked on several Stagate Atlantis episodes. Do you have a favorite episode, and if so, why?”
– My favorite episode is The Prodigal. When you watch it you’ll know why.
3) Can you tell us an anecdotes from the set? What was your first day like?”
– My first day on set was when I was playing the Replicator Technician, so I was working with David Ogden Stiers who is very funny. He would ad lib silly lines during our rehearsal. I never actually met any of the lead cast members until the Quarantine episode.
AV Eddy writes: “Hi! I’m glad you’re getting a story arc this season. I had noticed your “technician” character last season, and liked her. I was wondering…since you work with computers and other Ancient-tech computer equipment, whether the buttons or switches have specific “functions?” What I mean is, when your character does a specific task, is there a rule or guide to “push these three buttons in this order?”
– I watched how Chuck operated the ancient controls and I followed his lead. So, yes, some of them do have specific functions. (At least they do in my imagination!)
Montrealer writes: “Did your character get to beat up someone on the show?”
– You’ll have to stay tuned to find out the answer.
Dalene writes: “What other work have you done in television/been working on in television? Do you have any plans now that SGA has been canceled? Any particular hopes you had for your character to go into?”
– I did a TV movie with Justine Bateman called “To Have and to Hold” which often airs on the Lifetime channel, and I worked on Eureka last year as well. Now that SGA is cancelled, I will continue auditioning for other projects.
Smiley_face06 writes: “1. When you first got on the show, did you think it would just be a one time thing?”
– I had my fingers crossed that my replicator character would recur, so I was thrilled to appear on the show again and even more thrilled to play a member of the Atlantis expedition.
2. Joe is consuming some weird things for us blog-readers. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?”
– I’m not nearly as brave or adventurous as Joe is when it comes to trying new foods. Sashimi is the most daring I get.
Neb writes: “Sharon, is that you in Ghost in the Machine?! It sure looks like you’ve reprise your role as a replicator. I’m honestly surprised that you reprised that role after you were so firmly established as the Atlantis tech in Quarantine. But in any case, it was great to see you play two different roles! I think it’s kinda funny that you play two very similar roles, an Atlantis Technician and a Replicator Technician. Are you actually playing the same character? a replicator pretending to be human? haha!
I absolutely loved seeing you in Quarantine. It’s nice to see the nerd girls, we don’t get to see them very often (Nerd-Girls meaning females in technical/scientific roles and aren’t superhuman like Sam).”
– That wasn’t me in “Ghost in the Machine”. I’ve only played the character of Amelia Banks this season. Nerd Girls Rule!
“So what did you think of playing the techy role? do you get to do a lot of tech-no-babble? Not sure if anyone has asked this yet, but have you watched a lot of stargate? are you a fan of scifi? do you think you’re likely to do more scifi work?”
– I love playing technician Amelia Banks. Since being cast as Banks I’ve caught up on most of the Atlantis episodes in previous seasons, as I like to do my research. Also, I had watched a lot of SG-1 episodes in the past because many of my Vancouver actor friends have had guest roles, and I like to watch and support my friends’ work. I enjoy sci-fi and I loved watching Star Trek The Next Generation with my Dad when I was a kid. I would happily work in sci-fi over and over again.
Christin writes: “And a ridiculous question for Miss Taylor…I hear that catering on the set is good. What’s your favorite thing to eat while at work?”
– The catering on set is soooo good. I have a weakness for pasta salad.
Airelle writes: “Sharon Taylor question–?? Is working on the show as much fun as it looks? What kind of hours are required to do the character? thanks for taking the time here.”
– It is as much fun as it looks. People are always cracking jokes here and there, so there are lots of laughs. If Amelia Banks is in an episode, then it’s usually one or two full days of work for me.
MELorne-Super-Fan writes: To Mrs. Taylor – Looking at IMDB it seems she hasn’t done a lot of work. My question is… are these small acting Roles just something for fun/money/hobby or are we going to see her more often in the coming Years as she works more as an Actress.”
– You will see a lot more of me in the years to come. In the last 2 years I’ve made a real push to have a career in TV and Film. In the past, I focused my career in professional theatre, and spent time traveling after university.
J. Williams writes: “How has it been working on Atlantis for your brief time? Any memoriable scenes that have stuck with you?”
– There is a scene in The Prodigal that is definitely the most memorable for me so far.
Karen WI wites: “Sharon: Sometimes do you wish the gate would work??”
– Sure! However, since there is often unknown danger lurking on the other side, I wouldn’t go through it unless I had Dr. McKay and Ronon Dex with me. Between Ronon’s braun and Rodney’s brains, we’d be safe….at least temporarily. Then we’d wait for Sheppard and Teyla to show up.
“Having a conversation with Christopher Heyerdahl in his Todd makeup was surreal. He’s smiling and chatting like a regular man, and meanwhile I’m completely mesmerized by his creepy appearance.”
Exactly! Mesmerizing…that’s the word I’ve been looking for!
Maybe I should invest in a thesaurus… 😛
das
Hi, Joe.
Many thanks to Sharon Taylor for answering the questions. And thank you, and Carl, for video tour of Stage 5. Sniff.
Best wishes, Morjana
I’m sorry I missed asking Ms. Taylor any questions, but the rest of “the gang” managed quite well. Yet another Stargate related actress to keep an eye on in the future. I certainly wish her the greatest success in the future. Though was there a bit of reverse discrimination going on with the female technician getting a name in one season, while Chuck had to wait for 3? And will we ever find out Chuck’s last name?
Again, thank you for the tour of stage five. It’s amazing how many memories those little clips can stir. Give Mr. Binder our regards for serving as our tour guide, and if pressure isn’t working, let us know what form of bribery we can offer to induce some guest appearances.
Hi there, Sharon! You have a striking, albeit understated, presence on SGA. Hope you do well in future projects. Would like to see more of you, as I get the impression you have waaay more potential than we have been allowed to see thus far. I won’t see you if you get a role in SG-EWE as I’m boycotting it, but I do wish you all the best.
😀
Dagnabbit – I just got myself stitched up with an effing smiley…
Still struggling to come to terms with the saddle-sore appley thingy with noodly appendages.
*sigh*
See right/over yonder —->
That’s some grumpy appley thingy.
Sooo not me.
Am loving the set tours. Thanks Joe and Carl, these are wonderful.
Mr. Mallozzi,
Could you clear something up for me? In an earlier segment, when you were asked about the calendar being on October, you answered that the tour was filmed then. At the end of this segment when you were requesting tips, you said “Atlantis the series is ending”.
As Mr. Binder is wearing the same shirt and each section begins where the previous one left off, you’ve just made it sound like you’ve known about the cancellation since October. Yet recently, you very vehemently answered a commenter that you didn’t know until the official announcement was made a week or so ago.
Can you clear this up before the conspiracy theorists clog the comments with “I told you so!”s?
Anne Teldy
Hi Joe,
Thanks so much for all the video tours (and thanks to Mr. Binder as well!). They have really whet my appetite for what’s to come this season. It’s been really interesting as well – as a fan, I suppose I assumed that everything is always lit up like during the show. It really shows how important things like lighting and set design are, and how important everyone in the production is (especially the ones who aren’t going for all-expense paid oversea cons) , such as all these people you have guest blogging. A quick question – do the stairs at the end of the video lead up to the production offices, or are they in a different building?
~Rich
Mr.Mallozzi,
I would LOVE a Q&A with composer Joel Goldsmith! Please do whatever you can to get him on!
Sorry, was so in a rush earlier…forgot important notes.
Thanks to Sharon Taylor for stopping by and answering questions. Really cool answers.
Thanks Joe for attempting to bring all the the important people who are responsible for making the episodes happen to light.
I’m enjoying all of the revalations and exposure to everyone.
In response to Anne –
The Production Office walkthru was videotaped in October of 2007 which is why the calendar in my office shows October.
The stage walkthru’s were videotaped last week as evidenced by my joking referral to the fact that Carl is now out of a job.
As for Carl wearing the same sweatshirt – What can I say? He’s a USC grad.
Thank you Ms. Taylor for that delightful Q&A! I can’t wait to see The Prodigal! 😀
Hey, maybe Sharon should move over to Stargate Universe? That’d be pretty cool.
Great tour once again, Joe! The SG1 gate is still awe-inspiring, while the Vegas set is just creepy. Very sterile. Is it just a coincidence that it’s next to the SG1 Gateroom? I mean, are we gonna have a scene where, say, Shep is running down that corridor, turn, and he magically ends up in the gateroom, like for Weir in The Real World? Either way, it’s got me intrigued.
I feel so proud of myself that I recognize every name you listed with regards to guest bloggers. I think I’ve really gotten familiar to the heroes behind the scenes; they’re cool people in their own right.
Say, what happened to Brad Wright’s potential guestbloggering? You had him listed a few days ago. Also, Joel Goldsmith? The master himself? OH GOD YES. Can’t wait for that one, should it materialize (please please please please please).
And is it strange that the first thing that jumped to my mind, when I read that Sharon was mesmerized by Todd, was “das is going to love this”? Haha, and it looks like I was prescient!
*hands you 50 cents* ^^ Im broke ok!
josephmallozzi wrote:
Thank you for answering right away.
I was sure there was a logical explanation and felt I should point out how it might be misconstrued so you could address it immediately. The tension the arguments cause bothers me greatly. Since I’ve had my allotment of Ativan for the night, I wanted you to assuage any suspicions before the fur began to fly.
Anne Teldy
Bonjours!
Cool cette video et ces questions! Merci
Je vous pose toujours la même question:
1) Pourquoi ne jamais répondre a mes questions? Vous n m’aimez pas?
Bonne journée, a Bientôt.
Thanks to Sharon for giving me a evasive non-answer. Hope to see Sharon in some action scenes soon. Well maybe she will be kicking Michael’s butt. My wild speculation with Sharon’s second to last answer.
Mr. M
Any rough guess when the SGA movie will aired on Skiffy? Also will you update the movie’s progress on this blog?
Update on our non-friend GUSTAV, should make landfall Tuesday morning near NOLA. Area will be hit by category 4 winds for half day before that in the strongest part of the hurricane (North East quadrant). Really hope nobody try to ride out the hurricane. It will still be a category 1 hurricane around the Baton Rouge area. If GUSTAV proceed according to the majority of the forecast models than Southern Louisiana will be severely affected. GUSTAV is more powerful than KATRINA on a more destructive path.
Thanks for the vids… still missing weird food purchase though.. but I guess that resumes later!
Hi again Mr M
Thank you to Ms Taylor for the great Q and A. I (also) forgot to post a question, but was delighted that others here had fab questions for her. Thanks again!
That’s great news re: Guest Bloggers, including Mr Goldsmith! And what’s this about Will? Is that Will Waring trying to duck out of a Blog Q and A? No chance!!! I have been saving the “How many pinepapples in the whole franchise?” question for him for like ages!!!!!!!!
Also, is there any chance of a Q and A with Ms Jan Newman? I have been a great fan of her work for many years (since MacGyver)!
Finally, on an Olympic note, we (as a nation) brought home three medals. (which is good for us)…but the big news is…*drum roll*…We can now boast the World Champion in ……Rock Paper Scissors!!!! I kid you not, the final was held in Beijing last week, with the gold medal going to Ireland…Silver to Canada (sorry bout that) I don’t have the link for it, but google it and you’ll find it!
Best to all
Shirt’n’Tie
pg15 wrote: “And is it strange that the first thing that jumped to my mind, when I read that Sharon was mesmerized by Todd, was “das is going to love this”? Haha, and it looks like I was prescient!”
Heh. 😳 (And here I thought my number was unlisted)
das
(Joe – please keep this one, delete the other one…seems I’m not WordPress savvy today. I should’a just stayed in bed. 😆 Thankies! )
hey joe, just as a pay off to some of the fans, could we see the toilets in the final episode or something? And also where do we sit in terms of getting another SG1 movie?
Joe, Was the “your a good friend Arthur” line in the Shrine an adlib? JF laughed like he wasn’t expecting it. Thanks for your time.
weir revient quand?????????????
GUSTAV update correction
Oops, landfall is due mid-afternoon Monday local time.
Shai.. and I got this ——–>
>.>
Sooo..
Afternoon, Joe
Again, i’m late. And tis a nasty habit I really should consider breaking before it gets the better of me. Tys for the Q&A with Sharon. We’ve seen unremittently far too little of her to date.. And tis a pity there won’t be too much more in the future.
Still, was insightful and refreshing ; )
Today is once again wet. We have horizontal water, blowing in from a north-westerly, south-south-northerly, easterly-via-arctic and perhaps even mildly non-tropical region of Betelgeuse. Typically english and needless to say, i’m typically fed up with walking around with a damp towel on my head.
That said, I note the katkam showing several days of rain up in your part of the world over the past couple of weeks. Not that it makes me feel any better. Just.. well, less targetted.
If I had any money, I’d give both of ya a huge tip Joe but sadly I’m broke! 😕
A huge hug to both of you for taking us all on that delightful tour though, Carl makes a great tour guide! 🙂
Thank you to Ms. Taylor for taking the time to answer the questions! Though I didn’t ask one, I enjoyed reading the answers. Quite entertaining.
Will we get a deeper look into Michael’s thoughts/emotions?
Thanks to you and Carl for the set tours. Very entertaining. And thanks to Sharon Taylor for her very interesting Q&A.
Hi Joe… Do you know if they are going to use the SG-1 or Atlantis cast to kick off Stargate: Universe like they did with Atlantis???? Thanks
thanks for answring my questions 🙂
Okay – I REALLY should have stayed in bed!!
Joe – I need a hug. (Although a never-before-seen piccie of Todd that you may have lying around would surely suffice. 😉 )
After my first visit here this morn, I had a little…mishap. See…I went out in the garden, and walked smack-dab into a huge spider web. Now, I know this spider well, a HUGE orb web spider (about silver dollar size, with legs extended) that likes to build her web in the most inconvenient of places.
Have I mentioned my irrational and ungodly fear of spiders?? If not…I’m mentioning it now…
So, anyways…being the ‘live and let live’ type I am, I cannot kill the thing, so I let her be. However, seeing as I now was covered in web (*insert image of poor, unfortunate Gaul from The Defiant One here*), and knowing that – somewhere – momma spider was lurking, I developed a terrible case of the heebie jeebies (*insert image of a leech-covered Bogart from The African Queen here*).
So, I come in the house, doing my heebie-jeebie dance, go into the bedroom to open up the double windows, and Miss Marbles (the cat, not the Murder By Death character she’s named after) decides she wants to prance along the window sill as I’m wedged between said windows, and the bed. At this very moment – as I raise the second window – a black thing with legs falls right in front of me. Now – seeing as how I’m still heebie-jeebying over the spider, I just assume this is the very spider whose web I infiltrated just minutes earlier. Also at this moment, Miss Marbles decides to ‘step’ on me to maneuver herself onto the second window sill. Needless to say, I scream and jump back, my calf catches the edge of the bed, my big toe takes down the baseboard heater shield, and my fat ass takes out the cedar chest. BAM! I land on the floor, with Marbles looking at me like, ‘did you mean to do that, mommy?’
Oh, it doesn’t end there. After I dust myself off, I look and see that the scary ‘spider’ was actually a tiny cricket-type thing, which I promptly released outside. No hard feelings – it was my fault, not the bug’s. So…I hobble into the bathroom – neck stiff, shoulder sore, big toe throbbing, and my right butt cheek feeling like I was just kicked in the arse by a mule. And now I gotta pee.
So, I sit down, do what must be done, tug at the toilet paper roll, and as it tuuuuurns around, there sits a BIGASS BLACK SPIDER!!!!! Needless to say, I flew up and out of the bathroom without touching the floor, and stood there at the doorway – watching the thing mock me as it sat defiant on the toilet paper roll.
I think it even gave me the finger.
#$%$ing spiders.
Yeah…so…I need a hug…or a Todd-fix. Or a can of Raid.
das
Bon Joseph j’ai beaucoup réfléchie et j’ai décider de passe la page, de tout recommencer a zéro car il m’ai impossible de vous faire la tête plus longtemps!
Même si je sais que je vous apprécier plus que vous m’apprécier moi, je vais essayer de freiner mon fanatise pour vous, même si se sera dure mais je me sentirais mieux .
Donc voila un vrai commentaire digne de moi!!
Donc d’abord merci pour ces question/Réponse posée sharon, c’est cool d’en savoir plus sur elle!! =)
Vous savez quoi? j’ai l’intention d’interviewé un acteur de stargate pour toute la communauté de française de stargate..je sais sa sera dure, mais je suis déterminer!!
Sinon hier j’ai fait ma première tarte au pomme…qu’une chose a dire “Je suis trop forte ” lol
Je suis contente depuis 3 jours il fait beau!!Malheureusement dans 2 jour mon cauchemar recommence!!! …la rentrée des classes -_-‘ (et dire que dans quelque année quand j’aurais des enfant je bénirais l’école d’exister^^)
Question:
1) Comment font les Unas pour ce reproduire?
2) Pouvez vous me donner une adresse où vous écrire s’il vous plait Joseph =)
Bisou, a demain !
dasNdanger wrote:
My dear das,
While I am sorry you had such a bad morning, I am ever so glad you posted it. I laughed so hard reading your story, staffers came running in, offering more Ativan. (They heard noises from my
cellroom and assumed I was crying… again. )I’m not Mr. M, but please accept these hugs –> ((((((((((das)))))))))) <– because you just made my day.
Anne Teldy,
PrisonerResident #245BJoe,
Will any of the cast take something from the set that has some significance to them? And if so, can you share who and what they will take or want to take?
Hi jOe, thx for the stage tour, it’s hard to see the SG-1 Sg abandonned like this… :'(
U’ve a question to Costume Designer Valerie Halverson please : How did the idea of the new striped uniforms show up, and why ? Cause, they’re so beautifull 😉
Many thx ! 😀
das,
OMG, I’m crying from laughter at your post. Consider this {{{das}}}} a virtual hug.
Have a better day tomorrow.
Pol
Question for Mr. Dobyns. I loved the small town setting of your novel. I was wondering if you drew on any childhood memories or experiences growing up to help paint a very realistic portrait of the people and places. And were you influenced by any other writers?
hi i have stargate: universe question to you. i know that you are not ‘the universe’ guy but still
here is the wuote form sci-fi
“the crew is unable to control the ship’s navigational schedule. If someone is left behind, there is no way to go back for them”
and here is the question
“I’m wondering why the Destiny crew won’t be able to land on the new planet and use its Stargate to send a rescue team to a previously visited planet?”
ok thanks 🙂
***Think I deleted the 1st message ***Sorry
here goes again..
Hi Joe~~
Thanks for the backstage tour…Also, for the various guest bloggers…( any chance of maybe a GROUP blog) from Atlantis cast…just a thought..;-)
ps. I have a birthday on 9/2..( the big 41 )…I guess that would make me an ELDER as a
loyal stargate fan…**;-)**
Any chance of getting a B-day dedication on your blog?
THX!!
***Das***
OMG!!! Your post just cracked me up
…I also, hate the little buggers…Hope you’re okay….{{{{big hug}}}}….
***Theresa***
Joe,
I am concerned that there has been no annoucement of a new SG1 movie. Has MGM decided not to do this now that you will be busy with the SGA movie and Univerise? Is it possible we can still have a SG1 movie produced in 2009?
Ann
Is Brad Wright and Robert Cooper also writing the new SG1 movie as they work on the SGU two hour series premiere?
Joe do you happen to know where SG Universe is planning to be shot? Will it be at the Bridge?
Will any of the sets, props, er, “goodies” from SG-1 and SGA be used in SGU, or is it too early to tell? I realize some will be needed for the movies… the many and copious movies for SG-1 and SGA.
I enjoyed your post on house cleaning, something I put off until the bitter end. Seeing some of the oldie but goody sets & props from years past does send one into a nostalgic mood though.
If these queries have been asked and answered, forgive me. Your blog has had so many posted replies of late, I get eye-weary trying to read them all… but I do try. 😉 I don’t know how you do it!
Thanks Joe,
Carol Z in NJ…
wishing fair skies and calm waves for those souls on the US gulf coast facing down the hurricane.
I wish I had known about this when it happened because I would hve loved to ask her about her time in the Martial Arts. I teach kids and love it, and she looks like she has some great technique going on. Well, I guess I won’t be able to ask what form of the arts she takes or how long each day she works out, and you know a lot more…..I could talk Martial Arts all day long. Anyway I loved your character and hope that you appear in upcoming Stargate movies and will be watching for you in other shows.
I just want to know that make and model of wristwatch she was wearing on the show.