| Exclusive interview with Kate Hewlett |
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Kate Hewlett who play Jeannie Miller, the sister of Rodney McKay in Stargate Atantis granted me an interview. She talk about the atmosphere on the show, how is it to work with her brother, the relation between Rodney and Jeannie... and her possible return on the season five !
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For those of us who don't know you let's start with your career : can you tell us a little about the path you followed ? Why did you decide to become an actress ?
I think I always sort of knew that I wanted to be an actress. My sister Jenny and I used to put on plays in the basement and perform them for our entire family. They were quite elaborate, as I recall! We even did "Cats" once. Thank goodness there aren't too many photographs of that...
I did a lot of theatre at Bishop Strachan (the high school I went to), but I chickened out after that and decided that I wasn't cut out for acting. Then, in my last year at Queen's University, I did a production of "Little Shop of Horrors" directed by my friend Grahame Renyk, and it was such an incredible experience. I had forgotten how much I loved being on stage, working with creative people, etc. So I went into acting after I graduated. Well, I tried to! It was tough, so after two years of living off Mr. Noodles and peanut butter (not together), I decided to go to theatre school. I went to the National Theatre School in Montreal, and since then, things have been going a lot better!
How did you get the role of Jeannie Miller ? As the sister of David Hewlett, did the producers think directly to you or did you go through a casting ?
Martin Gero is friends with Brendan Gall, who directed me in a play here in Toronto called "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump" (good title, huh?). Martin came to see it, not knowing me and not knowing that I was David's sister. He liked the play and he noticed that I had a lot of the same "Hewlettisms" as David, so I think that's where he got the idea of writing an episode for me. It wasn't that easy, though! I had to put an audition on tape here in Toronto (I think it was the scene where Meredith and I are fighting about my going back to Atlantis) and send it to Vancouver casting. Thankfully, I got the part. And Brendan got to play my husband!
What was your first impression when you went on the set of Stargate Atlantis ? I've heard that there is a really good atmosphere, do you have an anecdote or a funny fact to tell us to confirm that ?
I noticed that David was really difficult on set. Always saying things like "I'll be in my trailer if anyone needs me" and "where is my gluten-free sandwich?" and "Joe, you're in my light."
Honestly, the whole thing felt like a dream. I was on an overnight flight from Toronto (because I was shooting another series here, called 11 Cameras). I slept for two hours, then had to do a big scene first thing in the morning with David and Amanda. Everyone was so fantastic (especially Martin Wood -- I want to marry him...platonically...) and there was a great vibe on the set. I did have some trouble with the "techno babble" on my first day, but I think I got over that pretty quickly. Amanda was an absolute joy to work with. David was too, but don't tell him that...
With only two apparitions in Stargate Atlantis with your character you have already an important fan's community around the world, how can you explain this ?
It must be because I'm so sexy.
Sorry. That was a joke.
To be honest, I have no idea! I think the character is very well-written and gives a lot of insight into McKay's personal life, which the fans seem to love. Also, Jeannie sees Atlantis through the eyes of a civilian -- everything is new to her. Maybe the fans can relate to the wonder and excitement of actually getting to visit Atlantis.
When you did your first Stargate Convention, what did you felt when you met the fans ? Now with the success of Atlantis are you getting recognized in the street or receiving fans letters ?
I have never been recognized on the street -- only at conventions! My friends Jen and Kent were on a cruise recently, though, and they met some nice Atlantis fans who freaked out when they found out that Mrs. Miller was a friend of theirs!
My first full-on convention was Pegasus 2 in London and it was an absolute blast. (I did do a Q&A and a signing in Burbank, but I didn't really get the full convention experience, because it was more of a promotional thing for A Dog's Breakfast.) I loved the social side of things (maybe a little too much, as David pointed out) and I really enjoyed doing the Q&A with David. Alone, I have to admit, the Q&As are absolutely terrifying. I am NOT good at public speaking -- never have been -- so it's kind of one of my nightmares to go out there and talk all by myself. When there is another person on stage with me, it is an insane amount of fun, though. I spoke at a convention in New Jersey in November and I felt a little more relaxed that time, so hopefully, I'm getting better at it!
You made your first apparition on "McKay and Mrs. Miller", how did you prepared for the role of Jeannie Miller ? As an actress, do you need time and preparation for a role or are you able to fit very quickly into a new character?
For my first appearance in McKay and Mrs. Miller, I got the script about a week before we started shooting, so there wasn't a ton of time to prepare. What I usually do is read the script a few times, learn my lines, then do scene breakdowns so that I know what is happening in each scene, where I'm at as a character, etc. If I have extra time, I go through and make really specific decisions about each line. Script work is one of my favorite things to do. It's the same with theatre, or film, or voice work -- the amount of preparation time is the only variable.
This character speaks a lot like me. She has my rhythm -- and my brother! -- so she was very easy to find. Also, when something is well-written, it is easier to learn, and Martin Gero is an incredible writer.
What do you think of Jeannie Miller and her personality, do you have some common points with your character ? How would you react if you were in the same kind of situations that she have been through ?
Jeannie Miller is the organized, grown-up, science-minded version of me. She's me, but cooler! She has a daughter; I have a cat. She has a husband; I have another cat. She gave up a career as a physicist to be with her family; I dropped science in grade ten. I love math, though! I do math for fun in my spare time. My high school math teacher wouldn't believe that, but it's true!
I think I am a little more laid back than Jeannie. She gets pretty frustrated with Meredith, which I completely understand, but their relationship would be easier if she gave him a break once in a while.
The way I reacted to many of the situations in both McKay and Mrs. Miller and in Miller's Crossing were true to how I would react in real life, I think. I hope. Maybe I'd scream like a little girl. Who knows.
At the the end of "McKay and Mrs. Miller" we can see an evolution of the Rodney-Jeannie relation. With "Millers Crossing" we can see that McKay care a lot about his sister. How could you describe the relation between them ?
I get the impression that they used to be close, but that neither one of them communicates very well. They fought, they lost touch, and then Meredith disappeared. Jeannie is emotionally maturer than her brother (ah, how art imitates life) but she still didn't fight as hard as she could have to save their relationship. When they were reunited in McKay and Mrs. Miller, there was still a lot of anger there, but it was clear that they love each other very much. Working together is a great way for them to collaborate, get to know each other again, and develop trust for each other, without having to talk too much about the past.
You're credited on "The Last Man", the last episode of the season four of Atlantis.
Could you tell us a little about your apparition in this upcoming episode ?
Blink and you'll miss me. I'm holding a dry-erase marker.
What about the season five of Stargate Atlantis, have you been approached for a return on the show ? If you could choose, for you what would be the perfect scenario for your character to come back ?
Nothing is official yet, but it looks like I will be coming back to do an episode in Season Five (thank goodness!) My perfect scenario would be to come back as a regular, but I think that's wishful thinking on my part! I would love to get a chance to do some more action-based stuff, as well as some more of the fantastic banter between Meredith and Jeannie. Comedy is my favorite thing to act, so it would be great to get an opportunity to do some more of that. There are also lots of characters I would like to work with: Teyla, Keller, Beckett, etc. And I'd love to work with Erin Chambers if she ever comes back! She's nice. And that girl can stage fight!
When you played with your brother on Atlantis, for you, were you talking to Rodney McKay or David Hewlett ? How was it to work with him ? And what about the rest of the cast of the show ?
When I'm talking to Rodney McKay, everything is fine. When I'm talking to David Hewlett, I get the giggles, so I have to work extra hard to stay focused or the weirdness of the situation throws me off! It is pretty odd to be on a sci-fi set doing scenes with my brother. But is it an incredible amount of fun and I hope I get to keep doing it.
The rest of the cast is fantastic. Some highlights included doing scenes with Amanda and David together (man, they're good at the techno babble), my brief scenes with Joe (I hope I get to work with him some more), and of course working with Steven Culp. He is the quintessential professional.
By speaking of David, there is a lot of funny facts about him on the web, is there something you would like to tell us that we don't know already ?
He used to have long hair and wear makeup. When one of my friends came over in high school, she looked at my family photo and said, "I didn't know you had THREE sisters!"
You're an actress and also a writer, what side of your work attract you the most ?
They are such different outlets. I love them both. Right now, I'm experiencing some serious writer's block, though, so today I'd rather be an actor!
The most satisfying part of my job is creating my own work, creating work for the actors I admire, or acting in films/plays written by talented friends. I hope that experiences like "A Dog's Breakfast" just keep on coming.
By reading your blog I've seen that you sing for musical theatre too ! What can you tell us about this other side of your work ? Is there a place where we could hear a sample of your voice ?
Oh god. I had the worst audition yesterday. I croaked in front of twenty musical theatre professionals. But yes, I sing -- hopefully better than I did yesterday. Auditions are hard! So hard!
I play the guitar a little and I write a lot of music using GarageBand (a Mac program. I love Macs! I'm dying to get a MacBook, but I can't afford it yet.) Back to music...my goal is to make a CD before Shore Leave so that I can sell copies of it there. The working title is "Dating and Other Disasters".
I love musical theatre, but I have a hard time with the auditioning part. I get very nervous and I lose my voice -- not a good thing in a SINGING audition! As soon as I'm on stage, I'm fine, but it's hard to convince a casting director of that fact...
I'm planning to write a musical for the Toronto Fringe Festival this summer, if I can get over my writer's block, so maybe I'll finally get to be in a musical after all.
You have just finishing the shooting of "The Last New Year" what can you tell us about this movie and your role on it ? This movie have been shoot at the loft where you lived, how was this 15 days of shooting ?
It was like a social experiment: no light, no air, ten actors, fifteen days. Who will make it out alive?
Fortunately, we all did.
It was a great experience that reminded me a lot of A Dog's Breakfast. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there, because they were passionate about the project. That's a great feeling.
If you want more info about the film, you can go to:
www.thenightingalecompany.com
I tried to put it on IMDb, but I think they rejected it for some reason!
About "A Dog's Breakfast", what can you tell us about this experience ?
You've worked with Paul McGillion who played your fiancé, how was it to work with him on this movie ?
Paul is an even bigger jerk than David. Handsome, though, huh?
No, he is a very funny guy and a very talented actor...or should I say "actress"?
A Dog's Breakfast was my second time playing a lead in a feature film (the first one was in 1999 and was called Dry Hump Tilt -- don't ask), but in some ways it felt like my first, because of the scope of the project. I expected a video camera set up in David and Jane's back yard, but that's not at all what it turned out to be. Everyone donated their time, equipment, services, etc., and that made for a pretty special experience. David is a fantastic writer and director and I can't wait for our next project, whatever that may be. (Hopefully I won't have to hold a dying fish in that one.)
For you, is science-fiction pure entertainment or also a way to deal with more serious contemporary topics ?
I just started getting into science fiction over the last year and a half, but I like it a lot. Battlestar Galactica is one of my favorite shows ever, because it deals with politics, racism, relationships, alienation, war, corruption, etc. in a sci fi setting.
Is sci fi purely for entertainment? I think it depends on the show. Some shows set out to entertain and that's what they do. I think that Atlantis has a great balance, because it is extremely entertaining and fun, with great action sequences, but it can also be very touching. I just watched all of the first season and there were some episodes that had me in tears. The writing is really exceptional. I especially loved "Letters From Pegasus".
What is your projects for 2008 (feature films...)? I've read that David have some projects for some future movies, is there a chance that we could see you in one of them ?
There is a chance that I might be involved in Starcrossed, but that's not official yet. Um....what else? Well, I am writing a short film called "Happy" with my friend Michelle, which is based on my play Humans Anonymous, then I will most likely be going back to Atlantis in April to do another episode. I'm off to Shore Leave in June. Then, I have to write a musical (eek) and most likely act in it (in July). After that...who knows...?
To conclude this interview if you have a message for the french fans, please do not hesitate !
Je suis desolee pour mes erreurs, mais je veux dire quelque chose en francais. Bonjour! Merci pour toute la support! J'aime la creme brulee et les frites!
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Source : Exclusivité www.davidhewlett-fr.com & www.gateship-one.net | Version française | English version
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