New PAUL McGILLION interview at Slice of SciFi
Go to the bottom of
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2007/10/06/slice-of-scifi-129/
and you'll see where you can download (or listen to) the new interview with Paul McGillion. Beneath the cuts are the highlights of the interview.
Paul appears at the 31 minute mark, and Paul promised to tell the radio hosts everything ;) He says the fans have been terrific in their support for Carson Beckett (mentioning the Save Carson Beckett campaign). "I can't thank them enough for all their huge support."
He said he had a great time filming a "few episodes" of Atlantis (season 4).
He said fan response to Beckett has always been good, and had such a great time doing the show. The fan response was so good they made him a regular the next year.
Question: His reaction to when he got THE script (when Beckett died). He mentioned the now classic tale of how he told his parents that he got the role in Stargate, and they thought it was Star Trek. It's really funny to listen to as he does his parents' voices. Brad, Robert and John Smith called him into an office and said "they wanted to shake things up a little bit with the show" and "it's television and we need to kill a character off." "It came as a bit of a shock to me," he admitted but he took it in stride. He said he's really pleased they brought the character back, for the fans as well as himself. He said there's been no talk about him being in season 5 (if it gets picked up).
Question: When was he approached about the return and did he like the script? Early in season 4, Joe Mallozzi asked if he'd like to come back (which was great, as he never wanted to leave it). The way they're bringing Beckett back "is really, really smart" but he doesn't give any clues. Alan McCullough wrote one of the episodes. "It's a really great acting piece for beckett and for me as an actor."
When on set, does he keep the Scottish accent on all the time? He said in the beginning, none of the cast realized the character was Scottish and when they did a reading for "Rising," and everybody looked at him like 'what the hell is he doing?' and even guest stars sort of 'freeze up' when he goes from his normal voice to Beckett's accent.
Question: What has he done in the meantime? "Just been crying in a fetal position," he joked. He's been in L.A. and finished a Lifetime movie in which he plays the husband in "Just Breathe," which will air in January 2008. He's been busy auditioning. He mentioned Star Trek and how many people think he'd make a great Scotty. "A role like that would be a lot of fun to play." He said it would be fitting if he got the role as his father would be quite pleased, and the radio hosts were glad to 'start the rumor-mongering now.'
Paul thanked everyone for their support. The interview from the 31 minute to the 46 minute marks on the MP3 file.