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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 17:37:43 GMT -5
New Dreamwatch issue held some very suprising goodies for me/us. A Mike interview, a dvd review with a small Jess interview, which i thinkr eally shows how some certain magazine have been paying attention to us considering the questions asked
Dark Star
MICHAEL WEATHERLY survived two seasons of DARK ANGEL, ending its run engaged to the show's star, Jessica Alba
In Dark Angel, Michael Weatherly plays Logan Cale, a wheelchair bound cyber jounalist who's on a quest to save his post-apocalyptic world. He's also the cohort and romantic interest of co-star Jessica Alba's genetically-altered super girl, Max. The pair suprised even co-workers during the show's final year by suddenly announcing their engagement. It seems few, even on the set, were aware that the closely-guarded romance was taking place off screen. Series creator/producer James Cameron took credit for a match made in showbiz heaven by initially casting the duo. "It was my own genetic experiment I guess," he chuckles, "but its not surprising they fell in love, given the chemistry they had from their very first audition together."
The 34 year old New York actor got hooked on acting while in college but appeared in four failed TV pilots and played Christina Applegates former spouse in the sitcom Jesse before he finally landed the Dark Angel role, a part he claims changes his life. While no wedding date has been set, Alba will also be commiting to instant parenthood as stepmother to five year old August, Weatherly's son with ex wife, actress Amelia Heinle.
Dreamwatch: How has life changed for you since you worked on Dark Angel?
Life is a funny thing. It changes all this time, i've notices. If I look back over the past ten years, there are probably three or four major, tectonic plate shifting changes. Dark Angel was definately one of those major changes. Not only did the show shoot in another country[canada], which meant uprooting and living several thousands of miles away, but there was the aspect of sitting in front of people like you and talking about how your life has changed! [laughs].
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Post by Scirta on Mar 12, 2003 17:47:34 GMT -5
trembling. THUD! This must have been telepathy, Tweed, you called me to the board just before bed. Wow. waiting to read the rest. YAY!!!! Edit. Still jumping up and down while lmao!! Darn, he *is* funny. Any pics, Tweed? I know, I'm insatiable, but I guess you can understand, right? ;D Plus, it's way past my bedtime.  |
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 17:55:23 GMT -5
How did your engagement to Jessica affest the show? Was the sexual chemistry between the characters still believeable when fans knew you were a couple in real life?
There was a lot of mystery to the chemical equation between max and Logan. Without gettingtoo much into Jessica's and my personal life, it was a concern of our that you dont want the audience projecting their knowledge about you as a real person into this great story about these fictional characters. That was one of the reasons we kept quiet about it. I was tired of wearing a hat every time i went out with her and a moustache and borrowing Michael Jackson's closet of diguises!
In the final year the show was structured very different. Those characters were sufficiently imbedded in their worlds and their problems so that I dont think anyone was thinking. "In that scence it definately looked like they had a fight that morning..." [laughs]. The show was a little faster paced and less relient on that moody interaction between Max and Logan; a little more fiery.
Playing a character in a wheelchair, did you get much feedback
Yes, and especially when Logan was going on dates with Max and they were sort of flirting with the relationship. I'd be walking down the street and a guy would rool by in a wheelchair and he'd stop...It happened about a dozen times becuase i was playing a guy in a wheelchair dating Jessica Alba, so I was like the instant poster boy! I even heard that some people were actually renting wheelchairs and going to clubs to see if they coud pull a Logan, with their laptops and fake glasses on! [laughs].(yeah my sister read this and laughed her ass off)
Logan was very computer literate. What is your own relationship with computers
The question is can anybody do some of the stuff that Logan does? That's why it set in the future, becuase that skirt the question! I'm a quasi-luddite, meaning I have practically no idea of where the 'on' switch is on most computers. I did after the second episode becuase i had to read off the screen a alot. I figured out that I could talk to the computer programmer guys and they programmed my script onto the computer screen, so that i could just sit there and read my lines while i was talking to Max! I thought that was a great cheat. It was a wonderful little actor trick until the sound department one day said. "We can hear the computer's hard drive, so we need to shut off the computer..." I hadn't memorised any of my lines for that day! I'm learning more about computers. I still dont have an e-mail account which frustrates everyone in my life...(damn)
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 18:09:59 GMT -5
What was the attraction for you to play Logan?
James Cameron wanted these characters to not be just superficial, butthere is a big sugar hit that you get from the sho. It's got action sequences and Jessica, maybe you've noticed, is somewhat engaging young lady. So you could just peel off the top layer of candy like quality and see it as an action adventure show but with lots of human drama going on underneath. I thinkour show resonated with the audience like The Matrix resonates, becuase the characters were mysterious and had a kind of depth - real or imagined - that made you curious to know more. We dont know a lot about Logan, my character, and that probably makes him more interesting.
Was Logan a mystery to you?
I think that he surprised me. For instance, he walked with the help of this exo-skeleton...That was partially becuase he wanted to get involved in his work and partially becuase he wanted to stand up so that he could be an equal with Max. Mostly he was in total denial about what his real situation was. I think thats a great metaphor - he was constantly in denial. He wont admit any of his flaws or who he is and he's just going to keep going and damn the torpedoes! It got him into bigger and bigger trouble, which was fun.
Jessica is very young and you've already been married once. So why did you decide to get married so quickly
Jessica is an ethical purist, I think. There is no grey area in her world. She is very clear on what she wants and what she doesnt want and she was very clear with me about not discussing it infront of reporters! [laughs] (awww well we can all see who is gonna be the boss of that household)
But you've already been married before, so does it feel different this time?
I've never been through this. I've never encountered anyone like Jessica, so enough said. She has muscles and she'll use them!
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 18:22:59 GMT -5
If you could play any role, what would it be?
There are the classics, I guess, but i'm a little superstitious so i always feel like it would be a dangerous game to play. The guy I grew up completely emulating and really just loved was Season Connery as James Bond I loved that genre. I used to drive people crazy with my Sean Connery accent! And the funy thing is that i didnt understand until later that he was a sociopath. I loved his sense of style and adventure and fun and this playfulness in that face of danger. Something in my teenage adolescent self just completely connected with that character and the Ian Flemingbooks. He was a loner and he knew how to get things done. It wasnt until later after my first marriage ended in therapy that I discovered that James Bond was not someone you should try to emulate.
Dark Angel - season one is out now on Region 2 DVD and VHS
The MAX Factor
Dark Angel star Jessica Alba tells of Max's two year fight for a better future.
What was the original appeal of starring in Dark Angel?
I was attracted to the show becuase i felt Max was real. Dark Angel is a sci fi show, but I felt Max's journey was real. People in real life just want to figure out their place in the world and are searching for their own identity and how they're going to function, and thats all Max wanted to do.
Max didnt really want to be a hero, but she was a good person and she had a good heart. And I think a lot of people feel that was - there's a lot of good people out there who will give a helping hald without saying "i'm the best person in the world." So to me, its believeable that Max would try to help people out without trying to be a cheerleader about it.
I just loved her journey.
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 18:36:47 GMT -5
It must have been nice to play a strong female character as well...
It was great. It was like a little fantacy of mine that i always wanted to see this girl. And there wasnt anyone like her - She-Ra was the closest character I could think of, from when I was five years old! There was He-Man and She-Ra, and She-Ra was cool and kicked ass. but other than that, the other strong females are mostly kinda quirky and bizarre kinds of people. Max isnt like that - she's straight and confused and fucked up and yet she has a good heart. And I loved that, it just seemed real to me.
Each of Dark Angel's seasons are very different - the first focusses on Max's special abilities and her ongoing fight against Manticore, while season two follows her attemps to unite her fellow mutants against persecution. Which did you prefer?
I liked the first season better. Season two was fine, but it kinda became a different show.
Were you happy with the way Max's will they/wont they realtionship with Logan Cale(michael Weatherly) was developed as the series progressed?
I thought the way it was handled in season two was kinda rediculous, witht he writers trying to turn it into a love triangle with jealousy and all the stupid stuff...We;re all adults here, lets not act like fricking teenagers!
I thought it was ridiculous when whoever it was who was in charge of the show thought that was the best way to go. I thought it compromised the show. These people are extraordinary people - they're heroes - so they wouldnt really fall into into that kind of stereotypical behaviour. It just seemed weird to me when they started acting kinda average and sometimes below average.
Did you enjoy working with John Savage and Nana Visitor as the shows main villains, Lydecker and Madam X?
I loved John Savage. He was great, and I loved playing opposite him. I enjoyed working with nana Visitor to. She's a great actress.
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Post by orchidee on Mar 12, 2003 18:37:56 GMT -5
Season Connery and James Bong ! LOL !!! fun typos  |
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 18:54:48 GMT -5
Series co-creator/executive producer James Cameron directed the seasond season finale, freak Nation, which proved to be the series final episode. Cameron is famed for being a ruthless perfectionist - did you feel any trepidation about working with him?
Not really. I felt like I had already proved myself to him in doing so many hours, and I think everyone on the show had proved themselves. So we were exxcited to see if Jim could take the show to another level, and he did. He losy sleep and sweated his butt off and he applied fake blood and he picked up the camera, and he was just great. We all got challenged, and we discovered something new in thisshow we had been doing for so long.
Do you have a favourite episode of the series?
I think there's moments throughout the entire series, but the episode with Jim really stands out. it was so challenging becuase it was at the end of the season and we were so exhasted, and I pushed myself beyond all limits. It was like doing the pilot again.
Dark Angel was controversially axed at the end of the season season. Do you feel that the show was cancelled before its time, or are you comfortable with the series' demise?
I feel it was perfect in its own little bubble. I mean, James Cameron directed the last episode. How could you top that? Thats perfection right there. To go on after Jim directed it would be kinda weird...I think for the crew and the cast, we all got our fufillment out of it.
Immediately after finished on Dark Angel, you landed the starring role in the upcoming movie Honey. Do you have any plans to star in another tv show?
Not right now. Dark Angel is a really tought act to follow and I dont know if i want to jump into another six and a half year commitment. And every year you never know if a show's going to continue or not. Its such a crazy thing to get into.
IF DARK ANGEL IS REVIVED ONE DAY AS A FILM OR TV MOVIE, WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN STARRING IN IT?
If Jim wants to do it, yeah. I think he is great, so i'd do anything for him.
Finally Jessica, if there's anyone reading this who's managed to completely miss Dark Angel so far, why should they check the series out?
Its really entertaining. When you sit and watch it, it brings up a lot of questions, it has a mysterious element and its visually enticing, so it challenges your mind and its nice to look at. Its not just rubbish, you know! [ laughs]
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 12, 2003 18:56:29 GMT -5
Season Connery and James Bong ! LOL !!! fun typos Shut up do you want me to keep typing this up for you people or not, if you do want this then your gonna have to live with the typos. i've just spent a night not speaking english, i have lost most of it and so sue me okay And becuase of that i wont bother typing up the dvd review, wel okay it has nothing to do yuo that i am just too tired and wanna go to bed ;D. My logan lones are trying to be scottish, its sweet, kilts and accents and all ;D |
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Post by Scirta on Mar 12, 2003 19:09:53 GMT -5
Tweed, you just made my week! This was so great. Exactly what i was looking for in an interview. Well, minus the info on the therapy. But I'm sure according to Tweed I'm in need of one myself, so, it's all good. ;D MW was incredibly funny and I'm starting to believe him about the pants in the family. See, Tweed, that's what you need to do. Show'em who has the pants. No, girl, I don't mean the clone... Man, they ARE asking all the right questions. And JA's answer about the way the M&L relationship was developped... Well, it's like one of us speaking... It feels so good to read this. Thanks, Tweed. JA sounded very hyper and happy to me. I wonder when exactly this interview was done? Noticed the answer about a movie. If anything, JA told me exactly what I wanted to hear. Going to bed happy... I can't thank you enough, Tweed. And frenchie, you better get that Honey out and start smearing it... preferably with complimentary (c)lones attached... ;D |
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Post by Aerie on Mar 12, 2003 19:48:42 GMT -5
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Post by Star on Mar 12, 2003 19:53:31 GMT -5
Clone is on the way. HUGS to Tweed for typing all that up for us. ;D ;D Love the questions and their answers. Especially about the second season and the ML relationship. First JC doesn't pull the punches in his interview, and now MW and JMA tell it like it is. Props to them. |
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Post by orchidee on Mar 12, 2003 20:42:48 GMT -5
speaks for itself ;D thanks for typing tweedie, 1 lone on your way |
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Post by Tweed Pants on Mar 13, 2003 11:18:00 GMT -5
Yeah okay so i was typing fast okay, i didnt wanna have to spend all night typing it up, thats why i didnt bother doing the dvd review thing cos it doesnt really say that much interesting stuff. Plus i think you should be groveling at my feet or something, i mean who else would have got the magazine and typed all that up for you, huh who YEAH WHO!!!!!!!!!!! Ha, i sure showed you!
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Post by Aerie on Mar 13, 2003 11:42:08 GMT -5
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