Television
When Sci-fi Meets Reality: An Interview with Stargate’s Ben Browder
Alex A. Kecskes |
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 Best known to sci-fi fans as “Farscape’s” 20th-century astronaut Commander John Crichton, Ben Browder gained quick notoriety as Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell in “Stargate SG-1.” Loyal “Gaters” now eagerly await his return in the brand new feature film Stargate: The Ark of Truth (MGM Home Entertainment, MSRP: $26.98), where he’ll help track down an ancient device that could stop the Ori war once and for all.
Born in Memphis and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Browder received his acting training at Central School of Speech and Drama in London where he met his wife, Francesca Buller. Those who follow his career also know Browder as Sam, Neve Campbell's boyfriend in the FOX series “Party of Five.” And die-hard fans will remember him in “Melrose Place,” “Grace Under Fire,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Boys of Twilight.” In 2004, he portrayed Lee Majors in the made-for-TV film Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels.' That same year, Browder returned as John Crichton in “Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars,” which wrapped up “Farscape’s” remaining plotlines. The following year, Browder rejoined “Stargate SG-1” in its ninth season as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the team's new commanding officer.
I recently had a chance to interview Browder while he was relaxing at home, and he responded candidly to a variety of questions about his life and roles, particularly in the realm of sci-fi.
SoCal.com: What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Favorite Movie?
BB: When I was real young, it would have to be “The Amazing Spider-Man” TV series. The movie that had the greatest impact on me was 2001. I saw it in a theater and it blew my mind. It gave me this fascination with space flight and space travel. And it got me started reading science fiction as a genre of choice. I still enjoy reading sci-fi today. I remember seeing Star Wars and watching it three or four times in a row. I also remember seeing Alien at a midnight showing and being scared out of my mind.
SoCal: If you had a choice, would you choose to be in sci-fi or a non-sci-fi film?
BB: I would choose the character that would be the most fun to play. It would be something that would feed my family and my imagination. You weigh projects on a case-by-case basis. You really don’t know how things are going to turn out. I wouldn’t say I’m looking for sci-fi projects, but a family drama or romantic comedy--any of them can be rewarding. Science fiction just happens to be a large part of my work for the last eight years.
 SoCal: What made you decide to go into acting?
BB: It seemed like a good idea at the time (laughs). I’ve been acting since I was fairly young in theater and bits and pieces. I was finishing college and thinking to myself, do I go into the Air Force and fly jets or do I act? And I decided I wanted to act rather than go into the military. The theater world is fascinating. It was a great break from my growing up in the pre-Interstate South where everything was small and local. I didn’t know anyone that went off to New York or L.A. My grandfather had never seen the ocean ‘til he was 55 years old. We’d never traveled that far, we had no reason to. I went to college playing football on a scholarship. Going into acting was a substantial break from a conservative southern background.
SoCal: What do you like about playing Lt. Colonel Mitchell in “Stargate SG-1?”
BB: I like coming to work in the morning, putting on my fatigues, strapping on my 9mm, putting on my P-90 and going off on an adventure.
SoCal: What was your favorite story in “SG-1?”
BB: I like the episode with [Samantha] Carter about the alternative universe. It was fun. I liked the big “what if” and that’s a big story line. I like time-travel stories that sometimes frustrate audiences and writers. I really enjoy that stuff.
SoCal: Speaking of time-travel stories, do you watch the TV series “Lost?”
BB: I’ve seen the first series. I have the second season on DVD, but I’m behind the arc on those.
 SoCal: What was your favorite story line in “Farscape?”
BB: The one I have the most affection for is when they clone Crichton and then maintain two separate Crichtons for over half a season. It’s an incredibly bold piece of storytelling: to willfully split up your show for over half a season, then bring it back together and it somehow works. I view it as consummate risk taking and I thought the writers and directors handled that very well.
SoCal: What was it like filming in Australia?
BB: First of all, living in Australia is wonderful. Sydney is a great place to raise a family, which I was doing and still am doing. I like the sensibilities there. At six o’clock on Fridays we were done working. Australians value their down time and family time. It’s an egalitarian culture. Sydney is a massive surf town and I surf. The beaches are beautiful, the water is beautiful. It’s hard for me to fault Australia other than the fact that it’s on the other end of the world, which makes it hard to connect with family and friends. We had a degree of freedom in our work that I haven’t seen in many other countries. There was a “can do, why not” attitude or “let’s try this” feeling that, as a creative exercise, it made working there wonderful and fun. There was less formula, which led to some great things. It was great to spend four years of your life in that kind of laboratory.
SoCal: What was it like working with Claudia Black?
BB: She’s a tremendously talented actress and a good friend. Working with her is like butter on toast. I enjoyed all my scenes with her.
SoCal: What about Amanda Tapping? Any favorite scenes?
BB: She’s a sweetheart. [During filming of the upcoming “SG-1” movie Stargate: Continuum] when we walked along the ice together in the Arctic, it was 50 degrees below and she was giggling like a schoolgirl. There aren’t many people, actress or otherwise, that would do that. She and I went on this walk along the ice and we didn’t know how deep it was, but we knew that there was 1,000 meters of subzero water beneath the ice, and if we went through we would die. We were walking and talking during the helicopter shot, and she laid down on the ice and made snow angels. That tells you all you need to know about Amanda Tapping. It cuts right to the core about who she is.
 SoCal: How do you balance raising a family and your busy, far-flung shooting schedule? Does it put a strain on your family life?
BB: Yes, it’s probably hard on them, but then again, they may be dancing a jig when I’m out the door (laughs). But when I’m away, it’s hard on me. With the writers’ strike, I love being home. Assuming there’s a next job, I know that when I’m working that I’ll be gone from them, so I try to maximize my time at home. I’m not looking to take up golf or anything that will take me away from my family.
SoCal: So how do you unwind from acting?
BB: You ever play PlayStation with a 10-year-old boy? It’s relaxing. You walk in the door and you start doing the dishes. That’s one easy way to unwind. You hand a dish to a member of your family and you chat while you do it. For me, the process of unwinding should be simple. You get on with what needs to be done and you surround yourself with people that you care about. You maintain those relationships. It doesn’t take much to unwind. If I decide to paddle out to the surf break with my kids and we’re just sitting there watching the ocean, I don’t know if it gets much better than that.
SoCal: What can eager “Gaters” expect from The Ark of Truth?
BB: It’s a continuation and conclusion of the last two seasons of “SG-1.” It deals with the Ori story line, which is the major arc in the last two seasons. It brings that story line, I would hope, to a satisfying conclusion. It has larger production values than the “SG-1” series. Every major character of the last two seasons has significant screen time.
SoCal: What can we expect from Stargate Universe?
BB: It’s in development and there’s no official word on that right now. I really don’t know anything about the story line.
SoCal: Will you be in Stargate Universe?
BB: I have no idea.
SoCal: Are you hoping to be in it?
BB: (laughs) Well, I try not to get my hopes up. I’m not expecting to be in it. From the bits and pieces I have heard, it doesn’t sound like the character of Mitchell would be involved in it. Maybe I could be the caterer or something. Or do something in special effects, blow things up.
 SoCal: You once said the “Stargate” audience is smarter than you are, what did you mean?
BB: Given the fact that I was only on the show for two years, they really know more about the show than I do. While I’ve watched every single episode, much of the audience has seen each episode more than once. So they’ve invested more time in the show than I have. I think it’s a mistake to ever assume that your audience is not smarter than you are. I don’t believe in pandering to an audience. There’s a tendency in storytelling to somehow assume that you may be more intelligent or that you know more than the people you’re talking to--and that’s a huge mistake.
SoCal: What can you tell us about story in Continuum?
BB: I think it comes out around September. The scope of the film will be huge. In several respects it will be bigger than The Ark of Truth.
SoCal: What do you like about working with writer/director Robert Cooper?
BB: Robert is sort of a dual personality. On one side, he’s a writer, removed from the process and he’s very intellectual about it. I didn’t really know him very well until he started directing. It was only then that I had the opportunity to joke with him and tease him, to give him a hard time (laughs). I enjoy his company on the floor.
SoCal: Do you ever suggest story lines or collaborate on stories?
BB: Occasionally late in the day, I would draw out an idea or two. He took one idea that I was rambling out in the office for an episode of “SG-1.” I’m not really involved in the writing or breaking out stories.
SoCal: One last question, will we see you at Comic-Con?
BB: Yes. I’m scheduled to be there.
Stargate: The Ark of Truth is now available on DVD.
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