Gday Mr
Billingsley, My name is Stuart Blair and I am from the Sci Fi
Reporter, Australia's E Sci Fi Newsletter. On behalf of Sci Fi
fans Downunder may I welcome you to Australia for your upcoming
tour.
MUCH OBLIGED! WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT TREMENDOUSLY
How did you develop / come up with
the Dr's unique accent?
I played around with a lot of accents when the audition came up
(a weird audition request: come in with a slight alien accent!
Hmm . . . ) and my wife Bonita, after many thumbs down, finally
gave a thumbs up for the one I eventually used - it seemed to me
that Phlox, as written, had the detachment and gentle sense of
humor of a Zen Buddhist so I tried to create an accent that would
have a touch of the guru about it, maybe a little bit of an
upward inflection like you'd hear in India, nothing too on the
nose cuz obviously I didn't want to sound like Apu from the
Simpson's. I don't know that I ever got as comfortable with it as
I might've liked - in fact, when I go to cons and people ask me
to talk like Phlox, I can't always do it - and every time we came
back from hiatus it took me a few scenes to find the voice again
- there were also certain sounds I never felt I got quite right
and I will still cringe, upon occasion, if I watch an old
episode, when I hear a certain speech or certain words that
'clank' in my ear. If I meet you when I'm there, ask me about the
squawk . . . which never made it on screen, but which I employed
at my audition . .
Re: the Dr's physical appearance /
personal hygiene / mannerisms - how much input did you have in
developing this aspect?
I really didn't have a lot of input in terms of his physical
appearance or eccentric skill set - his 2 foot long tongue, his
monstrous toenails, the blowfish face, wall crawling ability, etc
- the mannerisms, vocal tics, etc., for better or worse, were
mine - the nudism came about because one of the writer's called
my dare - I'd suggested at a cast party one time that they should
write a nude scene for the doc, although what I'd suggested was
that he should be puttering around in the nude when a crewman
arrived and that we should see the crewman's eyes bug out, if you
get my drift - anyway, the writers said nah, you wouldn't do it,
and I said of course I'd do it, the goofier the better . . .
Is he a nudist himself???
Probably.
Whose idea was it for the Dr's defensive mechanism in the ep "Home"
Blowfish face came from one of the writer's, not sure which one . . .
What does JB think of polygamy for humans? Are we ready for
it?
JB can't imagine having more than one wife. I'll leave others to
interpret that statement as they will.
Did you enjoy your time on
Stargate?
Yes, very much - the gentleman (Patrick, I believe?) who played
my opposite number (Felcher? Coombs? Can't remember who was who)
was a terrific improvisor and a great sport and they gave us a
lot of latitude, room to play - I was sorry that they never
brought me back, actually - I think Patrick returned to do
another one, but what is a Felcher without a Coombs, or visa
versa?
Whats up next for John
Billingsley?
Well, fingers crossed - I'm currently
shooting a pilot for ABC (an as yet untitled show by Hank and KJ
Steinberg - Hank is behind Without A Trace). It's about a botched
bank hold up and the way the ensuing hostage crisis plays out -
great cast (Chi McBride, Kim Raver, Tim Daly, bunch of other
terrific actors), great director (Alex Graves, West Wing). I play
a sad-sack who rises to the occasion, does something heroic and
finds that his new found celebrity gives him a shot at a brand
new life. And the best part of it is that my real life wife,
Bonita Friedericy, who is also, of course, going to be in
Australia this spring, has been cast as my fictional wife in the
show (she's a real ball-buster in the fiction, fortunately a doll
and a pussycat in real life). I've been recurring on Prison
Break, did a couple of indie films that I doubt will see the
light of day, but ya never know, and apres NZ/AUST, if the show
gets picked up, will be back to work in earnest come June . . .
.The Sci Fi Reporter would like to thank John Billingsley for his
time and we wish you all the best for your upcoming Tour
Downunder.
Any words for your fans in closing John.....
Only my continued thank you thank you thank you's for all of the
support and affection they've shown me over the course of the
last five years.
xox jb
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