London Film and Comic Con: An Interview with Nana Visitor

Probably best known for portraying Major Kira Nerys in Deep Space Nine, Jean Ritter in Wildfire and Elizabeth Renfro in Dark Angel, Nana Visitor has played a wide range of roles in her career. I absolutely loved her portrayal of the outwardly strong and resilient, yet inwardly vulnerable and insecure, former freedom fighter Kira Nerys on DS9, and was greatly looking forward to meeting her at LFCC.

Unfortunately, I apparently left my brain somewhere else during the interview, and completely forgot what I was saying mid-sentence. I had to resort to apologising profusely, whilst I desperately fumbled around in my mind looking for where the rest of the interview had gone! I've transcribed the interview with my brainlessness edited out.

Regardless of my absent-mindedness, it was an absolute pleasure chatting with Nana Visitor. She’s a truly lovely lady.

Hello, Nana Visitor! How are you?

I’m good, how are you?

I’m good! Now, you’re well known for portraying Kira Nerys on Deep Space Nine. This year now marks DS9's 20th anniversary; what was it like working on the show?

DS9 was such a huge pleasure. The best part was I knew – at the time – that it was a special show. I knew that I might not be able to get this kind of writing/direction/producing again, so I relished it. And I'm glad I did, because I'm so proud of it. The new fans of the show that come through – and you see them at these things, people who've just discovered the show – and it proves that it has longevity.

Out of all the Star Trek series, it was arguably the darkest and grittiest. Quite often that darkness focussed around Kira, her family, and the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. How was it for you, performing these stories that often got really dark and intense?

You know, it was hard to wash the grit off at the end of the night. It was a dark part. These days, she would probably be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, I would say, and be treated – that probably would have been a great storyline if during those days we knew the treatment for it.

So yeah, it lived with me. I remember having Kira dreams. At night I would have dreams of being chased by Cardassians and things like that. So yeah, it stayed with me.

Having Marc Alaimo in full Cardassian make-up chasing you down corridors...

Yeah! Nightmare!

How did you feel about Kira's character development? Going from the stand-off-ish Bajoran liaison to becoming essentially the commander of the station.

I thought it was appropriate. I thought it made relationship sense, it made evolutionary sense for her as a sentient being. She would gradually come to trust and know and respect these people.

Could you relate to Kira's character? Was there much of yourself in your portrayal of her?

Absolutely. The striving, the dealing with having flaws and having the humility to see them and admit to them, and do something about them or not... It was wonderful in that way.

How did it feel to play such a strong, resilient and independent character?

I wasn't really aware, I just knew how I thought she should be, and I did get some push-back from people saying that it wasn't Star Trek, it wasn't right and I was just being bitchy. But I decided long ago that my allegiance is with my character and people's perceptions are people's perceptions; there's nothing I can do about it. So I stayed pretty true to what I thought she was.

In terms of character development, how did you feel about her relationship with Odo?

At first, no, I didn't want it. I thought it was so wonderful that there was a real, deep friendship between male and female, and it was such a cliché on every TV show that you get two people together; it always ends up romantic as if friendships can't exist. But in the end, I thought it was a wonderful story and it was a sweet love. People seemed to really respond to it.

I felt very much the same way about it. At first I wasn't sure it was the best course for the characters, but as the story continued it seemed more and more like a natural development. Well, as natural developments come when it's between a Bajoran and a Changeling!

Anyway, thank you very much for your time. It's been an absolute pleasure talking with you.

And you too.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

---

Unfortunately, my brainlessness chewed up quite a bit of time, and I would've loved to chat with Nana Visitor for much longer had most of what I wanted to talk with her about not been wiped clean from my memory! Nevertheless, it was an absolute pleasure to meet her: she's a genuinely lovely person (and very understanding of brain-dead interviewers!).

Visit www.nanavision.com for the latest news about Nana Visitor and her work.

London Film and Comic Con: An Interview with René Auberjonois

I’ve been a fan of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for many years; it’s my favourite series set in the Star Trek universe, and ranks in the top five of my all-time favourite SciFi shows. Out of all of the series’ characters, I found myself most drawn to Odo, portrayed by the brilliant René Auberjonois.

Auberjonois has played a wide array of characters in his long and distinguished career, such as Father Mulcahy in MASH, Frasier Crane’s pink-satin-dressing-gown-clad mentor Professor Tewksbury in Frasier, and of course DS9’s security officer Odo, to name but a few.

When I heard that Mister Auberjonois would be attending LFCC, I knew I couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk with him. Although things had to be cut short due to a queue forming behind me, it was absolutely fantastic to chat with him: he is genuinely a most excellent gentleman.

Hello, Mister Auberjonois! A pleasure to meet you, sir. How are you?

Hello! I’m well, and you?

I’m well, thank you.
First of all, I just wanted to say how much I loved your portrayal of Odo on Deep Space Nine. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of the series, could you please describe a little about what it was like working on DS9?

Well, it was a gift. It came at a wonderful time in my life, and it was a great character to portray, and a lot of wonderful people to work with; not only the other actors, but the crew and the directors, the writers... It was getting to be part of an ensemble for seven years, which is a really rare opportunity in this very unstable business. It was great.

What would you say was your favourite thing about Deep Space Nine?

Well... The ongoing story, the complexity of the stories and the characters, and I liked the fact that compared to the other versions of Star Trek, I think Deep Space Nine is the most gritty and dark and perhaps neurotic. That appealed to me, because it's more complex.

And no matter how alien any of the characters were, there was always this sense of... Well, humanity is probably not the right word to use, but it's the only word we have! Every character had this sense of humanity about them, and Odo in particular started to develop a burgeoning sense of humanity that grew as the series went on.
How was it portraying Odo's character? Were there any aspects of yourself in the role?

Well, I think any actor who creates a character, there are aspects of his own personality that come through into the character. Not the complete picture of who I am, of course...

I'm not suggesting you are a shape-shifter!

Obviously I'm not a shape-shifter! There's a lot of Odo's sense of integrity I like to believe is part of the way I've learned to live in the world, and his sort of covered sense of humour is something that I feel I brought to the character. I'm a character actor, that means I play – and have throughout my life – many different characters, and Odo in his flexibility to be able to shape-shift, and the fact that he was masked in a way, seemed to me like a kind of symbol of what I do as an actor.

And as a character, he grew a lot throughout the series. Especially when he discovered his own people, he became a new person.
How did you feel about his overall character development as the series progressed?

It was always an adventure to get the scripts each week, to see how the story would evolve, and I would say that in the end his returning to his people – to the soup – was inevitable. He had been sent out by a planet, a community of creatures, that were very fearful and paranoid about what was out there. In the end he has to serve as the healing force, and return to where he had come from.

Well, as it appears there's a queue gradually growing longer and longer behind me, this'll have to be the final question. How did you feel about Odo's relationship with Kira? Was it a direction you could see the character going in?

Well, it was a surprise to both Nana and I. It was not anything we had anticipated, and it really wasn't anything that the writers had anticipated. It seemed to evolve out of their friendship, and it was a very interesting aspect which – to a certain part of the audience – was very important, and they responded to it with great passion. So, in the end, although I think both Nana and I thought “where did that come from?”, I think we were both very satisfied with that development.

Thank you for your time, it was an absolute pleasure, sir. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Thank you, and you too. Take care.

---

I wish I could have spoken with René Auberjonois for longer, about his current work and his support for Doctors Without Borders, but unfortunately I had to move on due to the queue forming behind me. It was absolutely brilliant meeting him: he's a truly fantastic gentleman.

Visit www.renefiles.com for the latest news and updates about René Auberjonois’s and his work.

London Film and Comic Con 2013: An Overview

This past weekend, the annual London Film and Comic Con took over Earls Court Two, bringing a host of celebrity guests, comic book artists and purveyors of unique merchandise to the venue. This year's event boasted a wide array of guests, with stars from the likes of Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Star Wars and Star Trek. As this year marks the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (my favourite of the Trek series), LFCC 2013 celebrated the occasion with a great selection of the stars from the show; needless to say, I was looking forward to meeting the cast of one of my all time favourite SciFi series!

Once more armed with my dictaphone, a notepad and a sonic screwdriver that doubles as a pen, I set course for Earls Court Two.

Earls Court Two is somewhat of a place of nostalgia for me. I first came to this venue two years ago for my first ever London Film and Comic Con (actually, that's a lie – I really first came to Earls Court to audition for the role of Tom Riddle in Harry Potter many, many moons ago, and was less than successful, but that's another story!). LFCC 2011 was my very first convention, and also the first event I covered as a member of the press, having only started writing for Step2TV a month beforehand. There hasn't been another Showmasters' event held at Earls Court Two until now, so it was strangely nostalgic to be back there again this year... They say you always remember your first, and I still vividly recall my first interview: it was with Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Doctor Who). We had a long discussion about his character on Battlestar, Romo Lampkin, followed by a slightly shorter conversation about his favourite cheese (manchego).

It was also at LFCC 2011 that I first met friend, colleague and co-conspirator Josh Harris, where we talked at length about Doctor Who whilst stood next to the DeLorean waiting to interview Christopher Lloyd (there's a time travel joke in that somewhere...). Befittingly, for LFCC 2013 Josh and I rallied at Clapham Junction and made our way there first thing Friday morning to set up the stand for Subversive Comics – for whom Josh works – and for me to pick up my press pass for the weekend.

Friday night marked the beginning of the event, opening with a preview evening where a handful of the guests were providing autograph signings and photo opportunities. The venue wasn't overwhelmingly busy, but considering that this was just a two hour preview there was still a considerable amount of people – a large amount of whom had already come in costume! I spent my evening taking a look around the various stalls that had been set up, chatting with some of the visitors and exhibitors, and attempting to plan out the weekend ahead.

Day Two, Saturday. It was ridiculously, unnecessarily hot. I know a lot of people enjoy the heat of the sun, but whenever this time of year comes around I turn into an angry summer goth. In hindsight, it was probably an unwise decision to wear black jeans with a black t-shirt and black jacket... It was impressive to see the amount of cosplayers who remained dedicated to their costumes and their roles in this weather – I can't imagine it's particularly comfortable being a PVC-clad Catwoman or full-armoured Iron Man in heats exceeding 28°C!

I attempted to grab a couple of interviews with a number of the guests for the afternoon. I had my eyes set primarily on the cast of Deep Space Nine and Stargate (Amanda Tapping and Jason Momoa; unfortunately, Michael Shanks and Claudia Black had to cancel their appearance).

The first guest I was able to interview was René Auberjonois. Amongst the many, many roles in his long and distinguished career, Auberjonois is probably best known for his portrayal of my favourite character in Deep Space Nine, Odo, and Father John Mulcahy in MASH (and, if you dress him in a pink satin dressing gown, you may remember him as Professor Tewksbury from an episode of Frasier). I was fortunate enough to grab ten minutes with Mister Auberjonois, in which we discussed his time working on DS9 and how he felt about Odo's character. Unfortunately things had to be cut short as a queue had started to form behind me, but it was an absolute pleasure talking with Auberjonois for the time I had. He's a genuinely excellent man.

In addition to meeting the fans and signing autographs throughout the weekend, Auberjonois was also collecting donations for Doctors Without Borders, a secular humanitarian-aid, non-governmental organization whose volunteers provide urgent medical care to victims of war and disaster regardless of race, religion, or politics.

My second interviewee was Nana Visitor, Kira Nerys on DS9, and chatting with her proved to be one of my most memorable interviews to date! We started to talk about her experiences working on DS9 (including the resultant nightmares of being chased by Cardassians), and things were running smoothly... Until I forgot what I was saying mid-sentence. My brain literally ground to a halt. All I could do was profusely apologise for my apparent lack of brain cells, and prolifically perspire in the sudden uncomfortable heat I was experiencing. Thankfully, Visitor relating her tales of also occasionally forgetting what she's saying (arguably in a worse situation, performing on Broadway and completely freezing up) gave my absent mind some space to breathe and cobble together some vague semblance of the interview I had initially planned out. It may not have been my finest hour, but it's certainly an interview I'll remember for quite some time! Visitor is a truly lovely lady, and an absolute pleasure to chat with.

Sunday being Sunday, things were a bit more relaxed – and nothing was more relaxed than London Underground's service that morning! I arrived a bit later than I had the day before, and set about attempting to arrange the interviews for the day. Among those who I planned to chat with were Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko, DS9), Amanda Tapping (Sam Carter, Stargate SG1 and Dr Helen Magnus, Sanctuary) and Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex, Stargate Atlantis, Khal Drogo, Game of Thrones), however I had been informed that their agents were incredibly restrictive about interviews. Again it was advised to try again towards the end of the day when hopefully the extensive queues would start to grow shorter. As such, I decided to return to having a look around the convention, occasionally returning to the guest area to try my luck with the queues.

I stopped by the Sea Shepherd stall to see some friends I'd met at previous conventions and at Sea Shepherd demonstrations and protests, and I was fortunate enough to meet one of Sea Shepherd's esteemed Captains, Peter Hammarstedt. I have the utmost admiration and respect for the work that the Sea Shepherd crew do to protect our oceans' wildlife, and I honestly can't stress enough how important everything they fight for is.

On the note of good causes, Amanda Tapping was also promoting the charity she started up with writer/producer Damien Kindler and Jill Brodie, Sanctuary for Kids. I was unable to formally interview Tapping over the weekend, but I was able to introduce myself and tell her how much I admired the work she was doing with S4K. Sanctuary for Kids is a charitable organisation dedicated to helping children in crisis across the world, raising money and working with small charities such as the Watari program in East Vancouver, Nepal Orphans Home, Asha Nepal, Next Generation Nepal and SOPUDEP in Haiti.

After speaking about the work she does with S4K, Tapping noticed my Sea Shepherd badge. Of course, her Stargate co-star Richard Dean Anderson is a very prominent supporter of Sea Shepherd and a member of their Board of Advisors, having worked with Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson for many years. So we also discussed Sea Shepherd's work, how she herself had also met Captain Watson, and the Captain's present situation following his unjust arrest in Germany last year under false allegations. Despite not being able to interview her properly, it was fantastic finally meeting Amanda Tapping, and even more so to discuss the causes we both feel passionately about.

Around mid-afternoon came the event I'd been looking forward to for most of the weekend: the Q&A with the cast of Deep Space Nine. The guests for this interstellar line-up for the Q&A were Avery Brooks, Alexander Siddig, René Auberjonois, Andrew Robinson, Armin Shimmerman, Nana Visitor, Salome Jens, Aron Eisenberg and Max Grodenchik. Among the things discussed were how the cast first got into acting (Auberjonois said it was because he “didn't know any better,” Shimmerman simply answered “girls”), and if they had to choose a different character to portray, who would they be (Auberjonois: “I would have been Morn.” Shimmerman: “I wish you had been.”). The mystery of what happened to Captain Sisko's baseball at the end of the series may also have been partially solved, as the subtle clues – and Brooks's suspicions – all seem to point towards Nana Visitor...

All in all, LFCC 2013 was a brilliant and memorable event. I met and spoke with a number of fantastic people, and had an overall highly enjoyable weekend. Interviews and transcripts of Q&As will be up soon, and will be linked to below.

For more pictures from LFCC 2013, please visit my website at www.bronjames.co.uk

London Film and Comic Con returns with a new winter event in October this year. 
Visit www.collectormania.com for more details on London Film and Comic Con Winter and for more of Showmasters' upcoming events.