On Terra Nova, Stephen Lang says he’s covering new ground
NED EHRBAR
METRO WORLD NEWS
Link: http://www.metronews.ca/ottawa/scene/ar ... new-ground
Quote:
Actor Stephen Lang is getting attention for his work playing a gruff, militaristic leader shepherding a group of humans through a foreign landscape filled with deadly creatures. No, not Avatar.
While Lang’s new gig as Commander Taylor on Terra Nova — in which he leads a pilgrimage of humans 85 million years into the past to colonize an alternate earth — might bear some resemblance to the 2009 blockbuster that shot him to fame, he’s quick to point out the differences.
And if you want to typecast him, he’s fine with that, too.
Were you reluctant to take this part because of similarities people might draw with Avatar?
Obviously, there’s a certain similarity in their backgrounds. I just felt that the trajectory that the characters take is so vastly different, that after a certain breaking in period you would see Taylor as his own distinct personality, as opposed to being related to Avatar.
Are you at all afraid of typecasting after Avatar and then this role?
You know, I’m 59 years old, and if I’m typed right now, I’m typed as a charismatic, macho, silver fox. So, if that’s the case, I can live with that (laughs).
How much of Taylor’s backstory did they let you in on beforehand?
We’ve discussed backstory from day one on this. Even in our initial meetings we talked about how this guy comes to be, and who he is. Backstory emerges as fact as it becomes necessary. I can give you three possibilities of what Taylor went through in the year 2139. And whatever will serve our story best is the one that we will adopt, because it only becomes fact when it hits the screen, when it gets written in, you know?
What was your impression when you first saw the pilot episode?
I thought that we were on our — how do you put it? It’s a maiden voyage. There’s a certain caution that goes with it. There’s a certain finding your way, as the show finds its own sort of tone. I liked it. You see fully-formed characters. It tells a story. I thought the effects worked as well as we wanted them to work. But as in all the work I’ve ever done, I feel there’s room for advancement in it, clearly. And so, you know, it made me proud, but also anxious to do better.
How much does it help with your performance when you’re on location, and not on a sound stage as much as you would be on another TV show?
It helps in ways you’re probably not even conscious of. I mean, just being out in a pristine environment — that’s where you’re supposed to be. It’s one less artificial element to have to create.