LIFE HAS BEEN somewhat unsettled for Captain John Sheridan since his posting to Babylon 5. Following the death of his wife Anna, when her ship the Icarus exploded above Z'ha'Dum, Sheridan has thrown himself into his work on the station, trying to make some order out of the chaos thrown up by the Narn/Centauri war, the conspiracies within Earth Government and the Coming of Shadows...
As the Universe has become a darker place, so Sheridan has assumed the status of The One - a representative of the cause of Light and has grown increasingly closer to the Minbari Ambassador Delenn. But things are always changing on Babylon 5, and Sheridan has glimpsed a future in which he has a child with Delenn - while Delenn in turn has seen a future where a mysterious woman has re-entered John's life...
As Channel 4 speeds forward to the world premiere of the final episodes of season three of Babylon 5 - in which Sheridan and his followers will band together and face the Shadows on their home world - Cult Times talks to Bruce Boxleitner about this most fantastic of fantasy shows...
Q: Can you tell us something of your background as an actor?
A: I started in theater. I did three years in repertory school, and then I went to New York and a brief stint on Broadway and then decided to come out to Los Angeles. It isn't really what I always wanted to do ironically - television has been the nicest and most lucrative.
Q: Have you done any theater since your career took off?
A: I haven't been on a theatrical stage for many years, and its quite frightening to have to go and do that again. I know Mira [Furlan, who plays Delenn] recently had a successful production that was a reworking of Antigone. I just haven't done it, I've been busy in television. I would actually like to do a play again, just to feel a little more together.
Q: What was your first job in television?
A: My very first job here was a walk on part-five lines at the most in a Mary Tyler Moore sitcom, which you rehearsed for an entire week and then you shot it on a Friday night in front of a live audience. I'd just come from the East Coast and my whole experience was theatre, so that wasn't daunting. Then later on having to shoot things backwards and forwards...
Q: How does the continued repetition of the same performance in theatre compare with the 'shoot it and it's finished' nature of television?
A: I've heard people say 'Oh, I hate repeating myself', but I found that every night you had a different situation. Although you were repeating your performance, every performance was a new one-that was your job, to make it new. To have that wonderful luxury of maybe three weeks rehearsal again... it would be marvelous. Imagine if we got to have three weeks of rehearsal on Babylon 5. We would find many more things, but we don't have that luxury. We have at most a couple of rehearsals, just to make sure we've got all our lines. If it was feature films we'd be doing maybe a page a day, but we're doing seven sometimes.
Q: How did you feel about taking over the lead in Babylon 5 from Michael O'Hare?
A: I felt as though I was wearing his shoes, so to speak. That's the same with any role one takes over in any television series.
Q: The show has certainly evolved over the first three years. What do you think about the continual changes?
A: I live this guy day to day, so when the changes come I have to change with it. Sheridan has to deal with parting with everything that he knew and lived for. Everything that was his life. These are very lonely people-all of the Earth characters here and some of the aliens too. Very lonely characters; within our own lives we're all very dysfunctional. Ivanova has her troubles You'll find Marcus, our Ranger, is a haunted man. That's why they've all come together with this cause; they're picking up and trying to form a new life together.
Q: In what ways has Sheridan changed since you joined the show?
A: He's more forceful and has more responsibility now. He's not answering to any greater organization. Sheridan has a dead wife, not much of another life, and now home is not home anymore - the Earthforce which was his life, his duty, his whole reason for being is gone. Now he has to make the rules as we go along, and that's not easy. It's a new dance every day here.
Q: Presumably, unlike your co-stars Peter Jurasik, Andreas Kastulas and Mira Furlan, you don't have to spend very long in the make-up chair...
A: I'm in make-up for half an hour for hair and so on. There's some changes happening now away from the military look. I'll even look much different next season, I can tell you that. Let's just say I might not have to shave every day...
Q: Does that mean Sheridan will have a beard?
A: Probably. Oftentimes leading men don't want facial hair. That is changing more, but in television generally men have that nice, neutral clean-cut look. We're tending more towards a more romanticized look..we're going to be more medieval looking. We've got more of an Arthurian theme happening here... Camelot, the round table, the Alliance. It's all very mythical. And fun.
Q: What did you think of the change in uniform in Ceremonies of Light and Dark?
A: It's much better. We don't have so many layers. The Earthforce uniform was much more cumbersome and also it had a high collar, while this is more open and much more comfortable. I like the colors. It s a much more attractive look. I think everyone agreed it was better, certainly in the summer it was a welcome change to the two coats and a heavy shirt. That was very warm. I just wear a T-shirt under this, and its a lighter material.
Q: Would you consider yourself a fan of Science Fiction?
A: I'm reading more of it now in my own free time than in the past. I finished the sequel to Blade Runner by K W Jeter, which was great because he combines the film and the Philip K Dick novel. It will probably be a movie. I read The Making of 2001, which shows how that vision of the future was of its time - optimism that we would be on Mars by now. It's all fallen down, which is disgusting. The space shuttle is just a pick up truck of the future and spacefaring has fallen on its butt. I find that disillusioning, but maybe someone will pick up the gauntlet one day.
Q: What do you find attractive about Science Fiction?
A: You can encompass so many things that tell about our present day life. I don't think it's for everyone though. I encounter people who've never seen this show, and it's been on for three years. People in the media go, 'What is that?' They just don't relate to it. It's not realistic to them. They'd rather watch Melrose Place, and I can perhaps understand that. It's not for everyone, but certainly we have a cult following for this show, and I think we have to enjoy that because I don't believe - and God strike me down - but I don't believe we'll ever be mainstream, so why butt your head against the wall in constantly trying to make everyone see it? It's a cult show.
Q: What do you think of Babylon 5's 'rivals'?
A: Television-wise it's kind of hit or miss. A year ago we had many more Science Fiction shows that have all gone off the air. I watched in horror as Earth 2 went off, as VR5 and SeaQuest gave up. The X-Files is the only one that seems to stay on, but for a broader audience - other than Star Trek - it's really not that accepted. We have to come to grips with that. People want Friends and ER.
Q: What are your views of The X-Files and Star Trek?
A: The X Files covers much broader territory. I'm a big fan of The X- Files. We could have that kind of story in this show - we could get away with a paranormal story. Star Trek allowed Babylon 5 to happen. It's the strongest in television, it's weathered those thirty years and you can't argue with its massive impact on culture. I preferred the earlier ones, but I did like The Next Generation. I wasn't an avid follower. I did catch this show a couple of times during its first season and I thought, 'That's interesting...' It's a different view, which I think we need to have.
Q: In what ways would you say that Babylon 5 differs from Star Trek?
A: Babylon 5 has this continuing story, which they didn't have in Star Trek. Also it has a whole darker outlook. I like the Star Wars sagas, and I saw a lot of that in Babylon 5. The idea of a space station being a sort of Casablanca in space was interesting, and just the way it's shot... it's darker, there's more intrigue going on. My only criticism of Star Trek is that they have to stick to being Star Trek - whereas we don't have to stick to being anything, other than we do have this bible, but even then that's malleable. Every story doesn't have to be an arc-driven story. We have side stories we go off on. I did this thing for another magazine with Nana Visitor [who plays Major Kira Nerys] from DS9, and we laughed about this rivalry. I guess it's kind of healthy in a way, it's good for all of us. I think the more Science Fiction shows the better, it makes it a better atmosphere.
Q: Are any of the other cast members of Babylon 5 fans of Science Fiction?
A: I know Billy Mumy's a fan of Science Fiction - he's our SF icon. But not all of the actors are: I don't believe Jerry [Doyle] is, I don't believe Peter [Jurasik] is at all. I've had these conversations with them. Jason [Carter] is pretty much aware of SF. It's not a requirement here. It's very theatrical material we're doing here.
Q: Do you tend to get recognized when you're in public?
A: It's not a problem, ever. If someone recognizes you, I think it's a marvelous thing.
Q: How do you cope with your fan mail?
A: I answer as much as I can, and I also have an organization that does that for me. It's mostly for autographs. I sign a lot. I get a lot of housewives who fondly remember Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
Q: What sort of reaction do you get from the fans?
A: [As well as praise] they're very daunting in their criticisms too. We're used to the Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety and magazines with their criticisms and accolades, but now we've got very frank appraisals from the public which is good. We see the impact we're having.
Q: Some of the cast of Star Trek have moved on to become directors. Have you ever had a desire to direct a show you have appeared in?
A: Yes I have. In Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Kate [Jackson] had directed two of them. I asked, but we went off after our fourth season and I never got to do it. I haven't pushed here, I'm just as happy not having to worry about it. We have some fine directors, and they have a better feel for it, and I'd sooner do a smaller project to cut my teeth on. I admire actors who can direct.
Q: Is there any part of your job that you don't enjoy?
A: I certainly don't enjoy dubbing, but there have been times we've needed to change an emphasis on a word to make it work better. I will reveal when we had Comes the Inquisitor and had Jack the Ripper on board, somebody made this faux pas over the fact that the murders did not take place in the West End they took place in the East End. And I had to loop the bit where I hung my face, and you hear me say 'East' while my lips say 'West'. We had to loop that before it played over in England.
Q: Are you able to give us any hints for what will be happening at the end of season three?
A: My wife, Melissa Gilbert, will be appearing in a pivotal role to the whole arc. You may know her from Little House on the Prairie - she's a surviving child actor. She's not a fan of Science Fiction, but she loves this show-in fact she reads every script before I do.
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