STARBURST special #27 4/96

As Babylon 5 becomes the last, best hope for the victory against the forces of darkness which threaten to envelop the galaxy, Bruce Boxleitner is delighted to be a part of the epic Science Fiction saga. During the course of his career, Bruce Boxleitner has found fame and acclaim in a wide variety of roles and has become incresingly recognized as one of American television's most popular leading men. A graduate of the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, Boxleitner made his professional acting debut at the age of 19 and gained his first taste of stardom in How the West Was Won. The actor subsequently appeared in a plethora or TV shows, mini-series and telemovies, including Scarecrow and Mrs King, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Danielle Steel's Zoya, House of Secrets, Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone, East of Eden, The Secret and A Perfect Family whilst his big-screen credits include The Baltimore Bullet, Knuffs, The Babe and Tron. However, nothing in his impressive résumé prepared Bruce Boxleitner for playing the lead role in Babylon 5.

Expect the Unexpected

"Working on this show has been a continual amazement to me," he explains. "I never know what's going to happen next, and that's not the norm in series television, in any genre. I think I've done enough television over 27 years to know that it gets pretty predictable. Well, not in this case. Babylon 5 is a different kettle of fish altogether." The actor was invited to join the popular SF series when its original leading man, Michael O'Hare, made a surprise exit at the end of its first year. Although Boxleitner had nothing to do with the change in command and was contacted by the show's producers after O'Hare's departure had been publicly announced, the veteran screen actor found that his appointment initially incurred the wrath of a small number of the show's die-hard fans. "I think that change is difficult for some people," he says. "A couple of Michael O'Hare fans felt disgruntled and they did what they felt they had to do. Meanwhile, I, like John Sheridan, got my orders and reported into work and that was it. Everyone on the show made me feel very welcome. I had seen several episodes of the first season and I liked the show a lot. I also liked the first commander, so it was odd to be receiving those kind of complaints."

War Without End

Despite their initial reservations, most viewers immediately warmed to Boxleitner's charismatic portrayal of Captain John J. Sheridan, who proved to be much more of a traditional all-American action hero than his war-weary and semi-traumatized predecessor, Jeffrey Sinclair. Consequently, within weeks of Sheridan's debut in the show's second season premiere, Points of Departure, Babylon 5 fans started to clamour for an adventure which would bring the station's two commanding officers together. Their wish is fulfilled by season three's eagerly anticipated two-parter, War Without End. "The fans are going to be really excited," promises Boxleitner. "Everything is going to come full circle for them. Sinclair's going to have a great adventure with Sheridan and it's going to be a lot of fun. Even the most die-hard, sophisticated Babylon 5 fans are going to have their brains scrambled a little bit by this one, because War Without End is the most complex storyline we've done so far."

Sworn to Secrecy

As shooting of the show's third season draws to a close, Boxleitner is delighted by the way its over-arcing five-year storyline has developed and praises the tireless efforts of the series' creator and executive producer, J. Michael Straczynski, who has written all 22 of the year's episodes. "Things just keep getting better and better on this show," he says. "There's so much going on. Mr. Straczynski's imagination has gone crazy! He's marvellous and just wait until you see some of the things he's come up with. I guarantee there will be many surprises and as usual on Babylon 5, things are not what they seem. Everything will be thrown topsy-turvy and will come out being something else." When pressed for further details about upcoming storylines, however, Boxleitner refuses to give anything away. Like everyone else on the show, the actor is sworn to secrecy about the story arc and wouldn't like to do anything that might jeopardise viewers' enjoyment. "I have to be so careful," he explains. "The other day, I said something I shouldn't have and gave away a secret. Joe [Straczynski] wasn't too pleased with that! But, you know, these things happen. I think that most of our guest stars are hearing these things anyway and the fans are so eager to find out what's happening that they normally manage to work things out sooner or later. "What I can tell you is that we'll have some new looks and some new people. Some characters may depart but the war is continuing and is beginning to heat up. It was kind of quiet after the Centauri conquest of the Narn, but it will all pick up again. It's kind of like the 'Phoney War' during the World War II: after Germany's first offensive, everyone was at war but nothing really was going on. It was like this big huge pause and then, suddenly, the war really picked up." Although Babylon 5 marks Boxleitner's forst foray into the realm of Science Fiction television, the actor auditioned for a role in the controversial SF western adventure series Battlestar Galactica way back in 1978. "They didn't want me," he laughs. "In terms of my career, that was probably okay. People seem to be rediscovering the show right now, although I can't imagine [Star Wars creator] George Lucas is too happy; I think that his lawsuit is still going through because he's convinced that they stole the idea for the show from him. Fortunately, I don't think we'll have that problem with Babylon 5!"

Babylon's Tron

Four years later, Boxleitner made his SF debut in Tron, Disney's ground-breaking mixture of live-action and computer animation. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer game programmer who finds himself trapped in one of his own creations, 'Space/Paranoids', and teams up with the game's heroic main character, Tron (Boxleitner), to defeat the forces of cyber-evil and return to the real world. Although Tron won mixed reviews and was a disappointment at the box office, the film has developed a loyal cult following in recent years. "Tron really was ahead of his time," says Boxleitner. "I think the storyline could have been a little beefed up but as far as the technical aspects of the film are concerned, there's not much to rival it. I just think it came out too early for its own good. [Director] Steven Lisberger is quite a genius. I haven't heard about him for a years and have no idea where he is now, but he did quite a good job. He had quite a vision and quite a story." Boxleitner initially turned down the chance to star in the film, but changed his mind when Lisberger outlined his plans for the movie and revealed that Jeff Bridges and David Warner had already committed themselves to the project. He then donned a pair of spandex tights to play the computer-generated hero. "The film spent a year in post-production and when it finally did come out, to tell you the truth, it was sort of anti-climactic for me," he recalls. "I had built up my hopes so much and then it just seemed to be okay. I also thought that the film would help me launch my feature film career and it didn't. I went on to television. But I'm not complaining really." Ironically, the actor recently rediscovered Tron on laserdisc and was amazed by the way the film has improved with age. "It was fantastic," he says. "My sons and I watched it and I just sat there grinning. I hadn't seen it in years and I just couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it! They've remastered the film for laserdisc and they've made it seem fresher. Afterwards, I thought that it was quite a good little Science Fiction movie." According to Boxleitner, the best thing about working in a Science Fiction film or TV series is the way they make actors use their imagination. "When you're standing on a bare set pretending to plummet through the Jovian atmosphere, you've really got to suspend your disbelief and make it look realistic," he explains. "If I was working on a show like Melrose Place, I wouldn't get to use my imagination much. "Hopefully I'll be able to do more in the field after Babylon 5 is over," he continues. "I know that some actors have felt trapped by their association with the genre, but I think we're going to see more high-quality Science Fiction films projects coming up in the next couple of years and I would really like to expand on my work in Babylon 5. I don't want to play a Captain again, I'd prefer to do something else, maybe I could play a scientist of some sort. But the way Hollywood is, producers tend to kind of see you in something and think that's what you are, and you have to go along with it."

Fans and Loyalties

Since starting work on Babylon 5, Boxleitner has forged string ties to the show's fans and has been overwhelmed by their loyalty and enthusiasm. "I've never seen anything to compare with the fans of Science Fiction shows and films," he explains. "It's extraordinary. The fans have conventions and create costumes; just how much more enthusiastic can you be? Babylon 5 has such a big fan following that we're creating our own fan club, which will be based here on the set. That will be great because it will be much more centralized and easier for people to get access to the show." Boxleitner is disappointed by the way Babylon 5 has been overlooked by many American viewers, especially Star Trek fans who choose not to watch the ambitious space station aga out of loyalty to the SF franchise. While he has every respect for the Star Trek shows, the actor believes that Babylon 5 stands on its own merits and that there is room for more than one SF saga. "It's a continual struggle not just to make Babylon 5 but to gain more acceptance for the show," he states. "We're all very proud of the show and I wish it had half the respect that it deserved." The actor is well aware of the show's international popularity, particularly in Britain, where the show is already beginning to develop a loyal audience comparable to that of Star Trek. "It sounds terrible, but I believe that British television appreciates us more than American television," he says. "There seems to be a true love for the show there. I really am grateful for that and would like to thank all of our British fans for their support. Believe me, everyone here on the show appreciates it. In fact I'm very much looking forward to meeting some of the fans at the Wolf 359 convention later this year."

Highlights

Reviewing his work on the series Boxleitner has difficulty choosing a favourite episode. "I normally say In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum because it was the first time time that I got to show another side of Sheridan that we're seeing more and more of this season," he explains. "Z'ha'dum is going to play very heavily at the end of the third season for Sheridan. Obviously, it's been on his agenda to go there from the moment he discovered that it was the home of the Shadows and I don't think I'm giving anything away there." With almost two years of Babylon 5 to his credit, Bruce Boxleitner continues to enjoy working on the show and rates it as one of the best highlights of his career. "The best thing about working on Babylon 5 is that I'm never bored," he states. "I've never managed to predict where we're going with the stories and with Sheridan. Also, I must say that the cast and crew make the show a total joy to work on. They're the best group of people I've worked with in years. Like with Scarecrow and Mrs King, we have all become a family/ I truly believe that actors are gypsies in search of a home and Babylon 5 is a great home to be in. It will be one hell of a sad day when we finish working on this show."

Thanks Karen H and Claudia!