Vibe TV Interview Show

Host : Our next guest commands a 5 mile long space-station, determined to keep peace in the galaxy. From 'Babylon 5' please greet Bruce Boxleitner.
[applause as Bruce comes on]
Host : Welcome to Vibe man, how you doin'?
[lots of hoots from audience. BB and another guest shake hands and says 'good to meet you', turns to host and repeats 'and it's good to meet you!']
Host : You [two] never met? I thought all the Hollywood people know each other.
BB : No. [to other guest] People think that though, don't they? Yeah, we all hang out at the pool together, you know [kidding]
Host : You all go to Spago's...
BB : Spago's. Right. Does Spago's even exist anymore?
Other guest : We all go to the same plastic surgeon
BB : That's it!
Host : The rhinoceros-plasty guy.
BB : Yeah (grins)
Host : So, what's happening man, I'm glad to see you're doing your thing on 'Babylon 5'
BB : Oh yeah, I'm usually in outer space every week
Host : That's a big transition 'cos I was used to seeing you in Westerns a lot
BB : I'm sort of in a space western now. They don't make a lot of them [Westerns] any more, and I wanted to try science fiction. I tried out for Luke Skywalker believe it or not, with many, many others back then.
Host : How did you do?
BB : I don't think they remembered me at all. In fact I remember it was Brian da Palma and George Lucas doing a simultaneous audition for a film called 'Carrie' and this other film called 'Star Wars'. And I know I was run through with probably a thousand others, and I thought that George Lucas was a fellow who was like Brian da Palma's assistant, or gopher or something, you know. It was terrible. Oh boy, no wonder I didn't get the part.
Host : How far did you go, did you get a call-back?
BB : No further than that
Host : You didn't put the light sabre on?
BB : No, but I remember standing in line when 'Star Wars' opened and I said 'Oh, I wish I could've gotten that.'
Host : But you're doing your own thing man, you got your own show
BB : Yeah, I've got my own 'Star Wars' going
Host : How did you get this part? Did you have to audition? Did they call you in or what?
BB : No. Actually there was another fellow that had played the lead in their very first season and for one reason or another he was leaving the show and they were going to find someone else. Ironically, I had this fanclub since my days on 'Scarecrow and Mrs King' [applause] - oh, somebody remembers that!
Host : With Kate Jackson
BB : Kate Jackson, yes. And the woman who runs this fanclub, Darla Vassila, who lives back in Virginia -- she and her husband Steve go to these scifi conventions all the time, Star Trek conventions which is another world altogether [smiles]. And she said, 'You know they're replacing the guy on Babylon 5', and I said 'On what?!', she said 'Babylon 5' I said 'Oh really?'
Host : What? You weren't even familiar with the show?
BB : No, I think I'd seen it once and it just didn't register. But anyway, she said 'you ought to get your agents on that, 'cos you'd be really good in it.' And I said, 'Well thanks Darla, thank you for the information, but really, things like that...it doesn't work that way here. If they're interested they'll come and call or something'. And two weeks later I got the part. That was weird.
Host : All from Darla
BB : I thank Darla a lot. [lot of applause. Bruce points to audience] These fans count.
Host : Now we actually have a clip of your famed show. What are we going to see in this clip?
BB : This clip is sort of the culmination of this fourth season, in which I have been leading this rebellion, my *character's* been leading this rebellion against Earth. Earth, that's pretty ambitious, huh? And they catch me, and they want to break me down and use me as a propaganda tool against my forces. So that's what you're going to see.
Host : [to audience] You hear that space voice? Mimics Bruce's deep voice 'Use me against my forces'
BB : [voice even deeper] My forces
Host : Lets see the clip.
[plays clip from the B5 episode Intersections in Real Time, the 'do you have any allergies?' scene with the pain-givers]
[Enthusiastic applause]
BB : [rubs throat] Owwww!
Host : You got a little choked up
BB : I did. The scar just recently healed.
Host : What was that thing?
BB : It's kind of a collar they have on me, so when I got a little out of line they zapped me with it.
Host : Like a dog collar?
BB : Yeah, you gotta watch it [to understand it]
Host : I've got a couple of dogs that I need to put that on -- [to imaginary dog] 'Don't go in the kitchen! [Zap]...[laughs] So, you're married to Melissa Gilbert.
BB : Yes I am
Host : [to audience] You remember Melissa Gilbert from 'Little House on the Prairie'
[applause from audience and BB comments inaudibly to other guest, who knows Melissa].
Host : [to BB] Is she here?
BB : Uh? No, no she's not. She's at home with all the kids.
Host : Oh...oh. On the prarie?
BB : She's at home on the prarie, right!
Host : Er, no she's not. Can we bring out Melissa Gilbert please!
[MG comes on stage to applause and hugs BB. Everyone shakes hands and they all settle down again]
MG : [to BB] Surprise!
BB : [to audience] My bride! This *is* a surprise. [to MG] Well, well, well, so 'I have a meeting with the accountants and so on, huh?'
MG : I did! I've been here for ten minutes...
Host : They're gonna fight on the show, how about that!
MG : [to Bruce] I've been here for ten minutes, literally, and I even had to park at that [mentions parking garage]...and I ran, in these [high-heeled] shoes.
BB laughs
MG : [holds out her palms] I'm shaking and sweating.
BB [to host] : Well, there you are!
Host : You guys ever play 'Little House on the Prarie' at home?
[laughter from audience, BB clears his throat]
Host : 'I got your stew!' (mimes stirring large pot of stew)
MG : That's a little personal!
Host : No, not like that! [they're on different threads here]
BB : Well, she calls me Pa, but that's another story.
[whoops from audience. BB looks suitably chagrined as MG laughs and puts her head in her hands]
Host : I was talking about the home-making, and I knew you lived on a ranch, but I didn't want to get all into the...
BB : Oh Pa...
MG : Watch it, or I'm going to tell them your nickname.
[audience laughs...uh-oh]
Host : Tell us!
BB : [points to his right]. That side of the room wants to hear it. [thinks for a second] What is my nickname?
MG : Captain Freakdaddy
(BB turns a fetching shade of red and then tries to climb inside his jacket to hide, there is a lot of noise from the audience, and the band starts up with some suitably 'catchy' music)
Host : Captain Freakdaddy?!
BB : [starting to recover] Yeah. I even have a baseball cap with that written on the front.
Host : [to MG] How did he get his nickname
BB : [clears throat very loudly indicating they *aren't* getting into that] - Uh uh uh!
MG : It's just one of those things...
Host : In a galaxy far far away
MG : ...the name fit
Host : Do the people at work know they call you Captain Freakdaddy?
BB : They do now!
Host : I hope it doesn't mess you up in a scene. 'Captain Freakdaddy we need you up to...uh oh. I'm sorry, cut, cut...'
BB : On the holodeck
Host : When did you guys fall in love?
BB : [to MG] I'll let you have that one.
MG : [to BB] Well, you didn't know it at the time...
[audience laughs]
MG : Well I was only fourteen when I first saw him
Host : You knew him when you were fourteen?!
MG : I didn't know him, I saw him. I had his picture in my locker at school.
BB : Isn't that bizarre?
Host : You didn't date when you were fourteen though?
MG : No, it was like Tiger Beat magazine
Host : ... Uh-oh, we'd better go to a commercial...(grins)...Captain Freakdaddy just lived up to his name
(MG and BB crack up)
MG : No, we met the first time when I was seventeen, [to BB] and you were married to your first wife. [to audience] It was at Battle of the Network Stars, that was that sports show that people did together, and I ran up and said 'Hi!', and he patted me on the head and walked away...[she grins as if to say 'what's a girl to do?']
BB : No, no, no, come on, it wasn't quite like that
MG : No, someone called you
BB : Yes, I had to go on the set. I'm standing there in a Speedo bathing suit with a seventeen year old girl standing there.
MG : (laughs) I was scared
Host : Captain Freakdaddy mmm? Hi little girl...
BB : Captain Freakdaddy, that's right [laughs]. I was sucking my gut in...[deepens his voice] 'Hello darling'
Other guest : Oh wow
MG : Yeah, isn't it scary?
BB : And then we met years later...
MG : We re-met, and then I guess, as the story goes, that you got a call that I was single and living in the neighbourhood and you should date me, and you said 'But she's...twelve'
BB : 'She's got pigtails and freckles and...buck teeth and...' [makes a face]
MG : That was not the case.
BB : It was not the case, no [smiles at her]. That was five years ago now.
Host : You're happily married, and you have a little baby?
MG : We have four altogether
BB : Not four babies!
MG : Four boys, not four babies
BB : We have a combined family, my two sons and...
Host : How old are they?
MG : Seventeen, eleven, eight, and Michael will be two on October 6
BB : [the proud Dad] Yeah
Host : And how's he doing? Cos I heard it was kind of a rough situation.
MG : It was, it was. He was twelve weeks premature and he was in intensive care for about eight weeks. He was three pounds when he was born but sheesh you wouldn't know it now. Mikules [like Hercules]
BB : (impersonates a gorilla) Mikules, that's what I call him, yeah
[Host shows photos of Mikey and audience oohs/aahs. He's a picture of health]
Host : That's good, that's good to see that because my sister was born premature too and it was kind of rough in the beginning.
BB : So you know how hard [it is]
MG : It's hard, its scary, it's something that there's no way to be prepared for but you just sort of go through it and you do it and thank God...[needing to touch wood for luck] is there wood here or anything?...it turned out okay.
BB : Yeah, he's marvellous. For a little boy that was born with practically no lungs at all we could hear him from home right now
MG : He's loud
Host : Well, we will be checking on 'Babylon 5'. I want to make sure you come back Mister Freakdaddy when you get a chance. (to MG) and would you please join us too?
MG : I will
Host : Please say thank you again to Bruce Boxleitner, and Melissa Gilbert.
 

Thank you, Claudia!