[The Gateroom] Where would you like to see the writers taking you character in the future? Do you think he should evolve beyond what he is now?

[Gary Jones] It's always good to evolve. It's great fun to do more than I'm doing but having said that, I’m eternally grateful to have been on the show for nine years in ANY capacity. The writers are brilliant and they can take me anywhere. They have the big picture and I trust that wherever they take "Walter," he's supposed to go.

[TG] Which do you like better - doing standup comedy or working on “Stargate: SG-1”?

[GJ] Well, those are two polar opposites. Stand-up is "me" and “Stargate SG:1” is "me...acting." They both have great pay-offs. Stand up is very satisfying to me because I hear laughter right back at me as soon as I've said something funny. With Stargate, the reaction is slower because the show has to be assembled and then aired. But I assume that since I'm still on the show nine years later, it's still a good reaction.

[TG] Which role in your career have you most enjoyed, and why?

[GJ] The part of "Cooper" in a play I co-wrote with a buddy of mine. It began as a tiny one-act play in the local fringe fest and evolved into a two-act on a commercial stage and ended up winning the "best play of 1994" in Vancouver.

[TG] How difficult is it to play such a serious and straight-faced character, in the midst of all the banter that goes on in SG1?

[GJ] The banter is all off-camera and people pull it together to get their lines on-screen. But all the banter adds to the comfort on the set which translates to the actors connecting, which is what the viewers see.

[TG] Looking back now, if offered this role again, would you take it or want something a little more involved in the action?

[GJ] Take it, take it, take it.

[TG] How does it feel to be better known as "chevron guy" than as Gary Jones?

[GJ] It would bug me if my wife called me "chevron guy" but since she doesn't, I take comfort in the fact that the SG:1 fans get to call me by that nickname. I'm slowly evolving out of that now since they've named me Walter Harriman and Beau Bridges walks into a lot of the control room scenes saying, "okay, Walter, what have we got?", people will probably start thinking of me as Walter since Beau also doesn't go, " okay, what have we got, chevron guy?"

[TG] Who have you enjoyed working with the most out of the cast and crew of SG-1?

[GJ] There are a number of them. Some I've known for years and some I've gotten to know as I've done more in the show. Andy Mikita, one of the directors, is a great guy and a good friend. Tons of fun to do one of his shows. same with Peter deLuise. He makes me do nutty stuff to amuse himself and we laugh a lot. Barry Peters, the costume guy, is loads of fun and we have great chats in between scenes. Will Waring is the main camera operator who's evolved into a director and he's laid back and loves a laugh. Patrick O'Brien was the main hair guy but he retired and only comes back for a few days here and there but is also a really lovely guy and good fun. Amanda Tapping was sweet to me from day one and my wife and I have become friends with her and her husband. The list goes on. Now that I've started writing this, if somebody read it that I left out, they'd be upset. Sorry about that, Bev.

[TG] As a comedian, do you sometimes wish for your character to be more humorous at times?

[GJ] Well, sure. That stuff is easy for me and I'm very confident in performing comedy. SG:1 does have humour but it's a very specific action adventure kind of humour. I have to make sure that I deliver that particular brand of humour properly or they'll stop giving it to me. That way they'll continue to investigate Walter's humorous side.

[TG] Does it really give you a thrill when you say Chevron 7 locked?

[GJ] Uh, not really. I think that has to do with the fact that the gate doesn't really work. If it did, god knows how many teamsters would be sucked into other dimensions and that would be a thrill to watch.

[TG] How would you compare your acting career on SG-1 with a guest star role on Sliders in a similar role?

[GJ] No comparison. if you think of Walter as being a character equivalent to flying a plane, "Michael Hurley" of “Sliders” didn't get out of the hangar.

[TG] What in stand up comedy do you find challenging?

[GJ] Being relaxed enough to know when to end a joke and when to dig for more laughs.

[TG] Is there any Stargate episode which you particularly enjoyed filming?

[GJ] ”Heroes PT I & II” in which I got interviewed by a documentary film crew about my job at the SGC and all I could come up with was, "open the iris, close the iris." That's the kind of humour I was referring to and it makes the episode great fun. 

[TG] Did you have any idea how big SG-1 was going to be when it started with Children of the Gods?

[GJ] Not a clue. I knew that the show had been bought for 5 years but I had no idea that it would be so well received and I would float along on those massive coattails.

[TG] How was the experience of doing multiple voiceovers for the upcoming "Stargate the Alliance" game?

[GJ] Pretty standard stuff, except Peter deLuise was sitting about 2 feet from my face making me do stuff over and over and then making me redo things as Captain Kirk from “Star Trek” or as Marlon Brando from “The Godfather”.

[TG] Do you prefer acting, or writing?

[GJ] Writing. Because that's coming from me.

[TG] Your character seems to have garnered quite a loyal following. How do you feel about that?

[GJ] Bemused.

[TG] Have more doors been opened to you as an artist because of having been in “Stargate”?

[GJ] No, not really. I mean, I'm known enough around town and have done tons of stuff but no-one goes, "wow! you're on stargate?" They sort of expect that if you've been around for 20 years like I have that you get gigs like this. It's just that they usually don't last 9 years.

[TG] How do you think Sgt. Harriman would respond if he were to join an SG team offworld?

[GJ] He'd be so happy to be out of that tight flight suit. That would be his main response.

[TG] How much of an influence do you have over the outcome of your character?

[GJ] None.

[TG] In a DVD audio commentary with Peter DeLuise, you mentioned the episode 'There But For The Grace Of God'. You said that you enjoyed firing the weapon, shooting the Jaffa. Do you wish you could get more action that turning the gate chevrons on?

[GJ] The action stuff is great fun. Yeah, it would be nice but I'm also happy with whatever they give. They know Walter's parameters better than me. I just trust them and go with them.

[TG] Stand-up comedy has changed over the years, from being political and topical to being almost totally abstract. Which style do you use, which do you prefer, and why?

[GJ] Um, sarcasm, obviously! Lots of observational stuff and looking at the wonky side of things that others miss. Then they laugh because they then notice it and laugh at what they missed. I'm not political. I can chat with someone in the crowd for 10 minutes and get material. My improv background comes into play hugely. I don't plan stuff. Well, VERY loosely but then I don't know where it will go. The audience knows it too. Check out someone like Eddie Izzard from Britain. He's amazing.