[The Gateroom] What drew you to working on “Stargate: Atlantis”?

[Paul McGillion] Well, firstly, the script, the pilot, for “Rising”, was just phenomenal, and when I got that passed to me, I was very excited about reading for the character of Beckett. And following up the great success of SG-1, any chance to work on a franchise like that was a great opportunity. Of course, the character of Beckett originally was a recurring character, with an international flavour, and I, being born in Scotland, I decided to bring the Scottish accent to the table and I thought it was really appropriate for the character and luckily it seemed to work out for me. So I would have to say that the wonderful script was what originally grabbed my attention.

[TG] What input, if any, do you have into the plot and script of episodes you are in?

[PM] I initially had a lot of input, because they didn’t know what the character was going to be – he was very open ended. Beckett was, as I mentioned earlier, a character with an international flavour, so they were reading actors, I believe, both men and women, for it, primarily men though, I believe, anywhere from about 25 to about 55. There were characters going with Russian, German, Czechoslovakian, English accents, and I came in as Scottish. So I guess I had a great input in making him Scottish initially. So Brad Wright and Robert Cooper, as you are, are the creators of the project, and they give you a lot of liberty as far as playing with the Scottish dialect. As the character started developing, they started writing more FOR the character, and they’re very open to suggestions – it’s a very open set like that. Of course, when you’re getting great scripts to begin with, it’s just a matter of tweaking it, and throwing suggestions up, but they’re very open to that, which is a great benefit to have. The atmosphere is just wonderful, and right from the get-go, from the pilot, it was just a great feeling – we knew we were doing something special.

[TG] How much of Paul McGillion is portrayed in Dr Carson Beckett?

[PM] I think that every character an actor plays is an extension of yourself to a certain degree, and I think the well-rounded character that the writers have developed for Beckett is a great pleasure to be able to play. I think I bring my sense of humour to the character, and, when given the opportunity, which I have been in the first season, there a sense of drama that also comes into the character – Beckett could be the cowardly lion as well as the reluctant hero at times. And, so, it’s a really nice opportunity to play a character like that. As far as me, Paul, I think there’s a lot of me in Beckett! I think I’m a little more confident, though, than the character is with the ladies, being honest with you! Or I’d like to think I am, anyway!

[TG] Are Atlantis and SG-1 filmed at the same time, and, if so, do you like to see what the other guys are up to?

[PM] We have the same shooting schedule. We are at Bridge Studios in Vancouver. We’re on different stages, though – there’s the Atlantis stage and the SG-1 stage, so we do run into them. Of course, Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks, we had the benefit of having them in our pilot, which was great. Amanda Tapping’s lovely, and Christopher Judge, he’s just a great guy. So yes, we do run into them from time to time, but it’s usually not while we’re shooting, because they’re both very busy productions. John Smith runs a tight ship, so we’re pretty much on set or at our trailers running lines, so the odd times we run across them have been very nice. The have been very gracious with me in particular, showing me the ropes.

[TG] What drives you nuts about the character you play on “Atlantis”?

[PM] He’s not exactly a contender for the Bachelor in Space! But really, nothing. I’m really enjoying the character, I’ll be honest with you. He’s grown into such a fully rounded character that he’s just a pleasure to play. I look forward to it every day. I’m blessed that I had an opportunity to play this character.

[TG] Tell us something we don’t yet know about Beckett, if you’re able.

[PM] I think that Carson has a trunk full of secrets that will be exposed in the season or seasons to come! Hopefully. Without giving too much away.

[TG] How does it feel to be a part of a show which has achieved immense international acclaim, and which people from all over the world meet up simply to discuss?

[PM] Overwhelming. Honestly, overwhelming, and I couldn’t be happier. I was fortunate enough to do an episode of SG-1 a while back, called “Torment of Tantalus”, and my character in that episode was called Ernest Littlefield, and that was my first taste of the Stargate world. I really enjoyed that process, and to become a regular on Atlantis, well, all actors strive for something like that – the security on the job, and, not only that, the atmosphere on the set. It’s like playing cops and robbers as a kid – you go onto a set every where there’s a new adventure in every episode, and it’s just a delight for me to play that. Not only that, but the scripts can be comedic, they can be dramatic, and I think that Brad Wright, Robert Cooper, Martin Gero, Damien Kindler and all the many other writers have just been so gracious in developing the character. That gives you, as an actor, such a wide opportunity, and I really couldn’t be happier.

[TG] Was it a little bit overwhelming to know that you played the first modern day human to have gone through the Gate?

[PM] At the time, I thought it was kind of special, because I was fitted for the old-school diving suit, and it was really interesting to be in 1946, I believe it was. You never know, when you appear so early in a show, quite where it’s going to go, and I became more important later on, through the progress of the series. People would come up to me and say “you’re Ernest Littlefield”, and I would say “yeah, I guess I am”, so it’s really a neat thing. I had the great opportunity to go to Europe for a convention late last year – I went to Germany, Scotland and England – and many people commented on that, so it’s quite an honour, looking back, to have that little landmark in my career.

[TG] Can you describe an average day working on Atlantis?

[PM] At the start of the week, John Smith’s mandate is trying to make the days no more than 12 hours, which is great for the cast, but, more importantly, for the crew, because a lot of people have families, and want to make sure they can have a regular life to a certain degree – in the film business, it can be crazy! We’re normally called, roughly, around 6am, drive to set, 15 minutes, pop into the trailer, get a bite to eat, go into hair and makeup, which usually takes about 15 hours – just kidding! No, usually, that’s really quick, so pop in there and then run over my sides. Usually all the actors like to banter about their sides. Sides are abbreviated versions of the script we’re shooting that day. You get handed those by the ADs (assistant directors), and then that’s our shooting schedule for the day. We know that prior to the day – we get call sheets the night before, saying what scenes we’re shooting. So, we’ll usually run lines, get wardrobe on, get mic’ed, and block the show, block the first scene, and then we’ll start shooting. And it goes from there. Depending on how many scenes you’re on, you could have a long day – 12 or 14 hours, or you could be in and out in 3 hours or so. So it all depends on the shooting schedule and the episode. If it’s a heavy Beckett episode, I’m in more days than if it’s not, if no-one’s getting injured on the planet!

[TG] Does it feel strange to act a character who is living in a totally unreal and artificial environment?

[PM] I wouldn’t say strange as much as exciting. It’s exciting to explore these otherworld experiences. The possibility of that is intriguing to me. I can’t wait to get the next script, to see where we’re going, and that’s just a lovely opportunity as an actor. What aliens are we going to meet this week in the episode? Are the Wraith darts going to hit us or not? You never know what’s going to happen, so I find it very exciting. Strange? Not so much. It’s stranger here in the lunch line, and someone in front of you has a serpent head on!

[TG] Your role in the independent movie “See Grace Fly” was really, really intense. What did you find hardest about playing the role of Dominic McKinley?

[PM] That was a comedy! No seriously, the role of Dominic McKinley is very close to me. The movie is based on a true story about the aunt of Gina Chiarelli, who plays Dominic’s sister Grace. Gina’s aunt was a paranoid schizophrenic. Gina and I had done lots of theatre together, and we decided that we wanted to try to do a film project together. She told me the story about her aunt, and how her father was a missionary, and he went to Montreal to try to get her off the streets, and it was just such an intriguing story about family. So when we were trying to figure out what we would like to do for our first film, I kept on coming back to that story. I said to Gina that we should do something with that story – change the ages and pitch it to a writer, who was Pete McCormack, who we ended up writing and co-producing the film with. He wrote a beautiful script, just from the seed of that idea, so it’s not based entirely on that one story. We also had the great opportunity of rehearsing, which a lot of films don’t. It’s very, very close to my heart, and is a role I will cherish forever. To be able to work with a talented actress such as Gina Chiarelli, and a writer like Pete McCormack, as well as the other talented actors in the cast is something I’ll never forget. It WAS intense at times, but that is reality, and it was a beautiful story that’s really close to me. I really am proud of the film. Among many other accolades, it won the Audience Award in Portugal – the Fantasporto – and we’ve had a release in Canada, which is ongoing right now, actually. Obviously, the issue of mental illness is huge, it’s prevalent in all societies, and I think if you can open people’s eyes to the awareness of mental illness through the film as a medium, I think that it’s a wonderful thing.

[TG] You displayed your wrestling skills in “See Grace Fly”. How, exactly, did you get into wrestling?

[PM] First of all, I’m one of seven kids, so there you go! Need I say more – 6 brothers! That really helped prepare me for my collegiate wrestling background. That was actually something Pete incorporated into the script because he knew I was a wrestler. I thought that was a very fun scene, very unique – a missionary and a priest wrestling in a film – you don’t often see that! I think it was in homage to my wrestling background.

[TG] In various shows and movies where your character is either American or Canadian, a distinct Scottish twang often sneaks in. Do you find it difficult to keep an accent pure, due to the strength of accent that your family must have?

[PM] I’ve always had a good ear for accents, and if people happen to hear the Scottish twang come out somewhere, I appreciate that, because I’m proud of my Scottish heritage, but I’ve never heard that before, to be honest with you! The accent is something I work hard at. I was born in Paisley, and my parents have very thick Scottish accents – all my relatives do, and it’s something that comes very naturally to me. That’s been a real gift to me. Immediately after getting the role, I called my mom and dad up and thanked them for having me in Scotland! So no, I don’t have that much difficulty in keeping an accent pure.

[TG] If you could play any role currently on TV or in the movies, what would it be, and why?

[PM] It has to be 007! Although Carson Beckett is really 008 in the Pegasus Galaxy! There are so many great roles out there, and so many actors I admire, from the likes of Sean Penn, to Billy Murray, to John Turturro – I’m a big fan of all their work, and that of many other actors as well. But really, I think Bond would be a fun role. Besides, I really do think that Carson Beckett will develop into the 008 of the Pegasus Galaxy! …Or maybe I’m just hoping.

[TG] In an ideal world, what will you be doing in 5 years’ time?

[PM] Still dodging Wraith darts, saving lives and hooked up with some sexy alien!

[TG] What’s the most unusual place you have ever performed in?

[PM] I once performed a theatre piece in an abandoned railway station in the middle of the Interior BC, about 12 years ago. That was pretty odd.

[TG] What is the worst job you have ever had, and why was it so bad?

[PM] When I was 14, it was my first job, and I was a bicycle ice-cream salesman. And I got robbed. On my first day. Need I say more?

[TG] If you have ever performed Shakespeare, what was your favourite role?

[PM] I’ve never had the opportunity to perform Shakespeare professionally, and if I did, I’d probably like to start out as a really good messenger or pole-bearer and work my way up from there.

[TG] Have you always wanted to act, or was there a specific event or person that inspired you to achieve it?

[PM] Growing up in a family of 7 kids, I think there’s a certain amount of acting that goes on innately. I was also a little performer. My elder brother, Chris, and I used to perform for our relatives. We had these matching red tracksuits, and we used to do these little gymnastic moves for them, then worked my way up to more of a professional calibre of acting later on. I think I’ve always had a little bit of it in my genes. My mom was a Highland dancer, and she and her sister performed a bit. Then I started doing theatre in Toronto, and really enjoyed that. I started to do some film, television and commercials, and worked my way up from there. I made sure that I had a university education prior to that, because as we know, lack of stability within this business can be a concern. My parents really urged me to go through university first, which I did, and got a couple of degrees, as well as an education degree. I’m a qualified teacher, so that was something that I felt was important to do. That said, it’s been in the forefront of my mind for the past 15 years.

I really enjoy working with all the cast on “Atlantis”. David Hewlett is just a pleasure to work with. It’s a great pleasure when you go and work with somebody like that – it just raises the bar. Joe Flanigan’s a treat to work with as well, and Torri Higginson’s lovely, as is Rachel Luttrell and Rainbow. We’ve had such a great time in the first season, I’m really looking forward. I’m thankful and honoured that I’m going to be a regular this season. It’s really going to be a great thing for me. I’m just getting ready to get my hands on the scripts for the second season.

[TG] Do you think your workload is going to seriously increase with being a regular?

[PM] I don’t think it will that much. I know where Beckett lies, and I’m a piece of a very large puzzle. I was very happy with the way he developed in the first season, and I was in 17 of the 20 episodes, so I was pretty regular anyway. If he does a bit more, that’s fantastic – I’m totally game for whatever happens. More importantly, I’d just like to see the series develop, and, if that involves a bit more Beckett – great! If it doesn’t, then that’s okay too. I have no problem taking a back seat to a great script, and we have lots of great actors who can do the job, so if I can do my piece, then I’m happy. Hopefully, the fans are happy.

[TG] One final question. In “Poisoning The Well”, I noticed that Beckett was basically struggling with himself, torn between developing the serum and doing what’s right by not killing the humans. How did you feel about that?

[PM] Personally you mean? I think it was a very interesting dilemma. I think when you are dealing with human lives and bio-ethics, you have a moral dilemma to deal with. It’s a very interesting plot to deal with. It’s something that’s not easy, and the character struggled with that. It’s a wonderful aspect that Damien Kindler wrote into “Poisoning The Well”, this internal struggle that Beckett has with Perna, and it really develops the humanity of the character. I think, for me, that was the episode that fans bought into Beckett. Prior to that, he was more of a comedic character, and you saw the real human side of Beckett in “Poisoning The Well”. When I got the script for that, I was overwhelmed – six episodes in, and a fairly large Beckett episode! It was such a pleasure, as an actor, to chew into that. I really, really loved it – I was grateful to have that kind of script. It had a very different tone to the rest of the scripts in the season – it was very dramatic, and it wasn’t heavily action-orientated. It was a real pleasure for me to be able to work with Allison Hossack, who played Perna, and Alan Scarfe, who played the Chancellor. They did a terrific job, as did the director for that episode, Brad Turner. When we were shooting the pilot, Martin Wood said to me “Damien Kindler wants to have a word with you. He’s shooting a heavy Beckett episode”. When he said that to me while shooting the pilot, he wanted me to jump in the office, so I went up, and I really felt like I was part of the team. Right after Martin said that to me, I felt this was going to go great places. I just make sure I’m prepared, and do my job, and I just have the time of my life out there. What a great place for an actor to be in!

[TG] On behalf of our members, we'd like to think you very, very much for the time you’ve given us today – we really do appreciate it.

[PM] It was my absolute pleasure – I couldn’t say that more. Thanks for being such big Beckett fans.