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"Science fiction is more a fan of me, than I am of it," says Mackenzie Gray, speaking via telephone from his Canadian home one afternoon. Indeed, that sentiment is easy to understand: Mackenzie has had a number of science fiction roles, with a penchant it seems for playing aliens and ministers-or more specifically alien ministers. He will soon be known to us for his role in Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, a SCI FI Channel telemovie that will see him play Minister Kafta from a brand new race to the B5 universe.
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Mackenzie Gray (as Venetri) in
Andromeda's "Force Perspective" |
©2001 Tribune Entertainment
(picture courtesy of Lady Maigrey) |
Mackenzie also starred in another SCI FI Channel program, First Wave. Here he played The Minister, an alien from a race called the Gua who succumbed to the joy of Human mating rituals in the second season episode "The Purge." He starred in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda as an old friend of Captain Dylan Hunt's, in the first season episode "Forced Perspective." Plus he's had roles in Seven Days, The Net and The Crow. With so many roles in this genre, it's fortunate that Mackenzie enjoys it. "I suppose my tastes run to the fantastic, so science fiction accommodates that," he explains. "I'm equally at home watching Blade Runner as I am the Fifth element. Generally in science fiction there's a larger message, and when it's good science fiction it works on that plane.
"I wasn't a big fan of later Star Trek. Patrick Stewart was great, but I never got into it. It seemed very plastic, with all these perfect women with impossible boobs," he laughs. "Although, I could watch it quite happily. Star Trek, the early series I did like a lot. I'm not sure if it's because it's so cheap, it's like Doctor Who. You know... special effects were done on a tin plate, shot out of focus. But there's something about the quality and value that's quite good. I also liked the Star Trek movies. I worked with Malcolm McDowell, and we're good friends. He told me that when he did the Star Trek movie where he killed Captain Kirk, he was inundated with hate mail and. He had no idea there was such a fanatical following, and his own understanding of sci-fi was quite limited, even though Malcolm has been in so many sci-fi movies. It woke him up to the power of not just the fan base, but that people take it very seriously. It's like the Greeks, where they would go to see plays and demand they have a certain truth to them, or be told a certain way. I think science fiction has probably taken that place."
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Mackenzie as The Minister
with B5LR co-star Alex Zahara,
in First Wave's "The Purge" |
| ©1999 Pearson Television |
Mackenzie finds one thing in particular appealing when it comes to his sci-fi television tastes. "I like when there's humor, and I think that's why I like Babylon 5. It's so funny, there's a lot of humor in it. Ships breakdown, and people get fired. I had a friend who was in it, his name was Macaulay Bruton [Garibaldi's aide Jack, from season one]. I watched it because he was in it and found myself enjoying it quite a lot.
Mackenzie's roles are by no means limited to just sci-fi, and are not just on television. Some of his most memorable moments are from stage performances. "I grew up in the theatre, and my first 20 years were essentially as a theatre actor who occasionally did film and television. Then, after that you start branching out more and more, stage takes second place to the more lucrative world of film and TV. But some of the best roles I've had were stage roles.
"I played Lord Byron in Bloody Poetry, and I would play Byron again in a heartbeat. I'd have to do it soon though, as I'm not getting any younger," he laughs. "That was a British play, Howard Brenton was the author. That was a role of a lifetime, to play Byron. I also played Frank 'N' Furter in the Rocky Horror Show. It was the 21st anniversary production, there were five or six around the world, and I was in the Canadian one. That was just a license to have fun. It was very hard work, but it was a beautiful role. There's the ultimate sci-fi transgendered alien!
"In terms of films and television, I had a nice role in a series called So Weird, which was a recurring role of a British rocker. I think it would have been developed more if the series had stayed the way it was. But it was really quite lovely to play a guy that was burned out, but had gone straight. There was some nice stuff to play in there. Then I played a guy based on Mick Jagger in a series called Cold Squad. So I've played a lot of rock stars, that's always fun."
So what sort of role appeals to Mackenzie? "I like anything that lets you go free basically," he says, "something that you don't have any limits with. Although as an actor, you try to do that with every role. But, there's a lot of TV we do that is filler. There's that great character in Austin Powers, that Michael York plays, called Basil Exposition. After a while you feel like Basil Exposition. A series I was in, The Net, started as a political thriller, it was very much like the movie. It changed hands, some of the producers that created it left, and new producers came on that wanted to change it. It became generic TV, and as often happens I found myself with less and less to do, and less interesting stuff to do. You really were pushing the story along and weren't developing the character. Ultimately that's not very satisfying. So on my hiatus I ran off and did a play... keep your brain going!"
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| As Skotos in Voyage of the Unicorn |
| ©2001 The Hallmark Channel |
Mackenzie's most challenging-and painful-experience was another genre project. "One role [that] was probably the hardest thing I ever done, but was ultimately very satisfying, was the role of Skotos. He is the king of the trolls in this wonderful mini-series created for children by Hallmark called Voyage of the Unicorn. Basically, I'm the Darth Vader of the piece. He's chasing after Beau Bridges' character who's a professor with two daughters who come to this land of imagination.
"As Beau goes through all the different worlds of mythology, they meet Medusa, the Sphinx, the Minotaur, and Oberon and Tetaniya. I'm chasing him; I'm hunting him down because I want what he's got. Skotos really has no mojo at all," jokes Mackenzie. "It's very funny to be such an evil villain, but who is funny. It was in heavy prosthetics, and I did a voice sort of like Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty. It was great fun. I lost a tooth to the prosthetics, I dislocated a shoulder during a stunt, I tore my rotator cuff, I dislocated a thumb, I had heat prostration five times, and I was taken to the hospital from the set twice. I've never ever gone through such hell doing something. And not just me, but everybody. It was tough locations: we were shooting out on the ocean, in a desert quarry and some crazy places. But the product was so beautiful, a beautiful fantasy for kids that was so beautifully shot. Everything we put in there went up on the screen. It's wonderful when you see kids watching that and they're loving it, getting excited and getting scared."
The kids might have been scared watching Voyage of the Unicorn, but it was Mackenzie himself who was at times a bit fearful last year, when he was shooting a rather unique project where he didn't know what was happening to him. "[It's] unusual as they designed it to be the first full-length feature for the internet," he says. "It's called High Incentive, it was [directed by] a young English director named Neil Every. It was entirely improvised. So it was shot a bit like the Dogma style of shooting.
"I found myself running down
the streets of Vancouver
chasing a tall transvestite
with $100,000 in her bag" |
"We rehearsed characters for two months sporadically, developed stories for them and it follows a crisis that happens in my life and I try to resolve this crisis. We had no idea what the day would be, because we were given little sheets of paper that would tell us 'go here and this will happen,' and whatever happens don't let this occur, or make this happen. So it was very vague, and we had no idea. And since we'd rehearsed the characters over dinner parties and small evenings we thought it would be a domestic drama. But it turned out to be a full hard boiled crazy thriller where I found myself running down the streets of Vancouver chasing a tall transvestite with $100,000 in her bag, being chased by real policeman. It was a crazy shoot. We shot it in two days, in real time. Then they cut it down and edited it down. Hopefully it will be doing all the festivals soon, because launching it on the internet is still tricky; the streaming is very difficult.
"They're very clever guys who did it, and it was completely nuts," Mackenzie goes on to say. "It was an extraordinary challenge because wherever you went you had to be in character and improvise-and you had no idea what was going to happen. So it called on every asset you had. It could be something quite simple like going into a shop and asking for something when they said they didn't have it, to going into an apartment where I didn't know what I'd find, and a woman had left something I needed. [There] we were jumped by two guys, and tumbled and thrown on couches, held down... and you had no idea. It was never dangerous, but it felt dangerous. I'm interested to see that come out."
It was earlier this year that Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers geared up for production, and Mackenzie Gray was cast as Minister Kafta. Not just everybody could audition, however. "They were asking for actors that had theatre training-that was a specific note to the casting directors," he explains. "They didn't want people who hadn't done theatre. I think that's because they realize that the series is a bit theatrical, and with all the prosthetics you need to be able to act through prosthetics. [Before] I went to the audition I watched the series again as I hadn't seen it for a while. I looked at the costumes and things, and I always loved the Centauri. So I put on a British guard's tunic under a kind of Hugo Boss cape coat, and wore that so they knew at least that I dug this series.
"I stopped the audition and
said, 'I really have to have
that noise stopped'" |
"I went into the room, and I had quite a lot of dialogue, and there was a lot of noise in the hallway; the walls were paper thin at the studio where we were auditioning. There were people talking and joking around about lottery tickets, the hockey playoffs or something-and I couldn't concentrate at all, [even though] I'm usually very good at shutting that stuff out. So I just stopped the audition and said, 'I really have to have that noise stopped.' I think there must be something in my imperialist manner that they liked, because I wasn't polite about it.
"I sat there and thought 'Oh, I've really blown this, I should have just endured the noise.' So they got the noise quietened down, moved people on, and I went back and did it. I think because I felt that I'd kind of upset the room, and I just ordered them to stop the noise, that I really had to be good and intense-I think it raised the stakes for me. So I guess they liked what they saw, as they cast me straight away. Maybe that was my saving grace; I'll have to tell them to stop making noise in every audition!"
Mackenzie was cast, the role filmed, and filming wrapped in June. However, with the telemovie not set to air until January 2002 in the US, he won't go into to much detail about his character, or the character's intentions. "I can tell you in only in the vaguest terms, as to reveal anything about them would blow the whole story. So he's a big surprise," Mackenzie enthuses. "He's a new alien, from a new alien race. So he's never been seen in Babylon 5 before. He calls into question all of the wits that the new rangers have to draw upon. So it basically forces them to rely on their wits, by basically the problem he presents them with. So it really brings out their ingenuity.
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| David Martel (Dylan Neal) and Kafta face off |
| ©2001 AOL Time Warner/USA Networks |
"I'm in heavy, heavy prosthetics. A lot of the prosthetics were brought up from Los Angeles from the last series. So the Minbari look like the Minbari, and Narns looks like Narns and so on. But this is a brand new prosthetic, designed by the brilliant Canadian prosthetic designer Bill Terezakis. He's done many shows, many big movies, and he's a wonderful designer and they asked him to create this new race, and I'm the only person who's ever done it. Understandably they wanted to keep that fairly under wraps, just because they've had a lot of leaks. They'd rather keep it a surprise, as it's more fun.
"They have a very interesting attitude for fan-based websites, because they really love that there's so much interest and they love the fans being involved. They told us how to find [B5LR.com], they're very up on all of it. But they want to keep it a surprise because in their eyes [the less that is known] the more interest there is in seeing it. It's not just a given that the Babylon 5 audience will watch it. They're trying to get a larger audience, people who will be interested. So the less that's out there, the more intriguing it is. If you want to go from a pilot to series you've got to have impact. So the network says 'This is really good, we can now test the reaction and figure if it will be good for a series.' If you kind of kill that impact, it won't go to a series. So they love to keep it as much under wraps as a strategy to ensure that the show will be made. So they're in two minds: they love all the attention, but too much attention can be a bad thing."
So can Mackenzie tell us anything more about this elusive Minister Kafta? "He's an interesting character who arrives in the middle of a rather routine operation. Let's say there's more to him than meets the eye, and he creates a crisis for the crew which they then have to overcome. That's about as much as I can say."
"It's one of the happiest
sets I've ever been on'" |
However, something that Mackenzie is eager to speak about are his experiences on set with cast and crew. "I have to say it's one of the happiest sets I've ever been on," he says emphatically, "there was a totally exciting energy around it. The director, Mike Vejar, is a fabulous guy. He's an actor's director, he's great with the crew and he's just a wonderful warm guy. Very often the tone on the set comes from the director, and it comes from the producers too. The producers are very active. Doug [Netter] and Joe [Straczynski] were on set every day, Joe less so because he's been writing. But they love what they're producing. These are the original producers of the show and they are so happy to be back. They are full of enthusiasm, which is more than I can say for a lot of producers. A lot of producers just worry about the cost, or whether it's late in the day. If those guys had that concern, they certainly didn't express it to us. They were very, very positive, and Mike was fabulous. So when you have this warm energy, and there's a lot of humor, it makes a very happy set. Not that that's rare... actually it is rare, to have everybody on the same page. From the sound guys to grips, everybody was digging it. It was a very happy set."
Naturally, the fans want to see a series commissioned from this telemovie. But, not being a member of the Ranger crew, would we see Minister Kafta again? "I can't say," he says elusively. "If you knew that going into the show, it would kill the suspense." If a series were commissioned though, "the race that he comes from [would] be a future problem," believes Mackenzie.
Regardless of what future involvement Mackenzie might have, he does have high hopes for a series being commissioned. "The SCI FI Channel have put a lot into this , and they're doing a lot of promotion. There was little gathering of local B5 fans who got to meet the cast. They wouldn't be putting a lot of that up if they didn't expect the thing to go. So I have a good feeling that it will go.
"All that we've got left now, aside from Star Trek, is Andromeda. Babylon 5 really was unique. [The telemovie], unique or not, has a niche to fill. I feel the Star Trek franchise has run its course for a while. I don't think it will ever run its course, but with having The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, it was a bit too much going on. So that's why they're going for a very different thing. I've done Andromeda, that's got a very different feel going for it. Kevin Sorbo is a great guy, I'm happy to report. Fabulous guy, a lot of fun."
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Things get rough as David
wants Kafta's dinner money |
| ©2001 AOL Time Warner/USA Networks |
Not only does Mackenzie enjoy humor in his sci-fi programming, but he feels it's an integral part of the longevity of a program. "It seems to be that humor is creeping into these things," he says. "Babylon 5 always had it. [Writers] are trying to find humor that's not the nerdy technician that's always the funny guy on the ship. They're finding that people enjoy it more and stick with it more when there are characters that are funny, or there are situations that are funny. The always earnest 'every day is a crisis' in space wears thin after a while. It'd be like watching a weekly series of Raiders of the Lost Ark, after a while it would be too much. To get a movie every three years, you can go to that place and get them out of all those scrapes. But if it were on every week, it wouldn't really be interesting."
When Crusade was created, the executive producers went for a different feel to B5, most notably with a new composer. However, B5LR uses B5's legendary composer Christopher Franke. Although B5LR will undoubtably be fresh and different, it could indicate more of a return to the B5 that the fans know and love. "It harks back to the original Babylon 5, but it has a new agenda," says Mackenzie. "It really takes place where the last one left off, but it seems to be focusing more on this particular crew. It's interesting because it's got back to the more original, grittier Babylon 5, but they have a new mission. But they keep all the tenets and philosophy of the old Babylon 5.
"To have G'Kar [played by Andreas Katsulas] there is a wonderful link, Andreas is such a wonderful actor, and such a wonderful man. He's got natural authority and he's got a great twinkle in his eye. He had us laughing all the time, and was a great joy to be around."
"Full frontal Narn woman seen at
last-only for cable subscribers!" |
Aided by Andreas's good humor, the spirit on the set was a happy one. "Everyone's very excited about Babylon 5. The producers and the director have all been fabulous," enthuses Mackenzie. "I think fans will be very, very pleased with what they see. Dylan is fabulous; he's a great guy. It's always tough playing the great hero. When you can put something in to that, and you can be likable and still interesting, it's a great skill. And, I've wanted to say you get to see the first full-frontal nude Narn woman on this episode! But I didn't think anybody would believe me...
"When they had a press conference, Gus Lynch [Tirk] was asked what had he learned in space. They did it like a de-briefing, as if they really did come back from space. He said, 'Never touch Narn women without their permission.' 'Full frontal Narn woman seen at last-only for cable subscribers,'" laughs Mackenzie.
Away from his numerous roles which have seen him chasing transvestites, working with nude Narns and playing sex-craved Gua, Mackenzie does actually have some time to relax. In fact, he has all the more reason to, now that he his married. "I got married in August last year, and it was to my hairdresser from The Net," says Mackenzie. "We never got a chance to have a honeymoon, because I was in Voyage of the Unicorn. So I was in heavy prosthetics up until 2 days before I got married. We had this big 1930s wedding where everybody came dressed 1930s. We decorated this big hall with palm trees, and had a swing band and all that stuff. Then two days later I was back in the quarry and was king of the trolls, swinging my battle-axe. So we never got a chance to have honeymoon, and I'm hoping to take her to Scotland which is where my family's from. She's never been to London... really my favorite city in the world is New York, and there's great cities everywhere, but London is very special. Always has been, and always will be. So the plan is to take a break.
"I love to read, I love history. I love movies-especially old films. I also play in a band. I haven't had my band for a while as they're in Toronto, but I sit in with a band here and play rock and roll. We're everything from Little Richard to Led Zeppelin, and everything in between. It's a great fun band, like a good pub band really.
"I'm writing right now, working on a couple of scripts. When I worked in theatre I developed a number of scripts, and a number of scripts I helped develop or edit or co-write won awards. I haven't written in a while, but I've actually started to write again. I've got a couple of scripts on the go. One's a historical drama, and the research is killing me. So thank God for the internet. It's wonderful when you can go on a Google search and find anything you need. I'm keeping that quiet though, as I know everyone will jump on the story if I talk about it."
For fans, it's now a waiting game for the B5LR telemovie to hit our screens. Mackenzie eagerly awaits that time, so that the fans can enjoy the latest B5 creation. He is also aware of the dedicated follow of fans when it comes to genre TV, B5 and its spin-offs being no exception. "Andreas actually told me a hilarious story," recalls Mackenzie. "He was at one of the conventions, and somebody came up to him and said 'We noticed that in episodes 5 and 7' (and they listed them all off) 'that your spots move around on your face and we were wondering what that meant, why that happened.' Of course, the truth of it is that they prosthetics are the same every week as they paint them every day. They're not computer printed, or stamped out. Someone really had to be paying a lot of attention. So he said, 'Well the thing is about the Narn, is that they react to the heat and they pressurize things in the space capsules very differently. So if he's close to danger, the spots might shift and change. It's a trait'. He said this being facetious, and they all wrote it down furiously. But he had no malice to the people that asked, he loved that they took such an interest-whereas Bill Shatner would have told them to get a life! [Bill's] an interesting guy; he has a very strong personality. He's actually a very funny guy; he has a lot of humor... but not a lot of patience."
Only time will tell if a series will be commissioned for B5LR, and if Minister Kafta will be in such a series. Whatever happens, Mackenzie is pleased with his foray into the B5 universe. "When you say you're doing some show, people say 'what's that?' But when you say Babylon 5, everybody knows what it is. There's a great interest, and it's lovely to be part of it. It's lovely to have created a brand new character and race. To do that really is a privilege, and it's been great fun. [When filming], the producers would come by and check you're having a good time, and be encouraging. They even went up to extras and were saying 'You did great work, and you looked wonderful and we're so happy with it. Those are special people-it's always a joy to be around people like that."
Related links:
Mackenziegray.net
- Mackenzie's official website containing bio, press articles and more.
Mackenzie Gray B5LR.com page
- B5LR.com's own page on Mackenzie, offering information, links and more.
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