Indian Inklings - Spiritual Warrior

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=99 BGCOLOR="#262626" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04a63803.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" background="04c1a813.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="interviews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Robert Beltran Interviews Articles"><U><B> <img src="HTMLobj-2010/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="468" height="65">  </B></U></A></div> <div> <B> <img src="HTMLobj-2011/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="626" height="18">  </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="3" WIDTH="467" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#666633" BORDERCOLORDARK="#333300" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#333300 HEIGHT= 33 ><NOBR><div> <B>Indian Inklings - Spiritual Warrior</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="775" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#000000" BORDERCOLORDARK="#000000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 2134 WIDTH="775"><div> <B>SFX - December 1997</B></div> <div> <B>Transcribed by Andi </B></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>'CHAKOTAY’S TENURE WITH STARFLEET MAY BE "TEMPORARY", BUT ROBERT BELTRAN IS </B></div> <div> <B>STILL A VOLCANO WAITING TO ERUPT, SAYS JIM SWALLOW'</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>"Passions? Yeah. but about what? I don’t know! That's the big secret about him." Robert Beltran is as mystified by the character he plays on Star Trek: Voyager as most of the viewers. Once a member of the rebel group known as the Maquis, Chakotay is now Voyager’s number one officer, answerable only to the Captain. </B></div> <div> <B>He’s understandably proud of his Indian ancestry and is noted for his calm demeanour, which hides feelings of great anger..... Sounds good on a script editor’s notepad, but does it provide the meat an actor needs to flesh out the role? </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"The writers established him as being from a tribe in Central America, but it’s very generalised. He could be Olmec, he could be Mayan, he could be have any of those ancestors. If it was more specific, I could definitely invest some more into him." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Not that Beltran had any problems with the character when he first went to audition for him. He claims he felt drawn to the character right from the moment he read the pilot script. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"Caretaker was very good," he remembers. "Reading that, the thing I liked about Chakotay was his independence - he seemed to be a wide-open character who could go in many different interesting directions." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>He was aware, though, that Chakotay shouldn’t become a Xerox of the Trek second-in-commands that came before him. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"You always try to find something unique in a character, but you're limited by what the writers give you. I think together we've helped to give him a little more. I wasn't that familiar with Spock or Riker, so perhaps it helped that I didn't have a set image." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>But despite the vagueness of his origins, the actor knows exactly where he'd like to take his alter ego in the future. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I think that he's open to so many things. He doesn't have a romance in his life....Supposedly, he's got this thing for Janeway, but she’s not responding the way he'd like. He has a touchy-feely relationship with the former Borg woman in 'Unity' - and that romantic aspect is a big part of anyone’s life.... That should be explored. We also don't know too much about his mother...... Or does he have children and a family? What did he leave behind?" </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>With a characteristic smirk, Beltran suggests that there's enough among this little lot to make a prequel story all by itself. But pondering on the romance angle, the actor thinks that perhaps a Chakotay-Janeway tryst might cause more problems than it solves. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"Kate Mulgrew and I always had interesting scenes together and I guess the viewers read a lot into that, but I don't know if it's wise to keep titillating them with it. Perhaps they should just drop it for a while and bring it back later," before adding with a mischievous laugh - "Just get me laid! I don't care!" </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>So what does Chakotay do with his spare time on Voyager if he doesn't have a chief squeeze? </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I think he re-enacts famous battles on the holodeck. I think he's dying to get back to fight the Cardassians... He's not going to go back to Starfleet. All this Starfleet stuff is just temporary." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Voyager was hit hard by the critics early on because of its often wordy or directionlesss stories, and only from midway through the second season did it find its footing. Beltran himself feels that the show is now making the grade. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"The writing has become sharper and more compelling. If we don't have a good script, dressing it up with shakes on the bridge and tachyon beams all over the place won't make any difference." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Beltran nominates season three's 'Worst Case Scenario' - a holodeck mutiny story - as one of his faves. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I liked the twist in that, the quirks. It also reintroduced Chakotay's rebellious aspects." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Season four sees a few changes to the show, mainly the departure of Kes and the introduction of Borg babe Seven-of-Nine.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"It’s sad this season, because I liked Kes and I think that Jennifer did a great job. We were pretty close as an ensemble, so it was like having one of the family leave. But Jeri is terrific too, she's fitted in just like that...." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>With several of his castmates having taken the plunge into directing episodes, does Beltran fancy a session behind the lens? </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"Everybody was wanting to direct! I think they pretty much banned it! I've just been biding my time because the line was long. I'd like to do one." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>But he notes that working with actor-directors (including non-Trek actors like former Happy Days star Anson Williams) instead of 'regular' directors has its bonuses. It's fun when they direct. All of our directors are great, but the other actors aren't so uptight..... They understand that sometimes you need five, six or seven takes to get it right. We have to move so quickly that if directors can get you in one or two takes they're saying "Oh yeah, great, let's move on." But sometimes you're saying "Well, so what if it was good. It can be better! Let's do another one." So an actor-director will remember that sometimes the fifth take is better." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"Kate works really fast. She likes to do one or two takes. But I'm better on the fourth or fifth take and often they print the first or second and that gets frustrating. It's like they're filming rehearsals and not getting a polished take from me. In a Chakotay-driven episode they're probably getting a good 70% of a polished performance, because I just demand more time. In an episode where I'm not featured heavily, I wouldn't dare take six or seven takes, because that's not fair. Actor-directors understand the actor's creative process, that sometimes a scene has be fleshed out." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>And working with fellow cast members creates a kind of shorthand that speeds the whole process along.... </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"When Robbie Duncan McNeill (Paris) was directing 'Unity' I could just make eye-contact with him and he'd say "Okay let’s do another one." Some directors are like... (Puts on a stern voice) "Yeah, fine, we can do another one." and you’re going "Well, excuse me for being the worst f**kng thing in your life today!" </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Beltran notes that many episodes on shows like Star Trek: Voyager are almost mini-movies. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"Big shows like 'Nemesis' - the one we just shot - are epic: you have to get all that stuff into 42 minutess. There's so much you want to convey in a scene that you just don't have time for it. You can see that it could be richer and deeper, but you've got to move on." </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Called back to the bridge set for more duties on 'Day of Honour', Beltran admits before rushing off that he's still shaking off the hard work he did on hiatus playing Hamlet (to rave reviews, no less). He suddenly takes the opportunity to declare his work ethic for all to hear: </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"I have three scenes in this show, so I haven't gotten round to reading the script yet! But I promise that I will, and it will be my very best work! I never stint on the effort that it takes to put this show up there! None of us do! Sometimes we have to start an episode not having read it, but we Always Catch Up! We Love This Show!"</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Interviewer: Jim Swallows</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="interviews_1997.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Robert Beltran Interviews Articles"><U><B><IMG SRC="0f5aa220.jpg" border=0 width="170" height="34" ALT="Interviews" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="683" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#999980 HEIGHT= 39 ><NOBR><div> <B>©</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333300" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><B>R</B></FONT><B>o</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333300" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><B>A</B></FONT><B>d</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333300" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><B>B</B></FONT><B>e </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#333300" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><B>is a fan site and is not the official Robert Beltran site. 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