Tweet This Page

This is just an unofficial fan page, we have no connection to any shows or networks.

Please click here to vote for our site!

By Suzanne

Interview with A.J. Buckley and Jewel Staite of "Doomsday Prophecy" on Syfy 8/9/11.

Syfy Conference Call
Doomsday Prophecy
A.J. Buckley and Jewel Staite

August 9, 2011
2:00 pm CT

Operator: Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Doomsday Prophecy conference call.

During the presentation, all participants will be in listen only mode. Afterwards we will conduct a question and answer session. At that time if you have a question please press the 1 followed by the 4 on your telephone. If at any time during the conference you need to speak to an operator press star zero.

As a reminder this conference call is being recorded Tuesday, August 9, 2011. I would now like to turn the conference call over to Stephen from Syfy. Please go ahead Sir.

Stephen Cox: Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us today. We're very excited to have A.J. Buckley and Jewel Staite with us to discuss Doomsday Prophecy with you. Doomsday Prophecy premiers this Saturday, August 13 -- only on Syfy -- at 9:00 pm. So we'll hand it over to your calls.

Operator: Our first question...

Stephen Cox: Operator...

Operator: ...comes from CJ Allen with SpoilerTV. Please go ahead.

CJ Allen: Hi guys, thanks for joining us today.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: Thanks.

CJ Allen: And it's great to talk to you. And my first question is in to Jewel right now, but I haven't forgot about you A.J., don't worry. And...

A.J. Buckley: Jesus, already we're off - this is how it's going to go. All right.

((Crosstalk))

CJ Allen: I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. What can I say? I don't go for guys with beards, you know, it's a personal thing.

The first question is, "Jewel, you're thought of as one of the sexiest sci-fi girls on the planet and I've heard...

Jewel Staite: Hey I like you.

CJ Allen: I'm sorry, I can't help it. My first question was going to be to ask for your number of the followers on Twitter...

((Crosstalk))

CJ Allen: ...not going to happen. But...

Jewel Staite: Hilarious.

CJ Allen: How do you deal with that sort of attention? Obviously not during question and answer sessions, but how do you deal with that?

Jewel Staite: Oh my God, a real doozie to start with. I don't think of myself that way. But I go to these sci-fi conventions every once in a while, and it's hilarious. I think that the fans don't really get excited to see us, they kind of get excited to see each other.

That's what I've noticed the most about it. It's not really about the actors, it's sort of about making friends with like-minded individuals online over a common interest -- which is the show -- and then you just happen to be there at the convention, which is the bonus. So I don't get as much attention as you would think.

CJ Allen: Well I personally think you should do. But just a quick follow-up question...

Jewel Staite: Oh my God.

CJ Allen: And this is in to you as well A.J., don't worry I haven't forgot about you, I know you're there. And you are both kind of connected to big shows, Firefly and Supernatural, and obviously you're going to be part of Supernatural soon. How - what's it like being part of that sort of fan base and atmosphere? Do you get to interact with people quite a lot?

Jewel Staite: Well for me I think sci-fi fans are the most loyal group of fans ever. Like they will follow...

A.J. Buckley: I agree.

Jewel Staite: They will follow you loyally wherever you go and watch whatever it is that you're doing, which is kind of nice as an actor. What do you think A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: Yes, I agree. My first sort of real experience of it was with Supernatural and Ghostfacers and kind of really feeling how dedicated they were. And the reason Ghostfacers had kind of come back and turned into what it was, it was completely because of the fans and the blogging and the board rooms and stuff.

And I'd never really realized that before about - I always knew how important fans were, but it's like as Jewel said, the dedication of the sci-fi fans is second to none. There's nothing like it in the world.

CJ Allen: That's great. Thank you, I'll let someone else ask a question now. Thank you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Jamie Ruby with scifivision.com. Please go ahead.

Jamie Ruby: Hi, thanks so much for taking our call today.

A.J. Buckley: You're welcome.

Jewel Staite: No problem.

Jamie Ruby: So can you both kind of talk about your characters in the movie?

Jewel Staite: You want to go A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: Sure. My character - he's kind of a (unintelligible) this book editor guy fought, you know, he didn't really know his past, and has had somewhat of a troubled life growing up. Bounced from home to home, but wasn't really connected to anyone that he could remember.

And this sort of journey that he goes on, I think answers a lot of questions for him really quickly. And of course the end of the world is coming so he realizes that he's the guy that has to do this. And he needs a partner in crime, has to be Jewel. I'm like, "Sweet, this is going to be fun." And it is our job to save the world.

Jewel Staite: I play Brooke (Calvin) who is a young Archaeologist -- emphasis on young. She is very much out of her element on this crazy journey that she's going on, and is really excited.

And that's kind of what I wanted to play the most, was how there's disaster going on all around her and the world's falling apart, but she's really excited about everything that she's discovering. It's her passion. It's her passion in life.

So yes, she's a lot of fun to play. And A.J.'s all right too.

A.J. Buckley: I am all right.

Jamie Ruby: So how did you both get involved in the project?

A.J. Buckley: I just got a call randomly from my agent and they'd mentioned there was some interest. And I said two things. I said you know, "I love disaster movies," and then they said it was going to be shot in Vancouver which is my hometown. And it was on my hiatus from CSI.

And going home to film is kind of like a paid vacation because I rarely get to see my family and working as well down there, it's kind of like a double bonus.

So I read the script and spoke with the director and I was excited. And with CSI I'm so confined to this character that lives in a lab.

So I just knew that there were so many times in the script where you just read things were exploding or falling apart or racing in a car, and I was like, "Oh this would be actually really fun to go and do," you know, get out of what I've been doing for so long. So I was real excited to go and do it.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great, Jewel?

Jewel Staite: It was kind of the same thing for me. I'm from Vancouver as well, and I'd been living in LA for the last few years. And any time I get to work in Vancouver I totally jump at the chance.

But I'd done a sci-fi movie before called Mothman, everybody knows it, award winning. And I had so much fun on that shoot. I had a blast. So I knew that I was going to have a good time.

And then they mentioned that A.J. had been cast as the lead. And I'd always heard about A.J., because we're both from Vancouver and we kind of know all the same people. And I was like, "Oh cool. I finally get to work with this guy."

A.J. Buckley: I actually knew your husband first...

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: ...from back in the day in Vancouver, and we were kind of indirectly friends through a really good friend of mine. And yes, it was fun. We did have an incredible time filming. It was an absolute blast.

Jewel Staite: Yes, these sci-fi movies are a lot of fun to do. They're a riot.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jamie Ruby: Okay, and then lastly Jewel, I've already asked you this before on one of the other calls so now I'll ask A.J. Can you talk about working on The X-Files way back when?

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jamie Ruby: I still remember that.

A.J. Buckley: Yes, The X-Files, that was actually one of my very first gigs. And it was so funny I didn't really understand even what it meant to - you know, because my character had to get high and all this other stuff.

So I was going to the audition and I didn't even know, I think I was like 14 - 13 or 14, and Kim Manners was the director, who was on Supernatural but passed away last year.

Jamie Ruby: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: And I remember him just like walking through me, what it is to do this and to do that. And I got to where I was working with Tyler Levine. And at that time of doing The X-Files it was such a huge show.

And I think that was the biggest show I'd been such a fan of and then to get to work on it was a really great experience. So there was a lot of new experiences on that. And ones that I’ll never forget. I'll never forget that experience for sure.

Jamie Ruby: Well yes, you were both pretty young when you were on that show so, I remember.

A.J. Buckley: What one - Jewel, what did you do?

Jewel Staite: I think mine was in Season 2. I was like 13...

A.J. Buckley: Oh wow.

Jewel Staite: ...and I played this young kidnapped victim, and the crazy pedophile was trying to drown me in the river. And then Mulder saves me and I got mouth to mouth from him, which was a very weird experience...

Jamie Ruby: Oh not fair.

Jewel Staite: ...when you're a 13 year-old girl. Thanks for bringing that up A.J.

A.J. Buckley: (Unintelligible).

Jewel Staite: Really appreciate it.

A.J. Buckley: Any time. Any time we do interviews I'm going to bring up mouth to mouth.

Jewel Staite: Yes, it's saying so much.

((Crosstalk))

Jamie Ruby: Thanks a lot guys.

A.J. Buckley: All right.

Operator: Our next question comes from Jamie Steinberg from Starry Constellation. Please go ahead.

Jamie Steinberg: Hi, it's a pleasure to speak with both of you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: Hello.

Jamie Steinberg: I was wondering what you both found challenging about your roles.

A.J. Buckley: Working with Jewel.

Jamie Steinberg: Yes, she sounds like a challenge.

Jewel Staite: I was waiting for it. No, I was going to say the same thing.

A.J. Buckley: No.

Jewel Staite: I was like, "Who's going to say it first?"

A.J. Buckley: Go ahead Jewel, you answer that one.

Jewel Staite: The most challenging thing for me, I get really nervous - A.J.'s going to laugh, I get really nervous around guns. And a lot of the time...

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: ...I get put in these sci-fi movies and whatnot where I'm battling various alien races. And they put a gun in my hand and I have to kind of look like I know what I'm doing.

So for this one, every time a gun was aimed at me, I would go into panic mode, especially since they were giving the gun to Rick Ravanello, who plays Henning in the movie. I mean any time you hand an actor -- who's not really trained in weaponry -- a loaded gun, you get a little nervous, even if it is blanks, I don't care.

So I would say those were the most challenging days for me. I definitely had to curb my anxiety somewhat.

A.J. Buckley: And I think probably my challenging thing is when a gun was pointed at Jewel, I was trying not to laugh because she was freaking out so much, and we're trying to play the panic. And she keeps freaking out.

And I say she's freaking out, as I started (unintelligible). And that was actually - probably the most challenging thing was to make it through a lot of takes with not laughing. There was a lot...

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: ...of times where we...

Jewel Staite: That's all - I mean, yes. If you can't...

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: ...tell already, that's kind of all we did on this shoot was laugh hysterically.

A.J. Buckley: A couple times the director was like, "Guys, come on."

I felt like we got good performance out of it but there was a lot of days where it was lashing rain and we were freezing out in the mud, digging up whatever we had to dig up and I think it helped pass the time.

But it was definitely hard to get through takes with keeping a straight face.

Jewel Staite: But we're very professional guys -- very, very professional actors.

A.J. Buckley: Yes, very, very...

Jewel Staite: Very professional, yes.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: Make sure you write that down.

Jamie Steinberg: There's such great chemistry between the two of you, do you think that it came easily to you because, you mentioned before that you were semi-familiar with each other?

Jewel Staite: I don't know, I think we're just like-minded individuals.

A.J. Buckley: Yes. Yes, I think just very much the same. We're very fortunate in our jobs and the careers that we've had. Just to be at work, I think Jewel comes from the same place, when we're working you're so happy and just happy to be there.

And so I'm in the same place. And we're at home in Vancouver filming a movie and having a blast. So it was easy to have fun and get along.

Jewel Staite: We also work the same way too.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: We don't take it too seriously. We're definitely not those actors who go all crazy with their notes all over their scripts and it's a job and I love it and I'm passionate about it. But for the most part, you leave the ego behind.

A.J. Buckley: Yes, just go have fun. It's no...

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: We've all been in those situations I think where you have to work with someone and between you and the crew they're all rolling their eyes going, "Come on man let's just have" - you know, and at the end of the day too, the crew's working ten times harder than you are and...

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: ...you just want to at least try and set the tone of, "This is going to be a fun show to work on. We'll all get the work done and it'll be great work but we'll have some fun doing it."

Jewel Staite: Exactly.

Jamie Steinberg: Why do you think people will want to tune in to see Doomsday Prophecy?

Jewel Staite: Because it's a disaster movie. Who doesn't love disaster movies? I know I do.

A.J. Buckley: My beard...

Jamie Steinberg: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: ...looks awesome in the movie. No, I think you know...

Jewel Staite: It does. It's a very thick beard.

A.J. Buckley: I got to see a screener of it. If you're into 2012's coming and any sort of conspiracy and it definitely touches - there's some stuff on there that I responded in the script like, "Oh, I've heard of this before." So they did a nice way of tying in some really good conspiracy.

But it's a fun little film. I think people would really enjoy watching it. It's action packed and a lot goes on and yes, it's fun.

Jamie Steinberg: Great, thank you so much.

A.J. Buckley: You're welcome.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Lindsey Turner from popculturemadness.com. Please go ahead.

Lindsey Turner: Hi guys, thanks for talking to us today.

Jewel Staite: Hi.

A.J. Buckley: No problem.

Lindsey Turner: A.J., what about this film do you think makes it unique and innovative? And what makes it stand out from other science fiction films?

A.J. Buckley: That's a great question. The thing that I thought was really clever was how they tied in Nostradamus and made it relevant today with somebody, and sort of that bloodline. And the concept over that, instead of just like the earth is exploding.

But they kind of follow through - they did a nice way to tie in someone who everyone has heard of and has made these great prophecies into someone living today and sort of pulling a connection between those two people.

And what makes it standalone and different? Jewel, what do you think about that?

Jewel Staite: I thought you answered that very well.

A.J. Buckley: Okay.

Jewel Staite: That's what I think.

A.J. Buckley: Thank you. I mean it's standalone and - it's Doomsday Prophecy, it's the title I think.

Lindsey Turner: Okay.

A.J. Buckley: You got me.

Lindsey Turner: And Jewel, while Doomsday Prophecy deals with science fiction elements, what type of real world themes do you think it deals with? Do you think it delivers any messages about normal everyday life?

Jewel Staite: I think - I'm going to answer this honestly, "This is a fun, crazy movie."

Lindsey Turner: Okay.

Jewel Staite: It's one of those sci-fi movies that you sit back on a Saturday night with your bowl of popcorn and you zone out and you have fun. And you watch it for that reason only.

I don't know if it deals with any serious themes happening in the real world right now. And that's why I like it. And that's why I like doing those kind of movies. I like escapism, and that's why I go to the movies. Sometimes you just don't really want to think too much. Does that make sense?

((Crosstalk))

Lindsey Turner: Yes it does. Thank you guys very much.

Jewel Staite: You're welcome.

Lindsey Turner: And good luck with the movie.

A.J. Buckley: Thank you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Erin Willard from SciFi Mafia. Please go ahead.

Erin Willard: Hi both of you. How are you doing today?

Jewel Staite: Good how are you?

A.J. Buckley: Fantastic.

Erin Willard: Great, thanks. I know you've both done a lot of sci-fi work. Is that something you look for or is it just the way things work out, that once you do sci-fi you tend to get more sci-fi roles?

Jewel Staite: I mean, don't you think that once you're in the sci-fi family it just seems to come easier for you A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: Yes, I think so. The more that I've done it the more that I want to keep doing it. I would love to, like with CSI, whenever that ends, I would love to go into some sort of sci-fi series or some sort of thing.

They're really fun and like Battlestar Galactica, that's an amazing show. Edward James Olmos and just that whole - it was so well written. There's unbelievable sci-fi shows that are out there. So I would jump at the opportunity to continue in that world.

And going back to what we were saying with the fan base and how much they follow you on that, when you get that love and respect from people it makes you want to continue in that genre and do good work for them.

Jewel Staite: Yes, absolutely. I also think that as an actor I just look for really fun characters to play. And a lot of really well written female characters happen to be in sci-fi. I mean it just sort of works out that way.

But I do know a lot of actors that are kind of chomping at the bit to get in with the sci-fi fans, so to speak, because they really are so loyal. And as an actor this kind of stuff is fun to do. It's fun to stretch...

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: ...and go beyond the limits of your imagination and just sort of be in these crazy situations that you have to play out. And it's fun. It's always an adventure every day. And that's why I like staying in this genre so much.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Erin Willard: Okay well Jewel, congratulations on the new series by the way.

Jewel Staite: Thanks.

Erin Willard: Has it - does it feel a lot different, it being a non-sci-fi show?

Jewel Staite: It feels so different. It really does. We've been doing rehearsals and wardrobe fittings and dadadadada, all that stuff. But we went to camera last week and I definitely noticed a difference. And she's the polar opposite of a lot of the characters I've played.

Especially recently like Dr. Keller in Stargate: Atlantis. She's just the opposite of that. She's kind of an older, slightly washed up actress who is very manipulative and can be very nasty and will do anything and everything she possibly can to book the part.

And she's so much fun to play. And she's always in these ridiculous outfits and way over dressed. And just kind of acting like a jerk. And I'm really having so much fun. It's like a total stretch for me and I'm digging it a lot.

It is kind of weird that there are no spaceships anywhere.

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: ...where's the bridge? And there is no bridge.

Erin Willard: But wow, that is a totally different part for you. That'll be...

Jewel Staite: It really is.

Erin Willard: ...fun to watch.

Jewel Staite: It really is. I can't tell you how fun it is. I mean she's not evil, she just has a lot of issues. But playing someone that can just be so mean is really, really fun, I think for any actor to play. And she's kind of the comedic relief.

A.J. Buckley: Very close to you, right?

Jewel Staite: What?

A.J. Buckley: Very close to...

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: I know, finally I get to play someone that's me.

Erin Willard: Great. Okay, well then one real quick question about the movie; is this a, "Save the world," situation or a, "Save yourself and run for your life," situation?

A.J. Buckley: I think it's save the...

Jewel Staite: I think it's more of a - what?

A.J. Buckley: Yes, I think it's a combination of both.

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: I think it's a nice...

Erin Willard: Okay.

A.J. Buckley: ...mix of - it's like, "Save yourself, run for your life and then you realize that you've got to save your - the world before your life can be saved."

Erin Willard: Okay.

Jewel Staite: Right.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Erin Willard: Great, well I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you so much for taking the time.

A.J. Buckley: Cool.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: Thanks guys.

Operator: Our next question comes from Jenna Busch from Newsarama. Please go ahead.

Jenna Busch: Hey guys. So I'm actually curious about working with the CGI, because there are a lot of effects in this. And what sort of challenge does this pose for you?

Jewel Staite: Those scenes...

A.J. Buckley: CGI...

Jewel Staite: ...with all the - yes, the green screen is tough.

A.J. Buckley: Those are always the toughest things to do, because it's the only time I think you ever really kind of break a sweat, as an actor, because you just feel so ridiculous.

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: There's a monster behind you, there's - whatever it is, or this or that. And the director's usually (unintelligible) of like what's happening. And I find that to be the hardest thing to do because you have 60 crew members looking at you and they know nothing's there.

And you're looking at the other actors you're working with, and there's nothing there. So their interpretation of what they're thinking, it takes a little bit to kind of get into it to find out what we're all doing. Because the first couple takes are always a mess. People are all over the place.

But green screen is definitely, I think, the hardest thing to do.

Jewel Staite: Yes, I agree. And it's the hardest thing to do without laughing too, because you do just feel so ridiculous. I remember shooting that scene where we were watching the Moai heads come out of the ground, and they're supposed to...

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: ...rise out of the ground and then the beam of light shoots up into the sky. And you know we're standing there having to be totally amazed by this and...

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: ...I just kept laughing because you you just feel like an ass really. You feel like an ass.

A.J. Buckley: Yes and then you know I haven't actually, I saw the rough-cut, but I haven't seen the final...

Jewel Staite: Oh you haven't?

A.J. Buckley: No not yet. But I'm excited. I was going to watch it but then I was like, you know, "I'm just going to wait till the 13th..."

Jewel Staite: Saturday.

A.J. Buckley: "...and watch it." Yes (unintelligible).

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: I can be more excited then, so.

Jewel Staite: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: But when you watch the rough-cut with CG they have template shots so it's kind of like a drawing of what's going to happen.

So your imagination starts running. But those are definitely the hardest things to do.

Jenna Busch: Well also you know, Syfy, their original movies have had such crazy, fun titles. And they've tackled so many crazy things. Is there something that you - like a title that you really want to see or one you really want to be in?

Jewel Staite: Well yes, I mean I was kind of hoping for the title of this movie at the beginning when we were shooting, the working title I think was Doomsday Scrolls.

A.J. Buckley: Scrolls, yes. Yes.

Jewel Staite: Yes, and then they were like, "Well we're going to change the name before the movie airs." And I was like, "Well what are we going to change it to? Like Doomsday Octopus? (Doomsdoctopus)? Snakehead Doomsday Terror?" Yes, I was sort of hoping for one of those titles, but obviously it wouldn't make sense.

A.J. Buckley: No. I love action movies and action sci-fi movies even better. Getting to kind of play in this genre is definitely somewhere where I'd like to end up being for a while. So any of those titles, those kind of tragic, those are awesome.

((Crosstalk))

Jenna Busch: Well thank you guys so much.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Operator: Our next question comes from Ann Morris from Airlock Alpha. Please go ahead.

Ann Morris: Hi, thank you for talking with us today.

Jewel Staite: Hi.

Ann Morris: Hi.

Jewel Staite: You're welcome.

Ann Morris: I actually got to talk with you once before Jewel when you were...

Jewel Staite: Yes, I recognize the name.

Ann Morris: ...you had done Mothman. Yes, I talked to you when you had done Mothman and you talked about how you loved...

Jewel Staite: Right.

Ann Morris: ...New Orleans. Guys, I'm glad I got to speak to you right after you talked about the titles because when you first said, "Doomsday Scrolls," because the phone isn't clear, it sounded like you said, "Doomsday Squirrels." And I thought, "You know, now that was a good one. It goes along with what they're saying."

Jewel Staite: Oh my God, that's the best. Doomsday Squirrels.

A.J. Buckley: Doomsday Squirrels.

Ann Morris: Think about it, giant squirrels. All my gardener friends would agree; they would think it was great.

Jewel Staite: Okay, that's going to be the sequel.

Ann Morris: Yes, Doomsday Squirrels. Okay, so I'm going to...

Jewel Staite: Doomsday Squirrels.

Ann Morris: ...be looking for that, you know? I want to (unintelligible).

Jewel Staite: That's hilarious.

Ann Morris: But the question I had, since both of you have done series TV and you've done the sci-fi movies, and - I'd like you talk a little bit about the differences in filming series TV and in filming the sci-fi movies in particular.

I know they're a little different than you know, the big feature films in the theaters. And I though, that you know, that might be a little bit interesting for people to hear about.

Jewel Staite: What do you think A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: I think that for me, the sci-fi stuff, a lot I find is people's time that they spend in the makeup chair, because you come onto a sci-fi show and some of those people are in the makeup chair and their call time is like seven hours before anybody else.

So that and just the costumes and just because the sci-fi stuff, it's creating other worlds and there's no limit to the imagination. And the rules, you're able to break so much and create your own. So I think within that, a lot of the times, it's uncharted territory so to speak.

But you also have to make it make sense, so it at times can be thought into the shot and where it's going, and what the end sort of result will be, as opposed to your conventional storytelling - or series like CSI. You have your plot points and you know where the rules lie in real life and you have to kind of adhere to those.

Jewel Staite: And I think, the reason why I love doing movies in particular - I love working on, series as well, but it's kind of a nice thing to know when the beginning of the project is, the middle of the project is, and the end is. And you don't have to worry about getting cancelled and losing your job.

A.J. Buckley: Yes. Yes.

Jewel Staite: That's really nice...

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: ...because every time you do a series it's sort of looming over your head, you know?

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: Are we going to go for another season? And all that stuff. So it's sort of nice not to have to deal with that.

Ann Morris: Well thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Jewel Staite: You're welcome. Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Deyvid Holquinn from Outhouse. Please go ahead.

Deyvid Holquinn: Hi, thanks for talking to us today.

Jewel Staite: Hi.

Deyvid Holquinn: What - I think you touched on the 2012. And the Doomsday is very timely with that. Does - do your gut - this is for both of you, "Do your gut instinct tell you that 2012 will be disastrous or do you think it'll be like some say, an increased spirituality and elevation of consciousness or do you think it'll just be a regular ordinary time?"

Jewel Staite: I think it might be a regular ordinary time. But regardless, just in case the world ends, let me tell you I'm going to be sitting on a beach in Maui with a Mai Tai in my hand. That's exactly what I'm going to be doing.

A.J. Buckley: I will be right there too.

Jewel Staite: And we're not joking.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: That probably will happen.

A.J. Buckley: Yes, I tend to error on the positive side. I think that if something does, what fascinates me is in history, just how so many different cultures had various different predictions but it was all around this time and with a certain way buildings were built and it added up to or it was very similar to the way other cultures built things.

I'm big into that sort of stuff. I think if anything, if you're so worried about, that far ahead and that the end of the world might come, you're not going to enjoy what's going on right now.

So I tend to think that when it does happen, it's going to be party time.

((Crosstalk))

Deyvid Holquinn: Jewel's been on Mothman, and once or twice I think on Warehouse 13, is there currently any sci-fi shows that are currently running that you'd like to guest star on?

Jewel Staite: Who me...

A.J. Buckley: Me?

Jewel Staite: ...or A.J.?

Deyvid Holquinn: For both.

Jewel Staite: I'd like to be on Alphas. I think - I've always had this little...

A.J. Buckley: Alphas would be awesome.

Jewel Staite: Yes, I've always had this little actor complex where I want to play a superhero and I just will not let it go. And they're kind of superheroes on that show. So I'm sort of holding out for a part on that. And Being Human's great too -- I'm loving Being Human.

A.J. Buckley: Yes, any of those that Jewel just said. I love Alphas, it is awesome. Alphas is amazing and I don't know, like I said before, I would love to go do a sci-fi series in that sort of genre. I just love the world that they get to play in.

Deyvid Holquinn: Great, we'd love to see that. That did tie into my second question which relates to (unintelligible) superheroes, the recent - I mean it's always been there, it's always been drawn upon in film/television. But we've seen a increase in the last few years. Is there any comic book characters or superheroes that you guys would like to play? And then why?

Jewel Staite: I'd kind of play any of them, to be honest. I don't care what superhero it is, as long as it's a superhero, and maybe I can fly -- that's all I'm saying.

A.J. Buckley: I would be the Greatest American Superhero, that guy.

Deyvid Holquinn: Oh nice.

A.J. Buckley: That old school guy; that'd be fun. Because he was kind of really cool, but then he'd fly through a building. And so if he screwed up, you'd be like, "Yes he's just - it's okay. So it's just him."

Deyvid Holquinn: And that had an interesting connection with the UFOs because didn't he get his powers and his suit from the UFOs?

A.J. Buckley: He did that's right. One of my favorite comics growing up was Daredevil. I loved Daredevil; I just thought it was a really cool thing. I didn't think the movie did it justice by any means. But I think they should definitely redo it and do sort of a darker version of it.

But yes, just what you were saying, I agree with you on that, that just with all the superhero stuff, the movies that they've been doing lately have been just so awesome -- everything from Iron Man to Thor and Captain America.

They've really kind of got away from the bad spell of Batman's movies we had there for a while. And then once I think, of course (unintelligible) made these - the really great superhero and got into just the story and the characters and their sort of torture and their journey. Me as a comic book nerd, I think I have really responded to that.

And I'm so excited about all the other superhero movies that are coming out.

Deyvid Holquinn: Definitely, and we'd love to see you guys be a part of it.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Deyvid Holquinn: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: Thanks.

Operator: Our next question comes from CJ Allen with SpoilerTV.com. Please go ahead.

CJ Allen: Hey guys, sorry it's me again. You know what, this time I'm going to talk to you A.J. I'm going to ask this question, but I'll...

A.J. Buckley: It's about time buddy.

CJ Allen: ...continue with Jewel, so don't worry.

A.J. Buckley: It's about time.

CJ Allen: Yes, yes. I am - yes, Jewel doesn't exist right now, it's all about you. If you could - don't worry Jewel, I still like you too. But - yes sorry, I'll force on the question, "If you could go back and play a previous role, or even work with certain people again, who would it be and why?"

A.J. Buckley: Wow. I got to work with David Strathairn in the Blue Car. And it was cool.

I actually never got to have scenes with him, but I remember being on set and watching him work, and this is before he had his Oscar nomination. And - but I just thought the way - his process was really awesome and kind of demanded a lot out of you as an actor. I noticed how he worked with other actors.

But I loved that. And one of the most fun characters I think I've had the privilege of playing is definitely the Ghostfacers. I love playing these guys in these...

CJ Allen: They are hilarious. I absolutely (unintelligible).

A.J. Buckley: Oh thanks. And getting one of my good friends and (Travis), we ended up doing a lot of writing with it. And just kind of getting to create, it was such an exciting experience when we were asked to write the spin-off and get to direct it and do all that sort of stuff. And we had great help from everyone across the board.

But it was such a collaborative effort, I think to get to do more Ghostfacers would be unbelievable. Because again, it goes back to what's it like going to work and touching on what we said about how it was coming to work for Doomsday.

And it's the same with Ghostfacers, when you're going to work and your stomach hurts at the end of the day from laughing so much, I mean that's the greatest job in the world.

So having that experience and being so excited and you'll have those long days on set, but it's so worth it. And just to have had so many of those experiences, but you know Ghostfacers because I was so invested in the creative, that would be more of that for sure.

CJ Allen: Cool thank you. And Jewel I'll do my last question with you, so I haven't forgot about you. If you had to describe this movie in three words, what would it be?

Jewel Staite: Oh God. Oh man...

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: ...you keep giving me these doozies. Three words, okay.

CJ Allen: I'm sorry.

Jewel Staite: Three words...

A.J. Buckley: A.J. Buckley.

Jewel Staite: Oh my God.

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: That's really in the - okay wait, no I'm going to answer this for real. I just have to think. Okay, adventurous - adventuresome, that's my first word, exciting and perilous. There you go.

CJ Allen: Cool thank you. Well that's probably the last time I'll get to speak to you both, so thank you.

((Crosstalk))

Jewel Staite: You're very welcome.

A.J. Buckley: Cool man. Thanks buddy, nice chatting with you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you. That was so funny; A.J. Buckley.

Operator: Our next question comes from Troy Rogers with thedeadbolt.com. Please go ahead.

Troy Rogers: Hi Jewel, hi A.J.

Jewel Staite: Hi.

A.J. Buckley: Hello.

Troy Rogers: Greetings from the West End.

A.J. Buckley: Hey, right on.

Troy Rogers: Just looking at the North Shore Mountains right now.

Jewel Staite: Don't tell us that.

Troy Rogers: Sorry. Can you both talk about how you related to these characters?

A.J. Buckley: Go ahead Jewel.

Jewel Staite: Sure. Okay, well the thing that I like about Brooke, is that she kind of reminded me a lot of Dr. Keller who I played in Stargate: Atlantis. She's very much in her element when she's at work. When she's on a dig, she's totally relaxed. She's very smart and she's really in her element.

But when she's not and she's in these crazy situations, she goes into panic mode. And that's the way I am too. I don't deal with any kind of peril very well. And it's always really important to me to play that as real as possible.

I like that she's not a hero. She's a reluctant hero. And at the end of the day, she sort of has to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done. And I really wanted to put the realism, as much as possible.

And so yes, I would say, "We react very similarly in certain situations."

Troy Rogers: Okay, A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: I would say that, just the fish out of water sort of element. I love the characters where you never believe that you can accomplish it.

And I think a lot when I was younger, it was never that I didn't believe it, I just thought it was going to be really harder or impossible to do certain things. But then once I got into it I realized that I could actually make something happen, or do it.

So it's that first instinct of, "Oh shit," you know really beat myself up first and then once getting into the groove of it that it was actually able to accomplish it.

And we talked with (Jason) and stuff about incorporating some sort of fighting and stuff into the guy, so he wasn't just like a book editor - and I love martial arts and boxing and all that sort of stuff, so then we kind of changed the character a bit to have a little bit of an edge to him.

Not that I have an edge by any means, but just to make him a little more interesting. And that's it, yes.

Troy Rogers: All right cool. Well you mentioned earlier that you're into these prophecies, Nostradamus and everything. I just wanted to know what you think about the Mayan calendar ending in 2012?

A.J. Buckley: I'm excited. I just think it's so fascinating that something so long ago and just the intelligence of this culture and this race. And just from their architecture and everything, they did - I'm excited to see it.

I don't think that it's the end of days by any means. But I'm excited to see it and I hope that something really great comes out of it.

I think that stuff sells movie tickets and stuff, the fear and propaganda of it. But I think that something great will happen.

Troy Rogers: So you're not stock-piling Ramen Noodles and bottled water?

A.J. Buckley: I think I would be lying if I didn't say I had an emergency bag, because I live in LA and earthquakes might happen.

But it's definitely gone through my head. And I totally believe in aliens. I think there's definitely some sort of intelligent life out there. I mean they just found water on Mars, didn't they?

Troy Rogers: Yes.

A.J. Buckley: Yes so I think we are in the embryotic stage of discovering what is out in the universe. And hopefully I'll be alive to get to witness something that we've talked about for so long. But I really think it's going to be something great.

Troy Rogers: Cool. All right, thanks a lot you guys.

Jewel Staite: You're welcome.

Operator: Our next question comes from Janel Spiegel from realityshack.com. Please go ahead.

Janel Spiegel: Hi A.J. and Jewel, thank you so much for talking to us today.

Jewel Staite: Hi, you're welcome.

Janel Spiegel: This is kind of a follow-up regarding the sci-fi fans. I was wondering what both of you think makes the sci-fi fans so loyal, beside the fact that it's a really awesome genre.

Jewel Staite: I really have no idea. I've been thinking about that a lot. I mean, every time I go to these conventions I think about that and go, "I wonder what it is?" I'm really not sure. I don't know. What do you think A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: Yes, I've asked that question so many times about, "What is it about this genre that people, you know" - because people watch other types of genres, but the loyalty does not exist in those genres.

Jewel Staite: Right.

A.J. Buckley: And once they kind of become a fan of yours, they're your fan. And there's been a couple of times where I've just been so blown away and touched by some of the nicest people I've met and some of the coolest.

Just more interesting people and super thoughtful, and one of the great things about having Twitter, is being able to have that instant connection with them. And just showing gratitude of the support. Because again, going back to what I said before, a lot of things have happened because of that fan base in my career.

Janel Spiegel: Right. And both of you mentioned that you would actually like to guest star on Alphas. And is there a specific super power that both of you would love to have?

Jewel Staite: That's a good question.

A.J. Buckley: If I could blow things up and fly that would be awesome.

Janel Spiegel: Awesome.

Jewel Staite: Simultaneously.

Janel Spiegel: That's awesome.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: My husband has this weird obsession with wanting to be able to produce perfectly cooked bacon out of his pockets.

Janel Spiegel: Wow.

Jewel Staite: I'm serious, that's his superpower of choice.

Janel Spiegel: That's cool.

Jewel Staite: And I'm all for it because I like bacon and then I could tell people, "I'm married to Bacon Boy." But I guess I would probably say like, "The power to heal because I think you know, that would be the most awesome power of all." But I wouldn't use it on everybody, just the people I liked probably.

Janel Spiegel: Awesome. Well thank you guys so very much. And it was an honor to speak to both of you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: Thank you.

Janel Spiegel: And good luck.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

Janel Spiegel: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question comes from Jamie Ruby with scifivision.com. Please go ahead.

Jamie Ruby: Hello again.

Jewel Staite: Hi.

Jamie Ruby: So you guys talk, obviously that you had so much fun filming this movie. Do you have kind of like a funny story of maybe a prank or a blooper or something that you can think of that happened on set you can talk about?

Jewel Staite: Why don't you tell the story A.J.? Just tell it.

A.J. Buckley: There's so many. There is so many. But my favorite one I think, we kind of touched on it briefly, it was a really big gun scene and a lot of explosions were happening at once. And we were in kind of rough terrain...

Jewel Staite: Kind of?

A.J. Buckley: ...(unintelligible) was pretty rough. There was a hill that was kind of straight up that would take any normal human being a good distance to climb up this hill, because you had to strategize where you put your foot and this and that.

And so in this scene what happened was, we were supposed to turn, look at camera, duck, take four steps to the right, I'm supposed to step on something and then explosions would happen. And then like ten guys open fire at us.

So I'm looking at Jewel, and again we're supposed to be really terrified. I'm looking at Jewel before we role and they're saying, "Sound, speed," and I look at Jewel and she has this look on her face like, "This is crazy, I need to get the hell out of here right now."

So as soon as they call action, we're supposed to go to the right, and I'm sort of being the hero, hold her hand and pull her to the right, and then run up to the Hill.

Well I can't even (unintelligible) because I get yanked to the left. And all these explosions happen and I look up, and it looked like ET flying through the woods. But she was running - she ran that really steep incline in like ten seconds.

And I fell on the ground laughing so hard because I couldn't even climb up the mountain. And Jewel was gone. And then they had to cut because I'm just cackling on the ground.

They're like, "What happened?" They thought I was screaming. They ran up, and I'm crying because Jewel the mountain goat is up the fucking...It was so funny. It was really, really funny.

Jewel Staite: And the craziest thing is I don't remember that happening. All I remember is hearing explosions and then I was at the top of the hill...

A.J. Buckley: Yes and...

Jewel Staite: ...looking down. And A.J.'s like crying he's laughing so hard.

A.J. Buckley: And the stills photographer had it on high speed and he showed me the pictures after. And it literally shows in leaps and bounds, Jewel just flying up this hill. It was so - out of nowhere. We were supposed to go right, Jewel goes left.

Jewel Staite: Oh my God.

A.J. Buckley: It was so funny. It was really funny. It was really good though. Yes.

Jamie Ruby: Sounds like it was funny.

Jewel Staite: Oh man.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great. Now this is about something else, but I wanted to ask you A.J., on CSI: NY, is it hard to kind of learn all the lines about all the scientific stuff that you have remember?

A.J. Buckley: It's the hardest thing in the world; one because no one talks like that; and two, I have really bad dyslexia so just saying that type of dialogue, at times I get the worst anxiety because I don't know how I'm going to make it through the day, when it's just information, information, information.

And it's just words that have so many syllables and then you have character names and times and everything is flipping around me. So it is probably the hardest thing. So when I get any sort of dialogue where there's some sort of emotional connection I bathe in it, I'm like, "This feels so good, just to not say scientific dialogue."

It's really hard, and then they want it to be kind of funny as well, which always (unintelligible) because it's so (unintelligible). Giving scientific dialogue's not funny, but originally that kind of came from my nerves - of me stuttering through certain things was me terrified of what I was saying.

And then the show runners loved that my character was kind of like that, but really it was me that was terrified of what I was saying. So now they love when I'm kind of like that so. But that's a great job.

Jamie Ruby: Okay great. Now for both of you, what would your fans be surprised to know about you -- maybe a hidden talent or a funny hobby, something like that?

Jewel Staite: Oh my gosh. Let me think. Do you have anything right off the bat A.J.?

A.J. Buckley: I love martial arts and I love remote control planes.

Jewel Staite: Remote control planes.

Jamie Ruby: Okay.

A.J. Buckley: Anything remote control. I love remote control things.

Jamie Ruby: Okay.

Jewel Staite: I really like to cook and I'm kind of a foodie. And I actually kind of want to go to school to be a sommelier. So I think people are usually surprised to hear that about me; that if I wasn't an actor I would be a sommelier or a winemaker, making wine...

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: ...in some beautiful vineyard in Sonoma somewhere.

A.J. Buckley: I can totally attest to that because when we were filming Jewels and her husband, every day after work, they'd have like the most obscure restaurant that I've never even heard of in Vancouver to go to. And it'd be like down the Street in a back alley, this little door we'd go through and the most insane food and wine and pairing of wine - it was just unbelievable. So any recommendations that Jewel has to go eat somewhere, highly listen to her.

Jamie Ruby: All right. Well I know she has her Web site, I saw that. So and then one last question, this is a fan question for Jewel. They want to know what would happen if you got to spend a week with the Firefly cast again? What would you guys do?

Jewel Staite: That happens quite often actually. We usually end up in Maui. That's kind of my favorite place in the world. And A.J. came to Maui last year for Christmas with us.

A.J. Buckley: Yes, that was awesome.

Jewel Staite: And we're going again this year.

A.J. Buckley: Yes.

Jewel Staite: You're booked, right A.J.? You booked a plane ticket?

A.J. Buckley: Yes. Yes, we're booked.

Jewel Staite: Okay good.

A.J. Buckley: We're booked to go down there the 22nd.

Jewel Staite: Good. But yes, I mean we do spend a lot of time together, the Firefly cast. We usually end up at Nathan's house playing this game that he has.

He's like a big TV star now. Apparently he's on some show, Castle, I've never heard of it. And he has this big media room now, with this huge big screen TV. And he bought this game, I think it's called Dance Revolution, I think. Where you, you know...

Jamie Ruby: Sounds great.

Jewel Staite: ...the sensors pick up your body movements and you have to kind of mime the dancing. So we do a lot of hip hop dancing. That's what we do as a cast. That's really interesting information I know.

Jamie Ruby: All right. No that's funny. All right, thanks so much.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

A.J. Buckley: (Unintelligible).

Operator: Our next question comes from Ann Morris with Airlock Alpha. Please go ahead.

Ann Morris: Hi I'm back again.

Jewel Staite: Hi.

Ann Morris: I was really interested to hear A.J., that you were a comic book nerd. And actually I'm quite gratified. I always like to hear when people have been reading in the science fiction related genres or science fiction.

And I have a question for both of you, "Have you read any science fiction novels or short stories that you particularly like? Or if you haven't, would you like to read that kind of literature? Or do you have something else you prefer to read?"

Jewel Staite: I read anything and everything. I'm a big reader. I love all books. And I just finished - I don't know if it's science fiction, I mean I think it kind of is, there are sort of hover crafts and things. I just finished reading The Hunger Games. And...

A.J. Buckley: Oh, how is that?

Jewel Staite: Oh my God, it's so good. It's so good.

A.J. Buckley: Read it?

Jewel Staite: Yes, and I just kind of ripped through...

Ann Morris: Who's the author of that?

Jewel Staite: What's that?

Ann Morris: Who's the author of that? I'm going to check it out, you know?

Jewel Staite: The author of The Hunger Games. Oh my God, now I'm going to be totally blank.

Ann Morris: Well I'll look it up on Amazon.

Jewel Staite: But they're fabulous. There's three books. And I think I ripped through them in like less than a week. And now they're going to be movies. And I can't wait to see the movies. I'm really in love with that whole series.

Ann Morris: Well that's great to hear. How about you A.J.? Is there anything - I know you mentioned being dyslexic, but you know if you powered through comic books, maybe you've had some...

A.J. Buckley: Yes, see comic books for me - because there was a lot of pictures and stuff so it was easier to read. But I love books on tape. And I love my iPod. So any chance - actually, I'm reading Steven Tyler's book right now, his biography which is awesome.

Ann Morris: Oh yes.

Jewel Staite: I heard that was really good.

A.J. Buckley: I love reading lots of biographies and people's trials and tribulations and journeys and stuff. I really relate to that. And another one I just finished was Richard Branson's one, which I thought was fascinating. I think he's maybe one of the most interesting people in the world - because I don't know if you've flown Virgin, but it's so awesome.

Jewel Staite: It really is.

Ann Morris: I never have, but I've seen Richard Branson on TV...

A.J. Buckley: Oh my God.

Ann Morris: ...and he seems interesting so.

A.J. Buckley: Yes. He's fun...

Ann Morris: (Unintelligible).

A.J. Buckley: ...Virgin Airlines. And then when you read the book it's just kind of fascinating.

But yes, I haven't read any sci-fi books in a really long time. And I haven't had time to go back and read any comics in a long time. I have a big comic case that I need to get. And I'm in the midst of moving so everything's in boxes and crazy.

Ann Morris: Oh wow. Well thank you so much. And...

Jewel Staite: You're welcome.

Ann Morris: ...I congratulate you on all your success. And I hope you all continue to be in all the sci-fi series and the other series. And you know, just have a lot of fun.

A.J. Buckley: Cool man, thank you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you so much.

Operator: Our next question comes from Deyvid Holquinn from Outhouse. Please go ahead.

((Crosstalk))

Operator: This is going to be our last question.

((Crosstalk))

Deyvid Holquinn: Okay, so I'll try to make it quick. So Jewel, your fans adore you, they'll follow you wherever you go and we look forward to seeing you in everything that you do.

But for a lot of fans it'll be either Stargate or Firefly. And I was wondering, when you get fan reactions -- whether it's Tweets or people coming up to you -- do you find that more are from Firefly fans or more from Stargate or is it more even? And then, which of the two series had more impact on your life in a personal sense?

Jewel Staite: I think in terms of the fans it's usually 50/50. When - this is going to sound totally trivial, but when I did Stargate I was a blonde and when I did Firefly I had dark hair. So it's sort of based on that.

And recently I went brunette again for my new show. So now I'm getting recognized for Firefly more so than Stargate. But yes, I would definitely say that it was more 50/50.

And in terms of which show had a bigger impact on my life, I mean Stargate was obviously a longer job. I was on that job for three years, and I got to shoot in my hometown for a whole three years and see my family and see my friends and sleep in my own bed, which is really great.

But with Firefly, it feels like unfinished business. It's like you know when you have this really amazing love affair with someone and then you break up over something stupid and you can't stop thinking about them and you always wonder, "What if?" It's sort of like that.

Deyvid Holquinn: No doubt. And with the comics we fans got more, but we always hope for another movie.

Jewel Staite: Yes, me too. I mean we're still holding out. And that's another thing we do in Nathan's big media room, we sit around and listen to Nathan talk about winning the lottery, which I think he said in the press at some point. And he was like, "If I win the lottery I'm going to buy the rights to Firefly and we're going to make another movie." And we're all like, "Whatever Nathan."

Deyvid Holquinn: That would be awesome.

Jewel Staite: There is no bigger Firefly fan than Nathan Fillion, let me tell you.

Deyvid Holquinn:Yes, one quick last question, just for you guys to put out there, do you both have either - any charities or causes that you're involved in or that you support?

Jewel Staite: I've been working with the Aids Foundation in Vancouver for the last few years, as well as The Dyslexia Foundation. A friend of mine whose a country singer, his name's (Patrick Massey), is very much involved with The Dyslexia Foundation there. And I've been doing some work with them.

A.J. Buckley: And I work with the Adoptive Parent Association in Vancouver as well.

Deyvid Holquinn: Great, thank you.

Jewel Staite: Thank you.

Operator: Thank you all very much for joining us today. Please remember to tune in to Doomsday Prophecy this Saturday, August 13 at 9:00 pm. Thank you Jewel. Thank you A.J. We appreciate you talking to us today.

Jewel Staite: You're welcome, thank you.

A.J. Buckley: All right guys. Thanks everybody. Take care.

Back to the Main Articles Page

Back to the Main Primetime TV Page

We need more episode guide recap writers, article writers, MS FrontPage and Web Expression users, graphics designers, and more, so please email us if you can help out!  More volunteers always needed!  Thanks!

Page updated 1/1/13