The Official Amanda Tapping Website

1998 Articles and Interviews

Source: Cinefastastique
Author: Douglas Eby
This article has been posted on this page courtesy of Mr. Eby.

"I don't want my character to become this sci-fi sexpot..."
She's tapping into the reformation of genre heroines.

Speaking from the set of STARGATE SG-1 in Vancouver, Amanda Tapping notes the series has just begun production for its second season, and that it has been picked up for an additional two seasons, a total of 88 episodes. "So we have a long way to go. I'm absolutely enjoying the evolution of the show" she says. Her character, Captain Samantha Carter -- or Sam -- was written before she was cast: "I wasn't even a thought in their minds when they were creating her. But I hope that once they decided to cast me, that there's a certain amount of me that they're bringing in, in terms of sense of humor. And I think they've sort of been testing us all in certain episodes to see what they can do with our characters, and mine has been going off on an interesting track."

Tapping recalls the pilot episode was "very much 'Let's get to know who these people are' and Carter comes across

Amanda as Samantha Carter as very strong, very committed, I would say something of a hardass, in that she feels she has to prove something to these men that she's dealing with. And as the show has progressed, that's not an issue anymore, and they're allowing Carter more sensitivity, which is really nice." She also credits the crew, which is almost identical to the first season's, for making the show a pleasure for her.

Born in England and raised in Toronto, Tapping has guest starred on series including THE X-FILES,DUE SOUTH, FOREVER KNIGHT and FLASH FORWARD. A graduate of the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Art, she has credits in a number of theatrical productions such as Steel Magnolias, Look Back in Anger, Children of A Lesser God and The Taming of the Shrew and says that live theater is still a passion: "That was my base of training. I'd love to be able to do theater during the hiatus. For me, as an actor, getting back on stage really works all those muscles all over again. It's a different style of acting. It's scary to get up on stage. But I miss it like crazy." The break in production for STARGATE SG-1 comes during Christmas and New Years, and Tapping used that time for a vacation with her husband, to move their household to Vancouver, and to act in an episode of THE OUTER LIMITS.
As for the evolution of her character Samantha Carter, Tapping feels that in the coming season"they're going to open up her technical expertise a little more, and allow that to shine through. She is, after all, an astrophysicist, in a show about space. And I think they're going to flesh out our relationships a bit more. The beauty of the show is that the four SG-1 members have such a great chemistry personally, so they didn't really have to work on that, because we all jelled so well as actors and human beings. In terms of Carter, hopefully they'll get a little more interested in what's happening in her personal life. She's the only one who doesn't have a family, or a history of ex-wife or ex-husband. She's a single, determined young woman. So they're fleshing that out a bit. In the first season, they gave me a great episode where I find a little girl on a planet, and you get to see this other side of Carter, in terms of her mothering instincts and her ability to love, and her need for love. And it was really lovely to play that. They're giving me more episodes where I get to be a little bit more sensitive, and a little more human in terms of raw emotion, which is really nice."

As a theoretical astrophysicist and Pentagon expert, Carter has had to use a lot of technical and scientific terminology, which Tapping said was at first very challenging: "I did a lot of research, as much as you could in the time that you have, on astrophysics and the military. I had the opportunity to talk with an ex-Navy Seal, and we had people from the Air Force consult on our show." Now, after doing a little more than a whole season of the series, she says "Now, it's pretty easy because I actually understand what she's saying. The first episode was a lot of what I call technobabble. It wasn't difficult in terms of understanding the concepts, but they throw a lot of terminology at you, and you have to make it as real as possible."

She notes her science interest in school was more in biology than in physics, and recalls "I excelled in math when I was younger, and then got to high school and got more interested in the arts. I won an environmental science award when I graduated from high school, but also won a drama award. My parents were going 'Science. Science.' And my middle brother is a biochemist, and my twin brother is a computer programmer. They take care of that end of things" she adds, with a laugh. "I always had this sort of inkling I'd like to be a doctor when I was younger, and then, of course, like everyone else, wanted to be a marine biologist, but acting was always in the forefront."

Tapping finds it intriguing to be working with science fiction material, and notes that so much is becoming science fact. "Just reading Steven Hawking's books" Tapping comments, "I mean his knowledge, and going back to Einstein and Copernicus, and back and back in time, the theories are now becoming reality, so for me the whole evolution of science and our expanding knowledge, and then what we incorporate in the show, it blows my mind that it's actually not so far off the mark."

She also finds interesting the area of UFO and ET information: "The whole idea of Area 51, and the government coverup, and how much do they know that we don't, and all the conspiracy theories -- I find all that fascinating, that stuff really gets me going. And I think it would be incredibly arrogant to think we were the only, quote, intelligent beings in a vast universe. It's arrogant to think we're the only intelligent beings on Earth. We have a lot to learn from the animal kingdom."

Asked about where she wants to see her role go further, Tapping says "I think it's happened over the course of the first season, and it will certainly continue to happen, is the human element of Carter to come through. I remember when I first auditioned for the show, then the screen test, there were several ways you could play her, and as a personal choice, I decided to invest her with some sense of humor and some warmth and levity. I didn't want her to come across as this hardassed, for want of a better word, bitch; this cold-hearted, terribly focused, singularly determined young woman who had nothing going for her but this knowledge that she had. It was really important for me that people saw beyond that into her warmth."
Pursuing the idea of audience reaction to her character, Tapping thinks "it's a mistake sometimes for me to go on the internet, because I take to heart what people are saying about the character. When the show first came out there were comments about 'Who is this Carter? We don't like her. She's bitchy' And it really hurt my feelings. And I went 'No, no, she's really nice, she's funny, you just haven't seen it yet." But that was earlier on, she points out, and says "Now, the comments are changing. I don't go on the internet very often, but I would hope people see she is a very centered human being, and that there is a great warmth to this woman. And that she has an incredible depth of caring for the other characters. The feelings that this team has for each other are so strong."

A number of young women admire Captain Carter, and Tapping is gratified to hear from them: "It's been really nice. When we first started doing the show, Christopher Judge and Michael Shanks and I were wondering what kind of fan mail we might get. I kind of laughed at the whole idea of someone sending me a fan letter, it was so completely alien to me. But we decided that Christopher would get little kids who find his character fascinating, he would have his own demographics, and Michael would get young women who think he's a big, sensitive hunk. And they looked at me and said "Little boys and women.' And true to form, those are the letters I've been getting. Some men, which is nice. But quite a few from women, which is so nice. Especially when you get letters from young girls, who specifically say it's great to see a female scientist who's strong and successful, and I say 'Hey. If it makes you take your science class a little more seriously, or maybe talk to your teachers more seriously about science and have them treat you more seriously, for me that's wonderful."

Another aspect of her character's growth she'd like, says Tapping, "I'd like to have her not just be this strong, determined person, but I'd like to see some of the more female elements of Carter come out. Not that I'd want that to weaken her, but that it shows she's a caring, emotional and sexual being. I don't want her to become this scifi sexpot by any stretch of the imagination. But I'd like to bring out more facets of her." She agrees there is a lack of good role models for women in popular culture, but thinks "it is changing. If we were to be completely honest, the industry is controlled by men, for the most part, and I think there is an incredible lack of understanding. I don't want to become this big gender politician, and 'rah rah, women', but there is a lack of understanding of how to write an equal female character that isn't either way over the top, too sexy, or bitchy smart. You see it so much with all the male characters. I'm not standing on my soapbox here, saying we've got to change the face of television. And I think it is starting to change, but there is still something of a gender war going on."

Given that there are still changes to be made in creating more authentic female characters, Tapping is hopeful Carter will be more and more real, and acknowledges the production crew for supporting that: "I'll tell you, the writers and producers we have on this show are completely in tune with that ideology. A year ago, as an unknown actor, to walk into a room of men and say 'Well, you know, I think you should do this with her' -- the prospect was absolutely mortifying. But now, I can say, 'You know what? Women don't really talk that way' and they listen. And I don't even have to say it; they're just writing wonderfully for her. There is a really nice understanding."

The episode of THE OUTER LIMITS Tapping just completed, called The Joining was, she says, "really funny, because

Amanda as Samantha Carter
the character is not dissimilar to Sam Carter, even down to her wardrobe, so it wasn't a big stretch. But I got to work with C. Thomas Howell, and Jeffrey Jones, which was phenomenal, and it's about a young woman working for a space program. Her fiance is at a Venus outpost, and there's been problems there, and we go there to find him, assuming he'll be dead, and he's not. So the show centers around how he was able to keep himself alive for so long when he shouldn't have been able to. There are some nice emotional beats to play, in terms of having your fiance come back to Earth and not be able to touch him or be in the same room with him, then the realization of what he's done to keep himself alive, which is quite horrific. According to the crew, it's one of the grossest episodes they've done. I was really proud of that. It was so much fun."
In her time away from SG-1, she is writing for a comedy troupe in Toronto she formed with a couple of other women: "That's a great creative outlet" she says. "Our time is very limited, given the kind of hours we work, but it's great to get down to pen and paper again."

PREVUE’S CHAT 1998

Amanda Tapping was gracious enough to take time out of her busy shooting schedule for the new season to answer our questions. Amanda plays Samantha Carter. We wanted to be in the know about what the future holds for Stargate SG-1. So now you will be in the know too.
What is your favorite aspect of working onStargate SG-1?
The people I work with, bar none. We have the best crew and a great cast. I love coming to work every day because of the faces I look at.

What's your least favorite?

Shooting outside in the pouring rain, but that doesn't happen very often. I don't know that I have a least favorite part. I love my job. Sometimes it's weird doing the special effects stuff. It's really hard because you don't know what you're looking at.

With sets as elaborate as the ones used onSG-1, what's the funniest thing that has happened to you on the set?

I have a lot of fun making fun of Rick (Richard Dean Anderson). Nailing him on the MacGyver thing last year was fun. But every day I laugh, so I don't know what's the funniest. Every single day I laugh. There hasn't been one day where I haven't laughed about something and laughed loudly.

Is it hard being the only woman onSG-1?

At times it's very difficult because you want to find your place on the team. I think in terms of the character Sam Carter, she's found her place on the team and she doesn't have to justify being there. For me, I want to make sure that I'm representative of a lot of women out there, that people can relate to my character, especially young women. That they find her interesting. I don't want to say role model because I don't want to sound egoistical about it, but if there is something in my character that the female audience can relate to, then that's what important to me. It's hard to make sure that I maintain a well-rounded person and that she just doesn't become the girl on the show.

Had you seenStargate before taking the role?

Yes, I had. When I found out I was shortlisted after auditioning in Toronto the first thing I did was to rent the film and really watch it because I don't remember the first time I saw it. I watched it real closely over Christmas before I knew that I had gotten the screen test.

Do you think you have an advantage over Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks since you didn't take over a role originated by someone else?

I don't know that I'd call it an advantage. I think in some way it's easier because people don't have preconceived notions about what a character should be. In other ways, it's more difficult because you're introducing something new into the mix and you're not sure whether it's going to be accepted. That sort of harkens back to being the only woman on the show as well. Is this a woman that is going to be accepted in this position? For me, it was probably harder not being an established character because I have to make something out of nothing, essentially. I mean the writers did that part for me, but bringing something that was believable and compelling to this character was scary. I didn't know if Samantha was going to be accepted or not.

What is in store for Samantha Carter this season?

I can't tell you that! I will tell you that there is a big change in the second episode of our second season for Samantha. I really can't tell you what it is because it'll blow the whole storyline. It's pretty huge and it will change her. It won't change who she is as a person, but it will change her perspective on things and her abilities. I think it will give a more hardened goal in the second season. You'll just have to watch to find out.
Without giving too much away, will there be anything further concerning Jack and Samantha following Daniel's alternate universe storyline?

No, I don't think so. Rick and I talked from the first day and talked with the writers. We really didn't want any love interest to develop between the two characters, A) because of who they are in terms of their military rank and B) it would change the entire dynamics of the team. I think the team works as a family unit, as almost brothers and sister. If there were a love interest to develop between any members of the team, which would be me and any one of the guys, it would completely change the dynamics of our team and don't think we'd work as well. So hopefully, no, not that Rick isn't a desirable man, but, uh, no.

GET CARTER – EXPOSE 1998

Sometimes, characters in television series will be written with a specific performer in mind. At other times, as StarGate SG-1 star Amanda Tapping is about to make clear, this most definitely isn't the case. "My character is Captain Samantha Carter," she tellsXpose. "She's a captain in the US Air Force, but she's also got her PhD in Theoretical Astrophysics. Carter is very strong and she doesn't make excuses for that," says Tapping, "but I also like the fact that she's a very compassionate human being and very warm." There's a certain irony in Tapping's words here. StarGate SG-1 is based on the 1994 movieStarGate, which was created by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. on release, the film was criticized for a lack of emotional depth, a complaint which has subsequently been aimed (with perhaps more accuracy) at the duo's blockbusters Independance Day and Godzilla.

In contrast, the StarGate SG-1 series, while it has its fair share of spectacular effects, concentrates more on the relationships between characters. The series picks up where the movie finished. The StarGate, which provides an instant link between planets, is thought to be permanently closed. A team led by Colonel Jack O'Neill were under orders to destroy the StarGate with a nuclear bomb if it posed a threat to Earth. O'Neill (played by Kurt Russell in the movie and Richard Dean Anderson in the series) is recalled to duty to explain what happened. He is forced to admit the bomb was never used to destroy the link and subsequently leads to another expedition through the StarGate. As the only female member of the squad, Carter is called upon to justify her position on the team (despite being called in because of her knowledge of astrophysics), something the actress initially felt uncomfortable with.
"The only thing in the Pilot that for lack of better terminology, bothered me was that Carter felt she had to makeexcuses for being the only woman on the team," Tapping explains. She felt she had to prove herself, so she dragged up the old feminist arguments and stood on her soapbox, which I guess was a necessary evil in terms of introducing all the characters because it was a pilot and you have to let everyone know who everyone is. But now, through the progression of the series, she doesn't make excuses any more. She's just a member of the team -she's a fully realized, integral part of the team. I like it that she doesn't keep standing up going, 'Hold on! I'm a woman and I can do that too!" Events on O'Neill's second trip through the StarGate lead to the formation of a series of teams to explore different worlds through the StarGate. O'Neill and Carter's team is completed by Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader's character in the film and now played by Michael G. Shanks) and the alien Teal'c (Christopher Judge).

As soon as the British-born Tapping, whose previous credits include an appearance on The X-Files, begins to talk about her co-stars, it's obvious there's a genuine chemistry between the cast. one anecdote, in particular, stands out: the first time Tapping, Shanks and Judge met. "At the final screen test in Los Angeles, they had all the actors who were auditioning for all the parts waiting in the same room," she recalls. "So, there's two or three Sam Carters there, two or three Daniels, and so on. Of all the people in this room, Christopher, Michael, and I hit it off, and just started talking. We all went in individually and did our auditions. They came out, said, 'If we read your name you're released, if we don't, stick around, we'll be asking you to come in again.' Christopher, Michael, and I were asked to stick around, amongst other people. We just hit off, started laughing and talking, and said, 'Hope we see you on set.'"As all three actors also express an admiration for Richard Dean Anderson, this chemistry carries over into the series which features some fine ensemble playing. However, has Tapping any favourite episodes which focus on Carter? "One of my favorite episodes for the character in Singularity in which the team goes to a planet where all the people have died from a disease and the sole survivor is a little girl," she says. "This episode allows Carter to open up her heart. She becomes very attached to this child and the child becomes very attached to her. She has to make a difficult choice with regard to the girl. I like the episode because it challenges me emotionally and it allowed us to see Carter's need to be loved and her ability to love, which, in the course of a Sci-Fi Action adventure, isn't always possible."

With season two now shooting, it's these kinds of episodes which appear to have attracted an audience to the show. Another factor, according to Tapping, was the two-season commitment which the American cable channel Showtime gave to the project. This gave the cast and crew security. "We knew going into it, we had the luxury of a two-year commitment from Showtime which was an interesting position to be in," she explains. "Normally you shoot a pilot and you wait and you see, and you don't know whether it's going to be picked up or not. We, however, had the luxury of a 44-episode commitment which allowed us a lot more leeway in terms of character arcs, development of the show, and development of the characters because we knew we had time." As Showtime has already committed to a further two seasons (and maybe another two after that) it looks like the SG-1 team could be going through the StarGate for some time to come.

DOCTORING THE GATE – FRONTIER 1998

Amanda Tapping worked extensively in Canadian television before landing the role of Sam Carter. Fans of Due South and Forever Knight may well remember her guest starring in those series. To date, the biggest influence on her career has been - believe it or not:"Carol Burnett. I watched her as a kid and went, this woman is brilliant and funny and beautiful and talented and so huge, so as a little girl I would say, 'I want to be Carol Burnett when I grow up.' And Meryl Streep had a huge influence, when I was looking more at film work because she's so brilliant. I remember watching Sophie's Choice and going, 'My God. If I ever get to a level where I am that luminous, I will be thrilled'."

She is clearly passionate about her chosen carreer. "I think that it's a gift that we get to do what we love, and we should be more gracious about it. More gracious that we have this incredible gift, to do this job. It takes so much to make our show. You know, you see the characters on the screen but you don't see the millions of other people running around making it work. If I as an actor start to take myself too seriously, or think that I'm more important than one of the grips, then come over here and kick my ass, because I do what I love for a living and we need to be more gracious about it."

Unlike her co-star Teryl, Amanda had to undergo a gruelling audition in order to land the part of a woman she describes as:"Incredibly smart, determined, very loyal, and warm. She's warming up. I wouldn't have said that at the beginning. But I think her best trait is that she's incredibly loyal. Very singular and very determined." To prepare, she did her homework."I did research about the military, and the obvious research on astrophysics, which I didn't delve too deeply into because I had this set piece to learn. I watched Stargate the film, and then I tried to find a warmth that wasn't written. I tried to find an accessibility that wasn't in the lines. I did the scene from the pilot where she first meets Jack O'Neill, and a scene with Daniel Jackson where we discover all the different stargate addresses. They were very straightforward scenes, so I had to find - especially in that first scene with O'Neill - the warmth, and that for me was the challenge in the audition. To go in and hopefully give them something completely different from what was written. What I tried to do was add a certain warmth and sense of humour to her and give her a different dimension. When I got the script I thought you could play this one way, this very singular military, almost bitchy determined woman, but she had to have some more layers than that. And once I got the part, the challenge for me has been finding those layers then talking to the writers about discovering some different layers of this character so that she is a proper representation. With an all male writing team, it can be a challenge."

Once the part was hers, she then had the task of truly getting to know the character she was about to play. Again, it involved a lot of research. "I talked to a lot of people in the military, and had the wonderful experience of being able to talk to an ex-Navy Seal. Talked to him at great length. And then there was the research with the astrophysics and just finding that I had to make it cerebrally real for myself. I had to truly understand what this woman was talking about and to find it interesting, to find a passion in that. And then it was finding her voice and finding her walk. I had to walk around like her for a while. Had a different pair of shoes and just walked the street... cerebrally you can find a character very easily but you have to find that physicality as well. I would put her in situation and see how she'd react, I'd go into a shop and buy a pack of gum as Sam Carter and see how she'd do it. Things like that. I really had to walk around as her. Brush my teeth as her. Go to bed as her. Not to be a method head about it or anything, because I can let her go just as easily, but especially when we started the pilot because I literally had two weeks to pack my back and get to the set, so that was a pretty intense two weeks, of finding her. But then once I found her I could let her go and bring her back. So I think I've become a part of her as much as she's become a part of me, which is odd. Although over time the writers have incorporated parts of me, Amanda Tapping, into the character. They have with all the characters. In the pilot they were very specifically written characters, and then they watched us and now there are elements of us in there."

So, apart from the prospect of the steady work, why did Amanda want to be in Stargate? "I liked the concept of the show. I liked the possibilities. I think as a film it was a wonderful film, but it left itself open to be a series. And the characters. Gosh, I hadn't come across a character like Sam in any of my auditions, and as a woman, to have the opportunity to play this character, it's a gift. I went through the full gamut of emotions when I found out I was close to getting the part."

Exciting, challenging roles for women is a subject dear to Amanda's heart. "I think that the available roles for women have improved. There's some really, really wonderful, strong female characters on television. Not strong because they have power, but that they're real. But I think that there's also some really static characters out there, and there are some that just perpetuate a really unattractive stereotype. Things are changing though. I don't want to sound totally negative about it. Things are changing because women are changing, they are standing up and saying, No, if I'm gonna do this then I'm gonna make fun of this, if I'm gonna play this bodacious bimbo then let's make her fun so that we know there's a tongue-in-cheek aspect to her. And the opposite end is if I'm gonna play a hardcase criminal lawyer then she's gotta have life. So they're expanding women's roles so that they're not so stereotyped, so that's improving, and I think that as the generation of women that started in television and started creating better characters for women is getting older and a new generation is coming in, those women that started it are now having an influence, so that older women are getting parts, it's not just young babes, which is nice. I wish there were more shapes and sizes on television than there are, and more colours, but I think that that's changing. It's such a trap, it's a trap for women in this industry and I've fallen into it more times than I care to remember. Do I have to be a hundred and ten pounds, and are my tits big enough, and am I pretty enough, and do I need to get a facelift - not that I've ever felt I needed to get a facelift, and I hope I never do feel this way. I hope I can age and allow age to be a factor in what I play instead of just trying to be 'beautiful girl'. Luckily in my carreer I've never played bodacious bimbos, I've always steered clear of that. Thankfully for the most part I've been given women who are intelligent with something interesting to say."

In fact, prior to joining the Stargate team, Amanda co-founded an all women comedy company called "Random Acts". "Ah, Random Acts, my love! The name actually comes from the saying, 'Practice random acts of kindness". A lot of it was improvisation, coming up with ideas and sketches, and in the beginning we got compared a lot initially to a British group of three women called Sensible Footwear. We didn't do a big circuit, we just did a small comedy circuit in Toronto, but it was a little getaway, a lifesaver, a creative lifesaver. It was probably the most pure creativity that I'd ever been able to do. It started with three of us, myself, and a woman by the name of Katherine Jackson and another woman by the name of Anne Marie Kerr. We had met through auditions, Anne Marie and I had done a play together, so we just got together and started talking over brunch one morning about feminist issues, stories, the fact that we'd love to put together a little company, and so we did. We started writing a show based on the transformation poetry of Anne Sexton. We didn't start out as a comedy troupe, but I think that when people are laughing, when you're using humour to get a message across, their hearts and their minds are open, so I thought we could relay a really strong message but have people laugh at the same time and make it fun. So we evolved this show and then another one came along, and another one and they all had a comedic bent. We got some great feedback, people would say 'Wow, I got that.' one of our first shows after the Anne Sexton show was called 'On Becoming a Woman' which was based on a book written in the Fifties about how a nice girl behaves, and how she should greet her husband when he comes to the door. It was a handbook that was put out for young women in the Fifties and it just blew our minds. So we did this show and it went off wonderfully and people laughed, which was great, and then this sixty-five year old man came up to us at the end of the show and said, 'I had no idea that's what my wife was exposed to. I didn't know.' He was a man growing up in that society and that was just a given. He never knew women were fed all this bullshit, for lack of a better term, about how to behave as subservient members of society. That was one of the most fulfilling compliments we ever received."

And what does she feel has been her strongest work to date in Stargate?

"That's a really hard question for me to answer, because I'm really judgemental. I'm really highly critical of my own work. I enjoyed Solitudes, the glacier episode, it's one of my all time favourites. Singularity, the one with the little girl. In the Line of Duty, because we get to see Carter as a goa'uld, and that was challenging for me because it was so still. I had a different walk and a different stance, so that was interesting for me as an actor, and I liked A Matter of Time. I like any scene where I get to work with Carmen Argenziano, who plays Sam's father. He's one of the loveliest men, loveliest human beings I've ever met. He's just an angel and we do have a father/daughter relationship. He comes to my trailer and we have lunch and we talk. You know, it's a friendship but he gives me advice, and when I get to work with him I think that translates really beautifully on the screen. I think he's a wonderful actor and any scene I get to do with him, I'm thrilled."

And the hardest episode to film so far?

"Physically Solitudes, because we shot in a refrigerated studio, and then having to do the climb up the glacier. And just emotionally, because of what Carter's going through, so that was a difficult but ultimately one of the most fulfilling episodes for me to film. And also Singularity, because of the emotion and because it was the first season and it was the first time that my character had broken down and we were shooting in a very tiny corner of the set, in an elevator, with crew members literally a foot away from me. It was a big challenge and I loved it. The hardest episodes are the ones where you don't have a lot to do and you have to bring life, where you're not really propelling the scene forward or doing anything with it but you have to be so present in order to make it real. So those episodes are sometimes harder than having to do a lot of stuff."

While Amanda is more than happy with the development of her character, she does feel that there's room for growth. "What I like more about Sam is her loyalty. I think her loyalty is her defining quality, that it carries her through any situation no matter what, her fierce loyalty to the team and to the project. I think that's what makes her so compelling. And thatshe'll stand up for what she believes in, no matter what. I like that they give her that. We have fights with our Air Force advisors, who say she wouldn't be that insubordinate but you know what? If we're talking about life and death here, this character would. To the point of, okay courtmartial me. So I like that about her. And the fact that she's a scientist as well as a soldier., and there are times when she has to be the soldier that goes against the other stuff, and that's what makes her interesting. That's the fine line you have to walk with her. If she was just military or just a scientist it would be different, but she has to walk the line and it keeps her on her toes. But I'd allow her more moments of warmth. Although I'm not sure that in certain situations it would work. Sometimes she has to be singular and dedicated. I'd like more humour. The writers are allowing more warmth, but I think we could go even further. It doesn't just have to be O'Neill coming out with one of his funny, sarcastic comments. It should be that we respond to those more, that we come up with some, too. And that's happening, there's moments where there are jokes. And I'd like to see more of a friendship develop with Teal'c. I've said this before, I'd like to explore that relationship more. I'd like to see a more personal arc with Samantha, particularly because I feel that she's so singular and so determined and so loyal and all those things that make her a really wonderful character but also make her a one-track kind of character."

Like Teryl, Amanda puts in an enormous amount of time preparing for each new episode. "I read a new script through first very quickly just to see what the story is. My second read is to find the arc of my character. The third pass is where I break it down into bits and relationships and specific moments. The fourth time I read it is part of memorisation and after that it's a day to day thing, to get what scenes you're shooting the next day. By then I've written it all out and I know where I'm at. Basically I'll have read the script five times before we start shooting. And then it's a case of thinking, thinking and rethinking. For example, this morning we shot a scene and going through the rehearsal process of the scene what I had thought I would play suddenly didn't work, because other actors were bringing in the way they thought the scene would play, so suddenly you change tacks based on what other people are doing. But that's the part of the whole process. And today there was a line written that totally didn't make sense, so I went to the director and said, 'This doesn't work all of a sudden'. So it's ongoing, every day. But for me, usually, it's the five read-throughs beforehand, and that's done in my trailer, in between scenes, at home at night. That's my prep." And is it exciting, getting a new script? "Oh, yeah. The smell of the toner. I love that smell... no, no, I'm kidding. You know, as an actor, in that first read you go, how much do I have to do, do I have a good part in this? But if it's a really good story then that's the best. If I don't have a lot do to but it's a really good story, that's great. I love getting a new script, that first flipping it open. It's like Christmas."

In the two years since she started working on the show, she's learned one very important lesson. "How to conserve my energy, I'd say that's the biggest thing. Working in film and television, because you're scattered, you're all over the place, you'll film the scene 1 then scene 40... it's all about conserving your energy and doing your homework. on stage it's a constant process and evolution because you run the whole thing all the way through. In film you have to make sure you know your beats, exactly where they're happening, and keep your energy, because the days are really long and you have to know that at 11 o'clock at night when they're pulling your close up that you have the energy to make it as real as it would have been at 7am. So that's the biggest thing I've learned, how to conserve my energy."

Also like Teryl, Amanda has given thought to life after Stargate. "I've got a lot of ambitions. I'm writing a script right now and finishing a film with a partner. I want to get another comedy show happening, and I want to do stage work more than I can say. I miss the stage so much, and I would love to spend the hiatus in London, in the West End. So that's what I want to do ultimately, more stage work. Especially with the Royal Shakespeare Company. There's a certain freedom on stage that you don't have on television, especially when you're churning out an episodic series at seven pages a day and your continuity is a huge thing... last take you had your hand up to your ear on this line, so suddenly you're thinking about where your hands are and it becomes very surreal at times. So it can be frustrating. I wouldn't stop, I love what I do for a living, but it can be very frustrating, especially coming from a theatre background and having that as your training and your first love. I'd love to work with Jane Campion, Jodie Foster, because I think she's so smart. I'd love to work with Meryl Streep. I'd love to work with Sean Connery - but I don't think I'm the only woman in the world to say that. And who wouldn't want to work with Mel Gibson? I'd really like to work with Aiden Quinn, and Dawn French, from The Vicar of Dibley. I'd chop off a limb to work with that woman. I'd like to work with David Kelly, who is doing so many great things on television. I could go on an on, there are millions. I'd also - this is a little dream of mine because I was born in England and I was bottle fed watching Coronation Street - I would give my eye teeth to have a guest spot on Coronation Street. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I'm hooked. The thing I love about it is the realism. It's why I can't get into American soap opera. So that's quite a dichotomy for you, anything with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Coronation Street."

And what about that dinner party? Who would she invite? "I don't know! I'll change my mind as soon as we're done! Anne Sexton, the poet. Anais Ninn. Mary Shelley. Hilary Rodham Clinton and Mother Theresa. The writers because I love writers and women writers especially. Hillary Clinton because I'd love to see her interact with Mary Shelley, and I'd love to meet her. I'd love to see what goes on in her head. I just like the dynamic of really intelligent women. And I'd invite my Mum, because she'd kill me if I didn't. But you know, I could change my mind in a heartbeat... although I would like my first dinner party to be all women."

And if she's going to be remembered, what should it be for? "I would hope that I'd be remembered for being kind. For being a good daughter and a good wife and most importantly a good friend. I'd like it to be remembered that I loved passionately and that I loved a lot and that I cared."

INTELLIGENCE OFFICER – STARLOG APRIL 1998

Amanda Tapping worked extensively in Canadian television before landing the role of Sam Carter. Fans of Due South and Forever Knight may well remember her guest starring in those series. To date, the biggest influence on her career has been - believe it or not:"Carol Burnett. I watched her as a kid and went, this woman is brilliant and funny and beautiful and talented and so huge, so as a little girl I would say, 'I want to be Carol Burnett when I grow up.' And Meryl Streep had a huge influence, when I was looking more at film work because she's so brilliant. I remember watching Sophie's Choice and going, 'My God. If I ever get to a level where I am that luminous, I will be thrilled'."

She is clearly passionate about her chosen carreer. "I think that it's a gift that we get to do what we love, and we should be more gracious about it. More gracious that we have this incredible gift, to do this job. It takes so much to make our show. You know, you see the characters on the screen but you don't see the millions of other people running around making it work. If I as an actor start to take myself too seriously, or think that I'm more important than one of the grips, then come over here and kick my ass, because I do what I love for a living and we need to be more gracious about it."

Unlike her co-star Teryl, Amanda had to undergo a gruelling audition in order to land the part of a woman she describes as:"Incredibly smart, determined, very loyal, and warm. She's warming up. I wouldn't have said that at the beginning. But I think her best trait is that she's incredibly loyal. Very singular and very determined." To prepare, she did her homework."I did research about the military, and the obvious research on astrophysics, which I didn't delve too deeply into because I had this set piece to learn. I watched Stargate the film, and then I tried to find a warmth that wasn't written. I tried to find an accessibility that wasn't in the lines. I did the scene from the pilot where she first meets Jack O'Neill, and a scene with Daniel Jackson where we discover all the different stargate addresses. They were very straightforward scenes, so I had to find - especially in that first scene with O'Neill - the warmth, and that for me was the challenge in the audition. To go in and hopefully give them something completely different from what was written. What I tried to do was add a certain warmth and sense of humour to her and give her a different dimension. When I got the script I thought you could play this one way, this very singular military, almost bitchy determined woman, but she had to have some more layers than that. And once I got the part, the challenge for me has been finding those layers then talking to the writers about discovering some different layers of this character so that she is a proper representation. With an all male writing team, it can be a challenge."

Once the part was hers, she then had the task of truly getting to know the character she was about to play. Again, it involved a lot of research. "I talked to a lot of people in the military, and had the wonderful experience of being able to talk to an ex-Navy Seal. Talked to him at great length. And then there was the research with the astrophysics and just finding that I had to make it cerebrally real for myself. I had to truly understand what this woman was talking about and to find it interesting, to find a passion in that. And then it was finding her voice and finding her walk. I had to walk around like her for a while. Had a different pair of shoes and just walked the street... cerebrally you can find a character very easily but you have to find that physicality as well. I would put her in situation and see how she'd react, I'd go into a shop and buy a pack of gum as Sam Carter and see how she'd do it. Things like that. I really had to walk around as her. Brush my teeth as her. Go to bed as her. Not to be a method head about it or anything, because I can let her go just as easily, but especially when we started the pilot because I literally had two weeks to pack my back and get to the set, so that was a pretty intense two weeks, of finding her. But then once I found her I could let her go and bring her back. So I think I've become a part of her as much as she's become a part of me, which is odd. Although over time the writers have incorporated parts of me, Amanda Tapping, into the character. They have with all the characters. In the pilot they were very specifically written characters, and then they watched us and now there are elements of us in there."

So, apart from the prospect of the steady work, why did Amanda want to be in Stargate? "I liked the concept of the show. I liked the possibilities. I think as a film it was a wonderful film, but it left itself open to be a series. And the characters. Gosh, I hadn't come across a character like Sam in any of my auditions, and as a woman, to have the opportunity to play this character, it's a gift. I went through the full gamut of emotions when I found out I was close to getting the part."

Exciting, challenging roles for women is a subject dear to Amanda's heart. "I think that the available roles for women have improved. There's some really, really wonderful, strong female characters on television. Not strong because they have power, but that they're real. But I think that there's also some really static characters out there, and there are some that just perpetuate a really unattractive stereotype. Things are changing though. I don't want to sound totally negative about it. Things are changing because women are changing, they are standing up and saying, No, if I'm gonna do this then I'm gonna make fun of this, if I'm gonna play this bodacious bimbo then let's make her fun so that we know there's a tongue-in-cheek aspect to her. And the opposite end is if I'm gonna play a hardcase criminal lawyer then she's gotta have life. So they're expanding women's roles so that they're not so stereotyped, so that's improving, and I think that as the generation of women that started in television and started creating better characters for women is getting older and a new generation is coming in, those women that started it are now having an influence, so that older women are getting parts, it's not just young babes, which is nice. I wish there were more shapes and sizes on television than there are, and more colours, but I think that that's changing. It's such a trap, it's a trap for women in this industry and I've fallen into it more times than I care to remember. Do I have to be a hundred and ten pounds, and are my tits big enough, and am I pretty enough, and do I need to get a facelift - not that I've ever felt I needed to get a facelift, and I hope I never do feel this way. I hope I can age and allow age to be a factor in what I play instead of just trying to be 'beautiful girl'. Luckily in my carreer I've never played bodacious bimbos, I've always steered clear of that. Thankfully for the most part I've been given women who are intelligent with something interesting to say."

In fact, prior to joining the Stargate team, Amanda co-founded an all women comedy company called "Random Acts". "Ah, Random Acts, my love! The name actually comes from the saying, 'Practice random acts of kindness". A lot of it was improvisation, coming up with ideas and sketches, and in the beginning we got compared a lot initially to a British group of three women called Sensible Footwear. We didn't do a big circuit, we just did a small comedy circuit in Toronto, but it was a little getaway, a lifesaver, a creative lifesaver. It was probably the most pure creativity that I'd ever been able to do. It started with three of us, myself, and a woman by the name of Katherine Jackson and another woman by the name of Anne Marie Kerr. We had met through auditions, Anne Marie and I had done a play together, so we just got together and started talking over brunch one morning about feminist issues, stories, the fact that we'd love to put together a little company, and so we did. We started writing a show based on the transformation poetry of Anne Sexton. We didn't start out as a comedy troupe, but I think that when people are laughing, when you're using humour to get a message across, their hearts and their minds are open, so I thought we could relay a really strong message but have people laugh at the same time and make it fun. So we evolved this show and then another one came along, and another one and they all had a comedic bent. We got some great feedback, people would say 'Wow, I got that.' one of our first shows after the Anne Sexton show was called 'On Becoming a Woman' which was based on a book written in the Fifties about how a nice girl behaves, and how she should greet her husband when he comes to the door. It was a handbook that was put out for young women in the Fifties and it just blew our minds. So we did this show and it went off wonderfully and people laughed, which was great, and then this sixty-five year old man came up to us at the end of the show and said, 'I had no idea that's what my wife was exposed to. I didn't know.' He was a man growing up in that society and that was just a given. He never knew women were fed all this bullshit, for lack of a better term, about how to behave as subservient members of society. That was one of the most fulfilling compliments we ever received."

And what does she feel has been her strongest work to date in Stargate? "That's a really hard question for me to answer, because I'm really judgemental. I'm really highly critical of my own work. I enjoyed Solitudes, the glacier episode, it's one of my all time favourites. Singularity, the one with the little girl. In the Line of Duty, because we get to see Carter as a goa'uld, and that was challenging for me because it was so still. I had a different walk and a different stance, so that was interesting for me as an actor, and I liked A Matter of Time. I like any scene where I get to work with Carmen Argenziano, who plays Sam's father. He's one of the loveliest men, loveliest human beings I've ever met. He's just an angel and we do have a father/daughter relationship. He comes to my trailer and we have lunch and we talk. You know, it's a friendship but he gives me advice, and when I get to work with him I think that translates really beautifully on the screen. I think he's a wonderful actor and any scene I get to do with him, I'm thrilled."

And the hardest episode to film so far? "Physically Solitudes, because we shot in a refrigerated studio, and then having to do the climb up the glacier. And just emotionally, because of what Carter's going through, so that was a difficult but ultimately one of the most fulfilling episodes for me to film. And also Singularity, because of the emotion and because it was the first season and it was the first time that my character had broken down and we were shooting in a very tiny corner of the set, in an elevator, with crew members literally a foot away from me. It was a big challenge and I loved it. The hardest episodes are the ones where you don't have a lot to do and you have to bring life, where you're not really propelling the scene forward or doing anything with it but you have to be so present in order to make it real. So those episodes are sometimes harder than having to do a lot of stuff."

While Amanda is more than happy with the development of her character, she does feel that there's room for growth. "What I like more about Sam is her loyalty. I think her loyalty is her defining quality, that it carries her through any situation no matter what, her fierce loyalty to the team and to the project. I think that's what makes her so compelling. And thatshe'll stand up for what she believes in, no matter what. I like that they give her that. We have fights with our Air Force advisors, who say she wouldn't be that insubordinate but you know what? If we're talking about life and death here, this character would. To the point of, okay courtmartial me. So I like that about her. And the fact that she's a scientist as well as a soldier., and there are times when she has to be the soldier that goes against the other stuff, and that's what makes her interesting. That's the fine line you have to walk with her. If she was just military or just a scientist it would be different, but she has to walk the line and it keeps her on her toes. But I'd allow her more moments of warmth. Although I'm not sure that in certain situations it would work. Sometimes she has to be singular and dedicated. I'd like more humour. The writers are allowing more warmth, but I think we could go even further. It doesn't just have to be O'Neill coming out with one of his funny, sarcastic comments. It should be that we respond to those more, that we come up with some, too. And that's happening, there's moments where there are jokes. And I'd like to see more of a friendship develop with Teal'c. I've said this before, I'd like to explore that relationship more. I'd like to see a more personal arc with Samantha, particularly because I feel that she's so singular and so determined and so loyal and all those things that make her a really wonderful character but also make her a one-track kind of character."

Like Teryl, Amanda puts in an enormous amount of time preparing for each new episode. "I read a new script through first very quickly just to see what the story is. My second read is to find the arc of my character. The third pass is where I break it down into bits and relationships and specific moments. The fourth time I read it is part of memorisation and after that it's a day to day thing, to get what scenes you're shooting the next day. By then I've written it all out and I know where I'm at. Basically I'll have read the script five times before we start shooting. And then it's a case of thinking, thinking and rethinking. For example, this morning we shot a scene and going through the rehearsal process of the scene what I had thought I would play suddenly didn't work, because other actors were bringing in the way they thought the scene would play, so suddenly you change tacks based on what other people are doing. But that's the part of the whole process. And today there was a line written that totally didn't make sense, so I went to the director and said, 'This doesn't work all of a sudden'. So it's ongoing, every day. But for me, usually, it's the five read-throughs beforehand, and that's done in my trailer, in between scenes, at home at night. That's my prep." And is it exciting, getting a new script? "Oh, yeah. The smell of the toner. I love that smell... no, no, I'm kidding. You know, as an actor, in that first read you go, how much do I have to do, do I have a good part in this? But if it's a really good story then that's the best. If I don't have a lot do to but it's a really good story, that's great. I love getting a new script, that first flipping it open. It's like Christmas."

In the two years since she started working on the show, she's learned one very important lesson. "How to conserve my energy, I'd say that's the biggest thing. Working in film and television, because you're scattered, you're all over the place, you'll film the scene 1 then scene 40... it's all about conserving your energy and doing your homework. on stage it's a constant process and evolution because you run the whole thing all the way through. In film you have to make sure you know your beats, exactly where they're happening, and keep your energy, because the days are really long and you have to know that at 11 o'clock at night when they're pulling your close up that you have the energy to make it as real as it would have been at 7am. So that's the biggest thing I've learned, how to conserve my energy."

Also like Teryl, Amanda has given thought to life after Stargate. "I've got a lot of ambitions. I'm writing a script right now and finishing a film with a partner. I want to get another comedy show happening, and I want to do stage work more than I can say. I miss the stage so much, and I would love to spend the hiatus in London, in the West End. So that's what I want to do ultimately, more stage work. Especially with the Royal Shakespeare Company. There's a certain freedom on stage that you don't have on television, especially when you're churning out an episodic series at seven pages a day and your continuity is a huge thing... last take you had your hand up to your ear on this line, so suddenly you're thinking about where your hands are and it becomes very surreal at times. So it can be frustrating. I wouldn't stop, I love what I do for a living, but it can be very frustrating, especially coming from a theatre background and having that as your training and your first love. I'd love to work with Jane Campion, Jodie Foster, because I think she's so smart. I'd love to work with Meryl Streep. I'd love to work with Sean Connery - but I don't think I'm the only woman in the world to say that. And who wouldn't want to work with Mel Gibson? I'd really like to work with Aiden Quinn, and Dawn French, from The Vicar of Dibley. I'd chop off a limb to work with that woman. I'd like to work with David Kelly, who is doing so many great things on television. I could go on an on, there are millions. I'd also - this is a little dream of mine because I was born in England and I was bottle fed watching Coronation Street - I would give my eye teeth to have a guest spot on Coronation Street. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I'm hooked. The thing I love about it is the realism. It's why I can't get into American soap opera. So that's quite a dichotomy for you, anything with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Coronation Street."

And what about that dinner party? Who would she invite? "I don't know! I'll change my mind as soon as we're done! Anne Sexton, the poet. Anais Ninn. Mary Shelley. Hilary Rodham Clinton and Mother Theresa. The writers because I love writers and women writers especially. Hillary Clinton because I'd love to see her interact with Mary Shelley, and I'd love to meet her. I'd love to see what goes on in her head. I just like the dynamic of really intelligent women. And I'd invite my Mum, because she'd kill me if I didn't. But you know, I could change my mind in a heartbeat... although I would like my first dinner party to be all women."

And if she's going to be remembered, what should it be for? "I would hope that I'd be remembered for being kind. For being a good daughter and a good wife and most importantly a good friend. I'd like it to be remembered that I loved passionately and that I loved a lot and that I cared."

BEHIND THE SCENES – SHOWTIME JUNE 26 1998

Amanda Tapping showed up in a documentary made by Showtime aired just before the 2nd season's premiere "The Serpent's Lair" (June 26, 1998). Here's the transcript of the moments with her.

Christopher Judge:    Oh, oh, wait! Look, see, now, this is what happens, see, I get to do the
interviews and... they're on trash detail.

Michael Shanks:    I've just did the bathroom up on 17, these people are disgusting.

Amanda Tapping:    With my toothbrush... Yeah. My toothbrush.

Christopher Judge:    These are the lovely Michael Shanks...

Michael Shanks:    Hi.

Christopher Judge:    ... and Amanda Tapping.

Amanda Tapping:    How are you?

Christopher Judge:    We're finally known as the three amigos. Hello!

Amanda Tapping:    Hello.

Michael Shanks:    I gotta go, I've got some work to do.

Amanda Tapping:    Yeah, I've got to finish this ground floor, it's just disgusting, and this 1st floor.

Amanda Tapping:    We're filming on location right now in Mt. Seamour Demonstration Forest. Part of what they call the GVRD. We're up here a lot. This is actually... we're not on a planet today, we're actually supposed to be on Earth, so it's okay that there's lots of trees and rain and stuff. Welcome to Stargate SG-1 on location.

We are here in the heart of what we call the circus. The circus consists of our trailers and a couple of our work trucks. We have the wardrobe truck, hair and make-up, then, of course, the teamsters.

Hi guys!

They were here late last night setting up our trucks because we were right on a different location yesterday, so they were here in the dark of night setting up all the trailers. And then they came here in the dark of morning to run all the cables and make sure we have electricity and water, hooked up to all the parts of not only the circus but the set.
This is my trailer, so I'm gonna let you come in because I cleaned up. Special. This is where I come first thing in the morning. Last thing at night and where I sit in between scenes here working on my script. I'll get the script, so it looks like I'm actually working. Here we go. Script. Blue pages. Some pictures from the season so far. This is from an episode called "Family" that we just shot this year. "Prisoners" - Christopher, Michael and myself.

Clip from "Prisoners":
Daniel:    It's like we're in Botany Bay.

Jack:    What?

Daniel:    Oh, the original name for Sydney Harbour. When the British first colonized Australia, they turned it into a continental prison, it was half a world away. Of course this is probably more than that.

Jack:    It's okay, Daniel. It's okay.

Amanda Tapping:    Rick and I on the show called "Need". We got dirty.
Clip from "Need":

Jack:    I've had worse.

Amanda Tapping:    Michael and I in the show called "Gamekeeper".

Clip from "Gamekeeper":

Daniel:    No, this can't be real.

Sam:    Who are these people?

Daniel:    They are my parents.

Amanda Tapping:    And Teryl. Rothery. Who plays Dr. Fraiser on the show.
My mother in law gave this to Allan, my husband and I... because we really wanted a dog. So she gave us this dog.
This is the catering truck.

Caterer:    Hi Amanda!

Amanda Tapping:    These are our caterers.

Caterer:    How are you doing?

Amanda Tapping:    This is everyone's favourite place.
This is Tom McBeath and he plays Colonel Maybourne. And we don't like him. Because he's regular army. He's nasty. He tried to shut down our programme last year and...

Tom McBeath:    They actually think I'm a bad guy but I actually like to think of myself as a man of the action. Thoughtful,a mover... [Amanda laughs] who has to deal with these bleeding heart liberals who want everything to be nice. [Amanda laughs] And nothing ever happens. So I just get in there. one of my personal heroes is Nixon. We're simple people who just want things to happen and it's difficult for that to take place with these guys who wanna just brush kittens all the time.

Amanda Tapping:    Yeah. I see your dilemma.

Tom McBeath:    Yeah.

Amanda Tapping:    Thank you very much. Colonel Maybourne. So anyway.
To set. That's where we're going.

Richard Dean Anderson:    The Stargate! Exciting and new! Will be right back after this work for the Showtime.

Amanda Tapping:    Okay. Let's go meet Michael Greenburg real quick. He's gonna love being surprised like this. He's one of our executive producers.

Michael Greenburg:    Hi Amanda. What are you doing?

Amanda Tapping:    This is for Showtime. Welcome people to Season Two. These are the video monitors.

Michael Greenburg:    It's also known as video village or the complaint department. It's what I call it. It was invented by Jerry Lewis, my mentor. It's true. Seriously. Um...he created it with piggy backing a video camera onto a mitchell camera in the early 70s or late 60s. And developed a tap and everybody uses it.

Amanda Tapping:    This is David Warry-Smith, our director on this episode.

David Warry-Smith:    Hi. Directing episode of Stargate is fun. Sometimes you work on a production where despite the fact it's all collaborative you don't necessarily see eye to eye the group producers. For me at least this is a show where I feel I understand what they're trying to achieve. And I feel like part of a team as opposed to sort of a hired gun coming in from week to week.

David Warry-Smith:    Stargate is a great place to work. Absolutely. Good show. Interesting.

Richard Dean Anderson:    We guarantee them 20 shows...

Amanda Tapping:    This is Scott Ateah, he's our stunt coordinator.

Scott Ateah:    I coordinate all the stunts, all the action on the show, all of fights, all of falls, all of fires. Amanda is amazing. This girl does her own stunts. Pretty well. We have a stunt girl the covers for her occasionally and she's only had one concussion, whereas our stunt girl has had (counting)...

Amanda Tapping:    I got my concussion during the second episode of the 1st season called "The Enemy Within" where Major Kowalsky throws me against the back of the elevator.
Clip from "The Enemy Within"

Sam:    You know they won't let you outta this mountain alive. When those doors open, they'll shoot on sight, you know that!

Amanda Tapping:    And so they had a shot of my face, so I couldn't use a stunt double and I smacked my head against back of the elevator and dropped down, so when you actually see Carter drop down to the corner of the elevator slumped into a pathetic little heap, that was really Amanda slumped into a pathetic little heap.

Scott Ateah:    I wasn in Tahiti at the time.

Amanda Tapping:    Yeah, he wasn't there for it.

Amanda Tapping:    That's pretty much it. Stargate SG-1 on location. Thank you very much for joining us and I really hope you enjoy season two. Take care. OK bye. OK I'll leave.

YAHOO CHAT – YAHOO.COM SEPT 8TH 1998

TVGEN:    Welcome to the Prevue online/TVGEN chat with Stargate SG-1 stars Amanda Tapping and Don Davis. Welcome Amanda...

Amanda Tapping:    Thank you for watching the show, and it's great to be here!

Question from Gooch_1:    Are there any new characters planned for the next season?

Amanda Tapping:    Yes, we have quite a few recurring characters that will just keep popping up. My dad is one that we'll see occasionally, and that's probably the most exciting one for me. And then we'll have some aliens that will come back now and again.

Question from Gooch_1:    Are you anything like your characters?

Amanda Tapping:    Yes, and no. Yes in that I'm very driven, and I like to think that I'm very strong, though not as strong as Samantha. I'm not as smart as she is! I think that I personally have a better sense of humor than Samantha, or at least I'm allowed to show it more.

Question from Mirai_z:    Where would you take Amanda, if you had Ultimate Control?

Amanda Tapping:    LOL! Hmmm, that's a great question! That's hard to answer! I think I would show a bit more of her personal interactions. I'd love to write a really great scene between Samantha and Teal'c, and show that relationship a little more.

Question from DaguconRathsackStuff:    Amanda... Is working with Richard Dean Anderson great? Is he as good looking in person as he is on the screen?

Amanda Tapping:    He's better looking in person! He is absolutely charming and it is truly a privilege to work with someone who has had as much experience as he has, and is as generous.

Question from Gooch_1:    What was your first acting experience like?

Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do with your life?

Amanda Tapping:    Yes, according to my mother, this is what I always wanted to do. My very first experience, if this qualifies, was in fifth grade as Mrs. Gulch in The Wizard of Oz, but I didn't get to play her when she turns into the Wicked Witch of the West. I just got to ride a bicycle up the center of the auditorium. one of my friends played Toto. But if I want to be a little more serious, it was probably when I was 18 and did a play called The Lion in Winter. I played Alais Capet. That was my first taste of real theater, and I loved it. An interesting sidenote to that was that my dad told me about the audition and wanted me to go because he thought I wouldn't get the part, and that would cure me of this acting bug!

Question from rda23:    Hi Amanda. Do you think anything will happen romantically between Carter and O'Neill this season?

Amanda Tapping:    No. I think that it would work against the show and against our characters, and against the military, seeing that he is my commanding officer. I don't think the Air Force would be too impressed.

Question from N_Sain:    Amanda, to you find the techno-babble difficult?

Amanda Tapping:    Actually, not so much anymore, because I truly understand what I am saying, and I've done a lot of research. So now I actually understand the science of what I am talking about, even though the writers really like to cram it in there sometimes. But I like the challenge, and I like the learning.

Question from Jolinar:    Has Stargate made you a Sci-Fi fan?

Amanda Tapping:    Yes. I was never usually into sci-fi, even though I loved Star Trek: Next

Generation. But doing this show I've learned so much about the genre, and I truly appreciate it.

Question from Pearls_59:    This question is for Amanda. Do you feel any pressure to be a role model, being the only female in the cast of SG-1?

Amanda Tapping:    Definitely. I think that the roles for women on television are definitely opening up, and they're creating some strong, fabulous female characters. And due to the fan mail I get, I get a strong sense she could be a great role model, so I do feel a lot of pressure -- happily. I think that she could be so many things, that as a woman in this business, I feel very strongly that my character is represented well.

Question from mcynnis:    Have you ever run into any problems with props on the show, humorous or no?

Amanda Tapping:    LOL! Let me think. My gun sometimes frightens me. But no, not really. Our props guys are fabulous, and they take you through everything you need to know. I work with a lot of props because of the scientific aspect of my character. And the only trouble I have is working with so many of them at one time, like carrying my gun, the GDO, and then any sort of radiation sensors or anything. Trying to juggle too many at one time. I just hope that I look legitimate when I do this!

Question from The_Goauld:    Do you have any input to the SG-1 story lines?

Amanda Tapping:    Not into the story lines so much, but once the scripts come out, if something doesn't sound quite right in terms of Carter, I can definitely speak up since I know her voice better than anyone. But if anyone out there has any great ideas, send them in!
Question from subcommand:    Who is the person who keeps you laughing while you're filming?

Amanda Tapping:    Christopher Judge. I absolutely adore that man.

Question from meckten:    How many episodes have you taped?

Amanda Tapping:    We're in the middle of episode 39 right now.

Question from Gooch_1:    What have been your favorite episodes so far?

Amanda Tapping:    Solitudes. Singularity. Just in terms of the challenge for me as an actor. In the Line of Duty. And I guess I would also say that these were episodes that I was fairly heavily in, so that was a challenge.

Question from MagdaPhil:    For Amanda: Was the line in Solitudes about "it's my sidearm" in the script or ad libbed?

Amanda Tapping:    It was actually in the script. But I think that's a sign of our writers keying in to our personalities. And I think it behooves them to pick up on what we're like as people, and they have. So that was a writer, but it definitely plays into who we are as people. That was a great line, and a lot of fun to do.

Question from Gooch_1:    Do you have a computer, and if so, do you visit chats often? And if you do, do you let people know who you are?

Amanda Tapping:    I do have a computer. And I do go on the Internet occasionally. I have never been in a chat room before, and I am trying to figure it all out. But I have gone on the Stargate web site.

Question from Gr8Writer:    What's the funniest ad lib you've ever done that made the final cut?

Amanda Tapping:    Probably, actually, in the pilot when I did the MacGyver line. It shocked me that they kept it in. And there was another one, I can't remember the episode, when the guys all had something really important to say to General Hammond, and I said, "But I was there," because they didn't give my character anything to say, and they kept that in, which I thought was great.

Question from Patmor29:    Will SG-1 be back in 1999 for another season???

Amanda Tapping:    For two more, as far as I know. Showtime has picked up another 44 episodes, two more seasons.

Question from sarao_1998:    Who would you say is the most like, and not like, their character?

Amanda Tapping:    That's really hard. I'd say we're all a little like our characters. But I think maybe the least like his character is Christopher, because he smiles and talks a lot more than Teal'c does.

Question from choclair1:    Would you consider making a movie based on the television show?

Amanda Tapping:    That is an interesting question. I don't know that they would go that route with the show. But yes, if it was a good script, if it furthered our characters in the story, then yes, definitely.

Question from Liz_Bees:    What elements do you take from your own experiences to build into your character?

Amanda Tapping:    I guess on a personal level, I grew up with three brothers, so it's easy being the only woman with three men. I guess that would be the strongest aspect. And I have a telescope!

Question from N_Sain:    How will your character develop with her new powers?

Amanda Tapping:    That's an interesting question, because right now she has the ability to occasionally access memories of Jolinar. And she has found out that she can use the Goa'uld technology. I guess it would be her memories that will come up now and again, so that will give her the ability to suss out certain situations, based on what she can remember. But I wouldn't say they are new-found powers, like she suddenly has these super-powers, so that makes it very rewarding and also very frustrating for Carter.

Question from Grifter41:    Have you ever watched the StarGate movie?

Amanda Tapping:    I watched it when I found out I was auditioning for the show, and I wished that I had seen it in a big theater, because I rented it and loved it.

I can't thank the fans enough for their support, because really that's the only gauge that we on the show often have as to how it's going. And the fans have been so incredibly supportive, and supportive of me personally, that it's been wonderful. And I am so touched by the letters I get. And I'd like to thank personally Sean Fitzgibbons for running the SG-1.NET, a fan-based web site. And I hope that people continue to enjoy the show, and thank you, thank you, thank you. And I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to answer all the questions, but I hope that we have a chance to do this again soon!

ITS AMANDA’S WORLD STAR TV DECEMBER 12 1998

Amanda Tapping:    What?

Stage hand:    We're ready for you, Ms. Tapping. (Amanda comes to the door carrying a guitar case.)

Michael Shanks(in a strange, a little "crazy" voice, latex gloves on his hands):    Ms. Tapping is busy right now, she can't come out to play. Go away!

Amanda Tapping:    My doctor. Really, he's a proctologist, I swear. Charmed.

Michael Shanks (looking outside the trailer):    And stay out! (closes the door)

Amanda Tapping:    Hey, that's my trailer!

Amanda Tapping(in a backstage):    Television is changing for women, a lot, which is great, and it has been over the last decade. Really, creating these strong, wonderful, fully-realised women. And so at the end of last season I said: "Where is she going?" I mean, we're clearly not going to make her a love interest of any members of the team, thank God Where is she going? What are we going to do with her? Let's not just make her strong and tough. Because she's a human being, so let's give her a sense of humour, and let's make her more accessible. Just because she's a strong, military scientist, doesn't mean she has to be a bitch.
Scene from The Tok'ra.

Sam:    Dad, have you ever heard of the Stargate program?

Jacob:    No, something with your satellites?

Sam:    I don't work with satellites, Dad, that was just a cover.

Jacob:    No kidding. I never would've guessed.

Amanda Tapping(whispering):    We're waiting for Richard Dean Anderson to do a scene. I'm gonna ring the bell and turn on the lights. We're waiting, it's a big part of what we do. We get paid to wait and we do the acting for free.

Amanda Tapping:    I see the crew more than I see my husband. I mean, I spend more time with the key grip than I do with the man I married. So, that's your family. You know, when you spend 15 hours a day, 5 days a week with these people they become your family.

Richard Dean Anderson:    She has to endure the machismo that runs rampant around here. I mean, except for my sensitive, feminine - you know I'm in touch with my feminine side, so she and I are like, bonded, as women. (Amanda is laughing) She's blonde, brunette, and a red-head. (Amanda laughs even more)

Director:    Rolling! (Amanda presses the button and throws the switch, grins to the camera and gives a thumbs up!)

Amanda Tapping:    I vowed I would never do television. I vowed! When I left theatre school. Oh my God, I was such a theatre snob I said to myself and to anyone who would listen: "I will never prostitute myself for my art, I will never do television!" Because! (Advil commercial: In a clinic like this I can't stop for a headache. The doctors here told me about Advil. It's tough on pain and it really works fast!) I get fan letters about that.

Interviewer:    Do you?

Amanda Tapping:    Yeah. From people who watch Stargate and they go: "Isn't that you?" And they show the Advil commercial during Stargate sometimes. Which I just love. A lot. Really
Scene from Solitudes.

O'Neill:    What's the bad news? Help me up.

Sam:    No, sir, you need to heal. That's an order.

O'Neill:    I give the orders around here.

Sam:    No, doctor's orders.

Amanda Tapping:    I think the difficulty in doing a series and one with such a long and strong commitment as we have, which is now 88 episodes is that it's very easy to become complacent, and the difficulty is in finding always something new and fresh with your character. Well, because you're so comfortable in the skin, I'm so comfortable in Samantha Carter's skin. And I have to work hard to really find new and fresh things.

Amanda Tapping:    (fingers in her ears, grinning cutely again) They're shooting people. They're not really shooting people. (frowns, shaking head).

Director:    Action! (gunfire) (Amanda is grinning)

Amanda Tapping:    I think that we need to be prouder of what we have up here and feel stronger about it and more settled with it. Especially in Vancouver. This industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade, even in the last 5 years. The number of shows that are shooting up here, and films, the movie of the week. We don't need to sell ourselves by the pound anymore. We have incredible talent up here.

Amanda Tapping.com

1998 Articles and Interviews