Doctor Carson Beckett, the “Cowardly Lion of Atlantis” himself, joins Dial the Gate to reminisce about his years practicing medicine in the Pegasus Galaxy, as well as some of his unexpected hi-jinks!

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Timecodes
0:00 – Opening Credits
0:27 – Welcome and Episode Outline
02:25 – Guest Introduction
04:57 – Origins and Upbringing
07:33 – Do you think either of your kids will become actors?
08:21 – Who are your heroes?
09:52 – Casting as Beckett
15:08 – Did you always want to be an actor?
17:57 – Ernest Littlefield in “Torment of Tantalus”
21:24 – Why don’t more people move on from Stargate?
23:58 – Who among the Atlanteans would you look forward to working with the most?
25:57 – “Sunday” and Jewel Staite
30:53 – For SG4, would you be game coming back as Beckett or another character?
31:51 – Trivia Time!
39:00 – What SG actors did you have the most fun working with and why?
40:38 – Rachel Luttrell’s Pregnancy Prank
43:33 – What is your take on wee baby turtles versus wee baby tortoises?
45:29 – What advice would you give to a novice trying to make it in this industry?
49:56 – The “Duet” kiss scene
52:42 – Has Carson inspired anyone into medicine?
53:47 – Did you ever take any props or costumes home?
54:44 – Favorite Episode
56:24 – What do you think clone Carson is up to now that Atlantis has been to Earth?
57:21 – Did you enjoy working on Star Trek?
1:04:54 – Keeping In Touch with Atlantis Cast
1:06:15 – Would You Go Through a Real Gate?
1:07:03 – Carson and Rodney’s Friendship
1:08:46 – Sanctuary
1:10:00 – Filming the pier scene in “Sunday’
1:14:07 – Any ad-libbing that stands out?
1:15:19 – The Scotty appearance in “200”
1:16:52 – Guest Thanks
1:18:00 – Post-Interview Housekeeping
1:21:31 – End credits

***

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read
Good day everyone, and welcome to episode six of Dial the Gate. My name is David Read, thank you for joining the show. We have a wonderful first guest today, Mr. Paul McGillion, I’m going to be bringing him in here in just a minute. But first of all, I just want to go through the run of show today. So Paul is going to be the first guest, and we will be followed by Mr. Dean Devlin at two o’clock this afternoon. So, with Paul, I’m going to be going through and asking him my questions, then we’re going to have a round of trivia and then we will be inviting everyone from the viewing pool in the YouTube Live Chat to come on and ask questions. You can do that right now and I believe we have Sommer and Ian are in there today, so thanks guys, I really do appreciate you being available. And then after that, I will take any questions from the audience after I let Paul go and then from there, we will have the end credits as usual. So I think that that’s pretty much everything that I have right now. But before we get started, if you like Stargate, and you want to see more content like this on YouTube, it would mean a great deal if you would click the Like button, it really makes a difference with YouTube’s algorithm and will definitely help the show grow its audience. Please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend and if you want to get notified about future episodes, click the Subscribe icon. Giving the Bell icon a click will notify you the moment a new video drops and you’ll get my notifications of any last minute guests changes. This is key if you plan on watching live, because these talents are working again and so it’s going to be… sometimes work comes first before interviews, so I don’t blame them. Clips from this live stream will be released over the course of the next several days on both the Dial the Gate and GateWorld.net YouTube channels and these clips are designed to relay specific moments from the show. So that’s all I have for you guys. Without further ado, Mr. Paul McGillion.

Paul McGillion
Hello, hello, hello, cheeky. How are you, my friend?

David Read
I’m well, my friend. How are you?

Paul McGillion
Great, I have my cup of tea. I’m absolutely fantastic.

David Read
Did Beckett drink tea?

Paul McGillion
Of course he did.

David Read
He was a tea drinker? He wasn’t a coffee drinker? Okay.

Paul McGillion
No, come on, he’s a tea-totaler.

David Read
Okay, that’s fair. How are you? How are things going up there?

Paul McGillion
What’s that?

David Read
How are things going up at… Are you in Vancouver?

Paul McGillion
I’m in the tundra of Vancouver, yes.

David Read
The tundra of Vancouver, okay.

Paul McGillion
We’re up here. Everything’s great, it’s a beautiful fall day, we got some lovely leaves lost. I mean, we usually go from summer right to rain, so we’ve got a little bit of a fall this year, which is really nice.

David Read
That’s very good. And with COVID and everything else, you guys staying safe?

Paul McGillion
We’re getting to know each other really good.

David Read
I know Toronto is working again. Have you started back or are you laying low for a while?

Paul McGillion
No, I went back. I did a movie not too long ago. Vancouver seems to be picking up right now.

Paul McGillion
Which is good. Our numbers are quite low as far as the pandemic goes here, we’ve done a really great job of following all the protocols and self-distancing and our numbers are… but for the whole province around, roughly, a hundred and change a month right now, hopefully it gets down lower. For one of the bigger provinces, we’re doing the best in Canada, so we’re very fortunate, which is great here and fingers crossed we find a vaccine sometime soon so we can see all the lovely people in person.

David Read
Okay.

David Read
Absolutely. I really appreciate you being one of my first guests on this show, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The intent of this program going forward, and I’ve been trying to articulate it to myself, like, “How are we… How do I want to describe this to the talent that’s coming on?” And originally, I was calling it Dial the Gate as the Stargate version of the Archive of American Television. And I’ve been calibrating and I think, really, what this show is going to be moving forward is the oral history of the Stargate franchise to anyone who wants to contribute to it. So, having your perspective is very important and I really appreciate you being here for us.

Paul McGillion
Well, it’s an honor to be on your show, buddy, always a huge fan of yours, so thank you.

David Read
Thank you. I want to step back…

Paul McGillion
[inaudible] your backdrop right now. I gotta say it’s so crazy, that Wraith is [inaudible].

David Read
He’s coming for you, man. He made some moves a few years ago and he’s not forgetting. I want to step back before Beckett, because I’d like to have you on in the future to discuss specific episodes. But in this episode, I want to talk about an overview of you and your career and your heroes. Where are you from? Can you tell us a little bit about your upbringing and what made you who you are?

Paul McGillion
Sure. I’m Paul Francis McGillion. I was born in Paisley, Scotland.

David Read
That’s right.

Paul McGillion
About 25 years ago [laughs]. But I was born in Scotland grew up there, I’m one of seven kids. Six boys, one girl.

David Read
Big family.

Paul McGillion
[inaudible]. Yeah, my mum’s a saint. Girl’s in the middle and all of us were born in the UK except for my younger brother, he was born in Canada. We emigrated when I was about three years old. And then they had my brother Mike in Canada, my mum and dad, we lived in the Niagara region, close to Niagara Falls area, Niagara on the Lake. And then when I was 12, we moved back to Scotland for three years. My parents immigrated back with the four youngest kids, and I lived there from the time I was 12 til I was 15, close to Paisley again, a place called Barrhead, if there’s any Scottish people out there. And then we moved back to Canada again, because my older siblings — I was fine, I played a lot of soccer, as they call it in Scotland ‘football’ — so I was happy but the older siblings, my brother, and my sister kind of really didn’t assimilate, they were sort of Canadianised by that time. And then they moved back to Ontario and my mum and dad bought a fruit farm in Niagara on the Lake.

Paul McGillion
Was it a work move? Or is it a move to be near family, the back and forth?

Paul McGillion
Initially, I think they wanted to go back there, missing the old country and they want to open up a bed and breakfast, but my dad was an electrician, he ended up working on the on the oil rigs in Scotland up in the Shetland Islands for a while. And also he had job opportunities back in Ontario, and then some property, he wanted to get a farm and they ended up going back and we got our fruit farm. And they worked that for a number of years. My parents have been married for 69 years this year. My dad’s 88 and my mum is 87.

David Read
Wow.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, God bless them.

David Read
Do they still have the farm or did they sell it?

Paul McGillion
No, they let the farm go after a while, they sold it, yeah. They live right beside my brother, so it’s good. But they’re doing great, they’re very spry for their age and usually they go to Cuba once or twice a year and they can’t travel right now and I haven’t been over to see them since Christmas. So, we talk to them every day on the phone.

David Read
Absolutely.

Paul McGillion
My son talks to them, and my daughter. My son has a great little Scottish accent so he talks to my parents in a Scottish accent, it’s very funny.

David Read
He turns it on when he’s talking to them?

Paul McGillion
Always, yeah.

David Read
Oh, that’s great. Do you think that either of the kids might become actors? Or do you not want them anywhere near that?

Paul McGillion
Listen, I’m not… at this point I’m not pushing them into anything at all. If they ask when they’re a little bit older, and they have an interest towards it, or they’re so inclined I would support them, of course, but it’s something I think they’ll come up with themselves. I’m not gonna force them into it. And at the same time, it’s a very tough industry, right? I think you… I always say to young actors, “If there’s anything you can do, and you’re really good at it, and you’re happy, do that.” If you have to act, I think acting is something… it’s like, it’s a passion you have to really want to do it. And because it’s a tricky one, it’s very hard on a lot of people. But, yeah, we’ll see what happens with them. No plans right now, though.

David Read
Yeah, they’re really young. I just met them. They were adorable. Who are your heroes, Paul? Who do you look at as saying, when you look back, “These are people, or people I read, people in my life who really established my identity.”

Paul McGillion
Well, my parents, for sure, because they’re so resilient. Like I said, several moves, having seven children, and just watching how they maneuvered and made every one of us feel special in our own ways, and it was amazing. I remember, every morning, my mum would have lunch bags lined up with all our names on them.

David Read
One down the line after the other.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, in a line, and as a kid, you just grab it and leave, right? You don’t think, and then she’d call for dinner, my mum would call for dinner and my dad was away a lot, working, and we’d run up there and grab it, it was like a factory, you know? And you think about that, as a kid — same as my kids — you don’t go, “Hey, Mum, that was a great lunch,” or “What a wonderful dinner, thanks, Mum.” But now I think about every day just doing that and always made little… everyone had something different in their lunch and little treats and stuff. So they’re so special like that, and thoughtful and just very kind people, so they really made a big mark on me, and especially, if you’re talking about the role of Beckett, he wasn’t Scottish initially. I sort of modeled him, in some ways, off my dad’s accent and my Scottish sensibility that I learned from my parents and my relatives, so they’re a big heroes of mine, my mum and dad, especially.

David Read
Did you imbue Beckett with pieces of them, like, wear their hearts on their sleeves?

Paul McGillion
They do. My dad’s a little more stoic, I think, than Beckett is, and they’re both very, quite private people as well. But I think the wonderful thing about the Scottish sensibility is, they’re a very passionate people, so you’ll know when they’re angry and you’ll know when they’re sentimental, you know? It’s got that sort of fever to it and that’s what really drew me to that part. And making him Scottish. Initially, the casting director didn’t want me to have him Scottish, he wanted me to play him with an English accent. And I’m sure I’ve told you this story before, but, for some of the people that haven’t heard it, and my agent called and said, “There’s a role in the new Stargate and they want you to have an accent and an international flavor.” So I read the sides and the sides, in the pilot, where Beckett getting into the chair, “I’m not getting in that bloody thing,” and I just read it, I’m like, “This guy Scottish.” I mean, he’s like, almost like… I always saw him as sort of like a cowardly lion. He has a lot of courage but it’s down there deep, and…

David Read
He has to be pushed.

Paul McGillion
Yes, he needs to be pushed. But when it comes out, push comes to shove, he’ll be there for you. So when that happened, I was like, “This is crazy. I’m gonna do it with the Scottish accent.” So my agent called and said, “The casting director,” — at the time it was Stuart Aikins, lovely guy — said, “What kind of accent is Paul gonna do?” And she called me and I said, “I’m gonna do a Scottish accent.” And she let Stuart know, Stuart says “No. Tell him to do an English accent. Because no one understand him if he’s Scottish.” I said, “Well, there are educated Scottish people, not everybody sounds like they’re in Trainspotting.” So he came in to the trailer at the time on the Bridge Studios, it was a, basically, a small trailer, like, not very big at all. And one half was a waiting room and like a paper wall, basically, and the other half was the audition studio, so all the people are in there, and you can kind of hear what’s going on. And I came in, and he’s like, sort of persnickety. He’s like, “So, what accent you’re going to do?” I said, “I’m going to do an educated Scottish accent.” And he’s like, “Okay,” and I don’t think he was too pleased at first, so I did the first scene and he looked at me, he was like, “That was good.” I did a second scene. He was like, “Let’s do a last scene.” Do the last scene, he goes, “Okay, that was good. Get out.” And I was the first person cast in the show.

David Read
Wow!

Paul McGillion
And I was supposed to be going to Spain for a film festival, for a film I did, and my agent called and said, “They want to have you for Stargate.” And I’m, like, “Great, but I’m going to Spain.” And she goes, “Well, you have multiple days in this episode, and they’re gonna have you in other episodes.” So I said, “How many?” “We don’t know yet.” And I ended up being in 17 of the first 20. So, it was really…

David Read
And that was not planned, it just… the scripts needed you.

Paul McGillion
That’s very kind of you to say, and it was a nice opportunity. And I tell a lot of young actors that, “You have to go with your gut, sometimes, if you really feel something, you feel passionate about it, you give them… I always say “Give them a little piece of Paulie,” you know, when I walk away, and for me, that was a Scottish accent for Beckett. And not only the accent, just a sensibility of the Scottish people, and I think Beckett wore that quite proudly on his sleeve. And to a fact, when I initially got the character, the Union Jack was on my shoulder. And I said, “Well, that’s not the Scottish flag.” And so they changed it for me and… oh, there it is right there!

David Read
Wow, perfect.

Paul McGillion
Yeah. And I got that after I did Beckett, this is the flag of St. Andrews right there. And that was special as an homage to my heritage.

David Read
Well, absolutely. I mean, as an actor, you are, by definition, a chameleon. The best of you are — some more successful than others — but if you have an opportunity to bring more of yourself into a character, but also, like you say, honor your heritage, it’s going to come from a place of truth and obviously the casting director saw that.

Paul McGillion
Well, I’d like to hope so. It was really… it was kind of a special moment, and then you… and the first thing I said, “Well, can I play with the Scottish accent?” He said “Absolutely, they loved that.” Funny enough, when we did the read through for Atlantis up at the Bridge Studios, I didn’t know what was going on and I ended up, I was sitting beside Joe Flanigan and Rainbow was beside me and Rachel and everyone and Robert Patrick was there. Martin Wood directed it, he was there an awful lot. Brad and Robert and John Smith and all the MGM people, it was quite something, but no one knew I was doing a Scottish accent and Beckett has some of the first lines in the script. And I remember sitting there and we were talking, everyone’s having coffees and teas and stuff and some snacks, then Martin’s like “Okay, shall we get to it?” And they’re gonna film it and I’m sitting down a couple of stories, and Martin’s like, “Okay, go ahead, Paul.” And so I started doing it, I’m like, “No, I’m not getting…” whatever the line, “I’m not getting that…” and I can feel everybody’s looking at me because we were talking before and I talked normally like this. And then I started doing the accent and Joe kinda leans over and he’s like, “Is he doing a Scottish accent?” I go, “That’s right, mate, I am!” So, it was really… it’s a fun one, you know?

David Read
Absolutely. “Is this guy’s Scottish?!”

Paul McGillion
“Has anybody got any hair product? Shit, I look good.”

David Read
Gotta love Joe Flanigan. Gosh, Joe, we love you. Come on, come on. Let’s step back. Did you know you always wanted to be an actor? If you weren’t acting? What else would you be doing?

Paul McGillion
No, I went to school, I did a physical education degree and then I did an education degree. And I always kind of wanted to be a teacher, and I got an education degree, and I was teaching in Toronto a little bit and at that time, between degrees, I started taking acting classes. I started… I met a girl, as one does, and she was an actress and I was doing… I started doing some commercial work and stuff like that and then I started taking acting classes, and I started getting more parts. And I started really enjoying it and I started studying more and more, wanting to do a lot of plays — started in theater in Toronto — and it just kind of went off from there. And then I was offered — we call it supply teaching in Canada, substitute teaching, possibly, elsewhere in the world — and so I could still pursue my acting. And then I got offered a full time teaching job — quite a few of them, actually — and I just turned them down, because I said, “You know what, I gotta give this a try.” And my parents, being Scottish and worried about their kids, or course…

David Read
Of course.

Paul McGillion
My Dad said “Did you get a teaching job?” I said “Well I was offered a couple teaching jobs, Dad.” And he was like, “For God’s sake, did you take it?” I said “No, I didn’t, I want to pursue the acting.” He’s like, “You’re a teacher! Teach for God’s sakes!” And I said, “But Dad, you always told me, whatever you do, you’re gonna make sure you love it.” And he goes, “Alright, fair enough. I did say that.” So then I moved out to Vancouver, and I remember getting parts on The X Files. And it was a very popular show at the time. And I’d call up to my parents and I’d say, “Dad.” He goes, “Janet, it’s Paul on the phone. How are you doing, mate?” And I said, “Well…” “Are you getting any parts?” I said “I got a part in the X Files?” He goes, “That’s a popular show, very good. He’s on the X Files, Janet. Fantastic. How much money to make doing that?” I told him, he goes, “That’s bloody great, the acting, that’s great stuff.” They just want to make sure you’re taken care of essentially. Which I can’t blame them. I want the same for my kids.

David Read
Absolutely, but at the same time, there are few jobs more important than teaching.

Paul McGillion
Oh, absolutely. Listen, some of the best lessons in life are some from my favorite teachers. I’ve learned from… Maury Charbonneau was a teacher I had in high school, and I always remember him fondly. Mr. Prior was my English teacher. Just, they make impacts on you, certain people. And I will say that the best teachers will have the best impact, but sometimes the worst teachers, you’ll learn lessons what not to do, as a teacher, also.

David Read
That’s correct.

Paul McGillion
And I still mentor young actors. I have a couple kids, younger, in their 20’s that I sort of mentor right now. And I coached some some kids in acting a little bit here and there, but I don’t regret not not doing it, but I have a lot of friends, of course, that are teachers that I went to teachers college with. And I admire them greatly. I mean, it’s a tough job. And it’s… health care and education are the two most important things, in my opinion.

David Read
You were in the first season of SG-1.

Paul McGillion
Yeah.

David Read
Ernest Littlefield. Great character. We lost… I forget the name of…

Paul McGillion
Keene Curtis.

David Read
Keene Curtis. Thank you. We lost him a few years ago.

Paul McGillion
Yes.

David Read
SG-1 was still young, so you’ve had the opportunity to work on two Stargate shows when they were both in their relative infancy and really in their infancy, brand new. Tell us about being cast for Ernest.

Paul McGillion
Well, it was really, it was such a lovely part, and he really was earnest, the character was very earnest, and I look back at that episode, I’m a baby, basically. And it was an episode called Torment of Tantalus, right? Jonathan Glassner directed the episode and it’s funny because Martin Wood directed the second unit on it. And the cool thing about that episode was, Ernest was the first person to ever go through the Stargate.

David Read
At that… yeah, based on the information presented by the series at that point. Origins changes that up later, if you consider Origins canon, but yes, in terms of SG-1, Ernest was.

Paul McGillion
Ernest Littlefield was the first one to go through the gate, and I got fitted for the vintage clothes was really cool and then the deep sea diving suit that they…

David Read
They thought it was water.

Paul McGillion
Yeah! But amazing to go through that, and to be fitted for that and everything and it was quite a great episode and, and Keene Curtis was a phenomenal actor — rest in peace — and to play him, the young version of him and later on he comes back and it’s such a sentimental, beautiful episode, I thought, and many people love that episode. And the interesting thing about that, being in Vancouver, I get on a show and you think you do a good job, and I felt really good about it, and people liked it. But then I started seeing all my friends being on Stargate SG-1 and they would come back and play different characters and come back and play different characters. I’m like, “Well, why can’t I come back and play a different character?” You know what I mean? I mean, there was so many seasons going on. And then when I got cast in Atlantis, and Martin Wood was directing the episode, I said, “Martin, you directed the second unit on…” He goes, “Yeah, that’s right.” And I go “Can I ask you a question?” He goes… I go, “How come you never brought me back on the show? I never got back on the show.” And he goes, “Have you been to a convention yet?” I said, “No.” And he goes “Oh, okay.” I go, “What does that mean?” He goes, “You were the first person to go through the Stargate. I mean, it’s a very pivotal character in the series.” I said, “Really?” And he goes “You haven’t been to a convention?” I said, “No, why? Why do you keep on saying that?” He goes, “Because, the fans, they know everything about the show, right? And you’ll learn that.” And really, I did, I had no idea the following the show had, at all, and to all of the actors in the show’s benefit, I mean, the fan base is massive, and what an opportunity to travel all over the world and meet all these wonderful people at these conventions and share stories with them and see the common bond being Stargate. Obviously, some people watch football, some people watch basketball, and some people watch sci-fi. And Stargate brought so many people together. I still — when there’s conventions going on — I see families that the kids were like babies, I held them, and now they’re taller than me and I’ll still see the whole family go to the convention still.

David Read
They’re still watching.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, and they still watch together, and they miss the show, and they love it. And it was a show that people, families can watch together, and as an actor, having that opportunity to be part of that is a real blessing. And it’s something I’ll always cherish and never take for granted.

David Read
Are people just… 17 seasons of Stargate, and people are… if you’re on the Facebook pages at all, watch is like, “Oh, I’ve started my rewatch again.” What is the magic elixir? Why don’t people move on, in your estimation?

Paul McGillion
You know, I think what it is, it’s a show, it’s basically a show about pure escapism, and obviously, the gate’s the star of the show. And like everybody else, for me, when you’re getting… every week we get a script, I couldn’t wait to see it because I want to see where we’re going, or what planet we’re on, or who we encounter, and it’s almost… it’s the mystery of the unknown, I think, and that’s the beauty of it. And obviously, the writers were amazing, Brad and Robert helmed it and brought in an amazing crew of writers and, I think, a terrific cast, and SG-1 really set the mark for us. And it is a show about escapism and you get to really know the characters, and I think everyone’s unique, and they really rotated the episodes around so we got… each character to have an opportunity to flesh the characters out, each episode, sorry.

David Read
To shine.

Paul McGillion
Yeah. And for me, you know, in season one, it was Poisoning the Well, I think is one… that was the episode that really came from the heart for me. And I think, in many ways, during the pilot, Martin asked me if I could go up to the writers room and speak to a writer named Damian Kindler, and I’m like, “Why?” And he goes, “Oh, ’cause there’s a big Beckett episode.” — in episode seven, I think it was — I’m like, “Really?” So, I’m thinking, because I was just a reoccurring character, I’m like, “Wow, okay.” So I went up and talked to him, and he is… he has a bit of a Scottish background, and, and we talked a bit about, the Beckett-isms, the Scottish-isms, because at first, they didn’t write them as a Scottish character. So, I had a lot of liberties, adding little things and instead of… like ‘wee baby turtles’, instead of ‘little baby turtles’, things like that that I would change. And, obviously, make sure it’s okay with the writers, but they gave me liberties in that sense, but only to enhance the character and the script. And you really embody the character that way, and having an opportunity to flesh out a big episode like that was sort of, I think, a test for me as an actor to see if you can carry an episode. And after that, halfway through the season, they let me know that they wanted to make me a regular on the show and I was like, “Yes, thank you.” So, it was really cool.

David Read
Absolutely. Something was working with that character. Unfortunately, we lose some and we gain others based on what’s working in the mechanics of the show, and what directions the writers want to take it.

Paul McGillion
It was really cool.

David Read
Of the Atlantis cast, who would you look forward to working with the most? When you would get the call sheet for the next day, who would make you say, “Okay, this is going to be an interesting day,” or “This is going to be a fun day,” or “This is gonna be a long day.”

Paul McGillion
Honestly, everyone had their thing. I’ll just go down the list, I mean, obviously, I love working with Torri. I think Beckett and Weir had an interesting dynamic as well…

David Read
There was a sensibility between them.

Paul McGillion
Almost like brother and sister, a certain way. And obviously, with David Hewlett, we had a great dynamic, sort of the odd couple in certain ways, just our timing and our sensibility, they’re like best friends, you know? I mean, it was very… and equal. Unlike the Zelenka and McKay relationship where there’s a bit of a hierarchy there, Beckett was sort of his equal but in the medical.

David Read
They gripe like roommates, yeah.

Paul McGillion
Yes. And that’s the thing, and then, everyone had their own thing. I love working with Rainbow as well, he’s so fun. And Rachel, we’d just tease her mercilessly, it was amazing. And then obviously, when Jason came on the show we’d have a blast. And, just, everybody had their moments and I honestly, any chance we had interaction with all the cast together, it was fun, and to be able to do things, David and I had a certain chemistry that was undeniable, I think and…

David Read
“Rodney!”

Paul McGillion
Yeah. That’s why he… “Rodney! Cheeky bugger.” But yeah, honestly, it was so much fun that there wasn’t anyone I was like, “Oh, God, I have to act with them.” It was always a pleasure, it was always really fun, and different relationships with each character, so it just mixed it up and made it very interesting. I think the writers were really great at that, and like I said, they gave everybody their opportunities to shine. And that was the beauty of it, and that’s a testament to good writing and really fleshing out storylines and the writers room was really clever.

David Read
I watched you die, obviously.

Paul McGillion
Thank you very much for that.

David Read
My favorite episode is Sunday. Not because we lose you, but because of a couple of reasons. The catharsis of that show is very strong and I think that episode strikes a balance of Atlantis, where I think it connects with something very pure in the human spirit. And certainly lets the Scottish nobility shine, for sure, throughout the whole climax. It’s like, “This is who this guy was. I will lay my life down to save someone’s life.” And then Jewel came in, and Jewel, you met in a previous episode, where she was playing Ellia, a Wraith. And she ended up taking the mantle. Was that straight… I mean, because you guys were friends at that point, weren’t you?

Paul McGillion
Oh yeah, yeah.

David Read
Because you had met her at a convention, didn’t know she was. I’m gonna let you tell the story.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, we met at a convention. She played this character, but I never knew what she looked like because she basically looked like a bug the whole time. I’m like, “Oh, that poor girl.” I had no idea what she looked like, and then we’re at Dragon Con and we were in the green room and somebody came up and said, “Oh, Jewel Staite.” and I’m like, “Who? Yeah, I kind of…” You meet so many people on the show. And of course…

David Read
The name rings a bell, yeah.

Paul McGillion
“Yeah, that rings a bell.” “She would like you… She wants you to wait here. She’s going to be up there shortly.” I’m like, “Okay.” And I was single at the time. So Jewel shows up and she’s beautiful and does not look like a bug anymore and she’s like, “Oh, my God, hi Paul!” Because I talked her on the show quite a bit, but I had no idea what she looked like. She gives me a big hug and says, “Let me get you a drink.” I’m like, “What? Am I being punked here right now? What’s going on?” And she’s like, “Great.” And then a couple minutes into the conversation she goes “You don’t know who I am, do you?” I’m like, “No, sorry.” And she’s like, “I played…” I’m like, “Oh my God! That’s you?” And it was amazing.

David Read
“You’re Ellia!”

Paul McGillion
We hit it off and Jewel’s amazing. She’s like a sister to me, we’re great. I MC’d her wedding and I’m having lunch with her this week. We’re very close. So when Jewel came in, people often ask that. I mean, listen, things happen in this world that you have no control over and that was one of them. And in the episode Sunday when they let me know they’re gonna kill the character off, and obviously, I was very shocked by it, I think everyone was, but they want to make an impact, so to speak — no pun intended with the exploding tumor — and I think it certainly did in the show with killing off a main character. And then the good fortune of the fans they ended up bringing Beckett back later on, but I also I always said to them, “Okay, if I’m going to do this, I want to knock the episode out of the park and really respect the character.” And I worked hard on it, and, I mean, the scene at the end with Rodney and I on the deck is just a very sad and sentimental scene. And, to be honest with you, I didn’t watch the episode for a few months, I remember watching it with my brother and it brought a tear to my eye. It was very well done and very sad.

David Read
Martin Gero was on top of his game.

Paul McGillion
And people come up to me… Yeah, totally, Martin was on his game. People come up to me and they’re mad. “Why did you kill your character?” I’m like, “I don’t know how.” and he said, “Killing Beckett’s like killing a puppy.” And I’m like, “I know, but…” but we got a reaction from everybody and I think it served that purpose and then thankfully, they decided to bring him back, which is really… and I said “How you gonna do that?” And it’s like, “It’s sci-fi.” Joe Mallozzi told me, “We can do anything we want.” And he told me the concept of through Michael and the whole thing, it was very ingenious, and it was a pleasure to come back onto the show, as well. As far as Jewel taking over the character of me, she’s a wonderful actress and obviously very different than me in the role. I think it was tough for her to come into Beckett’s shoes, but she is such a pro and she fleshed the character out in her own way and I think the people loved her for that.

David Read
Yeah, she has a harder edge to her and she was very deliberate in, like, she didn’t want to be like Beckett. And there’s no reason to do something that had already been done at that point. And so it was… that was a very interesting change and I loved her dynamic and what she added to the show, so… Just a very different character.

Paul McGillion
Right, absolutely.

David Read
And then you got to come back and do scenes with her. So it was perfect.

Paul McGillion
It was amazing and I think that there’s something fun about them, almost like, they’re like the medical team now, you know what I mean, in a certain way, which is a really special part. And being able to act with Jewel is just a pleasure.

David Read
Would you be game for… So, Brad is working on a fourth Stargate series. I’m just going to start calling it SG-4. Would you be game for returning as Beckett, or as a new character for that?

Paul McGillion
Oh, of course. I mean, I think you got to come back as Beckett. You know what I mean? I would think, anyway. Absolutely. If it works out, that would be great, I would love to come back and reprise the role on Stargate, of course. It’s such a fun show to do. I think that’s why people miss it so much. And as an actor, it’s such a pleasure to dive into that world, and it’s a role that is ingrained in me, so it wouldn’t be hard to jump back on that bicycle, that’s for sure. So, if the opportunity arises and presents itself, it would be an honor.

David Read
We can all hope. Absolutely. I’m getting a little feedback. Oh, now it’s gone. Okay, very good. Do you want to play some trivia before we invite the fans to ask their questions?

Paul McGillion
Okay…

David Read
So I’ve sent Paul three questions for him to ask me and he’s got three questions on my side that I’m going to ask him. So, let me know when you’ve got those pulled up.

Paul McGillion
Am I gonna ask you first?

David Read
Whatever you want to do?

Paul McGillion
How about I ask you first, because you’re probably…

David Read
Or we can go back and forth.

Paul McGillion
Okay, let’s go back and forth.

David Read
Give me your easy question.

Paul McGillion
I’ll give you the easy question. I’ll be honest, none of them are easy for me, I’d say.

David Read
Okay. I don’t know, some days I do good and some days I suck at this, so it’s gonna be interesting.

Paul McGillion
I got to deal with… someone who has a giant Wraith behind him is going to do better than me at it. Okay, this is apparently the easy question. In Hide and Seek, Atlantis, season one, episode three… was Jinto in that episode? I believe?

David Read
He was, and Wex.

Paul McGillion
Yeah. And you know what’s funny about him, we had this little thing, and just a segue first.

David Read
Yeah.

Paul McGillion
This kid, and his name was Jinto, he was Christopher Heyerdahl son, right? Jinto, I think it was. And David and I — Hewlett — we’d do this thing, and everyone’s sort of doing it, we would be like, “Jinto!” and everyone’s like, “Where’s Jinto? Where’s Jinto? [claps] Come!” And the kid that was playing it, he’d run over really quickly, and we’re like, [claps] “Jinto!” It became this thing, we started doing it all the time, it was very funny.

David Read
If he was on set?

Paul McGillion
Yeah, if he was on set, he’s like, “What’s going on here?” Anyway, here’s my question for you, my friend. The easy question is, Hide and Seek, episode three, season one. What horror movie story did John promised to tell the Athosian’s kids?

David Read
“Pulls out his bloody knife!” I mean, is that… is that Halloween? It’s Mike Myers, right?

Paul McGillion
I think you’re on the right… No, no, no…

David Read
“He pulls out his bloody knife.” And he’s got a ski mask… Isn’t that… that’s not Halloween?

Paul McGillion
It’s not Halloween. The answer I’m seeing here is… well, there’s a hint. This is not the only time this particular horror movie is mentioned on Atlantis.

David Read
…is mentioned…

Paul McGillion
In the fourth season, episode Doppelganger, Shepherd compared himself to the central character in the film in question.

David Read
So it’s not Mike Myers?

Paul McGillion
No, learning that he has been the antagonist in several people’s bad dreams.

David Read
Freddy Krueger?

Paul McGillion
And the movie?

David Read
Nightmare on Elm Street.

Paul McGillion
Bingo.

David Read
But he references a hockey mask. Freddy Krueger doesn’t have a hockey mask.

Paul McGillion
I know, but the answer I’m seeing in the question is A Nightmare on Elm Street but I think… I know you’re talking about because he does have a hockey mask. Right?

David Read
Right. Because Jinto asks, “What’s a hockey mask?”

Paul McGillion
So it should have been Halloween? Not A Nightmare on Elm Street.

David Read
I think… yeah. I’m gonna have to check with my trivia person because there’s a glitch in the matrix. This is not the first time this has happened. But it’s making it interesting.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, okay.

David Read
Okay.

Paul McGillion
Ask me something easy.

David Read
Easy. In Sunday, what was Beckett trying to get people to do with him on his day off?

Paul McGillion
To go for a pint of Guinness. Go fishing.

David Read
There you go. You wanted the easy one, that’s the easy one for you. They get progressively harder.

Paul McGillion
Okay, my medium question for you.

David Read
Okay.

Paul McGillion
From the episodes, Childhoods End, Atlantis season one, episode six.

David Read
Yeah.

Paul McGillion
What age did the children commit suicide?

David Read
25? It’s either 24 or 25. I think it’s 25.

Paul McGillion
You got it, 25.

David Read
Is it 25? Okay, that’s the medium question? Okay.

Paul McGillion
The medium question, good for you.

David Read
Interesting. The medium question for you, sir. In the flashback scene, in Torment of Tantalus, what is Katherine Langford hoping Ernest Littlefield will discuss with her father?

Paul McGillion
Marriage?

David Read
Yes, that’s right! It took a minute. Oh, god, that’s funny.

Paul McGillion
They were sitting by the fireplace, I believe.

David Read
Yes, exactly. And they were talking about alternating and direct current for the Stargate.

Paul McGillion
OK, you got your hard one here. Yeah, this is crazy and if you get this, I’m gonna be, “Wow.” Okay. What was the name of the High Priestess from the episode Sanctuary? Atlantis, season one, episode 14.

David Read
Chaya Sar?

Paul McGillion
Yeah. Boom! Nice work!

David Read
I don’t know what her Ancient… she had another name, as an Ancient. I don’t know what that was, but I remember Chaya Sar.

Paul McGillion
That’s crazy, good for you.

David Read
Interesting, thank you.

Paul McGillion
Yeah.

David Read
All right.

Paul McGillion
Just gonna, you know… Stargate Jeopardy.

David Read
Right? A few more games are in development for the show, but we’re gonna… I mean, we gotta get our feet wet. All right, your hard question, Mr. McGillion. In Letters from Pegasus it is revealed Beckett gave his mother ointment. For what?

Paul McGillion
Fungus on her toenails.

David Read
That’s right! Wow.

Paul McGillion
Boom.

David Read
That’s specific! Good for you!

Paul McGillion
Well, I just remember because it was such a funny… That was a very funny scene, you know? “Fungus on your toenails, for God sakes.” And it was such a funny thing to have. And I had that scene on my demo reel for a little while because that, “I’m not doing it.” I just love that scene. It was [inaudible].

David Read
Absolutely, and it’s fantastic. And Rainbow is in that scene too.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, Rainbow’s filming me.

David Read
Yes.

Paul McGillion
And I love that and his reaction is amazing. He’s super talented. I remember him just watching me like, “What the hell are you talking about?”

David Read
Absolutely. Who submitted those questions to us, Paul, does it say in that sheet there? Who came up… a fan came up with those questions. I want to give them credit.

David Read
Oh really? Okay, let’s give them credit. Because they were very good, especially his… Trivia questions submitted by Max Becco.

David Read
Thank you, Max. Appreciate you.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, thank you Max. Very good, I answered all three of them, I can’t believe it.

David Read
We did better than I thought we would.

Paul McGillion
Yours were harder than mine, I think.

David Read
Well then, I will improve my game next time, sir.

Paul McGillion
Would you have gotten the fungus on the toenails? Would you’ve gotten that?

David Read
No, I wouldn’t have. Because I had to look it up and see what it was. I remember that it grossed Ford out and it was an ointment for something is all I remembered, I was like, “What was that for?” And I had to look it up, so…

Paul McGillion
And I loved that episode because you got little pieces of everybody in it, and it showed a little bit of the humanity behind them, each character.

David Read
It is a clip show, but it’s a brilliant episode at the same time. So, I’m going to turn them over to the fans. And in a few months I’d love to have you back to start talking about Poisoning the Well and a lot of these other episodes, these ethical dilemmas. So, I appreciate you. So. Darien West. “Question for Paul. Which Stargate…” I kind of asked this, but I’ll let him ask. “What Stargate actors did you have the most fun working with and why?”

Paul McGillion
Well, I mentioned all of them in different ways. We would tease… we all teased Rachel a lot and she has such a good sense of humor so we loved working with Rachel. And David and I had such a great chemistry, so it was really fun to work with him. I always looked forward to our scenes, and also because we’d just challenge each other, too, as actors, and it was very challenging. And, like I said, all of them had their own little special moments and it was always fun. There’s a couple of scenes, a couple things in particular, I remember working with Joe in the episode… Lucius is in there.

David Read
Irresistible.

Paul McGillion
Irresistible.

David Read
Or Irresponsible, yeah.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, I think it’s the first one.

David Read
If it’s the first one, it’s Irresistible. I love that episode.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, and so I was crying in the puddle jumper a little bit because I missed Lucius.

David Read
“He needs me!”

Paul McGillion
And so in the episode, when we were shooting it, there’s a really funny scene in the puddle jumper and he kind of punches me, right? And he goes “Buck up, Carson.” Punches me, I’m like, “Ow!” But what happened, it kept on going, and so I was like, told Joe, I’m like, “My nose is running, d’ya mind? Would ya mind?” And I made Shepherd take a tissue and blow my nose, and I was like, [blows nose] and I did it, it was really funny, but they cut it out because the episode was running long.

David Read
Ah!

Paul McGillion
To me, that was hilarious. But I will tell you one really funny thing that I had to do. It wasn’t on the show, on camera, but Rachel was going to have her first child, right?

David Read
Yeah.

Paul McGillion
And she was pregnant in the show. And she was playing the Wraith… She played a Wraith Queen, right?

David Read
When she was in the makeup?

Paul McGillion
Yeah.

David Read
Yeah, The Queen, season five. Yes.

Paul McGillion
Right. So she was really pregnant at the time, right? And she was going to have the baby imminently. And all the girls in the makeup trailer were making these… a beautiful book for her and everyone’s writing stuff in the book, writing really lovely stuff and, and they kept on saying, “Paul, what are you gonna do, you going to…?” “I gotta think of something good, I gotta think of something good.” And so, Rachel had kind of shorter hours at time because she was… they didn’t want to work her hard, right? So she left at… and I said, “I got it. I got it.” So Jason Momoa was there, I go, “You gotta help me do this.” And he’s like, “Great.” Rachel had an amazing stunt double that looked just like her. Amazing. So what happened is, when when Rachel left, I got all of the stunt double’s wig, and everything, Rachel’s outfit, the pregnant belly, and put it all on. The girls did my makeup like Rachel. Okay? So, I got Jason Momoa and I got Rachel’s fighting sticks, and we did a photoshoot. I can’t remember who took the pictures. That’s so funny, I can’t remember who took the pictures. Anyway, we went up there and I’m fighting Jason, as Rachel, in this makeup, and then I had the sticks and everything. And then I go into her trailer, and I said “Mama’s tough,” and I took a picture of her fighting with Jason, and then “Mama sexy.” And then we’re on… I’m in Rachel’s trailer lying on her bed with my hand like this and Jason’s there beside me. And then “Mama’s drunk.” And I took a bunch of stuff from craft services and I had a, like a… get some empty beer bottles and stuff, and I poured chips all over my pregnant belly, and all these different pictures of me, and, you know, “Mommy’s sensitive,” I’m crying, So I took all the pictures and put it in the very last page of her book, right? And all these captions in it. And so the next day, Rachel comes in, and Rachel is very sweet and she’s hyper-pregnant so she’s really sensitive. So she’s going through the book, and I make sure I’m scheduled at the same time as her and two chairs down, and I can hear her, and she’s going through the book, and she’s like, “Oh, my God,” she has Kleenex. “Oh, my God, you guys, that’s so sweet,” saying, “Oh, you’re going to be the best mom ever.” And I’m like, “Oh, Rachel,” she goes, “Shut up, Paul, you’re just making fun of me.” And she’s going through, “Oh my…” She’s reading all these different things from people. She keeps on reading. She keeps on reading. And I’m waiting for it. “Wait for it, wait for it.” And she gets to mine and she’s like [gasps]. And it was the best reaction. So good. So good. And I’m like, “Yes, I got you.” And she was dying. It was so funny. And I still have those pictures somewhere.

David Read
Oh you do? She tore them out and gave them back to you? We may have to get them in a few years, depending on how long this goes. Romainthblt. Romainth blt. Romainthblt.

David Read
Romain?

David Read
Romain, and then it’s all in one word, T H B L T. Sorry, man. I… Yeah, Romain. “Question for Paul. What is your take on the wee turtles, the wee bit turtles versus wee bit tortoises?”

Paul McGillion
I don’t know about the tortoises. But the wee baby turtles… I love that aspect, having the baby turtles, that was so cute.

David Read
“The turtles! I probably killed them!”

Paul McGillion
“Our wee baby turtles,” and Rodney… I’m saying, “Rodney, you can watch the turtles afterwards.” When I was leaving, it was so sad. The funny thing about that, I mean, listen, I loved having the fact that Beckett had these little baby turtles, it was just another little character thing about him. And I think he was such a sweet guy, and his wee baby turtles, but people started giving me turtles. I got turtle chocolates, which I love. Turtle doilies. People would make little doilies. I had so many stuffed turtles that came, I tell you, and I bring them home after the convention and my wife was like, “What’s with the turtles? Like, all these turtles?” Turtle teapots, turtle mugs, everything. People just give me turtle shirts. And so… thank you for that, but finally I said, “You know what, instead of turtles, Beckett likes Scotch.” When Flanigan says the same thing, he’s the Irish, I’m the Scottish, right? You know Joe and I share a birthday, right?

David Read
Yes.

Paul McGillion
So whenever we’re at conventions, one of us will inevitably get a bottle of Scotch, someone will give us as a lovely gift and we much appreciate it. And Joe’s like, “Paulie, I got my Scotch,” and I’m like, “Well, thank you very much, I got mine as well.” And we’ll have a wee dram. Because you can’t drink the turtles.

David Read
No, you can’t drink turtles. Definitely. But the Scotch is definitely appreciated. Oh, there you go. If anyone wants to know what to get Paul on his birthday. It is Scotch.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, and Joe.

David Read
And Joe. FreeSpirit999, a.k.a. Jen. Question for Paulie. I think this is Jen Kirby.

David Read
“Question for Paulie, what advice would you give to anyone trying to make it into this industry as a freelancer novice actor with no training and no agent?” Especially in COVID, right now, what steps do you advise that they take?

Paul McGillion
Nice.

Paul McGillion
I remember Jen Kirby, she’s lovely. It’s a tough one, it really is in this climate, it’s very, very difficult. I often tell people, I think you have to do as many independent projects as you can. Do whatever you can. Find groups of like-minded people that started doing short films together and write your own stuff and create your work. Don’t wait for the phone to ring. Create, create, create your work. Find people that you can do scenes with, try to get something off the ground, make a film. Especially if you’re starting off a little bit older, like, you’re not a 18-year old or something, which is a little bit easier to get into business. Because what you’re dealing with, if you start a little bit later, it’s very competitive, you’re looking at people’s resumes as long as your arm, so it’s tricky. So the best thing is to do it as best you can, but always have a backup, because it’s a tough business, and I never learned until the past five years or so, the term they said, “The business can eat you alive.” And I see that. I remember young actresses that I work with, and actors, for example, that were so passionate and they had that sparkle behind their eyes and stuff. And the business can really beat you down, it can really take it out… Because, basically, essentially, business is based on rejection, right? So, you have to have a very thick skin, and you can’t take things personally. And it’s very hard not to, sometimes, because it is, you walk in the room, and almost immediately — ask any producers that have done things, and I’ve produced things and I know that feeling — when someone walks in the room immediately, you’re like, “Okay, I can see them playing it, now let’s see if they can act.”

David Read
Right.

Paul McGillion
Because there’s a judgment call the second you walk in.

David Read
It’s subjective, casting is subjective.

Paul McGillion
It’s completely subjective. And it can be as simple as my eyes are blue and the kid they already cast, his eyes are brown. So we need… it can be that, “So he’s not going to work out because we already got a mom that has… so he’s gotta have…” That type of thing. So, all you can do is give them a little piece of yourself and throw it out there. But, do as many plays as you can, do as many independent films as you can. Film Festivals are a great way to get recognized if you get your work out there so people see you. And just create it. I often tell young actors, too, the best way, if you don’t have an agent or anything like that — and I’m doing this with a friend of mine’s son in Toronto right now — and what you should do is you should put three… two to three scenes, contrasting scenes, maybe 45 seconds long, not very long, like a comedic scene, a dramatic scene and something sort of contemporary — basically monologues — to give people an understanding of how you can act, because if you don’t have a demo reel, and you have no resume, and you’re going to meet an agent, how do they know how to sell you? It’s like selling a car, you need to know what you have, so you have to educate them. In a sense, you have to show them what you got. So, you got to show them a comedic model, show a dramatic, show them your range, so when they feel comfortable with submitting you for different things so they can sell you. So you got to make yourself marketable, somehow. And that’s a great way to get an agent, doing that. I mean, it’s not a professional demo reel, but again, I would say nine out of 10 kids I asked to do that, they don’t do it. So that’s the thing. When I was young, when I started acting, we didn’t have it, I didn’t have a demo reel. I memorized three different monologues and I would go into agents and I will say, “‘Cause you don’t know what I can do, I gonna do these monologues for you.” And the agents’ll be like, “Oh…” Almost uncomfortable. And I’m like, “I don’t care because you need to know what I can do.”

David Read
Yeah, “I need to show you some range.”

Paul McGillion
“And you need to sell me, so I gotta show you what I got.” And I don’t think people these days… it’s very hard. That’s the easy way out. It’s like, “No, I’m really…” If you’re a girl, you’re really pretty or whatever or you’re a guy and you’re really handsome like, that’s fine, but like, what can you do? Acting, you have to see you do something so you got to show them something. And that’s how I did it. And nowadays, with the technology, you can put little scenes together and almost like a demo reel look really good. And then show them that. But make it short because people have very small attention spans. That’s my advice.

David Read
That’s true, too. Very nice, thank you, Paul. Three people, Ezsparky, CyphDK, Shannon Richardson. They want to ask you about… maybe you can guess what three people would be asking you about from the show, a very, maybe difficult scene, that you had to film with David Hewlett?

Paul McGillion
[laughs] Oh, that!

David Read
Was it hard to film? Were you laughing a lot? Was David good at it?

Paul McGillion
Well, the crew was laughing a lot.

David Read
The kiss scene in Duet is what I’m referring to.

Paul McGillion
I know. I know what you’re talking about.

David Read
Not for you, the audience. Everyone else is like, “What’s he talking about?”

Paul McGillion
Everyone was like, “Oh, how’s that scene?” So what happened there, was Martin Gero wrote that episode. Very talented Martin Gero, who’s got like, what, 10 shows on the air?

David Read
Oh, my God, yeah.

Paul McGillion
He’s killing it. But it was a really funny episode, let’s be honest, it was really great. And, so I’ll say, the only action Beckett ever got was from Hewlett. So, I get kissed by David. I’m like, “Great…”

David Read
Perna came pretty close, but yeah.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, Perna came close, except they died in my arms.

David Read
I know, yeah, I can’t wait to talk about that.

Paul McGillion
But the thing is, Martin came up, he goes “We’re going to do this episode, I’m gonna do… it’s sort of like… David’s gonna go into this girl’s body, who has kind of a crush on you and then — Cadman — and then, as her, he’s gonna kiss you.” I’m like, “What?” And he goes, “Oh, David’s fine with it. ‘Cause you guys are good friends and stuff like that.” And I’m like, “Really? He’s okay. So, okay.” I mean, it is funny, I would like, read it. And then he goes into David’s trailer and says the same thing. “I want to do this episode.” And he’s like, “What?” And he goes, “How’s Paul?” “Paul’s fine with it because it’s you,” and he was like, “Oh, is he? Okay.” So he told both of us the same, we’re both like, “Fine, great.” But the crew that day, were walking around — they knew we’re gonna film the scene — were walking around going, “I smell some romance in the air!”

David Read
Oh my gosh.

Paul McGillion
And then during the rehearsal for it, I have a lab coat on in the scene, and in the rehearsal you usually go half speed, right, you don’t go full out in the rehearsal. So we’re doing the rehearsal and I’m like, “I don’t expect David to kiss me, until the thing.” Just during the rehearsal, he just grabs me and plants me in the mouth and I’m like, “Ah!” and he was like, “Sorry, sorry, Paul, I just needed to get that over with.”

David Read
The first one’s always the worst.

Paul McGillion
I’m like, “Thanks.” But it was really a funny, funny scene, and he does have lips like sandpaper. And halitosis, but besides that, yeah, that was a really funny scene. Yeah. I think it was — from what I’ve heard — it was one of the first guy-on-guy kisses in sci-fi.

David Read
Yeah, it’s earlier for sure. Tammy Paquin. “Question for Paul.”

Paul McGillion
Okay.

David Read
Of course. “Do you know if Carson has inspired, has anyone ever come up to you and said Carson inspired them to go into medicine?”

Paul McGillion
Yes, I’ve had that several times, actually.

David Read
Really?

Paul McGillion
Several times, yes. And I’ve met many little kids named Carson, too, which is really sweet, it’s such a cool name, too. But we actually thought about it for my son, but, you know, it’d be kind of weird. But no, people have come up saying, “You really inspired me to go into medicine,” and I was like, “That’s really, that’s amazing.” And it’s happened several times, actually, and they’re doctors talking to me now, I’m like, “That’s amazing.” She goes, “I just wanted to tell you that.” I’m like, “Well, thank you. I wish I was as smart as you were.” I have a brother who’s a doctor and so I, often, during Stargate, when I’d get the crazy medical alien jargon, I’d be like, “Oh my God.” And I’d call Mike up and he does a good Scottish accent too. I go “Mike, what does this mean and could you say it with a Scottish accent, please?” So he’d do that for me. But yeah, I have had that happen, yes.

David Read
Tammy Paquin. No, excuse me, Chuck Vance. “Did you ever take any props or costumes home?”

Paul McGillion
Not as much as Jason Momoa did. You know Jason has my chair back?

David Read
He does?

Paul McGillion
Yeah, he does, he took it. He also has about a hundred swords, I think. I had a couple things, I have my costume from the very first season. I have that and that’s pretty cool. And I have one of the earpieces.

David Read
Yeah, the earwigs, yeah. Little metal and plastic. They’re really cool.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, I have one of those. And a few other little things, but not that much. No, but I do have the costume and it’s in plastic and I haven’t taken it out, ever. With the yellow on it and the Scottish flags.

David Read
Exactly, and the Scottish… That’s great.

Paul McGillion
They gave that to me, which is really nice, yeah.

David Read
Mike Bailey and Michael Mc. “Paul, if you could pick one episode as your favorite…” And I always frame this like if you’re going to watch one, which which would you pick, but they asked what your favorite episode was.

Paul McGillion
Oh God, there’s so many of my favorites. I mean, for me as an actor I think Poisoning the Well because it was really a heavy episode for Beckett, and there’s a lot of comedy when I’m walking through the… We have that huge monologue going through and then you get the serious stuff with Perna. I always thought Irresistible is a really funny episode, because it’s nice to see all the characters out of their regular… especially Torri. She was so fun. She’s so stoic a lot in the show and it was a really good chance for her to blossom, just a fine actress, right? Yeah, I don’t know. And the pilot was really cool too, I gotta say, because it was just the feeling of like, “This is crazy. This is huge.” When you get onto that Atlantis set — and for some of you may have had a chance to have a set tour back in the day — it’s quite special, it’s quite a spectacular set, you know, and to get on there, and then Robert Patrick’s in the scene and then Richard Dean Anderson is there and Michael Shanks and all the cast from SG-1 were around, you’re like, “This is really special.” So, kind of a sentimental feeling for me and the amount of background performers they had. It was just… I was like, “Holy crap, this is big. This isn’t going away anytime soon.” It was very, very special, that, but yes, I guess Poisoning the Well and Irresistible. Duet was really funny, memorable in a kind of a weird way. But yeah, I guess there’s three that kind of step out for me a little bit. The pilot being one part, one and two.

David Read
Absolutely. Yeah, it’s a pretty big Carson show, the pilot is. Lauren Nickols. “What do you think clone-Carson is up to now that Atlantis has been to Earth? Or do you think he returned to Pegasus to continue his work?”

Paul McGillion
Well, I would think he’s waiting to see where to go, you know what I mean, he’s not stuck in San Francisco Bay. I would definitely think he’s still practicing medicine, or he’s moved on to maybe teach at a university or something like that, medicine, I can see him doing something like that as well. That sort of thing. That, or either trapped on an island with Swedish models. I’m not sure though.

David Read
Being a field medic is not easy, and a doctor, going from planet to planet. Unless he’s got his own puddle jumper — and we know he can fly one — that’d be a pain in the ass.

Paul McGillion
He did have a chance to get out there again, which was great. And I love that Beckett got to go on a lot of the trips, which is really fun for me, too. And it’s nice to get away from the base, so that was a lot of fun for me.

David Read
Hellcats. “Did you enjoy working on Star Trek?” 2009.

Paul McGillion
I did. That was an amazing opportunity. Initially, as many of you, I think, know, I was sort of in the mix for Scotty — and thanks to many of the Stargate fans who pumped that up — and that didn’t go my way, obviously, Simon Pegg played him, fabulous actor. But, and funny about that because Chris Doohan, James Doohan’s son, who I’ve never met before, their family publicly endorsed me to play Scotty, for that movie.

David Read
I did not know that, Paul. That’s fantastic! What an honor.

Paul McGillion
I didn’t know that either. You didn’t know that?

David Read
I didn’t.

Paul McGillion
If you look, you can find it. You look it up, you’ll see it.

David Read
Okay.

Paul McGillion
And I was like, he said, “This guy’s got a great Scottish accent.” And I do kind of have very much a resemblance to his father back in the day.

Paul McGillion
So I was like, “Well, this is great.” And then I put the scene on tape and stuff like that and then I was down in LA at the time and April Webster was the casting director — lovely — asked for me to come in and see her and we had a chat and she’s like, “You have such a… again, Stargate, you have a crazy fan base, and they’ll love you.” And I said, “Yeah,” and she goes, “Would you be interested in being on the show?” I’m like, “Of course, I mean, I would love to have played Scotty.” And she goes, “If that doesn’t work out is there anything else you’d rather…?” I go, “Listen, I would love to be on any part of the show and huge J.J. Abrams fan.”

David Read
Yeah.

David Read
Yeah.

Paul McGillion
Anyway, a week or two goes by, and I was driving back up to Vancouver to do a play and I had found out actually, just before that, that I didn’t get the role. And I was like, “Okay, what are you going to do?” I mean, that’s how it goes.

Paul McGillion
I’ve gotten lots and not gotten lots, that’s how it goes. But while I was driving, I was in Oregon, I believe, and my manager called and said, “Listen, we got a call from casting and J.J. Abrams’ office, they want to offer you something on the Star Trek movie.” I’m like, “What? What is it?” They said, “Well, they can’t tell you until you say yes.” I’m like, “Yes, of course.” So I did it and I got to do a little cameo being on Star Trek. And it was an amazing opportunity to meet J.J. and I got there and the first AD is — I believe his name was Tommy, he works with J.J. all the time — he’s Scottish and goes “Oh, you’re Paul. For God’s sakes, man, I’ve heard so much about you. Thank you so much for doing this. Come and meet J.J.” And I walk in and we’re shooting the scene… for somebody that may have not seen that movie, it’s in an enormous… the biggest room I’ve ever been in, where they build blimps, right? It’s massive and there was all these spaceships and I’m like, “Holy crap!” And they had me in a covered golf cart with a costume. Everything was very secretive. You had to sign all these non-disclosures and didn’t want anybody to see the costumes and they shoveled me right into the thing and I got to meet J.J. and he was like, “Paul, thanks so much for doing this, I really appreciate it. Come check out the spaceships.” So I walk around, I’m like, “I’m walking around him.” He was such a down to earth guy, this is amazing. And I go, “It’s my pleasure.” And I’ll tell you a funny story about this. It was a real pleasure to do it, to be on that show, but what happened was, there’s another girl, her name is Lisa Vidal, I think, she had a similar thing that I had to call all these names, Kirk and McCoy and say all the different ships that they’re on, right? I can’t even remember the names. A lot of them were like, sort of the USSR, some had Russian names, and some had different, Japanese names and stuff.

David Read
It’s the business.

David Read
Yeah, Lisa Vidal, she was giving everyone their duty assignments.

Paul McGillion
Right.

David Read
Putting them off into the shuttlecraft to go up to the different ships.

Paul McGillion
She was doing that, and I was doing this. So I was first and it was one of the first days of shooting. So, what happened is, on my dialogue, they had a huge camera that was on the other end of the room. I would start talking and slowly, everyone from all the ships, like, 400 background performers, as soon as I started talking, everyone would exit the ships and stuff, so the action would go on me talking. So they’re trying to time the talking, where the camera comes right up to me, after a long period of time, and then Kirk… I leave, then Kirk comes up and saying, “What, he didn’t call my name.” Whatever, you know. So I’m reading the names and they’re like, “Cut, everyone has to go back into place.” I’m like, “Okay, I better not mess this up.” Right? So I’m saying all the names. So, what happens is, they kept on changing the names around and the order, and it’s not like you’re acting because you’re just reading a list, right? So, what happened is, I go… He goes “It’s no problem, I’ll give you a grease pen.” J.J. tells me this. “And we’ll put it on this plastic… it’s like a glass sort of tablet and you can just read the names. And if we change the order of it, because we’re just… it’s all about timing, right?” And I’m like, “Okay, no problem, this is great. I’ll just read off, like, as if I’m reading off of…” Which I am. So what happens, it gets really close to the end and we cut and J.J. comes over, he goes, “We got a little issue.” I’m like, “What is it?” And he goes, “We can kind of see the grease pen on the glass that you’re writing.” I’m like, “What?” And he’s like, “So, uh, can you, um, can you do it without looking at it?” I’m like, “What?” I’m like, “You keep on changing the order of the names.” I’m like, “Oh, my God, no, I can’t.” I’m like, “I don’t know how…” I’m panicking and Lisa’s over there, she’s going, “What did they tell you?” And she did the same thing, I’m like, “Oh, my God, I don’t know these names and they keep on changing the order and I can barely even say them!” Right? Because like I said, it’s not like I’m acting, I’m reading a list.

David Read
You’re literally reading a list, at this point, yeah.

Paul McGillion
Yeah. And thankfully, at that point in time, my eyes weren’t bad, so I had pretty good eyes, so all I could think of, I went back to my school days, I wrote a tiny little cheat sheet, little paper, and I’d write the names really small on this paper and I had my hand there, I was reading from that [inaudible] whatever you need to do, I’m like, “Okay.”

David Read
Any port in a storm.

Paul McGillion
And then the scene continues and I’m actually talking with Chris Pine, right? And it was, that was fine, that part’s fine, it’s the list I couldn’t do. So I get it, thank God, and I’m reading off this little thing, so that’s what happened in that scene, I have that little scene. If you watch it, I’m reading off this little piece of paper that’s hidden behind my fingers, thankfully, and I’d have to change it all the time, and Lisa was doing the same thing. And I haven’t seen her since, lovely lady. Both of us were like, “Oh, my God.” So, for something that was that small, it was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done as an actor, because all these people are counting on you to get these lines out, right? Or words. Anyway, that’s my story about that. It was a pleasure to work on that.

David Read
It is a… that was a big blockbuster and it’s just, they have these bigger projects that you get to work on and… TV is very fast. And even with movies, there’s a lot riding on it, like, you had 400 extras in one scene, and you have to hit your marks, and if you miss, they have to reset.

Paul McGillion
There’s a lot of money involved, you got to be on your game. That’s only scene we shot that day, I think. It was a big scene, and it took a long time. And it was quite amazing, exciting to be part of that franchise in any sort of capacity. So, my point being, later on, I went to… because of that, I went to a Star Trek convention, years ago, in Vegas. And I met Chris Doohan. And we had a couple beers together and he goes, “I just wanted to introduce myself.” And he’s such a lovely guy, and it was such a pleasure to have met him, and worked with him. And I’ve been fortunate enough — J.J. did Fringe as well — and I had a nice guest star on Fringe and another pilot he did up here, I mean, I’d love to… he’s the kind of guy that you understand why he’s so successful, because he’s such a humble and brilliant guy and just a pleasure to be part of anything he does. So it was cool.

David Read
Not A Valid Name says, “Do you keep in touch with anyone specific from the cast of Atlantis?”

Paul McGillion
Well, I see… because I’m in Vancouver and Jewel’s in Vancouver, so I see Jewel a lot and we’re very tight friends. I talked to David not that long ago — Hewlett. David Nykl I see sometimes as well. Listen, when we do the conventions, we see them all, and we’re all very friendly. Torri, I love her. And Jason Momoa, he… I think he’s doing okay these days. I’m not sure.

David Read
I don’t know, man. I haven’t seen or heard from him.

Paul McGillion
I worked on Frontier with Jason, a couple years back, in Newfoundland, it was amazing. We didn’t have any scenes together, unfortunately, but I hung out with him, and I just love the guy, I couldn’t be happier for him. I talked to Joe not that long ago — Flanigan — he give me a call. And that’s the great thing, people say, “How are the conventions?” I love seeing all the fans, but it’s a great chance for us to catch up and see our castmates as well.

Paul McGillion
And we had a very tight group, and really especially tight with SG-1 cast as well, with David and Chris and Amanda and everybody, with Michael and seeing RDA the odd time is always great, too. But, it was just a special time and any chance to get… We always go out for dinner. If we’re in Chicago, we always go out for dinner together. It’s just, it’s great. And we get chance to see Rainbow. I was in Australia with Rainbow not too long ago. It was amazing.

David Read
Correct.

David Read
Teresa McAllister. “If the Stargate really existed, would you go through it?”

Paul McGillion
Are you Scottish, Teresa McAllister? Would I? Uh, no.

David Read
No? Okay!

Paul McGillion
I’m a bit of a scaredy cat, right?

David Read
Okay.

Paul McGillion
You will never catch me watching a scary movie, ever. People are like, “Have you seen It?” I’m like, “No, and I never will.” And I won’t go on any scary rides or anything like that. For me it’s that thing, like, the kids go to the amusement park, I won’t get on… I mean, I can go on a roller coaster if it’s not too big. If it goes upside down, I’m out. There’s not a question [inaudible].

David Read
Really? You don’t invert yourself. Okay.

Paul McGillion
Anything that spins I’ll throw up on immediately. So, things like that I can’t do. So the idea of going through a gate, as intriguing it is to some people, I mean… yeah, I’m good.

David Read
Russell Baldwin, “Did Carson and Rodney’s friendship come about organically through scripts, or through the two of you as actors — actors — or a combination of both?”

Paul McGillion
I think a combination of both, I think. In the pilot, there’s that funny line at the end when he’s eating the chicken, “So, is this, like, lemon or whatever?” and he’s like, “You’re gotta get out more.” I’m like “I’m on another planet. How much more out can you get?”

David Read
Exactly. Another galaxy.

Paul McGillion
“Another galaxy, how much more out can you get?” We’re watching Teyla and John bump heads and stuff. And we’re both like… I think at that point in time, we both kind of looked at each other and said, “Oh, we’re kind of like the lovable losers in this show, to a certain degree, right?” John, the hero guy, gets all the girls and everything and we’re kind of looking over at him and I’m like, “Oh god. How come I can’t make friends like that?”

David Read
You need to get out more.

Paul McGillion
And Rodney was sort of in the same boat, I think, a lot of times. Not very good, in certain areas, right? So, I think… obviously, as it grew, the writers kind of picked up on the fact that we were jamming pretty good together as actors, and I think they just wrote more for us, and I think a lot of the relationship blossomed from the performances, and also the writing. And I think we had a really strong cast and everyone had brought their own unique flavor to the table.

David Read
It was definitely a show built on relationships and the dynamics between everyone — in my opinion — is what kept it interesting. A lot of people that… I mean, it was much more of an action show that SG-1 or Universe were, but the characters are really what kept me coming back, as far as a fan. Oh, Shantel Leo, “Tell us about how you became involved in Sanctuary.”

Paul McGillion
Sanctuary was a lot of fun. They asked me to come and do Sanctuary and for me, looking at the character, who was the complete dichotomy of Beckett, you know? Wexford is this evil, half…

Paul McGillion
Wexford, that’s right, yeah.

Paul McGillion
…half lizard, and really, really crazy, you know? Complete opposite of Beckett. So for an actor, I’m very much a character actor, I like playing lots of different things and I’ve been very fortunate in my career to be able to play lots of different characters. And that was a really great character that I got the opportunity to play. And Amanda and Martin welcomed me to the set, it was really nice to work on that. And of course, I think in season… I’m not sure… maybe three? Wexford takes over the Sanctuary, from Amanda’s character, so that was pretty cool to play a character like that. Really creepy looking, prosthetics were odd. A lot of green screen in that show, so very different. But yeah, they asked me to come and work on the show, and I had… I think it did four or five episodes, so it was cool.

David Read
Yeah. The Fred wants to know about filming the scene on the pier with David for Sunday. Was that the last scene shot? Was it in the mix of the shots? Do you recall? It had to have been pretty heavy.

Paul McGillion
It was very heavy and I can’t remember if it was the last scene, that’s a good question. No, I think the very last thing we did was when all of us were lined up on the balcony.

David Read
Oh, I’m not talking about the series finale, I’m talking about the scene in Sunday, with you and David.

Paul McGillion
Oh, on Sunday. I’m not sure, I can’t remember if it was the very last scene we shot on that episode. What the crazy part is, I don’t know if you guys know this, but I shot that episode and then we went back and I shot two other episodes after that, that aired before Sunday. So I’d done that, and then of course, when I come back and shoot the other episodes, which will air before Sunday, the crew was like, “Dead man walking.” So I did that, because they had to shoot, for whatever reason, out of sequence on that. But that was a very sad scene, heartfelt, and yeah, it was just a, yeah, it was a sad scene, that’s all I gotta say. I mean, it was really an emotional scene, for me, you kind of, like Beckett, I think I wear my heart on my sleeve a little bit. So, it was sad, leaving that show and then, I think, and your best friend on the show, and it’s just a sad, beautifully written scene.

David Read
I try not to take things personally, especially in business situations, but sometimes you just can’t help it. Even if it’s for the greater good of a show, they want to shake it up a little bit, they want to do something different, part of you… part of me at least, wouldn’t… part of me would be like, “Was there something that I could have offered differently? Did I miss the boat somehow?” I would think that part of you wouldn’t be able to help but take it a little personally.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, well, it’s hard not to, when you’re in a situation like that. I mean, especially when you invest so much into it. So, yeah, I mean, it’s tough, you’re kind of like “Why me?” But at the same time, you look back, and you are thankful for the opportunity that you had, and to be part of a show like that and do 70 episodes on a show like that. And then the most amazing part of all of it is the Save Carson Beckett Campaign.

David Read
Oh my gosh, yes. Right down to the bagpipe band.

Paul McGillion
Yeah. And I was in Los Angeles at the time, I remember, my brother said, “You’re on the news.” There’s news stations covering the footage of a busload of fans, in the pouring rain, coming out and the girls flashing their their bums, saying “Save Carson” on their underwear. And then David came out and spoke to them, I think Martin Gero did and some other actors came out.

David Read
Yes. Jason did.

Paul McGillion
And talked to them, and you’re kind of like, “Holy smokes!” You make that kind of an impact on something, it’s really special, and I think that’s what I said before. It’s one of those shows that makes a special impact and that’s why I think they’re still… the fan base is so amazing with it. It’s incredible to think that you could have that much of an impact on somebody that they would have a pipe band rally outside of the studio for your character.

Paul McGillion
And then, for me coming back was more of a win for those people that put themselves out there for me, and that’s what I feel like he represents the people.

David Read
Right.

David Read
I agree.

Paul McGillion
And there’s a lot of heart in the character, and I think the people felt like some of that was taken away. And then when he came back, I felt really great for the people that had honored me by doing those things in the Save, on the t-shirts and the mugs and all that stuff. And we just, I was blown away by it and still am. It’s pretty crazy.

David Read
The sci-fi fan base is pretty darn loyal. They’ll follow you — as I’ve said before on this show — they’ll follow you to the bitter end. Thomas M. “Any ad libbing that stands out in your mind that you were able to do?” Do you have to run it up the flagpole?

Paul McGillion
Oh, Thomas, Thomas, Thomas. There is a… very much. We ad libbed all the time. Obviously, when the writing is that great, you can pop little things here and there at the end, but we had a great opportunity to ad lib quite a bit at the ends of scenes. We’d add little tags here and there and do all kinds of different things, which was always fun at the end. I had little… and for Beckett, I had a lot of Beckett-isms, because he’s Scottish, you can add these things that the writers…

Paul McGillion
Because they’re not Scottish, they’re like, “Thank you for throwing that little tale in.” Some of them they keep, some of them they don’t. Like, the thing where, like I said, with the blowing the nose with Joe, I mean, they didn’t keep that but I just threw that in there. And sometimes they go “Come on, that’s great.” Then sometimes you get gold and sometimes you don’t. But, they would go, “Keep the cameras rolling!” a lot. And we’d do lots of fun things and have many, many opportunities like that to do fun things. As you can imagine.

David Read
Really?

David Read
Ian — last question — Ian wanted to know, “There is some information out there online about the 200th episode, that you were supposed to be Scotty in the Star Trek sketch?”

Paul McGillion
Yeah.

David Read
Brad Wright plays him in 200. Can you shed any light on that? Do you recall this?

Paul McGillion
Yeah, I do. It didn’t work… We had a scheduling conflict and it didn’t work out for me to play that part, unfortunately. And Brad jumped in and Brad has a Scottish background and he came in and he knocked it out of the park, he was great. I didn’t have a… I couldn’t do it on the day, and it didn’t work out, unfortunately. I wish it would have because it would have been a blast. But, yeah, sometimes these things work out. So, we were shooting Atlantis at the same time.

David Read
Ah, I gotcha. Okay. I didn’t know that. I always thought that that was Brad. So he did a pinch hit.

Paul McGillion
Yeah, he jumped… And Brad had never been on the show before.

David Read
He had been in it for the 100th episode, Wormhole X-Treme.

Paul McGillion
Oh, was he? Okay.

David Read
But that was it. He’s with Michael Greenburg at the end.

Paul McGillion
Oh, really? Okay. And then he got to play a Scottish character, he came in, and he has a really good Scottish accent. He does, he’s got a great Scottish accent. And I thought he did a great job and I wish I would have been able to do that for him. But it didn’t work out.

David Read
You can’t — and this is just true about life — you can’t be everything for everyone and be there for every opportunity. But, you know what? Being asked is still cool as well. My friend, I appreciate you coming on and joining me, this has been an absolute delight.

Paul McGillion
Well, you know what? It’s a pleasure to be on with you, David, you know so much about the franchise, and you’re a huge part of it too, so, I appreciate your time and everybody for asking the great questions, thank you. I often do these things and when I do panels — and many people know — I always get kind of choked up a little bit, because it brings back a lot of great memories. And choked up in a good way because it was such a great time and a great experience in my life and the opportunity to meet many of you out there and travel and hopefully we’ll all have a chance to do that sometime soon. Who knows? Knock on wood. Keep safe and wear your mask and all that jazz. Just be safe and take care of yourselves. And hopefully I’ll get a chance to see everybody sometime soon.

David Read
Conventions will be back, yeah. We just have to figure these things out first.

Paul McGillion
Exactly, right?

David Read
And I hope to have you back on the show in 2021, my friend. This has been wonderful.

Paul McGillion
I’m always there for you, buddy.

David Read
You take care of those little ones, you guys stay safe, and I’ll be in touch with you really soon, okay?

Paul McGillion
God bless you, you cheeky buggers.

David Read
You take care, man, be well.

Paul McGillion
Bye, guys. Bye.

David Read
Paul McGillion, everyone, Dr. Carson Beckett of Stargate Atlantis. It’s no accident that I had Paul on at this time. Dean Devlin is coming up at the top of the hour, two o’clock Pacific time. And there was… Paul had agreed to do the show and I’m looking at the content and I’m looking at the schedule and everything else that’s supposed to be coming up today, and it’s like, “I need someone who’s going to put me at ease before I bring in Dean Devlin.” Who is amazingly chill and everything else, but I’ve… I mean, he’s one of my idols, and it was like, “I can bring in Paul. Paul will put me at ease.” So I reached out to Paul last week and he said, “I’m there.” So, thank you, Paul, appreciate it. I appreciate all of you joining me for this episode. I think we had about 250 people at the peak on this show, so that’s pretty fantastic. So thank you all for joining. And the show has… I will discuss the analytics of the show at some point in the future. I’ll have an episode specifically where we go over the numbers because I want people to see and I want the powers that be to see that Stargate is alive and well throughout the world and that content like this is working. So, we will be breaking down the analytics, but we just passed 2000 subscribers, yesterday, and we haven’t even been on the air for three weeks. So, that’s to you, thank you so much for that. That means a great deal to me. So, if you enjoy this episode, it would mean a lot if you would give us a click for the Like button, and it makes a difference with YouTube’s algorithm, as we’ve seen, and is helping the show to grow its audience. Please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend and if you want to get notified about future episodes, click the Subscribe icon. If you plan to watch live, I recommend giving the Bell icon a click as well so that you’ll be the first to know of any schedule changes which will happen and bear in mind, clips from this live stream will be released over the course of the next several days in both the Dial the Gate, and GateWorld.net YouTube channels. That’s all she wrote for this episode. We will be joining Dean Devlin at the top of the hour, the co-writer of Stargate The Movie, and producer of Stargate The Movie. So, be ready with your questions. I know a number of you who are on the live stream who are planning on switching over. A note on that. I will not be taking questions for Dean from fans regarding the TV franchise. He had no involvement in it, it is not his project. So, if you submit a question, the moderators have been instructed not to provide me those questions. This is a courtesy to Dean. For context, I will be asking him one question in relation to the TV franchise, so that everyone will have some context as to that relationship. But otherwise, keep your questions to his movie, his projects and the Stargate projects that he wanted to create, just out of respect for him. All right, folks, I appreciate you watching, I appreciate you tuning in. Thank you again to Paul McGillion. Thank you again to Sommer and Ian for moderating, and we will be seeing you really shortly. I’ll see you on the other side.