015: Science Fiction (Triple Feature) with Jerome St. John Blake, Gary Graham & Terry Farrell.
Today’s guests all share two things in common. They’re all actors and they’ve all appeared in iconic Science Fiction franchises. They’ve worn all sorts of weird and wonderful costumes and make-up, coped with extraordinary situations both on screen and off and they’re adored by Science Fiction fans across the world. But at what cost?
For our first intergalactic episode, we are joined by Jerome St. John Blake from Star Wars, Gary Graham and Terry Farrell from Star Trek. We boldly go where no podcast has gone before, transporting us to the 24th annual Sci-Fi Ball, a three day event which takes over the stunning four star Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton in February, packs it full of geeks and offers guest talks, parties, cosplay madness, games, roaming Daleks, a three course black-tie dinner with cabaret, a cocktail party – the list really goes on, but it’s a weekend out of this world, where fans get up close and personal with actors who have appeared in Sci-Fi television shows and movies whilst raising vital funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Episode interviews include:
Jerome St. John Blake – Size matters. Jerome has played seven characters in Star Wars and many others iconic Science Fiction films, including The Fifth Element and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, however he’s not immediately recognisable because most of the roles he’s played have required him to wear physically demanding costumes and prosthetic make-up. Jerome talks about how he got involved in this kind of work (including appearing in music videos for both Freddie Mercury and Elton John), working on Star Wars and how it has changed since Disney has taken over, his relationship working with director Luc Besson on The Fifth Element, how he develops a physical language for the creatures he’s played and even delivers a little bit of Vogon poetry too!
Gary Graham – Why are my ears pointy? Gary talks about his time playing Ambassador Soval in Star Trek: Enterprise and the challenges that came with playing a Vulcan – a fictional race he had never heard of before auditioning for the role, the prejudice he has faced from other actors thinking Science Fiction is a lesser art-form and he expresses his pride and gratitude to the Star Trek franchise for the work he has done whilst explaining why he thinks Science Fiction is important due to its morality.
Terry Farrell – Holy fuck this is amazing! Terry may be best recognised as science officer Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Terry talks about transitioning from being a model working for the likes of Vogue and Maybelline to becoming a successful young actor. She explains what working on Star Trek was like, being a woman in Hollywood and the difficulties she faced at Paramount Studios. Stay tuned until the end as we got Terry to do our famous Funny Five Minutes challenge!
Finally Andrew discusses what Science Fiction means to him, how he discovered it and how he become involved and continues to support the Sci-Fi Ball in Southampton.