Summer 2004

 Ben Trumble: Hi everybody, thanks for joining us. I'm Ben Trumble for SCIFI. Tonight we're pleased to be chatting with actors Ben Browder and Claudia Black about SCI-FI's original mini-series Farscape, Peacekeeper Wars, coming later this year.

Ben Trumble: Well. We zillion of Q's... so let's begin.

Ben Browder: Wow... de... ja... vu...

Ben Trumble:  How does it feel to be back working on Farscape again?

Ben Browder: Lets do it.

CLAUDIA: It was very grueling but really fun to see everyone.

Ben Browder: It was outstanding to be back  But very surreal.  A massive family reunion

CLAUDIA: Surreal, but nice, as they say in Notting Hill

Ben Browder: very nice.

 Ben Trumble: How do you feel about the steady growth of reality TV worldwide and the decline of scripted television, particularly in the sci-fi/fantasy genre? Do you think we've seen the end of this kind of format, or do you think people will get a clue one of these days and realize that they're watching garbage?

 CLAUDIA: Ben , I think you are done answering that one...

 Ben Browder: With reality TV they are not really watching reality

 CLAUDIA: I think numbers are dropping off gradually ratings wise on reality shows but everything has cycles of popularity

 Ben Browder: Anytime a camera is pointed it takes a pov... point of view.  Quiz shows ruled the 1950's. Reality TV rules today. Perhaps the next cycle of TV will be Westerns or Fan scripted TV???

 CLAUDIA: I have to admit that I watch "Survivor" and I love Rupert.

 Ben Trumble: Do either of you feel as if you have been typecast because of your work in Farscape, or do you feel it's only propelled your career's forward into new arena's that weren't open to you before?

CLAUDIA: I have no idea what Farscape will or won't do for my career, only time will tell

Ben Browder: I haven't been cast enough outside of Farscape to know what my type is. Let's come back to that question in 10 years.

Ben Trumble:  How did the two of you react when you were contacted about reprising your roles for the upcoming mini-series?

CLAUDIA: Yeah when they are doing " Farscape.. where are they now???"

Ben Browder: I refused to believe it  I'm still not sure I believe it

CLAUDIA: I didn't believe it either. I thought it would take too long and we would be in Zimmer frames

Ben Browder: Isn't Farscape that show that died off quietly? I mean... Far... what?

CLAUDIA: fire-escape

 Ben Browder: It's a miracle.

 Ben Browder: And we owe a whole bunch of people.... big time  I think you know who you are.

 Ben Trumble: At what stage of the Mini are you working on?

 Ben Browder: Post production

 CLAUDIA: The part where Claudia gets to work on her sun tan.

 Ben Browder: Still haven't done the additional dialogue  Claude... you have a tan???? I wanna see.

 CLAUDIA: They are in early post production at the moment. shut up

 Ben Browder: no you shuddup

 CLAUDIA: I wanna watch you surf,  you should do a surfing "how to" video, Ben.

 Ben Browder: do they still have the naked surf contest at Bondi?

 CLAUDIA: Yes, you did it remember and they called you the Bondi yeti

 Ben Browder: Okay... you win

 CLAUDIA: It 's ok Ben, it's only us in a room with four hundred other people, I feel I can say this stuff

 Ben Browder: we're in post.

 CLAUDIA: Booyacasha

 Ben Trumble: What did you enjoy/dislike about playing Aeryn as a new mother?

 Ben Browder: Aeryn's a mamma?

 CLAUDIA: Always needing to pee. Yeah. It's time for Palimony

 Ben Browder: Cept... who's the daddy?

 CLAUDIA: I didn't like it much because Aeryn hated it.... it's in her way of contributing to the ship

 Ben Browder: They feed babies to Moya for fuel Finally we find out her power source. Farscape tech at it's best

 CLAUDIA: Deep down she hated it, it wasn't really in the script.

 Ben Trumble:  Did the two of you find it difficult to step back into characters you said good bye to almost two years ago? If so, what aspect did you find the most challenging?

 Ben Browder: The difficulty was in accepting that time had passed.

 CLAUDIA: Stepping back into a costume that might not have fit  and we were older and slower and un-used to early starts

 Ben Browder: It seemed like the year away never really happened.  Everything was the same... But DIFFERENT.

 CLAUDIA: It was quite surreal going back and seeing the sets in different sheds... I got very discombobulated. Same same, but different as they say in Thai restaurants

 Ben Browder: Yeah... and the sets had moved around

 CLAUDIA: I could never find the lunch room and y'all know how important lunch is to me

 Ben Browder: But the manure factory next door was the same. Manure even

 CLAUDIA: I found that Aeryn did not do the things she normally does because she was slowed down by the pregnancy. Oh, my the smell was BAD

 Ben Trumble: Now that you know how it ends, are you happy with the closure the mini-series is supposed to be bringing to the Farscape story?

 CLAUDIA: but Farscape is the show that never ends

 Ben Browder: I think there is a "To be Continued"at the end

 CLAUDIA: and it goes on and on my friends

 Ben Browder: like that beer song

 CLAUDIA: do a beer... a Mexican beer.  'Ray! a guy that buys me beer

 Ben Browder: I knew we'd get her to sing

 CLAUDIA: me a guy, I buy beer for.. fa..... a long way to the baaaaarr   soooooooo   I'll have another beeeeeer la...lalalalalalallalalalllala  tea?  no thanks, I'll have a beer   and that brings us back to .... dododododododododo

Ben Browder: PLEASE

Ben Trumble: How long did it take you to film the mini-series?

CLAUDIA: Go surf naked or somethin'

Ben Browder: with you?

CLAUDIA: three months, was it?

Ben Browder: Tan lines and all.  3

CLAUDIA: is quite pervy

Ben Browder: months

CLAUDIA: calm down yeti

Ben Browder: fur is a natural sunscreen ya know

CLAUDIA: three months of me and Ben picking on each other

Ben Browder: three months of her being cruel and unusual

CLAUDIA: what-e-ver

Ben Browder: it was TORTURE

CLAUDIA: I am normal  very normal. Yeah, torture.. .Ben couldn't remember his lines...EVER  just kidding

Ben Trumble: Claudia, you said something at Burbank about what you gave up to work on the "unnamed" project. Is that anything you can share with us yet? No is an acceptable answer if you can't.

CLAUDIA: No. A lot of people made a lot of personal sacrifices

Ben Trumble: Speaking of pervy-- am I right that the actor who played Aeryn's made-up lover Lechna is the same guy who played her Scarren torturer Jenek? Very Farscape, that.

CLAUDIA: so mine is one among many. Did any one know that? is it in the credits?

Ben Browder: yes... it's true

CLAUDIA: well spotted.

Ben Trumble: Will the Cast make an appearance in San Diego like last year?? and thanks for Showing up Last year

CLAUDIA: If I am asked and in town. I would love to.

Ben Browder: No plans at the moment past getting the Miniseries finished  hopefully that will be mostly done in June... Junish?  Ask Brian on Thursday.

Ben Trumble: David Kemper and Rockne O'Bannon often referred to how, from the beginning, they had specific ideas for how the show would end. Does the mini take us that far (to their original goal), or is this an intermediate ending?

CLAUDIA: kinda close.

Ben Browder: Ending... WHAT STINKING ENDING

CLAUDIA: David talks like a jazz music jams.... so some things he says, he's thinking out loud

Ben Browder: We don't need no stinkin ending

CLAUDIA: but this is close to how I remember him saying he wanted to do it

Ben Browder: This is the song that never ends

CLAUDIA: do a beer....

Ben Browder: see?

CLAUDIA: franchise is the word of the new media millennium... things will never end the way they used to

Ben Trumble: What sort of emotions do your characters go through during the mini-series? Will there be tears?

Ben Browder: Yes  many tears

CLAUDIA: never... soldiers never cry

Ben Browder: mostly from the fans

CLAUDIA: Ben cries like a big fat girl, but a cute hairy one

Ben Browder: I take that as a compliment There were and will be tears

CLAUDIA: what was that mollusk ep called?

Ben Trumble: Are there special effects on par with the destruction of the Dreadnaught in the mini?

CLAUDIA: you got more wolf whistles than me

Ben Browder: Haven't seen the CGI. Expect there to be more

CLAUDIA: you mean, do we blow as much shit up?

Ben Browder: and bigger  We blowed up the entire galaxy

CLAUDIA: it was pretty high production values they were aiming for

Ben Browder: Nothing left behind, no expense spared

CLAUDIA: but no fireworks on wrap this year.  That's my favorite.

Ben Browder: Truly... it was big on the explosive front. The sfx guys actually ran out of hits and had to import more from America

CLAUDIA: No they just had to go and do Mardi Gras

Ben Browder: Australia ran OUT of PYRO HITS! True.

Ben Trumble: Do you think Baby Sun looks more like Claudia or Ben?

Ben Browder: Rygel

CLAUDIA: ah.. .that's a sensitive subject

Ben Browder: Who kinda looks like Yoda

CLAUDIA: the equivalent of mail man in space looks like what?

Ben Browder: Who kinda looks like Frank Oz

CLAUDIA: or milk man

Ben Browder: Damn Henson Company

CLAUDIA: who looks like the next actor they'll bring in for Farscape with the next gen

Ben Browder: But if we had a baby... it would be CUTE!!! But Hairy

CLAUDIA: yeah... but.. took the words right out of my mouth but I know a great beautician

Ben Browder: Ouch

Ben Trumble: What season posed the most difficult challenges for your characters?

Ben Browder: ALL of THEM

CLAUDIA: I loved season three the most because Aeryn had so many great story twists.

Ben Browder: I LOVED season three cause... well

CLAUDIA: I felt I was being challenged in all the right ways

Ben Browder: you know

CLAUDIA: cause of all the kissin'?

Ben Browder: yeah

CLAUDIA: ahhhhh

Ben Browder: blowin up things and kissin

CLAUDIA: season three

CLAUDIA: yeah and that day on the dune buggies

Ben Browder: that's why I like going to work

CLAUDIA: that was soooooo cooool

Ben Browder: and the kissin

CLAUDIA: yeah, blowin stuff up

Ben Browder: that's what we call Drama

CLAUDIA: gen x is such a sex/death culture isn't it?

Ben Browder: guns and roses hmmmmm

CLAUDIA: jeez is that your taste in music?

Ben Browder: but hey... it worked for Shakespeare

CLAUDIA: I thought you were too old for that?

Ben Browder: funny... old wench

CLAUDIA: I don't remember axel rose in Merchant of Venice  Did you really train as an actor?

Ben Browder: he played Lorenzo, wasn't very good

CLAUDIA: he didn't need a wig neither

Ben Trumble: So, any plans to continue the story in further miniseries? Any other "Farscape" projects sitting on the far horizon? (Pun intentional.)

Ben Browder: Brian mentioned something with the F word

CLAUDIA: ask the puppet master, Brian

Ben Browder: ASK  and then tell us. We're looking for things to blow up

CLAUDIA: yeah, I am sure you guys out there will be making it happen

Ben Browder: they made me kiss HER!!!

Ben Trumble: Do you lurk at various websites or even post under pseudonyms?

Ben Browder: I have 5000 pseudonyms... I used them all at save Farscape  I also am currently using 300 nicks  in chat

CLAUDIA: I have a rule in my household which came from my mum.... people before machines.... so less time watching telly and surfing online, more time face to face with people

 Ben Browder: ANYTHING to work with Claudia Black. 

CLAUDIA: More time surfing naked  you mean

Ben Trumble: Who would win 12 rounds of bare-knuckle boxing? Braca or Crais?

Ben Browder: hmmmm

CLAUDIA: just thought you'd slip that in, hey rx-queen.?

Ben Browder: Crais is Dead. Hard to whup a dead man

CLAUDIA: Braca doesn't fight with his knuckles

Ben Browder: He doesn't fight fair.  Or does he?

CLAUDIA: btw, Ben, you're hot . just slipped it in

Ben Browder: Wench

CLAUDIA: tee hee

Ben Browder: Crais wins

CLAUDIA: me, I mean

Ben Trumble: If you could play any role on stage- which would you pick?

CLAUDIA: one that pays

Ben Browder: lots. Dunno...

CLAUDIA: one with Ben. ahhhhh

Ben Browder: Okay... yeah.   We should do who's afraid of Virginia Wolf

CLAUDIA: I would be nervous about getting back on stage, but I would love the challenge of a good Shakespeare with axel rose  yeah. fun

 Ben Browder: he rocks  Anything with Claudia

 Ben Trumble: What's the most embarrassing thing the other has done on set?

 CLAUDIA: well we all know mine. Ben feel free to remind them if you dare. I told EVERYBODY at the con. Ben is never wrong

 Ben Browder: You told them about the fart?

 CLAUDIA: ya  the loud one, just after I danced around

 Ben Browder: never happened... it's a lie

 CLAUDIA: that one,  oops

 Ben Browder: you never fart

 CLAUDIA: ya,,,, it never happened

 Ben Browder: you told me so

 CLAUDIA: we are done here  I am being nice and saying nothing about you

 Ben Browder: Many things I do on set are embarrassing

 CLAUDIA: like what? act?

 Ben Browder: But I'm blessed with selective memory

 CLAUDIA: tee hee  I love you

 Ben Browder: back atchya

 Ben Trumble:  So assuming you guys get  re-integrated early on in the mini, Who ends up carrying the baby???

 Ben Browder: Crais gets the Baby. Wait... Moya's baby, right?

 CLAUDIA: there is no baby that was a jedi mind trick

 Ben Browder: Sorry... there is no baby , move along

 Ben Trumble:   I just wanted to thank you for the great care and respect you showed in your performance in The Choice. It was magnificent and helped me learn how to say good-bye to a baby I lost a couple of cycles ago and move on, but never forget, as well. Thank you and God Bless You!! Was that the most difficult episode you had to do?

 CLAUDIA: It was fulfilling. Was it the hardest for you to watch? you are very brave.

 Ben Browder: Claudia was fairly magnificent in The Choice

 CLAUDIA: A lot of people say the same about The Choice. it was my version of grief up there. I drew on personal experience so I am glad it translated and had resonance for others. thank you for what you said. and I am so sorry for what you went through. may you be blessed with a joyous life

 Ben Trumble: Ben, does Fran reprise her role as Akhna? Say hello to her for us! She's part of the Farscape family, too!

 Ben Browder: Francesca is of course in the Mini. I'll say hi. No Farscape would be complete with her getting a chance to bust my chops

 Ben Trumble: no other reason

 CLAUDIA: sorry that last answer tracks as though I agree that I am fairly magnificent. it was a response to previous question

 Ben Browder: You do agree - Jedi mind trick

 CLAUDIA: I do agree with what? That I am magnificent?

 Ben Browder: You are Magnificent  yes?

 CLAUDIA: like the soccer song, there can be only one... director

 Ben Browder: Prowsie was around quite a bit shooting second unit . He also produced on this one. I really CAN'T imagine Farscape without Andrew Prowse  The others we missed but until they invent the multi-director mini  we'll just have to settle for season FIVE.

 Ben Trumble: Ben have you been writing (screenplays, etc) lately?

 Ben Browder: Am working with a group of folks on a screenplay at the moment. 

Ben Trumble: Are they saving the sets this time?

CLAUDIA: I saved a piece of set

Ben Browder: Dunno  Oh... Claudia has the sets

CLAUDIA: yeah... all of them. I got my prowler too

Ben Browder: we'll be doing a Farscape play over at her house

CLAUDIA: I drive around in it.  funny

Ben Browder: anyone wants to watch.... it's a musical

CLAUDIA: you can play Aeryn this time This is the show that never ends

Ben Browder: about beer.

CLAUDIA: toot toot I'm in my prowler

Ben Trumble "Did the other Farscape directors, like Tilse and Woods, consult with Henson on the direction of the mini?

Ben Browder: Not that I know of

CLAUDIA: woodsie is now being fancy pants and doing a film with Kate Blanchett

Ben Browder: But Brian may have secretly been channeling some of them Yeah... Woodsy is Big time.  Reckon he'll give us job, C?

 CLAUDIA: so is Tilse... very very busy

 Ben Browder: Or he can play Zaahn in our Musical?

 CLAUDIA: yeah

 Ben Trumble: Claudia and Ben -- thanks for joining us. Any comments before let you go?

 Ben Browder: Uh...

 CLAUDIA: Umm... read

 Ben Browder: That's it?

 CLAUDIA: "Dude, Where's My Country?" by Michael Moore

 Ben Browder: Yes of course we have comments.  First... I have to thank a whole bucket of folks for providing me with work! It is a privilege for us to be working for you all. Thank you  Thank you  Thank You! Ah... hell... I'm just gonna get sentimental... these chats become like therapy. Ben Browder: Thanks Ya'll