RICK'S REPLY


15-16/01/02

Actor Rick Worthy (Nathan Jackson) very kindly took the time to answer some questions from the Euro-Posse members. Here are his answers:-

  1. How did you get into acting? – Suzanne
    I got into acting in college.  I attended The University of Michigan, and began doing plays there.  My first major role was a play called "The Mighty Gents" by Richard Wesley, and I played Frankie.  I'll never forget that play, because it was while doing that show that I realized Who I Am. After college I worked for a short while at  the University then moved to Chicago and began acting in theatre, commercials,  and guest spots on TV series shooting there like "The Untouchables", and "Missing Persons."   It was quite and education.  I decided after a few years that I should really consider moving to Los Angeles because I knew in my heart that I wanted to do work in Television and Film.   I've been in LA for 7 years now.  I still go back to Chicago, but LA is my home now.    Thanks Suzanne!
  1. What did you have to do as an audition for the role and how were the cast brought together? - Julia
    Uh,  my agent called me and told me he had set up an appointment for me to meet with John Watson and the Trilogy group and about a dozen other people.  I had just finished shooting Steven Bochco's "Murder One" and I was kinda anxious to get cast in a series.   I just remember I wasn't as prepared for the audition as I usually am.  I think I had two other auditions that day, and I kind of spread myself a bit thin.  Anyhoo, the meeting went much better than I thought.  And I'll never forget Mr. Watson was the first to say something to me in his beautiful English voice:  "My only question for you Rick is -- how long will it take you to grow your hair??"  (I normally have a shaved head).   I was so taken by his humor and kindness, and about 1 to 2 weeks after, I was offered the role. It happened differently for all 8 of us (don't forget Laurie Holden) -- for some it was probably a matter of saying "Sure, I'd love to do it", for others it happened in various stages of meetings.  Thanks Julia!
  1. Had any of you met or worked together before? – Marcia (for her sister, Helen)  
    Hi Marcia,  no I had not met any of the cast before.  Of course I had seen most of their work, but had never met any of them.   The first one I met was Ron Perlman.
  1. How did you prepare for the role of Nathan (research, knife-throwing, etc)? - Raquel
    I prepared by reading about the West, and in particular the  role the Black Cowboy played in the West.   Like I do with every role, I created a complete biography for Nathan paying close attention to key events leading up to the moment before encountering Chris, Vin, Ezra, JD, Buck, Josiah, and Mary.    I did some of the knife-throwing in the series, and some of it is visual effects.  But I practiced at home by setting up a big cardboard box against the wall and throwing butterknives, screwdrivers,  and pocketknives at the box.  I started getting pretty good after a few days!   I found this to be extremely helpful later when I had to throw a knife (usually a heavy-plastic or rubber replica)  and hit a target within a certain range -- In the episode "Penance"  I remember throwing the knife within a few inches of Andy's face (JD), and exactly hitting my mark.  Practice pays off. Thanks Raquel
  1. What, if anything, had been planned for Nathan and Rain? - Do
    Ahhhhhhh, Rain!  :)  Well, initially a romance developed in the Pilot.  But I don't think the producers knew at that time if Rain would be returning.    I was hoping she would because I liked Nathan having a love interest.   Nathan's kind of a loner (as are all of the Seven).   So I thought it was cool when they brought a little love into Nathan's life, as well as the rest as the episodes unfolded.  :)  Thanks Do.
  1. If Nathan took the name of Jackson, after his former plantation owner, did he have a previous surname? – Becka
    Great question.  If you're asking what was Nathan's original African surname, prior to the institution of American Slavery, I do not know. Just as I don't know my own family's original African name.   However, in my biography, I wrote that Nathan was born September 8, 1839 on a Texas slaveholding plantation. YES, Texas held slaves, and in fact many of the Black Cowboys can trace their lineage to slavery in Texas. So, he was born, and given the surname Jackson.  Nathan Elias Jackson.  My biography differs slightly from Trilogy's version, but I don't care.  I created Nathan the way I wanted to.  Their version had Nathan born in Alabama then sold to the Jackson's in Texas --  mine places him as a native Texan.   Whew!  Thank you Becka!
  1. Was your gun-twirling scene in Wagon Train part of the script or did you just throw it in? And how much practice did you do for it? – Marcia
    Let's see,   I remember doing a couple knife tosses in Wagon Train, but if I did do some gun-twirls it was just spontaneous.  I had been wanting to throw some of that in there ever since I've seen Michael and Andy do some twirling.  Have you seen Michael in "Tombstone"??   Wonderful.  Thank you Marcia
  1. Did the guys wear genuine Old West underwear underneath their costume? – Ingunn
    Genuine Old West Underwear??  Personally I wore Underoos,  but honestly I really don't know.   Come to think of it, I don't wanna know!!  :)  Thank you Ingunn.
    Additional comment added when we asked what 'Underoos' were:-
    Underoos is a brand of underwear that have Superheroes printed on them.  Like Spiderman, Superman,  Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk.  Personally I like Spiderman.   It's mostly a kid's underwear but I'm still trying to find some for adults.  :)
  1. How much of the character interactions in M7 were ad-libbed or a result of naturally getting on, and how much was down to the script? – Lee (btw, you got a good dubbed voice on the German airing)
    We pretty much stuck to the script but we had the great advantage of John Watson giving us freedom to make and suggest changes to what was written.  We had a great head writer named Melissa Rosenberg who was pure joy to work with.  She wrote and/or supervised the writing of The Magnificent Seven.  And we were happy and lucky to have her.   - Thank you Lee.
  1. Can you tell us about any good bloopers/out-takes/fluffed lines that would make us giggle, please? And who made you laugh most? – Ingunn & Jackie
    Wow,  actually the most vivid thing I remember right away is when Andy was dragged by his horse.  It scared the sh*t out of me because it was a scene when we're all hauling ass out of town at the same time, and I happened to be positioned right next to Andy and because there's so much dust on the street, I couldn't really see what was happening until a few moments later and I saw Andy's hat on the ground and I looked to my right and I didn't see Andy on his horse!  I thought  "Oh No. . . ."  I looked down, and sure enuff he was being dragged at top speed straight down the street.  Somehow he managed to stop the horse and I pray to God he wasn't injured.   He was a bit stunned I think, maybe a few scratches, but that's it.    Thank God.   Andy, Dale, and Ron -- I would call them the Three Stooges.   All fun guys, and Tony, Mike, and Eric and myself, we all joked around too.  And Laurie.   I miss them all very much. Thanks Ingunn & Jackie.
  1. What do you miss most about doing the show? And are you still in touch with any of the other cast members and crew? - Raquel  
    I miss everything about The Magnificent Seven.  I miss the new stories from week to week, the new guest stars.  I miss watching our characters unfold and grow from week to week.  I miss the outdoors, riding the horses, and the EXCELLENT crew and guest directors.  I miss John Watson, and Pen Densham, and I miss the A.D.s and craft services!!  There were certainly some trying times on that show, but I look back on it now and realize, Man, we really had a good thing there.  We really did.  Thanks for asking, Raquel.  I actually run into Tony Starke, and Ron Perlman from time to time.  On occasion I see Dale and his family.   I rarely see Michael, Andy, Eric or Laurie.
  1. You've had a number of supporting roles in films. Do you prefer television, film or theatre, and which would you most like to do? – Sasha (‘Go Blue’)
    Hey Sasha, are you from Michigan??  :)  Okay,  I work mostly in Television,  and so far the most interesting work I've done on camera (for example, "Murder One", "TM7", "Touched By an Angel", "City of Angels"), has been on Television.  I'm not at all "above" doing Television as I know many people are.  Acting is Acting is Acting.   I would love to be a working actor in motion pictures.  But I'm most attracted to the material.  If it's good stuff, then I want to be in on it.  Thanks Sasha!
  1. What types of roles would you like to play if you could pick, and are there any that you would refuse? – Lee
    Wow, that's always a good question . . . I think I would look first to history and play someone who really was here and who lived an interesting life . . .Jimi Hendrix,  Malcolm X,  someone like that.   I'm generally not attracted to comedy, so I don't usually audition for them.  I like a lot of the films Michael Biehn has been in -- The Terminator,  The Abyss,  Aliens II, Jade -- very smart, very well-done, studio films.   I'd love to work in those kinds of films, as well as independent "art-house" films.  I'm a big fan of Asian films as well, both the Hong Kong action-oriented films like "A Better Tomorrow", and "The Killer",  as well as the wonderful art films like "The Road Home", "Ju-Dou", and "Raise the Red Lantern."   Thanks Lee.
  1. You have acted in three of the Star Trek spin-offs! Which of the roles did you prefer and will you be making an appearance in Enterprise as well? - Suzanne
    Hello Suzanne,  correction:  I've acted in two TV spinoffs of Star Trek:  Deep Space 9, and Voyager.  But you are right in that I worked twice for Voyager.   I would have to say I most liked the Deep Space 9 experience because I got the opportunity to play a Klingon with an attitude!   And it was directed by LeVar Burton, who I've been a fan of ever since "Roots" by Alex Hailey.   After working with him, and on that episode,  I became a better actor.   It was a wonderful experience.   I surely do hope to be working on Enterprise one of these days.  I've been watching it, and it's very promising.   We'll see.  Thank you Suzanne.
  1. Have you heard anything about whether there is a possibility of a future third season or about video/DVD releases? – Jackie
    Hi Jackie,  no I haven't heard anything about a 3rd Season or video/DVD releases, although I know the pilot is on video for rent and buy.  I bought one online at Amazon. My guess is that if we did come back,  it might be on a different network.  I would love to do The Magnificent Seven again -- I just don't know about the rest of the cast.   Thanks for inquiring.
  1. Do you have any new projects coming out or in the pipeline? – Stacie
    Yeah,  you can catch me on Stargate SG-1  on February 8th  on Showtime.   I think the episode is called "The Warrior".    I also have a tiny part in "Collateral Damage" which I hear is supposed to open on or about February 8th as well.  Warner Bros.  thought it was best to postpone the release date because of the terrorist attacks on September 11th.   Right now you can catch me on "Murder One" on cable on A&E -- it's a rerun from a few years ago.   Thanks, Stacie!
  1. If the possibility came to make a M7 television movie, would you want to do it? - Manjula
    Hell Yes!!  ;)
  1. What do the cast really think about the continuing fan support for the show? – HelB
    We think it's beautiful.   We really do Helen.  :)
  1. Do you, or would you ever, take part in a convention? – Manjula
    I took part in a convention once and I quickly discovered that I don't do well in them.   I'm more of a low-key kind of guy.  I will do an interview on occasion, but rarely a live one.  I don't know,  it just makes me a bit uncomfy.
  1. Which members of the cast would you most like to work with again? – Von
    Which members of the cast would I most like to work with again??   ALL OF 'EM

 Thanks again Rick :-)