For an actor whose character on Stargate
SG1 has recently died, Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter) is looking remarkably
relaxed. He has flown over to London to appear at the Wolf SG9 convention,
alongside Stargate SG1 colleagues Anna-Louise Plowman, Erick
Avari and Tony Amendola where, despite a busy schedule of Q&As, photograph
and autograph sessions, he takes the time to chat to Carole Gordon about his
career, his role as Jacob Carter, and his future.
Photo © Ann Wortham, All Rights Reserved
Carmen considers that playing Jacob
constitutes some of his best work so far, and has helped him develop as an
actor.
“Stargate has been a wonderful
training situation for me with all the difficult techno-dialogue. In memorizing
that, I've found that the regular dialogue now is much easier for me.
Memorization is one of the easiest and hardest things about acting because in
front of a camera there's always a tension that sets in with most actors. But
with my experience on Stargate, I'm finding it much easier when
I'm working in front of a camera now. And I think my work lately, as far as
growing as a person, being a father and all that, has given me a depth that I
didn't have before. I owe a lot of that to Stargate. It has
really given me a confidence I didn't have before.”
Even when he read the script for “Threads,”
in which Jacob sadly dies, he saw this as an acting challenge. He was not, he
says, at all alarmed by the storyline because he was under the impression – as
was everyone else – that Season 8 was to be the final season of the show.
“Anyway,” he smiles, “actors really enjoy
death scenes, there's something they can really hold onto and be moved by. So I
wasn't terribly alarmed or depressed. I knew all things come to an end and it
was a nice scene and I was ready to do it.”
But was he disappointed when he found out
subsequently that the show had been renewed yet again?
He laughs. “Yes, I was! And of course I was
told that, being sci-fi, I may be resurrected or there may be a flashback or a
time sequence so that I will go back, but I'm not counting on that.”
Carmen has an obvious fondness for Jacob and
sees something of himself in the character.
“He was wonderful. I have a 16-year-old
daughter and I just used her as Amanda and Amanda's own wonderful qualities and
I enjoyed that. My favorite part of playing Jacob was being Samantha's father.”
He feels Jacob – and Selmac – taught him a
great deal.
“It has made me appreciate being a father. I
love Selmac – I love the duality of his wisdom and Jacob's earthliness and the
combination of the two creating a more enlightened entity. It was basically a
lot of fun.”
As a father, does he feel it is important to
advise and guide his daughter?
“I try not to impose too much of my
experience, I mean, it's very difficult for a father not to start teaching and
guiding. That's a wonderful thing but also it can get in the way of the
personal development of the child. I like to give them guidance morally, but I
like to let them blossom by themselves and not impose what I want on them. I
like to see where they are going before I start imposing any discipline or
restrictions.”
Carmen’s daughter is a gifted singer. He and
his wife are understandably very proud parents.
“I'm just amazed that she's so composed and
so gifted and it's so easy for her. I wish acting were as easy for me as
singing is for her. She's in junior High School now and she's going to major in
music. We're very proud of her.”
Having previously appeared in View from
the Bridge and The Price, Carmen is currently working on
another Arthur Miller play, a writer he cites as one of his heroes.
“I'm about to start working on one of his
one-acts called Elegy for a Lady, a beautiful one-act, two
character piece that I'm looking forward to working on as soon as I get back to
Los Angeles.”
The play is being staged at The Actors’
Studio, which was founded in 1947 and where Lee Strasberg taught Stanislavski's
"Method" of acting.
“The Actors' Studio is a wonderful
institution,” Carmen says. “It was an offshoot of The Group Theatre, a theatre
movement in the 1940s that dealt with social-political issues. It was a
wonderful transition in theatre from being melodrama to topics that people
could fit into their daily lives.”
The Group Theatre is acknowledged to have
brought about a revolution in American theatre which has been continued by The
Actors' Studio. Carmen is in good company – past members of The Actors’ Studio
include such great actors as Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. The "Method"
is, he says, a realistic, personal approach to acting which he subscribes to.
And he finds that Miller’s work connects
closely to his own experience.
“It resonates with me on many levels. Death
of a Salesman and View from the Bridge deal with very personal
issues affecting people and I can just understand what he's trying to say, what
he's trying to discover. What the people in his plays experience is very close
to my life. So there's a personal identity that I see in his writing.”
As for the convention experience, does
Carmen find it surreal?
“It is
somewhat surreal,” he agrees, “but I am always humbled by it. Last night there
was a wonderful tribute to me, a montage of the work I have done in Stargate.
The appreciation from the fans is quite moving and it reaffirms why I wanted to
be an actor in the first place – wanting to move people, wanting to celebrate
the human spirit and possibly teach or guide or illuminate people. I see that
happening; I see that in the faces of the people at the convention and, as I
say, it only reaffirms my choice in being an actor. It's very supportive and it
makes me feel good.”
With grateful thanks to Carmen Argenziano
for his time, and to Katherine and Karen of Wolf Events for arranging the
interview.
Biography: Carmen Argenziano was born on 27 October 1943 in
Pennsylvania. His career ranges from parts in Kojak and The
Rockford Files, to today's top-rated TV shows including The West
Wing, 24, Ally McBeal and The
Practice. Carmen can also be seen in up-coming episodes of Crossing
Jordan and Medical Investigation.
Further information can be found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0034492/
Wolf
Events organise conventions and
events around the UK and in other European countries. Full details of their
current programme of events can be found at: http://www.wolfevents.com/php/
Interview
© Carole Gordon 20 February 2005 / Website copyright © Our Stargate, May 2005,
All Rights Reserved
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