Alex's Andromeda Set Visit Report - 23rd September 2004
September 23, 2004 - I arrived in Vancouver and immediately headed off to the Andromeda set. I had already been told that
Kevin would not be there on the second day of my visit (his birthday) but that a small celebration had been planned in hishonor this very day and I'd have a chance to join in. I was also told I would have the opportunity to watch the season five premiere with the cast and crew during the lunch break.I reported to the production office and was met by a delightfulwoman named Nancy. She would become my guardian angel, guiding me around the massive sets and mazes of costume, make up and production offices. Nancy and I immediately headed down to the area where the crew was filming. As we were walking the halfmile or so it took to get there she casually mentioned that Kevin had asked about me and was wondering if I had arrived. Apparently I had given the wrong flight information to the office and things quickly spread that I was MIA. Needless to say,that made me somewhat nervous as we finally made our way onto the cavernous soundstage.Since this is a Kevin thread I won't go into too much detail here about the rest of the cast and crew but I would like to mention the first actor I met wasGordon Michael Woolvett (Harper). What an amazingly sweet, genuine, funny and smart guy he is, not to mention simply adorable. Being an Andromeda fan I immediately had a mental list of "my best Harper episodes"on the tip of my tongue and heand I chatted on for a bit about his favorite episodes as well. Since Gordon was relaxing (more like engaging in Harperesque hyperkinetic activity) just off the set between takes, I bid him a temporary farewell and continued on. Approaching the areawhere the filming was actually taking place that day I saw a tall man wearing the now famous brown "paradine" jacket with his back to me. Medium brown hair, towering over everyone around him, it looked like I was about to meet the star of theshow. Still, something didn't feel quite right. Call it "fan instinct" or whatever you like, but as I scrunched my eyes and cocked my head to get a better look I said to myself "that's not him." Somehow, I wasn't surprised when the man turnedaround and revealed himself to be Kevin's double. Splitting image of Kevin, at least from the back ;)I was still taking in all the sights and sounds of my new environment as Nancy and I approached a group of people who had formed a semi circlein the middle of one of the sets. They were laughing and talking animatedly and you could sense the camaraderie was warm and light. In the middle of the circle a face moved into my view from between the crowd, I glanced at Nancy, she smiled and Iglanced back half fearing the face would disappear faster than a Beryllium meteor shower, but there accepting birthday greetings from the crew was Kevin Sorbo.I had rehearsed what I might say, how I wanted to say it and the demeanor Ihoped to present. I was determined to appear an industry professional, or at least a professional in a related industry. I wanted to come across as delighted and pleased to be invited to visit, but sophisticated enough not to show it. Well, let metell you that lasted about as long as an ice cream bar on a hot July day in Texas. As Nancy introduced us and we shook hands, Kevin bent down to hear me over the conversations around us. I'm laughing now as I recall telling him, "I had topromise not to gush or they wouldn't let me come!" Kevin smiled and said "Oh, go ahead, gush!" So I did. I told him everything I could think of that his fans appreciate about him. He stood there, smiling and shook his head up and down thewhole time. The exchange couldn't have last more than two minutes, me talking the whole time, Kevin smiling and nodding his appreciation.Then it was time for the star to head to work. I watched Kevin film one scene, I believe the episode wasfrom "Through a Glass Darkly." The scene called for an exchange between Dylan and Rhade (Steve Bacic). Steve wasn't on set, a script person read his lines and Kevin responded to them as the crew filmed. Amazing, really. Watching someone act withsomeone who was not actually there simply increased my opinion of his talents. (I now know this is done routinely on Andromeda and many other shows primarily for economic reasons and all the actors on Andromeda do it with equal finesse.)They have a big case on set that holds a bank of monitors the director glances at as he also watches the actors perform in front of him. Kevin suggested I go behind the monitors and watch. I think he thought I'd think it was cool since not toomany people get to see that kind of thing. But since I work in television news (I doubt he knew that) watching him on the monitors didn't seem nearly as exciting to me as watching him right in front of me. So, I faced my first quandary of theday. Do I risk alienating him by refusing his suggestion or follow my instincts knowing every moment was creating memories? I decided to speak up. "Kevin, I'd rather watch you," I shouted around the head of a cinematographer. "No, it's cool, gowatch on the monitors," he shouted back. So, I did. I dutifully walked to the rear of set grimly thinking seeing him in black and white would limit my "viewing experience." When I turned back toward the set he was looking for me and asked, "Canyou still SEE me?" Yes! I could. Even around the tangle of lights, cameras, microphones and bodies I could still see Kevin and the scene unfolding before me as the director prepared to call "Action!" Kevin gave a thumbs up.Someone was niceenough to put my name on a director's chair and that was my point of reference for the rest of the morning's shooting. A little after 12 noon it was time for lunch, but not before someone wheeled out a beautiful sheet cake with "Happy BirthdayKevin" on it. Everyone sang and Kevin thanked all for their good wishes. At that time he also mentioned the set had visitors that day; me, and as I would learn at that moment, Hannelore and her husband Karl. Hannelore! I knew I had to meet her and Iwould, but first, it was time for lunch.The set has a caterer and the cast and crew all belly up to an outdoor truck and bring their food in on trays to eat in a large room that reminded me of my high school cafeteria. People sitting in smallgroups, all open seating. Not sure what I was expecting, but it seemed strangely.ordinary, despite the fact that large men in scary looking costumes were waiting in line to use a vegetable juicer.I grabbed some water (too excited to eat) andstarted looking for somewhere to sit. I knew they'd be showing the season five premiere in minutes and everyone seemed pretty excited about seeing it. I wanted a good seat. Over the years I've developed a nifty personal radar and it must havebeen working overtime that day because as I looked around, there, at an empty table, plopping his tray down, was Kevin. For half a second I thought, "Should I?"... "Maybe he has a group of people he always sits with and I would be intruding," Iwondered. Then that "little voice" that God gave us all to guide us told me to go for it. I walked up to Kevin and simply asked if I could join him. "Sure, sit down," was his answer.There wasn't much time to talk as the table filled withother people. Gordon, his wife and son joined us and director, Jorgi Montesi and DP, Gordon Verheul filled out the rest of our table. The episode we were about to watch was Mr. Verheul's directorial debut on Andromeda. I sat across from Kevin andnext to Jorgi. The lights dimmed and the tape rolled.You must imagine how I was feeling. I am Kevin Sorbo fan as a result of Andromeda. I had never heard of him before I found the show (I know, I was living under a rock of "Herculean"proportions) but now, here, present in the moment, I was about to watch my favorite show sitting with the some of the very people who create it each week. You might imagine it was surreal, but it wasn't. It felt very real and I found myselfcomfortably sitting back in my chair as the opening credits played out.Kevin was mostly quiet during the show as others chatted a bit. Oddly quiet, I thought, although, I told myself, I really don't know him well enough to conclude much ofanything. Still, I had wanted to chat a little bit, but with no commercials in the show, as a visitor it would have been rude of me. As the episode went on, I couldn't escape the feeling that something wasn't quite right. "Did he not like theepisode?" I wondered or was it something else…like me? I don't normally internalize other people's moods, but I was the only variable in the equation at the moment and was intuiting vibes I didn't expect. I suspected I might never know what, ifanything was up.Gordon Michael Woolvett, meanwhile, was providing much welcomed and some very comic commentary to some of the scenes as his little boy scrambled on and off his lap. Everyone applauded as the episode ended and Gordon Verheulaccepted congratulations from the table for his debut. He seemed pleased.I asked Kevin, "What happens now?" "Now," he responded, "We go back to work!" He smiled, picked up his tray and said he'd see me later. Good! More filming to watch.Kevin stopped to greet Hannelore and her husband and I hung back. I still wanted to meet them. As Kevin headed back to work, Hannelore and I exchange greetings and email addresses. I also met her husband Karl. We promised to keep in touch. Verylovely people. I then traipsed back to the set on my own and hung out while the lights were set and the cameras were moved into place. I was standing in the lone corridor of the "ship" chatting with Gordon Michael, I was about to ask someone ifthey could take our picture when Kevin walked up to us. "I'll take it," he offered. He grabbed my camera, commented that he liked it and Gordon and I lined up. "Do something fun!" Kevin laughed. So Gordon gave me his "weapon" and I pointed it athis stomach. Silly, but it was fun. Kevin's mood seemed much improved.Later he told me he had had some disappointing news earlier in the day and that's why he was, as he put it, "pissy" earlier. He talked about what it was, but I suspect hemight appreciate it if I didn't spill the beans and I'm sure most readers will understand that the desire for one to keep a confidence is often implied if not actually requested. Suffice to say, it wasn't anything personal or earth shattering andKevin has an ability to bounce back from a bad mood quickly.In my attempt to express my enthusiasm for the show, I had so far apparently impressed some on the set with my knowledge of the subtlety of certain episodes, characters, the costumesdesigned for specific shows and more. Now it was my turn to impress Kevin. Unfortunately, I started off with my (seemingly innocent to me) comment about how I discovered Andromeda before I had ever heard of Hercules. Kevin was leaning on one ofthe ship’s ladders when he looked at me and said, “You are absolutely the only person who hasever told me that.” So much for making an impression.I was about to try and recover with some sort of explanation when he went off on a spontaneousand interesting dissertation on the popularity of Hercules, how long it ran and how much fun it was to shoot. I was mud. He actually thought I had never heard of the show, when the reality was I just found Andromeda first. He even talked about howhe looked when he filmed the show, describing himself as "a beanpole compared to how I looked then." Some beanpole.With no chance of recovery and the clock ticking, I asked Kevin if we could take some pictures together. Of course, he agreed. Acrew member to whom I will be always be grateful snapped some shots of us and Kevin was soon back on the set. Going from memory now, the scene seemed relatively short and Kevin went back to his trailer while the lights and cameras were reset.This all happens very quickly. I wandered the command deck alone during the break in the shooting, half wishing someone was with me to take my picture on the beautiful deck of the Andromeda, half grateful to be allowed to absorb it alone. I mustsay command is truly a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It looks just like it does on television and when I walked through it only the control panels were lit. It both eerie and lovely at the same time. I secretly filed away the moment to revisitlater.As the afternoon rolled on, Kevin came back to the set for his final scene of the day. He was carrying something in his hand and looking around for someone. Turned out, that someone was me. Also turned out, my Hercules faux pax was aboutto pay off. As he spied me, I moved toward him and he presented me with three 8 x 10 photographs. He flipped through them and explained I was among the first to receive the new season five cast photo (signed). He also gave me a Dylan picture,also signed and finally, a personalized autographed picture of him as Hercules. "See, I told you I was big," he laughed as he handed me the pictures. I gratefully accepted them and he went back to work.After the scene wrapped the crew gatheredto wish Kevin final birthday greetings. He was done and starting his weekend. He accepted handshakes and well wishes and said a few words of thanks to the crew. It was obvious he is much admired by the people he works with and he returns theirgood feelings. As I stood there listening to his final goodbye he caught my eye and walked over to me. "It was nice having you here," was the last thing he said to me. "Thank you, I enjoyed it too," I said back. He then shook my hand again andthis time kissed my cheek. He left the set in the same manner you see Dylan leaving command; confident, caring and decidedly very much his own person.Alex, January, 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As a postscript I would like to thank thepeople who made my trip possible and who at their request would prefer to remain anonymous. I would also like to thank the cast, crew and members of the production staff of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda for an unforgettable time.
The pictures taken during the set visit can be seen here
