Paula Vitaris talks to James Morrison, the actor who breathed memorable life into the stoic Lieutenant Colonel McQueen.
Clipped grey hair. Steely blue
eyes. Stoic demeanor. And underneath it all, a heart made of gooey fudge.
It could only be McQueen. No, not that McQueen. Not Steve.
This one is Lieutenant Colonel Tyrus Cassius McQueen, commander of the 58th Squadron, U.S. Marine Corps, as played by actor James Morrison in the outer space war series Space: Above and Beyond.
A theatre actor by training and experience, Morrison began acting in his home state of Alaska with the Alaska Repertory Theatre. He subsequently joined the Carson and Barnes Wild Animal Circus as a clown, juggler and wire-walker, then returned to acting carving out a successful, award-winning, career in American regional theatre as well as appearing in film and television. Morrison is also a playwright and filmmaker, and his short film Parking, which he wrote and directed, has appeared at numerous film festivals around the United States.
When Morrison auditioned for the role of McQueen, he delivered a soft-spoken reading that also communicated toughness and self discipline. For Space: Above and Beyond creators and Executive producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, he instantly stood out from the other actors who thought barking McQueen's lines conveyed the right military attitude. Even though McQueen had little to do in the show's two-hour pilot besides act tough, Morrison imbued him with an inner life. "McQueen' was such a mysterious man at that point that I knew he was going to unfold over time," Morrison says. "That's what intrigued me the most about him. He was rife with possibilities for unveiling at a leisurely pace. He didn't say much, but what he did say, he meant. He represented a code of honour."
Unlike the younger officers under his command, who were given a detailed background in the pilot, McQueen's history was unknown except that he was in 'In-Vitro' - a human artificially gestated in a tank in order to serve the 'natural born.'
As an In-Vitro, McQueen faced a solid wall of prejudice every day.
"The disfranchised aspects of the man were most important to me," Morrison reveals. "The reason he's such a good Marine is because he's in such complete denial about his character and worth as an individual. His devotion to the Marines is because he's in such complete denial about his character and worth as an individual.
His devotions to the Marines is nothing more than substitutions and posturing. You learn that from repetition and being disciplined.
As the show progressed, McQueen began to learn that he has an identity beyond that.
We have to remember that he did not have a choice. He was made a slave and a warrior. His reaction was a peaceful one; get the job done well, without regard for self, so it will end well for the greater good. He is not a gung-ho reactionary or jingoist patriot. He is a munificent humanitarian forced to kill for a society that harmed and enslaved him. And he made the best of it. What greater conflict could there be in a warrior?"
In episodes like Mutiny, and The Angriest Angel, the audience also learned there was more to McQueen than just duty and denial.
The writers began to fill out the colonel's background and to humanize him: he loves classical music, writes poetry, studies Western philosophy. And a classic comedy film has the power to make the dour McQueen laugh. Adding depth to McQueen required active persuasion on Morrison's part, but once he had the writers convinced, he became part of the process of re-inventing the character.
"You have to take into account how synergetic Morgan and Wong were in creating these characters and their relationships," says Morrison. "Not only did they consult me and incorporate my ideas about certain personal characteristics of McQueen, but they were extremely observant of the group dynamics.
I had a great deal of input into McQueen's specific personal tastes and background and , after I initiated a passionate discussion with Glen about the danger of McQueen becoming a 'peer' of the 58th, that was addressed in great detail and became a running issue."
Not ever scene could be a defining character moment. Space: Above and Beyond is a show about war, and Morrison and the rest of the cast were called upon constantly to perform arduous action scenes in blazing heat while labouring under 50 pounds of weaponry and equipment.
During filming, Morrison suffered a broken rib and damage a knee so badly that he had to undergo surgery after the show wrapped.
His philosophy about accidents on the set is as practical as McQueen's would be: "It comes with the territory," he observes.
"It really wasn't any tougher than any other show I've been on where demands are put on you to perform full tilt under extreme conditions. An experience is as taught on you as you make it."
At the end of Space: Above and Beyond first season, McQueen is last seen strapped to a gurney, on the way back to Earth after losing a leg in an explosion set of by a treacherous Chig diplomat. Morgan and Wong had hoped to reveal more about McQueen's past life during the second season, with several episodes set on Earth during his convalescence but since the show was cancelled last May, Morrison has moved on to other roles, including a guest part written specifically for him by Morgan and Wong in Chris The X-Files Carter's new series, MillenniuM.
He continues his work as a filmmaker, with a new feature, False Bravado, in development.
"The think I loved most about the 10 months of shooting Space was feeling like a worker among workers," he concludes. "What better success can one achieve than getting up in the morning and going to do what I love most with talented people I truly admire?
I learned so much about filmmaking from Glen and Jim, Directors Tom Wright and Charlie Smith, director of photography Gordon Lonsdale, and the editing staff.
My next directing effort will show it and I'm really looking forward to it."
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