James Morrison finds himself swept along in a maelstrom of emotions to Space: Above And Beyond
Vast, rugged and dangerous,
Alaska in the 1960's was the last American frontier. Just ask actor James
Morrison who was born in Bountiful, Utah, but moved with this family to
Anchorage at age nine. Now, Morrison lives and works above and beyond that
icy landscape in a far colder, more perilous frontier. He plays Lieutenant Colonel Tyrus Cassius T.C. McQueen of the US Marine Corps' 58th Squadron in Space: Above And Beyond, Fox gritty, adventurous SF saga about interstellar war in the year 2063. Prior to leading the 58th, McQueen commanded the 127th Airborne, the Angry Angels. During one of the early skirmishes in the Alien War, the 127th was decimated, though McQueen survived with burn injuries.
"This is an exciting show that's really beginning to take off," Morrison declares. "The characters' development has been interesting to watch, and will be even more interesting - if we're around long enough. Everyone I talk to says they like the show."
One friend did offer a few critical thoughts on Space while golfing with Morrison recently, and the actor jumped to the defense of the series and his co-stars. "I guess I do feel a certain paternal pride in our work on this show," he admits.
Father Figure
Morrison believes passionately in the series as an exploration of the human condition. "For me, the most compelling thing about Space is that the aliens, the Chigs, are not the only alien enemy we're faced with. The one that lives inside us is far more insidious and threatening. War makes for tremendous self-discovery. It's often much easier for a warrior to walk across the battlefield leading the charge, without a helmet or concern for his or her life, than it is to face his or her own feelings."
"Everyone going into a new creative endeavour like this show hopes that something substantive will set it apart from the rest of the pack," he adds. "The reason I feel such an affinity to [series' creators] Glen Morgan and James Wong's sensibility is that they're not interested in just serving themselves or being at the top of the heap. In fact, they have very little in common with the commonness of the heap."
Some of Morrison's younger co-stars have called him a father figure on the set. "I don't know about that," he says good-naturedly, "but it's true that McQueen is not their peer. He's their commander. In many way, the on screen development of my relationship with them [actors Morgan Weisser, Kristen Cloke, Rodney Rowland, Joel de la Fuente, Lanei Chapman who form the 58th Marine squadron] has paralleled our relationship behind the scenes. They were a cohesive group before I got to know them, because of the nature of the pilot episode we shot in Australia. They were working together and getting to know each other before my character got involved. As time passed, the barriers came down between us. Now, I do feel a part of the group. We've all come together as actors and as characters."
Morrison became a part of the series with relative ease. "It was surprisingly
painless," he notes. "That's just the way Glen and Jim and [original
casting director] Randy Stone operate. They made the whole experience
of coming to a network series a positive one." Pausing a beat, Morrison adds, "Glen insists that the reason they cast me was because I sat in the wrong chair the first time I came in to read for them. I think it's because they recognized damaged goods when they saw them. That's the most striking similarity between McQueen and me: We are damaged goods under repair."
Like others in the cast, Morrison had only a vague knowledge of Morgan and Wong's work when he auditioned for Space. "I had heard of them, but I hadn't watched The X-Files. Since then, I've seen some of the shows they wrote for that series, and I've enjoyed them."
Artificial Leader
Morrison's McQueen is an In Vitro, a race of people conceived in artificial gestation chambers or tanks (from which the derogatory term tank derives) and bred for war against the AI's (Artificial Intelligence beings). All In Vitros have a navel at the back of their necks, where the artificial umbilical cord was attached in the gestation tank. They're suspended in cryogenic sleep until age 18, at which time they are awakened and sent into battle.
But the In Vitros, born from parents that never lived, felt no patriotism for their country and most turned out to be poor soldiers. The In Vitro platoons were eventually disbanded by the government. Some, like McQueen and Cooper Hawkes (Rowland) found themselves serving with the Marine Corps in a war against the aliens. Unlike the young, rebellious Hawkes, McQueen is cool and taciturn and in his 20 years outside the tank has built a strong military career.
Morrison explains that he and co-star Rowland are learning new pieces of the test tube babies' history with each script. But Morrison is hard-pressed to define just who McQueen really is. "I'm learning who he is at the same time as everybody else," he notes. "McQueen is being revealed to me and to the audience as we go. I remember when we revealed in an early episode that In Vitros are born at age 18. Rodney and I didn't know that fact until we got the script. We read it and said, 'What? OK!' It took us by surprise."
In another episode, Morrison learned that McQueen had been born from a batch at the Anchorage Facility - and it was no coincidence. Just as the producers made Paul Wang a fan of Chicago sports teams because Joel de la Fuente, who plays him, hails from Chicago, they made use of Morrison's own background in fleshing out McQueen.
"This is truly a collaborative effort," says Morrison, "because Glen and Jim let it be. If I suggest something for my character, they'll listen, and maybe they'll use it if they agree with it. It's great to be scrutinized in such a positive way. Most TV situations are so driven by ego and paranoia that people are watching for someone to fail, so power can be exerted and someone can fall. With Glen and James, the focus is on discovering the collaborator's strengths so they can be turned to benefit the story. This benefits everyone. And since we're all making this up as we go along anyway, why not commit completely to the concept of being in it together, and put the ego and vanity crap aside? That's what we've done."
"Because McQueen started out as the archetypal enigmatic, bad-ass anti-hero
next door," adds Morrison, "I've had the opportunity to influence the
direction they've chosen to go with him. But this is only due to their
willingness to be synergetic for the greater good. They'll use aspects
of my character to define McQueen's it serves the story, and they won't
if it doesn't. I work the same way. They've told me that they learn
about McQueen from me, which is a great compliment, but more than that
it's an indication of their trust and powers of observation." An episode centering on McQueen, called The Angriest Angel, is lensing at the time of this interview, and Morrison finds it difficult to shrug off the pall of bitterness and anger he has been conjuring up for the cameras all week. "I don't see the character as a seperate entity. To me, I am McQueen, he's experiencing lots of emotions right now that I'm experiencing, too. I don't seperate myself from the character.
In this episode, McQueen comes to terms with his destiny. A while back, it was revealed that he's a grounded pilot. Now, he gets to fly again. This episode does a great deal to advance the character."
Anti-Hero
Like his co-stars, Morrison watches the show when it airs, although he admits he has missed a couple. As for favourite episodes, he says, "I have a soft spot for Stay With The Dead [in which Nathan West appears to be the only survivor of the 58th squadron after an attack]. Morgan was fabulous in that. And I liked A Good Day To Die [Hostile Visit - in which the 58th takes possession of an alien ship and attempts to use it against the aliens]. There were some nice moments in that show."
Good Day To Die is also the episode where Wang does an impression of McQueen for the amusement of his companions. Morrison's reaction? "I was flattered," he offers. "Joel does impressions of many people. But no one has been able to do an impression of him."
"Perhaps the most challenging part of working on Space is the time constraint," says Morrison. "It's tough to do it all in 46 minutes. Like any ambitious TV project, you're lucky if, out of whatever you do, you feel you've fully realized a mere fraction of what is required of you. And I'm strictly speaking for myself here. [Choreographer] Martha Graham said, in a letter to [Choreographer] Agnes De Mille. 'You don't have to believe in yourself or your work. You have only to be open. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction.' I agree with that. Getting beyond thinking about the concepts of good and bad is the most challenging aspect of any work I consider meaningful."
Science Fiction shows all seem to have their quotient of tech talk which is a boon for some fans and a bane for others. Morrison admits the Space technobabble has given him trouble at times. "I believe the technical stuff as I say it, and so does everyone else, but just saying the words can be difficult at times. Ethan Philips [who plays Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager] is one of my best friendas, and he says the same thing. The technobabble is definitely a challenge."
Morrison admits he's not an SF fan, per se. Rather, "I appreciate a good story, and it is happens to be science fiction, fine." Would he like to guest on Voyager alongside Philips and another friend on that series, Robert Beltran (Chakotay)? "I really like all those characters on Voyager, and the show's premise. And yes, I would love to sit in one of their make-up chairs for hours," he quips.
To those who feel Space is nothing more than a World War II saga in SF guise, Morrison says; "These are smart fans. Is this a bad thing? You know, I don't think anyone from our camp claimed we were making science fiction. They went out of their way to contend that it wasn't. We're just making what we're making, and it will be defined and redefined, but the larger truth is that, as the Zen Master says, 'Comparisons are odious.'"
"What's most intriguing for me about the series is the conflict that arises when the characters find temsleves in a life-and-death situation, being defined by their feelings for those close to them. They say that when yoou're in a foxhole in a firefight, the person with you becomes everything and everyone to you: father, mother, brother, sister, lover, everything. The level of intensity never flags. So, it's OK to hate them, too."
Morrison's acting career began lightyears away from the grim environs of Space. He was a clown and wire-walker for the Carson and Barnes Wild Animal Circus. Since then, he has compiled an extensive list of TV, film and theater credits. He has guest-starred on Frasier, LA Law and Quantum Leap (Hurricane). His movie credits include Falling Down, Desert Cross and Voices From Sandover. Morrison is also a playwright and director. He recently wrote and directed his first film, Parking, produced by his wife and business partner, actress Riad Galayini. The film has screened in the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Sundance Festival.
For the moment, he's still caught up in the maelstrom of emotions that his alter-ego is experiencing on Space: Above And Beyond. But through it all, James Morrison recognizes he's in the middle of a great and exciting television event. "McQueen is a great gift," he says. "He's wonderfully complex character - and he wears a cool flight suit, too. I'm reaching more people than I ever have. But the best thing, and the thing I'm most grateful for, is that I'm able to work with such dedicated and accomplished people. Space has the best crew I've ever had the pleasure to work with. The feeling on the set is pure heaven. Again, that's a tribute to Glen and James. It starts at the top. And in this case, the top really is above and beyond."
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