A R T I C L E S   &   I N T E R V I E W S

Title: Singer, Dancer, Warrior: An Interview with Rachel Luttrell
Publisher: Sci-Fi Brain
Publishing Date: March 3rd 2006
Byline: AeloraLane
Source: Sci-Fi Brain


The cast of Stargate: Atlantis has returned to the set to begin filming season three of the series, and aside from a few lights crashing down on the first day, Rachel Luttrell reports that things have been going well.

“We’ve had a long time off and a lot of time away from each other,” she tells me one morning on the phone, as she cuddles with her dog, relaxing on her day off. “So yeah, we’ve all kind of gotten back together, and it’s good. The odd thing is that it feels like we never left. You know, it’s like we’re back doing season one – it’s just been a very long, long, long season one.” She laughs. “So it’s good. It’s good.”

Rachel plays the character of Teyla Emmagan, leader of the Athosian people who have come to find safe harbor on Atlantis after their home was attacked by the Wraith in season one. Teyla joined the Atlantis team, and quickly secured for herself an important role within the expedition. When speaking with Rachel, it was immediately obvious to me how much she loves the character she plays, an attraction that began at the point of her first audition.

“It just felt like one of those things that was meant to be from the moment that I walked into the casting to literally like six auditions later,” she tells me as she outlines the entire audition process for the show. “That’s how long it takes for them to really make up their minds, but it always felt like I couldn’t really do anything wrong, which was wonderful. And then I ended up testing for the show, which is always a very exhausting, trying situation because you’re in a room with a bunch of suits – network executives. Some of them are there because they are involved with the show, and some of them are there because they’re bored, it’s lunchtime and they’ve got nothing better to do… and you’ve got to perform!”

Apparently, Rachel’s performance was spot on.

“When I finished my audition, all of the network executives were coming out of the room and shaking my hand and telling me “That was fantastic” and “Oh, it’s in the bag!” and “You’re great” and la la la,” she remembers, the pleasure evident in her voice. “So, I left on cloud nine thinking ‘Okay, well I guess that’s it’.”

Unfortunately for Rachel, it wasn’t quite as simple as all of that. A couple of weeks went by, and she still hadn’t heard anything, until finally her agents called and told her that it just didn’t seem as if it was going to happen. Of course, Rachel was crushed at the news.

“I went through a mourning process,” she admits. “And started auditioning for other projects – actually getting close on something else – and then I got a call out of the blue from my agent who basically said ‘Okay, Rachel, sit down. We got a phone call, we’ve been talking to the people with Stargate for the past little while, but we didn’t want to let you know. And they want you there tomorrow.’ It was about 5PM when they called, and they wanted me there the next day by 1PM to do a read-through!”

After a quick celebration with her family that evening, Rachel was winging her way to Vancouver to meet the rest of the cast and begin filming Atlantis’ first episode. As it turns out, she joined the project with at least a little knowledge about the basic premise behind Stargate and how it began. She’d seen the movie years before and had even watched Stargate: SG-1 a couple of times when she had the chance – a difficult thing to as a struggling actress without cable.

“It stayed in my memory because I thought it was a very cool, fascinating concept, and I loved the visual effects. I also loved the whole tie-in to outer space, and how it’s linked to Earth and our civilization and all of that.”

After learning that she’d seen Stargate previously, I was curious as to what she thought initially of starring in a spin-off when she first arrived in Vancouver. Was she assured of its success from the beginning? Did she have any idea of the popularity it would achieve?

“Obviously I knew that SG-1 was incredibly popular,” she replies. “And that we were in the hands of the same people so there was potential, but I was just here taking it one step at a time. The truth of the matter is, I thought that I probably was going to be up here for like six months, and I was like, ‘Okay this is going to be cool. Go up there, get to explore this new character, check out the city and then go back to Los Angeles.’ So yeah, I’m still blown away that we’re starting season three!”

She continues, “We did start with a bang, but that’s because we’re in good hands. Our guys upstairs – Brad and Robert and all of our writers – they’ve got a handle on what works, and they did a great job with season one, and we’re excited about season three.”

Luckily for Rachel, she not only landed a role on a series with a well-seasoned and talented crew, but a warm and friendly cast as well. When I make the comment to her that the Stargate creators seem to know how to bring together the individuals of a cast in just such a way as to create a very family-like atmosphere, she agrees.

“Absolutely. It really is. We do like to hang out with each other quit a bit – thank god for that!” She laughs. “I mean, I’ve heard some horror stories from friends of mine who are actors, and I’ve been in situations where I’ve just been like ‘Oh, I can’t stand so-and-so. And so-and-so is such an ass.’ So yeah, we’re lucky that we don’t have to come up against anything like that.”

In fact, when I quiz her on her fellow cast mates, asking her to describe each of them to me, she has nothing but glowing responses – not to mention a few intriguing tidbits – to share.

She describes Joe Flanigan (Colonel John Sheppard) as ‘a thrill-seeker,’ the one who goes hill skiing and surfing and rides his skateboard to and from every set. She also uses the words ‘cool’ and ‘sweet’ to describe him.

“He’s actually kind of quiet and shy, truth be told,” she adds. “But he’s a good person and he’s got a really good heart.”

Torri Higginson (Dr. Elizabeth Weir) ‘drives fast.’ She’s the free-spirit, who will just grab her dog and drive through Mexico for the fun of it.

“Torri’s an ex-Punk Rocker who used to dye her hair purple and these crazy colors, and she had a Mohawk at one time, too,” Rachel shares with a laugh. “She’s somehow always taken care of because people see that she has a wonderful heart. And she really does. She’s got a sweet, sweet spirit and she really cares. She’s very generous, very intelligent and a lot of fun.”

If there is one term that everyone seems to agree on when they describe David Hewlett (Dr. Rodney McKay) it is ‘hilarious,’ and for Rachel it is no different.

“David is the person who probably more than anyone keeps us laughing consistently on set. If there is any kind of foible that happens, he’ll turn it into a crazy joke. If there’s any tension, he’ll break it by making a ludicrous remark. He’s great, and his work ethic is massive. He’ll never show up on set not knowing his lines. He’s a real sweetie and he’s become a really good friend of mine here.”

She also describes David as having a ‘really big heart.’

“First season, there was a group of children brought by the sets, probably like five or six, and they were all physically handicapped in one way or another. We met them briefly, and when we walked off David was like ‘Oh, we’ve got to get them something! We’ve got to do something! We’ve got to get them a jacket or shirt or something. Let’s sign something for them!’ It was just really, really sweet and heartfelt, and he quickly ran into wardrobe and asked them if they could just give up one of the jackets, and had us all sign it. But then, he didn’t want to be the one to give it to them. He was like ‘Rachel, why don’t you go and do it?’ and I insisted ‘Come on, let’s all of us go together.’ But he’s that kind of a guy.”

Rachel adds Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett) to the list of ‘funny’ and ‘light-hearted’ when on set.

“If Paul and David are together,” she adds, “then it’s sheer ridiculous hilarity.”

Paul comes from a ‘massive’ family – Rachel can’t even begin to tell me how many brothers and sisters he has, but she describes it as a ‘huge, huge Scottish family.’ He also apparently used to be ‘a crazy scrapper’ back in grade school, who would get into ‘horrific fights.’

She tells me, “He was a champion wrestler at some point. I think he was ranked at like number three in Canada when he was in university. It’s pretty funny. He jokes about how Beckett has never gotten any action. He’s like ‘Hey, I can head butt! I can wrestle! Give me something!’” She laughs. “So we might be seeing Beckett in some interesting positions this year.”

The newest member to the cast, Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex) she refers to as ‘a Great Dane puppy.’

“He’s so huge and out of control, and he really does mean well, but he’s loud and crazy, and also very sweet and sincere.”

Jason grew up in Iowa, where Rachel says he faced a lot of adversity growing up as essentially one of the only people in his small town who had any kind of ethnic diversity in their background (Jason is Hawaiian and Native American.) She says he also dabbles in an art form called ‘found art,’ where one takes old pieces of furniture or other such items, and pieces it together to create artwork. He’s had a couple of exhibits of his work in Australia.

“Everybody has aspects to them that are similar to their characters, but also vastly different,” Rachel goes on to explain. “It’s a good group of people. We really do get along with each other, which is a blessing. A big blessing.”

Spending an average of 13 hours a day on set makes having a fun cast an essential part of going to work each morning.

Rachel begins her days at around 4:30AM, when she gets up to do some cardio and skip rope before heading off to the set by 6:30AM each morning. There she goes through hair and makeup, and is on set an hour after arrival to begin blocking out their scenes for the day.

“You wake up and you go to work without a stitch of makeup on – it’s kind of crazy. Most people go to work and they’ve showered and put their makeup on, and I go there like completely just rolled out of bed, and then walk into the trailer and say ‘Please, help me!’” She laughs. “And they do! It’s a lot of fun, but it’s not the glamorous lifestyle that maybe some people think it would be.

“Generally speaking, I always have a few moments during the day when I’m laughing my ass off because David’s on set, or somebody’s on set who is cracking us up. So that’s fun.”

As the character of Teyla, who was raised to be a warrior and taught to protect her people, Rachel has a lot more to learn than simple dialogue and blocking. Already an accomplished dancer (Rachel studied at the Russian Academy Ballet School), she has added fight choreography to her list of talents through the last few seasons… a new element that has been aided by her dance training.

“When I first came here, I had no concept that there would be any of that involved initially in part of her character description,” she admits. “So, when they did start to introduce some fight elements for me, the way I learned it was I would get our stunt choreographer, James Bamford, to really break down the choreography for me so that I knew it, slowly. And then I would go home, and I would literally count ‘Okay, I’ve now done that a hundred times’ and try to do each fight a hundred times in my head, by myself, and I would do it to music and I’d count it out, and I’d break it down as a dancer would. So it has helped me, absolutely.

“Obviously I’m learning how to make it look a little more convincing – more like a fighter, and less like a dancer. That was something that, in the first season actually, our stunt coordinator every once in a while would try to get me to bend my knees a little bit and that kind of thing. But, I think, what has happened is we’ve developed a style that is uniquely me. It makes Teyla look a little more… I don’t know… ethereal? It’s different, and my dance background has definitely helped with that.”

In the season two episode, Critical Mass, Rachel had the opportunity to showcase another of her talents, singing, for which she was trained by her father, a former member of the internationally acclaimed Mendelssohn Choir. In the episode, Charin, an Athosian woman Teyla regards as a grandmother, passes away. Since death by natural causes is rare among the Athosian people, they have a special funeral ceremony known as the Ring Ceremony.

It was during this ritual that Teyla sang. Interestingly enough, the opportunity arose due to a suggestion from Rachel.

“It was one of those things where I went up to talk to Brad and I said look, I really want to start seeing a little more of Teyla’s culture and what that is. And, you know, I’m a singer and also a dancer, and in many civilizations and cultures, dancing and singing have been used in spiritual ceremonies – to bring about the gods to create rain or whatever. There were just endless possibilities in it. And he nodded and smiled and a few weeks later he said ‘Okay, Rachel, what do you think about this?’ So that’s how that unfolded.

“Critical Mass was a lot of fun – just you know, working on the song, and flying back and forth to Los Angeles, and being in the recording studio, and trying to figure out how Teyla would sing. That was a fun one for me.”

With over two seasons of episodes finished, I find myself wondering if Rachel has any favorites that she is willing to share?

“My god, we’ve done so many!” She remarks as she considers my question for a moment. “The ones that stand out for me are probably pretty obvious. I mean, like The Gift first season was a really good one for me – for Teyla. And then this past season, I really enjoyed Michael, for whatever reason. It stood out in my mind, it had a different rhythm, for me, than any of the other episodes did. I like seeing the characters in situations where they are uncomfortable and no precedence has been set, so they really don’t know how to operate. I like those kind of episodes, and that one was definitely one of them.”

Any that she doesn’t look upon quite as fondly as the others?

“Oh… Oh my goodness! I plead the Fifth!!” Rachel giggles, though obviously not completely exasperated with my line of questioning.

“I mean, yeah, sure there are episodes out there that we’re just like ‘Oh, god!’” She groans. “I just remember being in the puddle jumper in season one with Joe and the bug strapped to his neck and it was just like ‘Oh, Jesus!’” Rachel recalls with a laugh. “He hated it, we hated it. We were stuck in the puddle jumper, which was initially smaller than it is now, and lighting each other with flashlights. Ultimately, I think the episode turned out well but I just remember shooting it was just -- Ugh!!”

With season three already in the works, it’s possible that we may see more with regards to Teyla’s culture and her role among her people. There have already been hints to the actors that season three will entail a lot of back story for the characters, and that is something that Rachel is looking forward to with regards to Teyla. When she auditioned for the role, she was given a monologue replete with information about her father and family, how they were lost to her, and who they were to her. It was because of this that Rachel was so drawn to the role of Teyla, and is excited to continue further exploration of who the character was in the past, and how that correlates to the person she is becoming. When I ask about the evolution of the character over the last two seasons, Rachel is quick to point out that much of it is due in part to her interactions with the Atlantis team.

“She’s been exposed to her team, essentially, and they’re all from Earth, so obviously that’s influenced their interaction,” she explains. “Obviously, her bonds with them have grown. She’s had to make a dramatic shift from being part of her own civilization and being with them all of the time, to now living in Atlantis and going off on these expeditions with people who were complete strangers to her. So, that’s a huge shift.”

Another significant impact on Teyla’s life recently occurred in the aforementioned episode Critical Mass, when she lost someone who she was very close to.

“She lost someone who, to her, was essentially her last link to family -- not people obviously -- but to family, and that’s been a huge shift for her as well. You know, just kind of a feeling like she’s a little bit on her own in a sense, and still struggling to find a footing, in that respect in any case, but there have been a lot of changes for her in the last two seasons.”

Could there even, possibly, be a hint toward some romance in Teyla’s future?

“Oh, I sure as hell hope so!” Rachel responds enthusiastically.

“I was out the other night with Torri, actually, and we were both talking about how all the guys have had some sort of love interest – even if it’s been comedy – and we really haven’t had any of that touched on. I don’t know for sure, but I’m hoping, and I don’t really know if anything will happen with Sheppard -- you know that’s something they hint at, but I don’t know if that’s something… I don’t know!” She laughs. “It might be one of those unrequited things with the two of them. I know a lot of people have been speculating about Teyla and Ronon, as well, but… we’ll see. I do hope that there’ll be something of that in this season for her, whether it be with one of the guys or somebody new. I think that would be a wonderful way of getting to see another side of who she is.”

Of course, being the wicked little girl that I am, I just have to ask her if she had the choice for her romance, who would she choose?

“Oh, that’s not fair!” Rachel exclaims. “If I had to choose between Sheppard or Ronon? I can’t do that! They’re both fabulous, they both have wonderful attributes. I couldn’t possibly choose. I can’t. I’m sorry. I plead the Fifth on that one, too!”

All romantic questions aside, the recent addition of the character of Ronon Dex to the series has changed some elements of Teyla’s individual role among the team. Not only has his presence affected the dynamic of the team as a whole, but it has reshaped Teyla’s own contribution to everything as well.

Rachel agrees with this assessment.

“Absolutely it has. I think in the first season I had more fight sequences, and in the second season they had to establish Jason’s character, Ronon, as being kind of a go-getter, scrapper, fighter -- will throw himself into the fray at any given second. So yeah, that has definitely changed the dynamic a little bit. It’s also a good thing for Teyla from the perspective of character that she now has somebody onboard the team who shares her references, and being that he has grown up with a similar background, and that has been a good thing for her. Ultimately, it will be a good thing for the show. I think he definitely has changed the dynamic for the best.”

I discover that apparently Rachel’s mom and I have something in common when I mention that Teyla and Ronon certainly look pretty together onscreen.

She laughs. “Well, there you go! That’s all that matters, right?”

Laughing again, she tells me, “It’s what my mom thinks! She thinks, yeah, we look so pretty together. My mom thinks he’s a bit of a hunk.”

Only two episodes remain to be aired on our screens of the second season Stargate: Atlantis before the long hiatus to season three. With all questions up in the air with regards to further detailing of Teyla’s past, or the promise of romance in her future, fans can look forward to the return of the series in the hope of having a few of those questions answered. Impatient as I am, though, I cannot allow myself to end the conversation with Rachel before asking for a few tidbits regarding what may be coming in season three. Is there anything she's able to share?

“I know a couple of things thus far,” Rachel begins. “There’s going to be a really, really wonderful episode for Jason – for Ronon’s character, that’s like a movie. It touches quite heavily on his past and his family, his planet and his people. It’s a very cool episode, full of action and his back story, so it’s a great episode for him. We’re all kind of excited about that, and most of all, obviously, Jason.

“They’ve also been hinting about this crazy, comedic episode coming up where there’s a very, very, very, very, very large man who apparently has crazy pheromones that just send us all into a tizzy. So, all of the women go crazy and just have to be with him, but he’s like 300 pounds. So that will be a lot of fun!”

Rachel goes on to add, “There are going to be some episodes of lightness and hilarity but also, as I said, all of us have a story similar to the one that Jason has right now. It will dive into back story, which I think will be exciting and really great. It’s important, and as actors we want to explore that.”

And the fans, I can assure her, want to explore it as well.