Stargate Universe will premiere in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 6, according to the Scottish Daily Record.  As we had hoped, that’s just four days after the U.S. premiere on Syfy — meaning fans in both countries will get to watch new episodes the same week.

The newspaper today featured an article on actor Robert Carlyle, a native of Glasgow.  Carlyle plays Dr. Nicholas Rush on SGU, and emphasized that while he and his family are now spending eight months out of the year in Vancouver, British Columbia, he’s not “leaving” Scotland.

What he is leaving (for now), though, is the U.K. film industry.

“About 18 months ago, I decided to come to L.A. to stick my head above the parapet and see what’s out here because so many of my friends were doing that,” Carlyle said.  “And, to be honest, back home the British industry is not in the best health at all.

“So it was, ‘What do I do? Do I sit here, kick my heels and wait for film projects to come up?  Or do I try and make work for myself?’  And that’s the first time I’d ever done that, so I put it about with agents and managers that I was looking for something different, a different challenge.”

The producers of Stargate Universe convinced him that he’d be perfect for the role of Dr. Rush, who would be a series lead but not an entirely trustworthy character.

“I’d never done science fiction before,” he said. “The first thing I said to the creators was, ‘Why do you want me to do this?’ This is not my thing at all. … One of the things I thought was quite interesting was when they said they were looking for someone who people dislike but who is quite likeable. I thought, ‘I’m your man for that.’  So that’s what kind of drew me to it.”

Carlyle also said that he was drawn to the notion of living in Vancouver rather than Los Angeles — and had he found a show that filmed in L.A., his decision to do it may have been different.

“Vancouver is a different place [than L.A.],” he said.  “It’s a different vibe and a different buzz to the work.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful place.”

Read the full interview now at the Daily Record.  Learn more about Stargate Universe in GateWorld’s SGU Launch Center!