Stargate fans haven’t heard from Anubis since Season Eight’s “Lockdown,” when the renegade Goa’uld wound up as a popsicle on an ice world. The villain will indeed return in “Reckoning,” GateWorld has learned — but not with actor David Palffy in the role.
Why recast the role? GateWorld brings you Palffy’s take on the situation.
“The rumors were floating around earlier in the year, so of course I obviously had my hopes up that [Anubis] would be back,” Palffy told GateWorld in an interview. “But of course there are always rumors. There’s never anything definite until you get the call and they say ‘You’re booked on this date or that date.’ So it was more or less earlier in the year, and then of course the decision was made the latter part into summer I guess that they wanted to go a different way with him. I think the idea, again — it’s the whole thing of him morphing into different people.”
 Actor Dean Ayelsworth plays a different incarnation of Anubis in “Reckoning.” |
Since the actor’s face has become established with Sokar, who he played in Season Three, an open, human face of Palffy as Anubis may send mixed messages to the average viewer. Perhaps when “Reckoning” has aired the answer will be made apparent — a new or previous host for Anubis, for example.
“He’s kind of morphing into other characters, other faces,” Palffy said. “I understand that what they’re trying to do is he’s morphing into different faces, so eventually, whether that comes around to my face, I don’t know. It all depends on what they have in mind.”
Perhaps the most popular belief among fans was that Palffy was unavailable to shoot the episode, so the producers handed the reigns to another actor. Actually, David was around. “I was available at the time, so to be honest it was a bit of a puzzle to me,” he told us. “It’s one of those decisions that is made that sometimes they’re kind of inexplicable, to say the least. You wonder why, but of course, as I had mentioned to you once before in one of the articles that the true gods are the writers. They make a decision for whatever it is. Of course, as the actor, you obviously, for good or for bad, have to accept the consequences.”
 Palffy shoes his face as the evil Sokar. From “The Devil You Know.” |
Season Nine is now on the drawing board, but Palffy is not getting his hopes up yet. The Stargate universe is expanding, so whether his fate lies with Atlantis, another role on SG-1, or a permanent departure from the series is anyone’s guess. “I’d love to do more on the show, and perhaps there is a possibility, but that remains to be seen,” he said. “I have, to be honest, kind of detached myself from the situation because you have to move on.”
“I do keep in touch with what’s going on in the show through Chris Judge. Chris is a very good friend of mine, so in that respect I know kind of what’s going on. But you refrain from exploring the real reasons why the decision is made because you end up coming across as an actor who is too needy. And again, like anything in the life of an actor you just have to move on, and there are other jobs. You’re basically a hired gun. You’re always grateful if they’re pleased about your work and want to keep you around.”
Palffy has certainly been keeping busy with other projects, including the film “Caved In” with Colm Meaney (the Genii leader “Cowan” on Stargate Atlantis). “It’s a story about a group of miners that get trapped in a mine, and they discover there’s man-eating insects down below and, of course, have to survive. It’s actually for The SCI FI Channel, so I think it’ll be on shortly.”
 Erica Durance |
In other news, David was excited to update fans on his impending marriage to actress Erica Durance, who appeared as Krista James in “Affinity” before going on to a recurring role as Lois Lane on Smallville. When’s the big date? “It’s the eighth of January, this Saturday,” he says. “Of course, all the fun things about organizing. We’re trying to keep it small, not getting trapped into a big wedding.”
And the honeymoon? “Not right now, because we’re both kind of busy,” Palffy said. “We’re just going to wait for the next opportunity to put together a honeymoon. We recently bought a house together, so we’ve been fairly busy. Some people buy a house and get married next year, but we’re doing it all at once. Get it all over with!”