Tapping discusses Stargate, Sanctuary

Amanda Tapping has been a mainstay in the eyes of science fiction fans everywhere for over a decade. After ten seasons on Stargate SG-1, she has remained with the franchise with her character, Colonel Samantha Carter, making the transition to leader of the expedition on Stargate Atlantis.

With a twelfth year as the character a distinct possibility after news of Atlantis‘s fifth-season pickup (story), and with two big made-for-DVD Stargate movies on the way in 2008, the actress discussed her memories of Stargate‘s past, its future, and her newest project — the Web series Sanctuary.

Originally meant as a made-for-internet series, Tapping confirmed that viewers will see Sanctuary make its way to television.

“Right now, we’re just getting distribution details in place,” Tapping told Web site Voices From Krypton. “You will see it on your television soon. We’ve got global tentacles out there right now. We’re looking at all possibilities. Network, cable, syndication.”

“It’s fantastic,” Tapping said in reference to the differences between portraying “Carter” on Stargate and Dr. Helen Magnus on Sanctuary. “‘Magnus’ is the antithesis of ‘Carter.’ She’s so completely different. She’s a renegade. She’s very sexual. From Army boots to stilettos … the leap is enormous. Everything from her history to her accent, from how she walks to what she wears. Her whole outlook on life is just completely different. So as an actor, it’s just totally invigorating.”

Discussing the evolution of “Carter” over the last decade, Tapping said, “She came into her own as a woman over the years. They kept introducing new relationships for her over the years that would inform who she was. The biggest and most telling, I think, being the relationship with her father.”

Tapping also noted what she believed to be some of the keys to the continued success of Stargate SG-1.

“[The writers] allowed [the characters] to be fallible,” she said. “Our characters all had mistakes. They all had back stories with mistakes in them. They all had regrets. Instead of making us superheroes, they allowed us to be fully-realized, fallible human beings.”

Humor played its part, too. “We never took ourselves too seriously,” she said. “Even more so toward the end, especially with [Richard Dean Anderson]. … It made it fun. It made it accessible. I think that was a huge credit toward the success of the show.”

Tapping also took the time to talk a bit about both upcoming SG-1 movies.

“The movies were a much bigger sense of scale,” she said. “The experience felt like we were making movies. Rob Cooper, who directed The Ark of Truth, had these big sets and did these huge crane shots. It was like doing the series, but on steroids. It was amazing.”

“Ark of Truth will be, I think, a very satisfying wrap-up of the Ori storyline for fans. I think they’ll enjoy it,” she said. “And Continuum sort of takes you back to the early Stargate episodes in terms of the way it plays out, and the camaraderie, and the team aspect.”

The entire audio interview with Amanda Tapping — which is spread over three parts and collectively runs almost 30 minutes — is now available for streaming at Voices from Krypton.

Keep watching GateWorld for more news on Atlantis‘s new season and DVD movie updates!

(Thanks to Ed Gross for the tip)