GateWorld: What aspects of Eli’s life and personality would you like to see explored?
David Blue: We’re on a good way to doing all that. I don’t want it to happen too fast, because I agree with Brad [Wright] and Rob [Cooper] that he shouldn’t grow into things too quickly. I’d love to see him find a way to contribute more, not just be the documentarian. Not just be the guy who’s like, “Ooh, it’s a Stargate!” and start contributing what he knows. Because he is very good at math, he has had training in astrophysics and physics and all these other things. So I’d love to see him start putting it to use.
But the truth is that I know it’s coming down the line. I’ve seen all of the relationships that I’ve been curious about [developing]. All the stuff about his past, when they can they touch on it. It’s the long haul for a character like this. You kind of have to be patient.
GW: You’re here today with Brian and Elyse [Levesque]. I know that you’ve got long, 18- or 19-hour days some days, and then you’re out doing the con circuits. The amount of time that you’re spending together off-screen – does that help to strengthen the bonds and the dynamics that we may end up seeing on screen?
DB: I think so. One of the best compliments I got from Joe Mallozzi right after we were done shooting the pilot, he’s like, “We didn’t expect Scott and Eli to be friends.”
GW: Yeah, it’s immediate. There’s that chemistry there, right off the bat.
DB: I thought that was great. I think it’s because we got along as people right away. Plus it was choices that we made. That first scene shooting, us walking down the hall talking about “Do you have aspirin?” They were like, “You guys have chemistry,” and it evolved into Scott and Eli becoming friends on the show.
I like it because when you are shooting long days – 16 to 20 hours a day, five days a week – you have to get along. And then on top of that, if you actually enjoy these people, I literally consider them my friends and family now. There’s a reason why we shoot 16 hours and then we go out for a beer and then play some Rock Band. It’s because we actually like hanging out with each other.
GW: And you’re troops, you’re all going into battle together.
DB: Yeah. It does make it a little rough when some characters have problems with other characters. Because then you’ll find yourself breaking up and laughing during a scene and getting in trouble. It happened recently, actually. We were doing something, I won’t say where. We were doing a scene where a bunch of us didn’t really have any lines but we were there, and we were just cracking jokes. And everyone was getting really mad at us because we were just having a grand old time.
And we actually went outside for a break and were just talking about life and love. It’s one of those moments when you look up and it’s a beautiful Vancouver day and you’re like, “Guys, we’re getting paid right now. We’re getting paid to hang out with our friends. This is ridiculous.” Don’t tell them because then they’ll stop paying us.
GW: I don’t think it’s unfair to say that some viewers are still on the fence about SGU …
DB: What? No! [Laughter]
GW: … for whatever the reason. What would you say to them to make them maybe open up again? To the plotting, style and pace of SGU? Some fans of the older shows have already made the decision not to watch, some still have not.
DB: It’s a tough thing for me to answer. And I know that everyone from MGM would love me to say, “Keep watching, keep watching, keep watching!”
The thing that I tell everyone, who’s seen it or hasn’t seen it, is SGU is its own show. We’re not trying to make a sequel to anything. We can’t! I’m not McKay, I’m not O’Neill. There will not be another SG-1 unless it’s a movie. And they’re not coming back because RDA [Richard Dean Anderson], I don’t think, needs to do another six years of television. I don’t think he’d want to. So if you watch out show and you like the tone of our show, then more power to you.
It’s not going to change. I think the biggest misconception out there is people think, “Here we go, now their changing! Because we said [‘this’], they’re changing it to what we want it to be.”
And when you have been IN the role, if SGU lasts 10 years, for several years, how realistic do you think it would be to stay innocent. Come on.. Daniel Jackson evolved and matured. It would be pretty silly otherwise, much as I adored naive Jackson.
Eli is one my favorite characters on SGU. David brings a lot to the character and much needed humor to the show.
he wasnt saying he didnt think Jackson evolved. he was saying after 10 years he became skill’d and stuff, which is true. sounded to me like he was just sayin he knew eli was created to bring the innocent thing back to some stories.
DB, you hold the future of the nerd-hero image in your hands (ignoring those producer/writers/etc).
Do us proud man.
Has DB lost weight during the production of SGU season 1? He seemed a little less “plump” in Incursion (Part 1) then he did in Air (Parts 1, 2 and 3).
He is still awesome though!
We need a rousing intro sequence like SGs past!
Look, ST Enterprise tanked and I had to mute the intro it was so schmaltzy. Intros matter!
I crank it up for Stargates orchestral movements.
Eli would look cool in an action intro piece! Don’tcha think?