Robert Moloney has been one of the villains we really loved to hate, from the Aschen “Borren” in SG-1 to the duplicitous “Koracen” in Atlantis. We are delighted to have him on LIVE to talk about the complexity of these very different characters and discuss his life and career!

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Timecodes
0:00 – Splash Screen
0:25 – Opening Credits
0:52 – Welcome
1:04 – Guest Introduction
1:20 – The Quality of Stargate
4:11 – The Artistry of the Atlantis Set
4:48 – Prop and Set Piece Slight of Hand
5:50 – Getting Into Acting
8:27 – Vancouver is Exploding
9:03 – Studio 58 and First Gigs
13:25 – A Challenging Role
18:28 – David Loves the Aschen
20:43 – Dion Luther as Mollum
22:55 – Talented People
23:39 – No Prep from “2010”
25:33 – “Of course. Sterility.”
27:46 – So Damned Insidious
29:19 – The Third Aschen Story
31:59 – “Ghost in the Machine”
33:54 – Sci-Fi is our Dream Phase
36:14 – AI Pattern Recognition
37:11 – Nothing Can Replace the Theatre
40:56 – Near-Misses while Bike Riding
43:37 – Julian Glover and Stage Fright
45:15 – Freddie Highmore
45:52 – Alfred Molina
47:10 – The Man in the High Castle: Changing Direction
48:21 – Not Crazy about the Ending
50:45 – Into the West: A Missed Opportunity
55:14 – Robert’s Daughter Drops In
55:53 – Invitation to Return to the UK Stage
57:10 – Thank you, Robert!
58:30 – My Mouse Just Died
58:46 – General Hammond’s Wedding Ring
59:35 – Guests from Craft Services
1:00:12 – Post-Interview Housekeeping
1:02:20 – End Credits

***

“Stargate” and all related materials are owned by MGM Studios and MGM Television.

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read:
Hello and welcome to another episode of Dial the Gate, the Stargate oral history project. My name is David Read. Thank you for being with me for this episode. I have Robert Moloney joining us today. He played Borren in ‘Stargate SG-1’ and Koracen and ‘Stargate Atlantis’. Sir, it is a privilege to have you. Thank you for being here.

Robert Moloney:
Thank you so much for having me. It’s an honor to be here.

David Read:
I’ve been looking back on, because I can’t recall them as well as I used to, either. I’ve been looking back on on these two episodes. Particularly “2001”, which contains one of the second chapter of one of my favorite villains in ‘SG-1’ The Aschen. And I’m curious to know, you’ve re-watched these now, what do you think about the show so many years, so many years hence? What do you think about these episodes?

Robert Moloney:
Well, it just, there’s a number of things I think about. One is how incredibly well-produced the show is on every level. The writing is so smart and so creative. The acting is so good. You know, Amanda and Michael and Richard are just amazing. I think they were really smart, the producers, to introduce an element of comedy to it, which gives it a ton of charm. And the creativity and intelligence that goes into the writing and coming up with these ideas, because the concept of this, the concept for the TV show of the Stargate, this gate that allows us to go into any world we want, is, on the one hand, brilliant because it leads to endless possibilities. But I can imagine that those endless possibilities also create a challenge for these writers to be able to go, “Okay, if I can do anything, what would I do?” As opposed to like, a police procedural where it’s pretty clear cut and dried? You got the good guys here, the cops. The bad guys were the bad guys and the bad guys do something. And the good guys are trying to track them down. And usually at the end they win. It’s pretty formulaic that way. Whereas in a show like Stargate, you can create anything and that can lead, I think, in some cases to a recipe for disaster because, you know, it’d be like the blind leading the blind, but not in Stargate, because I think Brad Wright and Robert Cooper are just so smart that they were able to tackle some really, really interesting concepts, interesting issues that we have in our own society by introducing a, you know, a different element to it, an otherworldly element to it. So yeah. And then just the, you know, I remember being on when I was doing “Ghost in the Machine” and being on set of the ‘Atlantis’ set for the first time and just being blown away by the artistry and the creativity and the time and effort that went into just building that set. Things that were very practical, like, I remember there was this handheld device that comes off the wall and it’s magnetized and the doors worked and the artwork that went into it. And the creativity is just mind blowing.

David Read:
The sleight of hand that it takes to pull some of that stuff off. I mean, I got to sell a lot of those pieces and it was like, you know, you present this to someone for the first time, they’d think, you know, we’re that’s technology that’s 100 years ahead of us or something like that. But you once you start to see inside of it and see how it works, it’s like, oh, it’s sleight of hand. It’s a magician’s trick. It only needs to be facilitated on screen, you know, with the help of these other people who are making it look good and VFX and everything else. It’s a facilitator of marvelous story, you know, it allows us to be transported away.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. Absolutely.

David Read:
I think I see what you’re saying, too. Just because, you know, there are endless routes of possibilities for story, it doesn’t mean that you can go without guardrails. For a human audience, you have to make it make sense, which means even though there are endless stories, you still have to have parameters that people can believe in.

Robert Moloney:
Exactly. Yes. That’s a very good way of putting it.

David Read:
I am interested to know how you got into this field. Did you always want to be an actor? And, tell me a little bit about what inspired you to become who you are.

Robert Moloney:
That’s a good question. Thank you. Well, I remember early days. Like, I’m talking, like, six and things like that. I remember thinking about wanting to be a stuntman.

David Read:
Really?

Robert Moloney:
Because, you know, I’m old, and I was watching TV in the 1970s, and, that was sort of the era of, like, stunts where there was sort of a focus on that. There was Dar Robinson, who was this great stuntman, and I remember just thinking, yeah, I want to jump out of airplanes and I want to go scuba diving. And, you know, I want to do all, and I want to be in the movies. And then I saw Star Wars. it was a little later on, and then I wanted to be a director. You know, then I just, I would walk home from school and I would imagine, you know, being behind the camera, and I would find a hedge, and I would think that, you know, I was flying an X-Wing fighter over it, and pretending that I was the cameraman. And then what happened is I got into drama in high school. I was too scared to do it in junior high. And I got into drama in high school, and I did a play, and people laughed, and it was so exhilarating.

David Read:
They were supposed to laugh, right?

Robert Moloney:
There was supposed to laugh. Thank you. Yes, they’re supposed to laugh. It was a comedy. And I was making people laugh. And, I didn’t know I had that, ability. And it just hit me in the heart, and I just went, ‘okay’. And it actually took me a little while to actually pursue it professionally. I did some amateur stuff and, I was a little lost in my life at that point. And then I sort of found myself and went, ‘okay, I’ve got to do this professionally’. And I auditioned for theater school. And I got in and then, sort of, yeah. And then like, literally it was late 20s when I graduated and started fairly late professionally. And luckily, I was in Vancouver here and the business was going bonanza and I started to work and I still love it. I still just love it.

David Read:
I went up and, I think my first visit was ‘03 and production was in, I think, season eight of ‘SG-1’ at that point. And I went back, in 2022. Gosh, that city has exploded.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah, it sure has.

David Read:
And the industry there. And I can’t help but think just how much ‘Stargate’ contributed to that. It is just mind blowing.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah, I’m sure it has. Yeah, I’m sure it has.

David Read:
So how did you go from… so you started this off in school. What were the steps that you went through to finally being able to do this professionally? I’ve always got a couple of acting folks listening out there, so they’re always curious as to how different people have cracked it in the past.

Robert Moloney:
Well, like I said, I did theater school, and, and this, it’s called ‘Studio 58’. It’s in Vancouver. It’s one of the best training programs in Canada. And, I was lucky enough to get in and lucky enough to graduate. In the upper terms, in the last three terms that you’re there, you do professional shows. So they’re directed by professional directors, and they have professional designers come in, and they always send out invites to agents. And because it’s a well-known school, agents are always looking for new talent. So they often come. And, I had an agent see me in a show and write a letter to the school saying, hey, I would like to meet with Robert Maloney. And so, we met and she took me on, and she was my first agent. And. Yeah. And then, Yeah. And then one of my first gigs, actually, so, I had worked in the restaurant industry prior to going to theater school. And when I graduated… When I was in school, my last couple of terms, like I had the lead role in a couple of the shows and, you know, I thought I was going to come out of the gate, you know, and just sort of launch my career. And little did I know that I had to get to the back of the line, you know, and there was a lot of really good actors with a lot more experience than I had. And so I had to get a job and, you know, I had a student loan to pay off, and, I had gotten a job at a restaurant, a new restaurant that was opening and, I went in for this menu tasting informational session before it opened. And I just realized I couldn’t do it, and I didn’t know… I was so broke. I was so broke. It was insane. And I was terrified. And I walked out of that restaurant and I went, I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I can’t do this, and I just have to trust. And my agent’s office was just around the corner, so I thought, I’m just going to pop in there and see, just pop in. So, I popped in, she was on the phone. And this is in the era of fax machines and this the fax started spitting out a breakdown, which is which is what the casting directors send out when a new project is coming online and they want to cast it. And it breaks down all of the cast. And she was still on the phone. So I had a read of it and I saw a part in there that I thought I would be perfect for, and I almost interrupted on the phone. And she was like, “I’m on the phone” and I’m like, and she got off the phone and I pointed to it, and I said, if you get me for an audition for this role, I’ll get it. And she said, “Okay.” And it was a bit of a leap because I was brand new and nobody knew who I was. But, yeah.

David Read:
And what do you know? You know, you just have your instincts.

Robert Moloney:
I just have my instincts. And it was for ‘Lonesome Dove’. And I ended up getting the job. And Brad Wright, who I believe, has directed a bunch of episodes of ‘Stargate’. I just finished working with him again on a TV show called ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit’. Okay. And I got that job, and it was just like it was truly a godsend. Whatever people’s concept of that is, I respect. For me, it was just like, whatever that is, I don’t even know what my concept of it is, but, it felt like it was the universe telling me, ‘you’re going in the right direction’.

David Read:
Wow, that’s a great story. You know, sometimes all we can do is follow our instincts and, you know, hope that we’ll be able to handle whatever comes our way. And you just knew that day. I’m curious to know, is there a role you have portrayed that challenged you in ways that you didn’t anticipate? That surprised you in terms of its complexity, its wear and tear on you as a person? Something that has stuck out to you over time that you can that you can share with us?

Robert Moloney:
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is so I also do quite a lot of theater. The first thing that comes to mind is a play that I did called ‘Clybourne Park’. And it was a monster role for me and it’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning play. And I played two characters in it. So the structure is set up that the first act takes place in the 1960s, and the second act takes place in present day. And all of the same actors portray different characters in the two time zones. And that was incredibly challenging. And the director, Janet Wright, who is an amazing, who was an amazing Canadian actor and director, she has since passed. She’s won the Order of Canada. She was on ‘Corner Gas’. I don’t know if you know that TV show. She was in “The Perfect Storm” with George Clooney. She directed that that play, and she really, really pushed me. And she’s not for the faint of heart, Janet. She’s got a great big heart. But she’s tough as nails, and she really pushed me. And I ended up winning an award for my performance in there. But there was times in the rehearsal process where I was like, I don’t know that I can do this. But I pulled it off and then another is another experience I had where I was very fortunate as an actor to be working on a bunch of different things. And I was performing in ‘Uncle Vanya’, the great Anton Chekhov play, and I was rehearsing ‘The Odd Couple’, where I was playing Felix in ‘The Odd Couple’. So I was rehearsing Felix in ‘The Odd Couple’ during the day from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m., and then I would, I didn’t have a car at the moment because I’m an environmentalist and I try not to drive cars. And so, I’d finish rehearsal at six, I’d get on my bike, I’d ride a half an hour, rain or shine, to the theater where we were performing ‘Uncle Vanya’. I would get to my dressing room and have a 25-minute nap, because that’s what I had time for. I’d have my dinner packed. I would wake up at 7:00. I would have my dinner between 7 and 7:30. Then at 7:30, I would get into my costume and do a warm up, and then 8:00 I’d do the show. And the show was done at 10:30. And I rode my bike home, which is about a half an hour home. And, I get home at 11 and I’d work for an hour on, playing Felix, you know, doing, you know, doing my prep work for Felix in ‘The Odd Couple’ and I’d go to bed at midnight, wake up at 8:00, get ready for the day. And I did that every day for three weeks. And in the midst of that, in the midst of just as we were about to open ‘Uncle Vanya’, I got an offer to do an episode of a TV show called ‘Motive’. And I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get to rehearsal off. But the A.D., my agent, and the director of ‘Uncle Vanya’, we worked out a schedule that I was be able to shoot that as well. So, that’s just one of those times in my life I remember where it was just like, things are working, you know? And then you go through periods of like six months where you’re not working and you wonder what the heck is going on. In fact, when I got “Borren”, I hadn’t worked in probably I hadn’t worked in a few months. Anyways. And I was pretty down. I was, you know, that was the that was a period I don’t take it personally anymore, but I was still fairly new and I was like, you know, going what is going on? And then all of a sudden I got a call out of the blue that I’d gotten this offer. So, and it was just an offer. And I had auditioned for ‘Stargate’ for a number of times and never gotten i. And I thought, ‘what is it with the show? Why don’t they hire?’ I think I’m doing a good job.
And anyways, they just all of a sudden came out and offered me this one. And then when I talked to Brad, he said, “Hey, Robert. We’re so happy to have you on the show.” He said, “We always love your auditions when you come in, and it’s just a matter of finding the right fit. And we think that, you know, we think that “Borren” was the right fit for you.” And I was like, oh, I’m so grateful to be here.

David Read:
Absolutely. That “Boring” guy. I love the Aschen because at this point in the show, our arch enemy has been one of immense… The Goa’uld are out there, and they’re loud and they’re obnoxious, and they enslave people, and they it’s all of this and all of that, and it’s in your face. And now we have an enemy, if you’re aware that they’re an enemy, who is none of that. It was a completely desaturated right down to their clothing.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah.

David Read:
You so you get the offer of “Borren”. Did they send you a tape of ‘2010’?

Robert Moloney:
No, no. So what happened was, it’s great that you brought this up because what happened was Peter Deluise was directing the episode, and I was there for my first day, and I believe it was the day where I first meet the entourage who had just come through the Stargate. And I come walking down the path and we have this dialog in the rehearsal, and Peter pulls me aside and says, “Okay, Robert. Great. Now, whatever you’re doing, don’t do it. I don’t want you to do anything.”

David Read:
So you had already delivered a take?

Robert Moloney:
I don’t think so. I think we were just blocking it. But he works really fast. So, like, Peter worked so fast. And he might have just filmed the rehearsal. And he was like, “Do nothing. This is the Aschen.” And I was like, ‘okay, got it’. So, then it was just like… luckily, I have training, and I was able to just go [flat expression]. And I gotta say, I kind of think I nailed it. And Dion [Luther] as well, Dion was so great. Yeah, I remember here’s a little story about Dion. When we have this scene where the initial negotiation and Dion has all of this dialog. And sci fi dialog is unlike any other, it can be incredibly complex. And those who don’t know, like, we actors have to work really hard and put in the time to drill those lines and drill, it doesn’t just come automatically. And poor Dion was having one of those days where the dialog just wasn’t coming to him. Because in, if you’re doing, say, traditional television, where it’s present day and it’s you know, real life kind of situations, we can use substitutions or whatever to make things make sense to us, right? But if you’re if you’re unaware of the worlds that a show like ‘Stargate’ can present and the concepts and the ideas and the technology that you need to discuss. It’s, you know, watching David Hewlett, deliver this dialog, this really highly technical dialog about stuff that doesn’t actually exist in the real world. So, he has no personal experience with it. Except for he’s got to make sense of it so that because if he makes sense of it we will make sense of it as an audience, right?

David Read:
If he doesn’t, it sounds like gobbledygook. You just you can’t just say it. Saying it is not enough. You have to believe it.

Robert Moloney:
You have to believe it, and you have to know what you’re talking about specifically. And so poor Dion was having a little bit of trouble, and Richard Dean Anderson was so kind, and he just had a set of sides, which are like a little tiny version of the script that we’re filming that day. And he put it down in front of Dion and he said, “Here it is, man.” He said, “We get it. We have to do it all the time. If you need to cheat and take a look at your lines, do it.” Right. And he was he was so kind. That’s the other thing about working on the show both times that I really, really appreciated. It was amazing to me that, you know, all of these actors are at a high level, all the writers at a high level, the producers, directors at a high level. And they were very intelligent, and they were all so grounded and kind and humble and there was just like, ‘yeah, this is just what we do. We’re just we’re just doing our job and welcome aboard. And it’s great to have you. And, we’re just doing this really super cool thing that, you know, is just our day job.’ And, it was really, really nice to see.

David Read:
I am delighted that you, and surprised that you had not seen ‘2010’ before this. Usually when they bring people in, they give them tapes of any relevant information from a previous episode. So, you didn’t know the Aschen going, in or their motivations. So, like a line like, “You’ll find we are a very patient people.” Doesn’t mean to you what it would mean to someone who has seen it.

Robert Moloney:
Yes, exactly. And I have to admit, you know, I’ve, I appreciate science fiction a lot, but I’m not like a rabid fan of it and really super passionate fan of it. My brother is certainly. He’s, a big ‘Star Trek’ fan, and he lives in London now, and he works in tech, he works in AI and is doing really well in that regard and was super pumped that I was going to be on ‘Stargate’ and has watched it all and all the ‘Star Trek’ and he’s you know, a real genuine fan. So, I know how amazingly passionate you guys are, and I so appreciate it. And I also know that you’re going to know way more about the world than I will. And forgive me for that. Yeah. It’s just my passions lie elsewhere. But, I so appreciate science fiction fans because you guys are like none other. It’s amazing. And you know, the sci fi world as it is would not exist without you.

David Read:
People have to enjoy it and keep on wanting it to come back.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. Absolutely. Right. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

David Read:
I love the look on your face when you realize, ‘oh, I just said the quiet part out loud. Sterility.’ It’s like the real… It’s the moment that the whole episode hangs on because he’s not thinking about anything. He’s just there wanting to get this deal done. We’re wanting the gate coordinates. You know, we’ve got some, you know, Volian texts here. What is this word? Oh, it’s sterility. Sterility? Oh.

Robert Moloney:
Oh, you’re on to us.

David Read:
And you look up and you’re the most animated of the entire episode, and you look at Borren, and it’s like, ‘God, I stepped in it.’ And from then on out, they completely transform. Tell me about playing that, please. If there’s anything you remember from that.

Robert Moloney:
The only thing I remember is that my inner dialog, my inner monologue, was, I looked at Dion and my inner monologue was, ‘oh, shit’. That’s it. Sometimes it’s that simple, but it’s truthful. And, you know, as actors, we dissect the script and we know what those moments are meant to be. And it was interesting to go, okay, because earlier on in the episode, I think it’s when, you know, when they’re having the briefing, and the colonel says, “they must have been shocked to hear that.” And Richard’s character says, “No, not really.” Yeah. It’s like, what do you mean?

David Read:
It’s a planet full of accountants?

Robert Moloney:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. So it was like, so how do you play that moment? Truthfully, how would affect the Aschen, but also be Aschen. So, I’m glad to hear you feel like I nailed it.

David Read:
Well, it’s… You might as well be playing a Vulcan. You know, because they are… God knows what conditioning they have on Aschen Prime or wherever they’re from. But, I mean, just because you’re not presenting doesn’t mean the character is not feeling and is not recognizing, you know, that he’s committed a faux pas in this context, and exposed their entire 150-200 year plan. That’s why I love them, because they’re so damned insidious. You know, there are, you know, the threat of a group of people who will take the time to get whatever they want because they can expand, their lifespans are 2 or 3 times ours. They have time to wait.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. They’re seemingly innocuous.

David Read:
That’s the giveaway. I mean, that’s what lures us in because how come… I mean, look at them. How can they be trouble? You know, I go to them when I need my taxes done.

Robert Moloney:
Well and here’s another, oh, no, wait, I won’t go there. Different episode. I got confused for a second.

David Read:
No, but, I love the portrayal. I love your little brawl with Christopher Cousins at the end there. And it was, it’s an effective episode. Did you know there was supposed to be a third?

Robert Moloney:
I did not know that.

David Read:
Because we give you… do you remember what we give you on the tablet?

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. The coordinates to a black hole or something. Aha.

David Read:
[Shows photo] So, they would be upset by this. So I found this online, a fan created this. And it’s like yeah, yeah. Things did not go well after we left them. There was an episode that was considered called ‘Judgment’. And the Asgard, another one of our allies, take us before, like a galactic tribunal to answer for what we have done to this entire species. So I just, I really wish that we had that we had seen them again because it, you know, there are consequences to our dalliances throughout the universe, even if you know, a group of people, have threatened us. That doesn’t mean their entire population thinks this way. You know, it could. It could have been just their leadership. So that’s why I love sci fi.

Robert Moloney:
Do you know why the episode was never made?

David Read:
Well, primarily because by the end of season five, they were going to switch to movies. And so, there wasn’t a plan for a season six. Showtime’s contract with them was at an end, and they went to Sci Fi Channel. “The Bones of Judgment” became an episode, actually, in season five of ‘Atlantis’, where the Pegasus galaxy puts Atlantis on trial so, you know a good idea eventually, you know, comes out in another form. And I’m sure you’re fully aware of that in your industry because it happens all the time.

Robert Moloney:
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David Read:
If you’ve got a good idea… don’t hoard your silver bullet. You know, you got to put it out somewhere. That’s great stuff. So I appreciate you sharing the story about the production there and Dion, I can’t get in touch with I don’t know how to get in touch with him. I have wanted to speak to him for years. So, if you have any lines of communication, please help. But I know it’s been a long time.

Robert Moloney:
I don’t. That’s the last I saw Dion. So, I don’t even know if he’s still in the business.

David Read:
I don’t think that he is, but, God, he was one of my favorites. You guys created a really cool adversary there. Just with a few lines.

Robert Moloney:
That’s so sweet to hear. Thank you so much, David. Really, it really means a lot.

David Read:
Absolutely. You return, as a completely different adversary in a season five ‘Atlantis’ episode called “Ghosts in the Machine”. And temperamentally, a very similar character.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. Very similar.

David Read:
So, tell me about auditioning for “Koracen”. Or was this another offer? And appearing in SG-1’s sister series?

Robert Moloney:
Well, I believe I auditioned for it, but I don’t quite remember. But I knew again that I was excited to be on ‘Atlantis’ and the ‘Stargate’, you know, world, and what I remember initially was having to read the script a number of times to try to understand the concepts, because I still don’t know that I do fully, because I’m just probably not that bright, or my aptitudes lie elsewhere. But I just again, I just think of the creativity to go, oh, my God, this, you know, there’s these glitches, this ghost in the machine. And all of a sudden, somebody types help and you’re like, who…? And it’s Elizabeth, and you’re going, and she’s in the computer. And I just go, wow. And then the bodies that we’re in are created with nanotechnology. And like, I just, my hats are off to these genius creators and writers.

David Read:
The stuff that they have.

Robert Moloney:
Go ahead. Well, this is stuff that is, you know, all potentially, doable in the future. You know.

David Read:
Yeah, it’s almost like sci fi grants us an opportunity to perceive possible futures. I’ve had this conversation with a number of different creators behind the scenes. Sci fi is our dream phase. You know, it’s our attempt to sort out possibilities. And, ‘Star Trek’ alone, you know, is a great example of how we’re able to imagine one thing and then someone else who is young and up and coming can say, ‘we’re going to make that happen’. And it’s amazing and scary at the same time, especially as we move into AI. So, I’m sure you’ve had those conversations with your brother.

Robert Moloney:
Absolutely. Absolutely. He’s you know, he’s of the opinion that, like any technology, there is the potential for it to be used negatively. But by and large, he feels like it will be a benefit. So, for example, one of the things that he’s working on, the thing that he’s the project he’s working on right now, is AI that will help patients who are on a number of medications. So, for example, cancer patients, who have other issues, it will help them manage their medications so that they don’t have to think about it. That the AI, what it can do, is compare all of the, counter and contra- indications and look at all of those types of things and create the best models for recovery for that patient, given all of the information that it has. So that’s a potentially, you know, lifesaving application of AI. So yeah, but the possibilities are, you know, he’s just he’s like a, you know, he’s like a kid in a candy store.

David Read:
On the frontier.

Robert Moloney:
Loving it.

David Read:
The fact that they can perceive, that AI can perceive patterns that we can’t, and we don’t know why they perceive the patterns that we can’t. They just, you know, we throw enough of them at something, and then we take the ones that perform the best, and then we copy more of those. Whatever’s going on inside, it’s got to be so unlike us. But it can see aspects of the world that we cannot perceive, and help us to cross boundaries that we couldn’t otherwise cross with our normal ape senses. And I think that, on those grounds, it’s going to be a massive, there’s going to be a lot of things that work, but I think it’ll be a massive help to, to society and discovering possibilities and offering answers that we didn’t consider, solutions that we didn’t consider.

Robert Moloney:
Solutions that we didn’t consider. Absolutely. And then, you know, there’s the other side of it. You know, as you know, we just had the actors and writers strike. Part of it was, you know, protecting our jobs. And, you know, one of the exciting things that I’m doing right now is I’ve just become the artistic director of a small theater company where I live. And, you know, having being done a lot of theater and being theater trained, there’s nothing that can replace being in the same space and breathing the same air and feeling the same energy as the actors who are on stage. Like, no digital technology, no AI, no deep fakes is ever going to replace that, I believe. And so, I’m wondering if with the negative applications of AI, you know, deep fakes and all that kind of stuff, people will start to question what’s real. I wonder if there’s going to be a surge in people coming back to live performance, because you can’t question it. It is happening in front of you. You’re breathing the same air. Something goes wrong on stage. You may or may not know about it, but the actors are feeling it. And there’s a palpable energy. And you’re also bringing people together in community, which we need. And, you know, like Shakespeare said, as actors, we hold the mirror up to nature. Right? As storytellers, we’re holding the mirror up to nature. We’re saying, hey, this is who we are. Good or bad, this is what we’re like as human beings. Do with it what you will, interpret it however you want. Use it as a cautionary tale. Or whatever. But doing that storytelling in the same venue that the audience is in, and in that they’re, you know, I mean, you’ve been to conventions, I’m sure. There’s probably nothing like being in, you know, a convention and seeing the actors that you’ve seen on TV up at the panel and they’re talking and you’re breathing the same air as them, it’s incredibly exciting.

David Read:
It’s a huge high. You go home from an event and you’re in a funk.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. Because you’ve been looking forward to that for months. And then you get there and you’re, you know. Yeah.

David Read:
Absolutely. There’s a reason that vinyl is coming, has come back and has stuck. You know, people crave the realism. I mean, as far as I am concerned, you know, I can you know, get a, a music file that has all the popping and hissing in it and everything else. And I’m perfectly fine. But for other people, that’s not enough. They want to be able to have a tangible relationship with their music with the vinyl disc, and everything else. And I think to your point, it’s only going to increase. Not everyone, but some people’s, interest in making a more human connection as we have these more synthetic encounters with ChatGPT and everything else. That’s not going away. It’s only going to increase. And I think that the theater will only become more relevant, because of that, as we move forward, because people, like you said, need that connection, long for that connection, whether they know it or not.

Robert Moloney:
Yes, we absolutely do.

David Read:
I’ve got some fan questions for you.

Robert Moloney:
Oh, great.

David Read:
Hundetuem: Have you ever had any near misses while riding your bike in public traffic?

Robert Moloney:
That’s a very interesting question.

David Read:
I’ve gotten… people are listening, you know.

Robert Moloney:
Yes, I you know, I certainly have. One time I was riding with a friend of mine, and I got a little bit delayed, so I was trying to catch up with them. And they went through this light that turned orange, and I just went, “I can make it.” And I started to go, and it turned red and the car started coming through the other way. And I was like, “uh-oh.” And it was my fault. And I slammed on my brakes and I skidded, and I hit the side of the car and rolled up onto the front of the car, and then slid off the front of the car. Luckily it had stopped by then. I had some bumps and bruises, but I was I was relatively unhurt, but I ended up having to pay about $1,500 to get that guy’s car fixed, because of, you know, my bike scratching it up, which was, which was not fun. And then I did actually, in that story that I was telling you, about riding to, to rehearse, riding to do the show. I crossed, one night in the rain and I had all the rain gear, so I was fine with it. It was actually really invigorating to, because I’d been inside all day rehearsing and then get outside and just breathe some fresh air and get some exercise and it really helped. But, I was crossing some railroad tracks and my back tires slipped out from under me, and I landed on my tailbone. And everybody knows how painful that is. And, I had to get up, and I had to get up and go do the show.

David Read:
Were you limping the rest of the night?

Robert Moloney:
I was just. Yeah. There’s something that happens when you walk on stage. It’s like, people call it theater magic or the theater doctor or whatever. It’s like, you walk on stage and it all goes away and you’re in the moment, you’re doing your thing, and then you get off stage, and then all of a sudden it hurts again. And then you walk on stage and you don’t even notice it. One time I had, I was doing a show and I had food poisoning, and I had to, you know, the show must go on, and I would I would go on stage and it would be fine. And then I would get off stage and I would have to go throw up, and then I would, quickly gargle with some mouthwash and go back on stage. And I did that about three times.

David Read:
You just rally. Your body knows that you have to rally. Wow. Jeez, man. Yeah. I can’t remember who it was, but, oh, he played in “Empire Strikes Back”. He was one of the generals, and, this huge actor.

Robert Moloney:
Not Domhnall Gleeson?

David Read:
No, “The Empire Strikes Back”.

Robert Moloney:
Oh, the original?

David Read:
It was, Julian Glover.

Robert Moloney:
Oh, okay.

David Read:
Never got over his anxiety of performing before a crowd. You would have to throw up in a bucket or wherever every time before he went on for years. But he fought it. And then he got out and he did the job, you know? But, I mean, that’s stage fright. An actor with as much presence as that, you would never think was puking his guts out before a show.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah. Laurence Olivier, arguably one of the greatest actors of all time, in his 60s, developed stage fright. And apparently had to be pushed on stage by the stage managers who were like, ‘you got to go on’ you know?

David Read:
Night after night?

Robert Moloney:
I don’t know. You know, I should, it’s actually, that’s like, making you realize I should probably read more about it because, again, because he was incredible.

David Read:
You can develop a complex, you know, it’s we’re all human. And that’s just wild. All right. [Lockwatcher], you had roles in two shows with Freddie Highmore, ‘Bates Motel’ and ‘Good Doctor’. What is it like working with Freddie?

Robert Moloney:
He’s again, just such a lovely, kind, quiet guy, you know? And, I don’t think I had any scenes with him in either show. Oh. But I did a table read. We did a table read for the ‘Good Doctor’. And, yeah, he just seems really down to earth and, kind, you know, I got a chance to just on that sort of note of being down to earth and kind of. I did a TV show called ‘Three Pines’, and I got to work with, with Alfred Molina, who’s an Academy Award nominated actor. And, you know, he played Otto Octavius in the “Spider-Man”. And like, I have never met, like, somebody that grounded and that kind and that unpretentious. He’s just the nicest, most genuine guy and so powerful on screen. And then afterwards, I found I have the biggest project I’m working on right now is raising my four-year-old daughter.

David Read:
Congratulations.

Robert Moloney:
Hence, I have behind me. I have Olaf. And, you know, she’s a big fan of “Frozen”, and Albert Molina is married to Jennifer Lee, who wrote and directed “Frozen”. So, we’re kind of talking Hollywood royalty here, and you would never know with Fred. You never know it.

David Read:
Some people just don’t wear it, you know, they don’t wear it around. You have maybe if you ask them about it, they’ll reveal it. But otherwise, if you didn’t already know it, you’d never. Absolutely. [Spinfuser]. Any memories from working on ‘Man in the High Castle’? Talk about a completely different show. Holy cow.

Robert Moloney:
Completely different show. I gotta say, that was disappointing because my character… I did that episode. It was just that one scene because it was supposed to lead to a number of other episodes. But what happened was I, we shot that episode, and then they took a five week hiatus, and they fired the showrunner because Amazon wanted it to go in a different direction. They fired, I think, it was Frank Spotnitz, wasn’t it?

David Read:
It’s been so long, it’s probably the case.

Robert Moloney:
And, who you know of ‘X-Files’ fame. They fired him and fired the showrunner and took the show in a completely different direction. And they never, and that storyline that they had been building that my character would have featured more in, they never followed it through.

David Read:
Wow. What a lesson in terms of, setting expectations, especially even if you start something, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to get to finish it. Wow. I’m going to have to re-watch the show and look into that because, yeah, he exited. This was this was announced in Variety, May of 2016. And that was a show that I followed to the end, but was not crazy about the ending. It had a lot going for it and the lot of twists and turns, but I’m surprised to hear that, you know? But if you’re going to switch showrunners, nothing is guaranteed. You know, the direction that they were going in was not what the higher-ups wanted.

Robert Moloney:
Well, you know, nothing is guaranteed in this business. It can be really, like, I’m not surprised that people like Dion just decided, you know, I’m going in a different direction. For some reason, I have tenacity and I just stick to it and I just keep on going. And I think theater has kept me in the game. And now I’m teaching and, I’m really loving teaching. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to give back because I’ve had a good career, and, I just thought, I want to give back. And somebody said, ‘why don’t you teach?’ And I just went, ‘you know, I don’t have the patience to teach’. And she said, ‘why don’t you just try it?’ I was like, okay. And all of a sudden, I found out that I do have the patience for it, and I do love it. And, so I’ve been doing that, and now I’m artistic director of this theater company, and I’ve been lucky enough to be working. I just did a ‘Tracker’ a couple months ago and I did ‘Alert’. And then I have, I did a Hallmark movie last summer. You know, we shoot these Christmas movies in the summer.

David Read:
Absolutely.

Robert Moloney:
They’ve got to be ready for Christmas. Like it’s 30°C. Where are you then, David?

David Read:
I’m in Nashville, Tennessee.

Robert Moloney:
In Nashville. Okay.

David Read:
People are in shorts up there at that time, and they’re putting out fake snow in the streets, so it’s always.

Robert Moloney:
People are wearing scarves and parkas and it’s like 90°F. And, but they make it look real. But anyways, I did this movie called, “Christmas on Cherry Lane”, and they’re doing “Christmas on Cherry Lane II”. And they brought back my character. So, I’m still I’m still doing that. But I’m also, you know, like life is incredibly busy. I’ve got a four-year-old daughter, and I’m the artistic director of a theater company. And we have an acting studio here, my wife and I, that we’re teaching in. But my point is, is that I sort of just I kept in, in the game, and it can be really disheartening because there’s so many forces beyond your control. For example, I did, I was doing a, miniseries called ‘Into the West’, which was produced by Steven Spielberg. And it was a five movie miniseries, I think. And I was in two and three, I think, supposed to be in three. And they shot two, and I did that in Calgary, and my character arrives kind of at the end of that. But then I had a big, fantastic bunch of scenes in the beginning of the third one, that sets up the whole thing. And I played a guy, actual character named John Charles Fremont. Fremont, California is based after him. He was the one who annexed California from Mexico. And brutally. Another bad guy. And, so I did the first movie. I did the first movie that I was in, movie two. And then they shot movie one, and I had five weeks off. And then I came back to do a movie three, and I was back in Calgary, and the next week I was working all week and I’d done all my preparation and I was starting to work on Monday, and Friday night I got a call from the casting director saying, basically these three calls. First of all, it was like, “Hi, Robert. Just give me a call back when you get a chance.” And I’d been at dinner with my brother, and I turned off the phone, and then the second message was, “Yeah, so they’re just looking at this thing where your character wasn’t actually…” because they were really. They were really fastidious about historical accuracy. They were like, “Your character wasn’t actually in San Francisco in 1886. He was there in ‘87, and he was there in ‘85. In ’86 he was being court martialed in Washington, and they’re not sure what they’re going to do.” And the next phone call was like, “Hey, Robert, we’re really sorry, but they’ve cut your character and you’re going home tomorrow.” It was gutting. It was so gutting because I had all these great scenes where I got to ride in on horseback with a bunch of people, and we’re raiding this camp of Native Americans. I think they were the Cree, and we’re just, we just slaughter them and then, you know, there’s a big parade in San Francisco that Fremont is in, and, a lot of really good juicy scenes with, who was the lead of that show?

David Read:
‘Into the West’?

Robert Moloney:
He was in Band of Brothers, I believe. But anyways, they’re all cut. So, I called. The one thing I did was I called Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, who was directing it, and he’s one of Spielberg’s first AD’s, and he was directing the movie, and I called him and I said, “Hey, it’s Robert Moloney, and I’m so sorry we don’t get a chance to work together.” And David can I swear?

David Read:
Sure.

Robert Moloney:
And Sergio says, “Oh my God, Robert, I can’t believe these fucking assholes did this to me. I cannot believe it. I was like, they ruined my fucking movie! I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m supposed to start shooting on Monday and I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I really loved to meet you, and I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to work together, but I’m on location scout, and I gotta figure out what the fuck I’m going to shoot next week. So, I hope to get to work with you again, Robert. I’m sorry this happened. Bye!” So at least I got that, you know?

David Read:
A gram of closure.

Robert Moloney:
Somebody at the ten at the 11th hour went, “Wait a minute. This is historically inaccurate. I don’t think we can do it.” And, yeah, it was some form of closure. You’re exactly right. And, and I got home on a Sunday and that’s when I bawled my eyes out, literally. Yeah. And then you just got to pick yourself up and go, ‘okay, what else you got’?

David Read:
These are things that you can teach a group of up and coming actors, you know, to be prepared for. Because life is not always going to go your way. You know, sometimes people go, ‘Oh, let’s check that date in the history books again… Oh, we’ve got some… oh, man.’

Robert Moloney:
We have a visitor. Hey, you want to say hi?

David Read:
I’m sorry I’ve taken your daddy from you.

Robert Moloney:
This is my friend David. Yes, what’s up? [daughter mumbles] Oh, yes, I sure can, my love. I’ll be right down.

David Read:
Can I have him for five more minutes? Is that okay?

Robert Moloney:
And I’ll be right there. Okay. Bugs? Okay.

David Read:
And I know I appreciate you and your stories and this has been a real treat for me. [DaxG]. Last question. Do you have any plans in the future to come back to the UK stage, Robert?

Robert Moloney:
Oh, Dax. Hi, Dax. How are you? I don’t, but I would love to. Dax was kind enough to come and see a show that I did called ‘Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Rd’. And. Yeah, I would absolutely love to do it. It was, a highlight of my, you know, it was always a dream of mine to perform in the West End in London, and we had such a good time doing that show. It’s just such a joy to make people laugh. And Dax has been a fan, and I really appreciate you. Dax.

David Read:
Are they a ‘Stargate’ fan?

Robert Moloney:
Yeah.

David Read:
See, you know, the ‘Stargate’ ones are the loyal ones.

Robert Moloney:
I know.

David Read:
You get brought into a sci fi universe, they will follow you till the end.

Robert Moloney:
Dax was there at the stage door with photos for me to sign. And, yeah, we really appreciate that.

David Read:
Yeah, absolutely. You know, there are some jobs that are going to take you upside the head. And like, seriously, I had this whole thing planned for that. Now I get to go home and bawl my eyes out. But every now and then, you’re going to encounter someone who’s going to remind you, yeah, you do make a difference. And that’s.

Robert Moloney:
Yeah, thank you.

David Read:
That’s just great. Absolutely. Robert, thank you for your time today and for your stories and your insight. It is such a treat to have you on. And all of the cast of the show, I just, I can’t …I’m really, privileged that we get to add, that you get to be added to my collection.

Robert Moloney:
Well, it was a privilege to be here. I thank you so much for thinking of me and asking me to be here. It’s been an honor, David, and such a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your great questions. Thank you for your passion and your interest, and thank you for doing what you do.

David Read:
Well, I appreciate your time, sir. You go be with your daughter and I’m going to wrap up the show.

Robert Moloney:
Awesome. Thank you so much, David.

David Read:
I’ll be in touch. You be well.

Robert Moloney:
Thank you. You too. Bye.

David Read:
Robert Moloney, Borren in ‘Stargate SG-1’ and Koracen in ‘Atlantis’. I have always loved the Aschen. I think, and I’ve already stated this because they were such the polar opposites of the Goa’uld. You never expected them coming. Dion Luther’s line, “You will find we are a very patient people,” I think is one of the more chilling ones of the entire franchise, because in ‘2010’ we saw the implications of that and what it was that they were doing to us. I was really surprised to discover that he hadn’t been given, ‘2010’ as homework. So that’s really cool. I’ve got a couple of questions here for me. And my mouse just died, and I’ve got a handy dandy cable for that in the event that that ever happens to me. The first time it’s happened on a live show, of course. Hey, there’s the mouse. Question for David. What is your favorite object in your room? I mean, I had the conversation with Heather E. Ash a few episodes ago. In that little, glass golden jewel case down there is, Don A. Davis’, Hammond’s, wedding band, that Don wore throughout the series. That’s probably the number one. I’ll be previewing, I’ll be giving you a chance to go through, my collection when I take July off. I’m going to be recording a number of prerecorded shows for that month. And that is one of them. I’m going to take you through pretty much the whole thing. About 80, 85% of my story collection that’s in the house here. And, we’ll show you those details. [Lockwatcher]. I think it would be so fun to hear from someone in craft services. I bet they have behind the scenes stories when serving coffee and sandwiches. That is true. I wouldn’t mind getting someone in that field. There are a few others that I want to hit first. The script supervisor, departments, their script supervisor person. I’m hopefully going to be having one of those on very soon. So, we’ll see. I wouldn’t be opposed to craft services, but there are a few… I don’t want to leapfrog any departments. There are a few departments that I do need to cover before we cover those. Otherwise, it’s going to be like ‘Craft services? Man, they’re really, scraping the bottom of the barrel, as it were.’ All right, we’ve got Christina Cox coming up in just 55 minutes. Here, let me see if I can pull this up for you. Christina Cox is going to be joining us at 12 p.m. Pacific time. Next Friday, June the 28th, John O’Callaghan, Niam in ‘Stargate Atlantis’ is going to be joining us. And then Friday -excuse me- Saturday, June the 29th, Tom J. Astle, who wrote “Cor-Ai”, it’s his singular entry in ‘Stargate’ and it is my favorite Teal’c episode. So, we’re going to have him on to discuss that story. And then next Sunday, June the 30th at 11 a.m. Pacific Time Bra’Tac, Master Bra’Tac, in Stargate SG-1, Tony Amendola himself is going to be joining us for a third episode. And we’ve got a lot more coming your way on Dialth gate.com. You can see the complete list of shows. Alan McCullough, writer and story editor. He’s joining us as well. Just got hold of him. Really excited for everyone who’s coming down the pipe and really, appreciative of you joining us. Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode. If you enjoy ‘Stargate’ and you want to see more content like this, it would mean a great deal if you click ‘like’. It makes a difference with the show and will help us grow our audience even further. Please also consider sharing this video with a ‘Stargate’ friend. And if you want to get notified about future episodes, click ‘subscribe’ and ring the bell icon. A click will notify you the moment a new video drops, and you’ll get my notifications of any last-minute guest changes. And clips from this live stream will be released over the course of the next few weeks on both the “Dial The Gate” and “GateWorld.Net” YouTube channels. My profound thanks to my moderating team: Antony, Tracy, Marsha, Summer, Jeremy. You guys make the show possible week after week. Big thanks to Frederick Marcoux at Concepts Web. My web developer at Dial the gate.com. Bryce Orrs and Matt Wilson, Eagle SG, those guys are my animators and create the beautiful effects that make the show possible. And we’ll be seeing you in just a few minutes for Christina Cox. Join me at the top of the next hour. My name is David Read for Dial the Gate, and I will see you on the other side.