037: Dan Payne, Numerous Roles in Stargate (Interview)

Kull Warriors, Uber Wraiths, Jaffa Guards, Oh My! If it got hit by a staff blast or Ancient drone, Dan Payne probably took it in the chest! This stunt performer / actor joins us LIVE to take your questions about his multitude of roles on Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis.

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Timecodes
0:00 – Opening Credits
0:50 – Welcome and Episode Outline
02:11 – Guest introduction
03:07 – Dan’s List of Characters
05:08 – Are you from Vancouver?
06:16 – How old were you when you realized you wanted to perform?
08:28 – Why do film and TV speak most to you?
10:14 – What performed play stands out to you?
13:22 – Personal and Professional Heroes
15:35 – Mentors
17:13 – When did you discover Stargate?
18:15 – Yellowstone
20:29 – What is it about the makeup process and the non-human character you enjoy?
22:41 – “Evolution” and the Super Soldier / Kull Warrior
25:00 – Concept Art and Design of the Suit
27:49 – Super Soldier Diet
29:35 – Vancouver Heat in the Suit
36:45 – Did Alex Zahara ever ask for advice?
38:29 – The Super Soldier
39:17 – The Uber Wraith in Sateda
40:34 – Wraith Makeup Process
41:42 – Fight Process with James Bamford and Jason Momoa
43:48 – Continuation – Discussion about Bam Bam’s process
46:36 – How comfortable were you offering input?
48:50 – Dan’s first Gatecon and showing up in the Kull Warrior suit
51:54 – Favorite Stargate Role
53:28 – Buried Alive for Death Knell
1:01:27 – Drone Shot to the Chest in Sateda
1:07:14 – Working with Robert C. Cooper as Director
1:08:01 – Would you rather play many characters or just the one if given a choice?
1:09:01 – Writing a Dramedy
1:10:38 – Favorite Weapon and Costume Combination
1:11:54 – Stunts Still to Perform
1:14:34 – Dream Role for Five Years
1:15:48 – Any roles on Stargate you wish you got?
1:17:15 – Cosplay Dan Would Do
1:18:52 – What was the most ridiculous way one of your characters were killed?
1:20:38 – Upcoming Projects
1:23:16 – Returning for SG4
1:24:06 – Thank you, Dan!
1:24:46 – Post-Interview Housekeeping
1:30:33 – End Credits

***

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read:
Welcome to Episode 37. My name is David Read. Thanks so much for joining Dial the Gate, and welcome to 2021. I hope you had a great new year. I hope everyone is safe and sound in your household and family. I have a great guest to start the year. This is someone who you may have seen or definitely have seen if you’ve watched SG-1 and Atlantis but may not necessarily be aware that you saw him. We’re gonna bring in Dan Payne in just a moment here. What’s gonna happen with this episode is we’re going to talk with Dan, and we’re going to remind you of the roles that he played, and feel free to ask him questions in the YouTube chat, and then my moderating team will turn those questions over to me and we will ask them of Dan. I also have some Super Soldier concept art to share with you after the show, and we will also be announcing the giveaway for the month of January for those who choose to submit trivia questions. So, we got a pretty great show ahead for you, and I appreciate you tuning in. Without further ado, I’m gonna go ahead and bring in Mr. Dan Payne. Hello, my friend.

Dan Payne:
Where? Hey buddy, how are you?

David Read:
I’m all right. Made it to 2021. How are you?

Dan Payne:
Same thing. Pretty happy to have 2020 behind us…

David Read:
Absolutely.

Dan Payne:
…for sure, as I’m sure many, many people are.

David Read:
Where are you?

Dan Payne:
I’m in Vancouver.

David Read:
You are?

Dan Payne:
I’m back home.

David Read:
OK. Good.

David Read:
How’s the weather been? Everything been OK up there?

Dan Payne:
I’ve started building an ark.

David Read:
OK. Very good.

David Read:
Two by two?

Dan Payne:
The gills… I don’t know if my gills are showing. I don’t know. It’s raining a lot. It is bucketing down.

David Read:
Send some of that to Phoenix, please.

Dan Payne:
Yeah, no doubt, we should share.

David Read:
We haven’t had rain since last March.

Dan Payne:
Happy to share.

David Read:
It was well over 50 C this summer.

Dan Payne:
Oof.

David Read:
100 and something Fahrenheit.

Dan Payne:
On behalf of all Vancouverites, please.

David Read:
Exactly. The Kull Warrior, the Anubis Ashrak in “Allegiance,” Nirrti’s Jaffa commander in “Metamorphosis,” Sergeant Allan in “Fragile Balance,” Wraith Warriors in “Rising,” maybe others, I’m not entirely sure. Jaffa in “Sacrifices,” Lieutenant Reed in Atlantis’ “Runner,” and the Uber Wraith in “Sateda.” I think you and Alex Zahara definitely are up there.

Dan Payne:
Utility players.

David Read:
That’s right, absolutely. Just keep on coming back for more punishment, Mr. Payne.

Dan Payne:
We used to joke that we died for a living. It was great.

David Read:
When you have a last name like that, I can’t help but wonder… ‘Cause I have a friend named Joy, and she is joy. I can’t help but wonder if that has some kind of influence into the person that you’re gonna become. Seriously, what was your mindset of Payne when you were younger?

Dan Payne:
As I get older, it just becomes more and more true, but the last name being real. Growing up I thought it was pretty… I grew up with the, “Ha ha, Payne in the butt,” all the typical jokes and stuff. But I kind of liked it, and as soon as Max Payne the video game came out, that kind of shifted things. But I’m proud of it, and I get asked a lot, “Is that your real name?” So, for me that’s cool. If people ask me if that’s my real name or something I chose, I’m hoping they ask me that because they think it’s cool. And I’ve always thought… I think everybody is proud, hopefully, of their family and their heritage, their lineage, their name. I’ve always thought it was pretty rad.

David Read:
Where is the name from?

Dan Payne:
Irish.

David Read:
It’s Irish, OK, got it.

Dan Payne:
Irish, Scottish, in that area.

David Read:
To grow up and become a stunt performer…

Dan Payne:
I know, ironic?

David Read:
You have to wonder if there are —

Dan Payne:
It was that or doctor, and I’m not smart enough.

David Read:
Are you from Vancouver?

Dan Payne:
No. Actually I was — strange — born in Victoria, but I moved 16 times before I was 17. I spent one year in Vancouver in North Van, near where I live now, and that’s when, at 11, I fell in love with Vancouver. We moved back when I had the choice, but I lived all over small-town Canada, like Estevan, Saskatchewan, Hinton, Alberta, Grande Prairie, Winnipeg, you name it. I moved 16 times before I was 17. And Calgary, ugh. The best part of Calgary? No offense, Calgarians, but the best part was leaving after university. It’s cold, flat, and a bit brown in the summer, winter, all the way around, but amazing people. The thing about Calgary that I find that I do miss is that the people there were — You know when you try and move in and merge when you’re driving?

David Read:
Yes.

Dan Payne:
In Calgary, they’re, “Come on in.” They wave you in. Whereas in Vancouver, they need that extra 0.0 seconds — seven seconds — that closing that gap on you does.

David Read:
It’s a lifestyle mindset.

Dan Payne:
I think so. In Calgary, it was chilled, laid back. It was great. The people were phenomenal, just need to move the city somewhere else.

David Read:
How old were you when you realized you wanted to perform?

Dan Payne:
Sports were a huge part of my life from… I think high school was when I — In Grade 10, I got to be the captain of the basketball team, and I loved the responsibility. I loved being the young guy on the squad, wearing the C, and then figuring out what that meant, all the things that required responsibility, accountability, leadership, et cetera. And I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that group… Not mentality but sort of focus where you had to play a role in that group. And that carried on to sports, and then when the audiences came… ‘Cause in high school your buddies are watching you and making fun of you. But when you go to university, I played in a tournament called the Dino Cup, and I went for… played for the University of Calgary. We brought the two best US teams and the two best Canadian teams together every year. TSN covered it. Is TSN still around? Anyway, I’m old. And we would have 5,000 to 10,000 people come out. Or no, sorry, 2,000 to 5,000 people come out, and it was amazing. And if I’m being brutally honest and transparent, I love an audience. I love a crowd. I love the immediate response to doing things well. I love the pressure to perform and do well, and that just carried over. So, when I left the university world, I went and played in Europe, and then when my body said, “Hey, you’re done with that,” I thought I’d do stunts and beat it up more.

David Read:
“You know what? No, I’m not.”

Dan Payne:
It was an idea. I went and took on… I went to the UK and took a few renegade weekend warrior type classes. Got an agent, did the hard yards, went to Australia. Or sorry, went to Australia first with my brother. Built the dream idea there, then went to UK, took it to the next level. Had a few credits, came back to Canada, and started a few rungs up the ladder than I would have if I’d started here, and all of it was based on that performance process, the need to perform, and the excitement and desire, and then the automatic… When you’re doing plays or sports, response was addictive, intoxicating, and it turned into and translated into film and TV, which is the medium that spoke most to me, I guess.

David Read:
How so?

Dan Payne:
Doing a play is the true art form of the art, and I enjoyed that. But that’s the challenge for me to get back to the basics. And at that time, I had a wife, responsibility, and a mortgage, and the unfortunate truth about the theater is that it doesn’t pay well enough at the level I was ever gonna get to, to be honest, to help me keep that world alive. And I wanted to stay in it. I loved it that much that I wanted to be able to perpetuate opportunity in that world, and film and TV affords you that. As well, I liked the fact that in a play it starts and you don’t get to go, “Hey, can we just go back for a sec? I’d like to try something different there.” Nope, ’cause the audience goes, “What?” And I love in the… Yeah, “Dude, no.”

David Read:
That’s not happening.

Dan Payne:
So, the film and TV thing, you do a take and then you get a discovery. You do that in rehearsals in plays as well, but film and TV is immediate. And maybe it’s a bit of ADD, but I love that format, that structure of being able to create and continue to push to make something better through each take. And in a play, you get a great… you’ll have a good run and then maybe a not as good run, and you wanna hope that the — I like that the audience will always get the best take from film and TV. Maybe that’s a bit of a — So, many teachers and other actors are amazing in saying, “Look, you always should do what you fear the most.” And I need to do a play ’cause I’m scared [shit]less about it. Tried not to swear there. How’d I do, Dave?

David Read:
No, you’re good. You’re fine.

Dan Payne:
It scares the bejeezers out of me, so I probably should go and do it again soon.

David Read:
What play really stands out to you that you’ve done?

Dan Payne:
That I’ve done? Whole Lotto Love was a Canadian playwright’s… in the UK. It was a three-month run, I believe. It’s been a long time. And it was his premiere of his Canadian play in the UK, and a big part of me getting that is my accent was pretty appropriate of all the actors that the director could choose from. And why it was the most memorable… it was my first… it was a two-hander, two-hour play, and it was my first at-bat. That’s going deep end, both feet, or head first.

David Read:
What was it about?

Dan Payne:
A guy and a girl break up, and while they’re broken up, the guy realizes that he’s won the lottery. Not because she broke up.

David Read:
No.

Dan Payne:
He actually won the lottery. And he decides to test whether she would come back to him for who he is, because how much he wants to be with her, or whether it’s the money. And so, he lays out this whole plan, scheme, to see if there’s a Whole Lotto Love there.

David Read:
Wow. Did you play the guy?

Dan Payne:
Yes, I did.

David Read:
I didn’t do enough of that in high school, and in college, but I did some, and it’s so immensely rewarding to delve into a character and take on… I see the allure of it for actors where you’re going outside of yourself, especially in the theatrical format from beginning to end, and taking on another identity and exploring facets of your own personality, because some part of you has to carry that role in order for there…

Dan Payne:
100%.

David Read:
…to be any truth in it.

Dan Payne:
Absolutely. And I think theater allows you to delve deeper into it because of the rehearsal, the amount of rehearsal time you have. Film and TV nowadays, when you book one, you’ll book it three to five days before you go to camera, and then you have to beg your agent to get them the script sooner, and then you get rewrites and it’s always about… It’s not survival at all, but it’s… Sometimes it is. Movies of the week can turn into survival. But you’re not afforded the same amount of processing the character, the story, the backstory, and the whole package as you are in theater. We had a month of rehearsals, and before rehearsals we had three weeks of pounding the script into our skull. I got together with my fellow actor and she and I just ran lines till they were automatic. And then after that, those were no longer a factor, and we could just delve into character and history and backstory and relationship and environment and all these wonderful aspects for a full month before we put on that one two-hour scene, so to speak. And I love that. I miss that part for sure, the time afforded to get into the truth, I think is what you’re talking about before.

David Read:
Who are your heroes, Dan? Who are your personal heroes, the people who have helped to shape you into the man that you’ve become, the father you’ve become? And who are some of the professional people that you’ve looked up to as well?

Dan Payne:
Personally, it’s pretty easy and it’s quick. It’s my family. My mom and dad were unbelievable parents. I hope it’s cool to say that I’m proud of the person I became because of how they helped me become that person. And then my brother and sister who were along for that journey with me, and we obviously… the ups and downs, we rode those together and we processed them together, and we became… My brother and sister and my wife are my best friends if you were gonna cut it down to the absolute core. And that’s just the good fortune of meeting them, whether it be by birth or finding them, but spending that much time, a lifetime with my brother and sister and 20 years with my wife. So, those are my personal heroes. And then my grandfather on my mom’s side, he had 13 kids. And I don’t know how he did it, but he found a way to make all of his 40 grandkids and 13 kids feel special. He called me his little prince, and he would take me to his back room, his office, and I remember he taught me, “Hey, do you wanna understand why when spokes get going fast enough it looks like they’re going backwards?” And just really cool, neat things that I remember very distinctly ’cause it was just he and I, despite the chaos outside with aunts, uncles, and kids everywhere. He’s like, “Dan, come here, my little prince. I wanna show you something.” And it just made you feel like a prince on the way to being a king. It was just unbelievable. So, that making me feel special amongst a crowded, chaotic world was pretty amazing. So, that stuck with me for life, I think, to be able to find a way to be true to you despite the chaos around us, especially with this last messed up year. I’m not saying I did it, but at least there was light at the end of that sometimes long and dark-ass tunnel.

David Read:
This is true. What about professionally?

Dan Payne:
In Vancouver I’m afforded the beauty of working in a community that I think all of them are — I don’t know if heroes is the right word — but peers, mentors, counselors, affiliates, people I look up to. This is an amazing community. And if you want me to go into the big picture, I love people like Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. for their unabashed, unapologetic expression of self. I don’t know how they do it, and I’d love to. And I always watch, listen, and read their articles and interviews to see what it is about them. And sometimes it’s called arrogance, and I always fear… 100% fear arrogance, and I fear overconfidence. I always wanna walk that line of confident to move ahead but not too far to knock people over on the way, if that makes sense.

David Read:
Absolutely. Now you’re — Go ahead.

Dan Payne:
So, those two guys, and then recently, Kevin Costner. There’s a quiet brilliance in Kevin Costner. He’s done some films that are not awesome, but he’s never been anything other than awesome. He doesn’t have to do much, and whatever it is that he does do is all-encompassing, draws you in, and pulls you to the core. And it’s intoxicating to watch because it’s an enigma that I wanna, as an actor, as an artist, wanna try and figure out what that puzzle is.

David Read:
When did you discover Stargate? Were you aware of the TV franchise before coming on?

Dan Payne:
No, the movie.

David Read:
You went back to the movie.

Dan Payne:
The movie. And the movie was so awesome. Kurt Russell is a legend in my mind. In fact, I fell in love with him this Christmas watching Christmas Chronicles 2 with my kids ’cause he is just amazing. He’s so rad. I’m gonna have to plug my computer in. Sorry, one second.

David Read:
No, it’s OK. Battery warning levels. This is live YouTube, people, on the fly. Sometimes things happen.

Dan Payne:
That’d been funny. Just go completely dark all of a sudden.

Dan Payne:
“And there goes Dan.”

David Read:
It’s happened to us on this show. Live television, live YouTube, whatever, it’s unpredictable.

Dan Payne:
Sorry, I’m back.

David Read:
Kevin Costner is… he’s got this quiet, stoic, dark quality. Have you seen Yellowstone?

Dan Payne:
I’m halfway through Season Three.

David Read:
You’re behind… you’re ahead of me.

Dan Payne:
The guy can make you cry, but he hasn’t done anything. It’s, “Ugh.”

David Read:
I know.

Dan Payne:
And he’s the big, evil white man who took the Native’s land and is unabashedly going to protect it at all costs and do horribly terrible things, and you root for him somehow. That’s pretty phenomenal.

David Read:
I think that —

Dan Payne:
m rooting for the natives to get their right…

David Read:
I think a show like Yellowstone shows that there are… The thing that I come away with Yellowstone is that nothing is black and white.

Dan Payne:
I was gonna say, yeah.

David Read:
We all have layers, and we all have a larger responsibility to each other, and yet there’s… and I think the show does a good job of portraying those layers.

Dan Payne:
It does address a lot of the aspects that are involved in all that world. It’s a brilliant show. If you’re not watching it, I would recommend it.

David Read:
Absolutely.

Dan Payne:
And I wanna throw a shout out to a buddy of mine who’s on there…

David Read:
Oh, please.

Dan Payne:
…who is an exquisite actor. His name’s John Emmett Tracy. He plays Ellis Stone, and I’m just… I love it when he’s a great… he’s one of the best humans, and I love that he’s on a phenomenal show and doing a phenomenal job. It’s cool. Every time a friend of mine books something great and is doing it great, it’s —

David Read:
Absolutely.

Dan Payne:
So, shout out to you, John.

David Read:
Did you see Stargate in the theater?

Dan Payne:
I did. That was also the cool part. Big screen, surround sound, and that sci-fi world they created from that movie, how could it not become the cult classic franchise that it is? It was phenomenal. And Spader, James Spader.

David Read:
What he created and then what Shanks was able to go on and make a meal out of was just terrific. You were first in “Allegiance,” and we saw this much of you.

Dan Payne:
Yeah. Remember?

David Read:
And it was… Who would’ve thought, aside from the Jaffa and Sergeant and a couple of others, that we would see less of you while still seeing you after that. What is it about the makeup process, about taking on a non-human character, that you enjoy? You’ve been through a lot of punishment, my friend, for our entertainment, so blood, sweat, tears.

Dan Payne:
And a few bruises.

David Read:
Bruises.

Dan Payne:
There’s no precedent set for a lot of these creatures, aliens, and there’s no… Humans understand the human environment, the human mind, human nature, and so there’s an expectation that this is what sadness, happiness, joy, and all those things look like, but we haven’t lived on an alien planet that I know of, so we don’t actually have a preset notion of how they’re meant to act. You get to… there’s a creative freedom in that. And I loved working with producers and directors and the showrunners and stuff to bring to life something like the Uber Wraith and someone, he was a big, badass green biker alien, and in my mind… And I love that I could take from the human world that I understood and try and shift it, alter it, manipulate it to fit the story of what we were telling from this alien world. And Kull Warrior, former human, symbiote gone wrong.

David Read:
All kinds of layers with the Kull.

Dan Payne:
Is there any human left? All kinds of little subtleties and it… I’m not saying that the parameters of things that you could do are pretty narrow, but for a Kull, but if you wanted a robot, then make a robot. So, it was kind of fun to have them go, “Hey, we’re gonna try the way he walks in his pursuit. Is it mechanical or is there an element of vengeance?” And it’s just little cool aspects, so that there was subtlety, so it wasn’t one dimensional. Fun.

David Read:
The Jaffa were the main soldier and army in the first six and a half seasons of the series. And then we get to “Evolution 1” and this tall, menacing thing comes in. Tell us about creating that character. I wanna get into the suit in a minute, pardon the punch, but the mindset… Were you… What you were tapping into just a moment ago, is it Terminator-like, is he Borg-like, ’cause he’s always scanning? What’s going on for you when you’re in that armor?

Dan Payne:
I don’t wanna disappoint people, but it was more RoboCop. How they took a policeman and then put machine on him and there was elements of human left? So, for me it was more RoboCop, and then maybe past RoboCop towards Terminator, but the RoboCop, for me, was trying to find ways to incorporate as much, not human, but non-mechanical, non-machine-like elements.

David Read:
He’s not a robot.

Dan Payne:
No, I know, but I just didn’t want it to seem that mindless, like a robot where you program and it goes. I wanted it to be a choice to some extent or at least choose how you go about the task you’re given. So, he maybe didn’t go kill.

David Read:
Everyone but Bra’tac.

Dan Payne:
And I think it was neat to feel, at first, what’s the word? I don’t know. I’m gonna go to a commercial break mentally. I’ll be right back. The impenetrable, all-powerful until all of a sudden you get hit with that weapon and go down. And that was, to me… You can’t see it behind the mask, but that was kind of like a, “Huh? I am superhuman. You shouldn’t be able to… I’m unstoppable. How did this happen?” So, I don’t know, little tiny elements, little tiny aspects of the story and the character that I wanted to make less mechanical. Does that make sense?

David Read:
Did you see the concept art before you got into it? Did you see what they…

Dan Payne:
Yeah.

David Read:
…were going to create first? It’s some of the coolest stuff that James Robbins produced.

Dan Payne:
Does this show you what I felt?

David Read:
Tell us about creating that suit and the… You were basically a doll for the makeup department to construct a form around. Tell us that story.

Dan Payne:
They did a body cast, which is head to toe plaster casting, so that they could build the suit specifically to my dimensions and my body, so it would move specifically for me and I wouldn’t get [bound] up so I could be agile enough to pursue and not be like, “Ouch,” and get stuck in the gear. They did a phenomenal job. The body cast situation is… If you’re claustrophobic, I don’t recommend it. But it’s pretty amazing for them to build this onto a complete form of my human body, and then you get to see it come to life outside, and then they take it off the form and you get inside. So, both perspectives, to be able to see it from the outside, go, “Oh yeah.” Because it was fully loaded into a form of me, “That’s ominous. Wait a minute, I get to be that. That’s pretty cool.” So, then you climb in there, and the only part is you can’t see much, that part’s hard.

David Read:
So, they took a form of you. Did they do a head cast or just a body cast?

Dan Payne:
I think I had the good fortune of being a part of the Todd Masters… I think Todd Masters. I’ve been fortunate to be creatures and stuff in the past, so he had head molds and head casts of me. I’ve done about eight or 10 over the course of the years. And I’ve done about three or four… I was a polar bear in the Snow Queen back in the day, and that was the first body cast I did in the UK. That one was pretty intense. And then I’ve done a couple more full body casts. And they already had a head cast, so they did another body cast for that one. I don’t think I had to do a head cast for that one. I think they used an old one and put it on there. But they, again, made sure that it fit perfectly. As uncomfortable as it looked, it was comfortable. Getting into it took about an hour and a half. Getting out took about half an hour, 45 [minutes].

David Read:
That’s not awful. Interesting.

Dan Payne:
No, it’s not awful. Not like the Uber Wraith; it was a five-hour makeup.

David Read:
Yeah, absolutely. Piece by piece, layer by layer. No, I can imagine. And there was electronics with the Kull Warrior as well because you have eyes that light up. Was that something that you wore on your back? How did that work?

Dan Payne:
They built those into the helmet, and it was just a little switch hidden underneath the back part of the helmet. Flick it on, and away we go. And then any lights that were anywhere else were also removable and remote, so you could put it in, turn it on, and then have it light up.

David Read:
And the diet, were you on…? Have you always been on a pretty strict regimen when you’re working, or just in general? Or was that something that you had to be very conscious of? It’s like, “OK, pound for pound, I need to be careful here because this thing was form-fitted to me on this date at this body dimension.”

Dan Payne:
I’ve gotta pay homage to the sporting career I had where I created a huge habit of staying in a certain level of shape, eating a certain way. And I think it got better. My wife’s even more organic-based and eats more… I eat cleaner now with her in the picture, for sure. But I’ve always stayed pretty static. I’ve very rarely gone up and down, quite fortunately, over the last 20-some, 25 years. So, I don’t really have to put too much more attention to it. When you’re working a lot, and again, I also learned this from the true-blue stunt guys, and I wanna throw this out every time, and you might get tired of hearing it, but I’m an actor who gets to do stunts. I’m not a true-blue stunt guy. I wanna make sure that everyone understands that stunt guys are a phenomenally trained group of unbelievable artists in their own right that do their work and their art. And I’m an actor who loves that art, who gets to once in a while dabble due to the good heart and maybe history of sports that I’ve got, and willingness to learn to go and dabble in that world. But I learned from stunt guys that you have to stay in shape, period, if you wanna be able to do stunts. There’s no taking time off, because if your body is your weapon, your instrument, and you let it go, you’re hooped.

Dan Payne:
So, I sort of stay in the fight to stay in shape.

David Read:
How was it dealing with the Vancouver sun in that suit? I imagine the Jaffa armor — ’cause I’ve worn it for some photo shoots when we were selling the stuff over at Propworx — but to be completely encased in something totally black in that Vancouver summer humidity and heat. What was that like?

Dan Payne:
It was a learning curve. The first time we introduced the Kull Warrior, I remember running over a hill. I came into sight and I came running down this slope, and it was crazy. I don’t know what the Fahrenheit, but it was like 33 or 34 degrees Celsius, which is, I think, in the 90s. So, it’s hot, and I’m wearing five-mil neoprene with armor on top of it, head-cased, closed off. There’s nowhere to breathe. Gloves on, boots. I was sweating profusely. And again, I don’t wanna be the guy who’s like, “I’m hot. Can I get a cold water?” So, I don’t say much, but it was, like I said, a learning curve. If I’d said anything, they would’ve jumped on and helped me out. When they did need to, they were phenomenal. But I came running over that hill a couple of takes, and I got to the bottom, and my hands from the elbows down, and my feet from the knees down started feeling like pins and needles, tingling. And I started getting a little bit dizzy and stuff, and I said, “Hey…” I think it might’ve been Bam Bam. I’m like, “Hey, I feel really tingly, and I’m a little bit dizzy.” And he’s like, “Oh, crap.” So, they sat me down. They’re like, “OK, if you…” I sat down and I’m like, “OK, I think… No, I’m OK.” And I pushed them away ’cause I’m like, “I gotta be, I don’t wanna be that guy.” And I get up and I did another take, and I started speaking gibberish. I overheated. Yeah, I overheated. And I thought I saw elephants in pink tutus, I think I spoke to God for a minute. It was like, I was out there, I was losing it. And they’re like, “Uh-oh.” And next thing I know, before I kind of… not blacked out, but I just kind of checked out for a minute. I’m like, “I’m gonna just go away mentally.” And when I kind of came back mentally, my hands were in ice buckets. I was sitting on a chair, and my hands were in ice buckets. They didn’t even take the boots off, they whacked those in ice buckets, and put ice on the back of my neck, and I came back in a hurry. And then the learning curve was, “Hey Dan, don’t be an idiot. If you need something or feel something, tell us.”

David Read:
You had a time lapse.

Dan Payne:
A little bit. I folded a little bit of time together where I was like, “I don’t know what’s going on. Oh wait, my hands are in ice. How’d that happen?” So, they were amazing. And then I went at it and kept going, but they wouldn’t let me go until I was more openly communicating that things were tough and it was hot, ’cause they can’t read my mind. They couldn’t read my mind. I was trying to be the tough guy team player, which is dumb. They never asked me to do that, but I just always felt this obligation from sports.

David Read:
That’s exactly right. I’ve had the privilege of talking to you a few different times now, and what’s been pretty clear to me, through what you say, is that it’s a sports background. It’s a toughness kind of thing as well. But at the same time, you’re trying to play your part for your team because it’s just another kind of a team. But at the same time, if you’re never communicating when you do have an issue, then you’re gonna get into situations like this where you genuinely overheat and then everything stops.

Dan Payne:
Yeah, so that’s just me learning to be a better teammate. There’s different ways to be a teammate. You can be the guy who just pushes through and gets it done and doesn’t let his team down by ever being the guy who was the weak link ’cause you couldn’t finish the job or whatever. As I got older, and I think it’s a little bit of wisdom, I learned that being a good teammate is also a great bunch of communication. Because it’s not like they needed that shot in that second. I can take 10 minutes, ice my hands and neck and cool off to the point of safety, and they’re still gonna get the shot. But I’m like, “I don’t wanna be the squeaky wheel. I don’t wanna be the whiner. I wanna–” And that was my first time there. And they said, “Hey, this Kull Warrior might be around for a couple episodes.” I didn’t want them to go, “Oh, why’d we hire this wuss?” So, there’s… And I put that on myself; that’s not them at all. But that’s, again, going back to sports where I remember I broke these two fingers blocking a ball. Snapped this one out sideways, like it broke and went out that way. And I went over to therapist quietly and I’m like, “Hey, I think this is bad.” And he’s like, “Ooh, that’s bad, yeah.” And I’m like, “OK, just put it back. I gotta go back in.” So, he’s like, “OK, on three.” And then he went one, two, and put it back straight. And then we taped these two together, and then put a webbing of tape to this one so they were kind of held with some structural… So, I could set and block. And I went back in and hurt like balls. But when you have endorphins going, and that mentality just sticks ’cause you don’t wanna be, “OK, if I’m the starter and then I hurt my finger,” and “Oh boo-hoo, your finger hurts,” and then they send in the backup. And no offense to the backup, but you’re a backup only if the starter can’t go. You don’t wanna be the guy who can’t go unless you cannot go. So, I don’t know, that’s… And stunt guys blow my mind ’cause I thought that was tough, and I’ve seen stunt guys do things that are just not human. Particularly Glenn Ennis, who… I don’t understand that guy. He’s a wrecking ball. But all of them. I wanna shout out all stunt guys. Like I said, I’ve had the good fortune to play and dabble in that world, and I’ve seen them do mind-blowing things and get hit so hard that I’m thinking, “OK, that’s like 9-1– No? OK. I was gonna hit the other one there because of that.”

David Read:
We all have different levels of pain.

Dan Payne:
Tolerance.

David Read:
Tolerance. And that, I think is a huge part of it, but the other part of it is you can learn, like Buddhist monks do in high mountains. You can learn to turn parts of your brain off and unlock parts of capabilities of your body that your body can withstand that you didn’t know it could, if given the chance.

Dan Payne:
Yeah. 100%. If you don’t go past that limit, you don’t know if you can. Again, I had the honor of working on the stunt team for Warcraft for like five months. And I got hammered. Everybody got hammered. There were so many stunts and so many days of rehearsals and bashing. There was a guy who tore a bicep, one guy tore his Achilles, broken this, concussion that. We got battered. And I learned through being a part of that team and seeing the vets who had been through it and the new guys who were — I might’ve been at my first day — just willing to go through it. You learn what it takes and how to do it the best you can so that you can keep going. It was amazing. What a lifelong experience, or a long life-lasting, whatever. It was cool. It was a long affair of learning, and I enjoyed every second of it.

David Read:
Alex Zahara came in near the end of — Well, he actually… He credits… He says he’s the one who did the motion capture for the Jaffa Army, the Kull Warrior Army in “Evolution Part 2.” But he also had, I think, a suit made for him as well. Did he ask you for any pointers on this, or did he just come up with his own approach in creating the Kull Warrior?

Dan Payne:
I think by then that we had kind of put it in place with the producers and directors what we had wanted, and I think they might have passed it on to Alex. Alex and I talked since then, and we realized that they had filmed both of us so they could have a slightly different cadence and physicality to them. ‘Cause I had to do I don’t know how many runs and walks and marches for them on a green screen as well. And they were gonna… So, that, I think they implemented… Row, row. So, it was Alex, Dan, Alex, Dan. And we both got to be…

David Read:
Oh, you both did that?

Dan Payne:
So, we both joked that we’ve been like 10,000 characters on the show. But yeah, it’s really cool, and Alex is awesome. What a talented voice and actor guy he is, and just a great human. So, we both got to be… And I don’t know if they altered the arm[or]. They didn’t build a suit for him, I know that much.

David Read:
Oh, they did not?

Dan Payne:
No, they might have put my armor on him the same way that they put– Anyway. I think they might have done a wetsuit for him.

David Read:
That neoprene underneath.

Dan Payne:
The neoprene under… Yeah. But the armor they did not re-filmed for that.

David Read:
I did not expect that character, that species, whatever you wanna call them, to last as long as they did. I thought that they were gonna be a one-off and that that was going to be it. And it was so cool to have that performance evolve over — Even though they were relatively static characters. There wasn’t a lot that you could really do with them other than shoot and kill. But they did–

Dan Payne:
Their relentless pursuit.

David Read:
Relentless pursuit, exactly — And it was so cool to see those characters develop and be reused again and again over the course of the two seasons. They really got a lot of mileage out of them.

Dan Payne:
I’m grateful. Every day on set’s a great day. That’s a motto for me, and that meant more days on set, so pretty cool.

David Read:
And in Atlantis, you got to come back again in “Phantoms.” We were at a convention, and you were like, “Ah, you may see it again.” What was it like being dressed up as that Uber Wraith? You said it took a godawful number of hours. The biker wraith.

Dan Payne:
The badass biker wraith. That was cool. Kull Warrior, there’s this unstoppable power feeling, but it wasn’t as character-based in terms of personality. Whereas I truly wanted to put the Uber Wraith as a biker gang leader. That’s what I talked to the producers and the director about, like, “I want him to be this… I don’t give a you-know-what, I’m coming, and you shouldn’t have pissed me off type of guy.” That’s the badass biker. You come out of the bar and he sees you that you are sitting on his bike.

David Read:
“What the hell are you doing?”

Dan Payne:
“You like to have bikes, son?” It felt badass. I don’t know how else to describe it. Tattoos.

David Read:
How long was the makeup for the Uber Wraith? How long would that take? What time would you have to show up in the morning? What was the process for that?

Dan Payne:
It was about four to five hours. So, if it was at 8 AM or 9 AM, I’d be in there at 3 or 4 in the morning and the makeup artist would come in and start putting the prosthetics down. So, we’d have to do a skull cap, put that down, get the hair out of the way, and then they’d start applying the appliances, the pieces, and I’m pretty sure it was a cowl, which is like the overall head, shoulder, chest piece. And then we had forehead, nose, a chin piece, and then an upper lip piece, I believe. And then they have to blend all those together, then they paint them. And then the hair was on already, I think, the little bit of hair that was already punched in. And then they had to draw the tattoos on, and then the teeth, and then the contacts. The outfit was heavy too. That was a lot of layers and…

David Read:
Leather.

Dan Payne:
Leather, and big boots.

David Read:
What was it like going through that stunt, the fight process with Bam Bam…

Dan Payne:
Beating up Aquaman?

David Read:
…and with Jason Momoa? Aquaman, yeah.

Dan Payne:
Momoa’s so amazing. What a rad guy. And I wanna throw a shout out. He’s in the stars now. He’s an absolute star, and he still, at every step of the way on his journey up, he was never a guy to not remember or be cool with all the people that… I’ve met some people on the way up and it’s not the same, and I remember seeing him when he was already… He had done Conan, he’d done a few things, and there’s no need — We’ve worked together and we’ve done the choreography of fights, and I’ve sat in his trailer, he’s chatted, but there’s no need for him, for any reason, to be anything more than A, “Hey, what’s going on?” And he came around the corner and he goes, “Pain,” and comes over and gives me a big hug. That, I can’t tell you how cool that is to explain what an amazing guy he is… He’s not… He does what he does for the love of doing it, not for the fame, fortune, money, whatever that comes with it. He’s just that guy. And it’s rad to be able to say I know him. I haven’t seen him in a long, long time, but I’m just… I guarantee you, I feel that if I saw him… I almost was gonna run into him at the Rugby Sevens. And I know for a fact he’d be like, “Bud, what’s…” There wouldn’t have been any…

David Read:
No hesitation.

Dan Payne:
I don’t think there would’ve been. I don’t wanna speak for him, he’s such a true blue, naturally great human that I don’t think there would’ve been a hesitation. “Bud, what’s up?” What a good guy. Anyway, working with him…

David Read:
The fight… that whole fight sequence.

Dan Payne:
I just wanted to make sure it looked badass. So, he let me rehearse with him over and over. And then Glenn Ennis, who plays his double, we did the rehearsals as well over and over. And Glen’s great too. Glen’s such an accommodating stunt performer and actor in his own right. And it was a lot of — and then Bam Bam was there. A lot of choreography, repeat, repeat, repeat.

David Read:
What was Bam Bam’s process? Would he… I knew Bam Bam, in particular, used a lot of videotape and would actually pre-film the fights a lot using his own little handheld camcorder to show the producers, “OK, this is exactly what it is that I’m looking for” so they could cut down the number of shots. How long would a fight like that take to rehearse? How early would you start before cameras were rolling on principal photography? Tell us… go through a kind of layout for something like that.

Dan Payne:
I wish I could tell you more. I can tell you what I’ve experienced in the past. But for me, with Bam Bam, he was… The previz that you’re talking about, he did that with his stunt guys. And I didn’t get to be there, I think, because I was also doing performance stuff, so he couldn’t get me away from set to do that. So, he did all that, sent it to them. Once it was locked down, then he got to bring it to me. And I loved that he had the confidence in me to pick it up and perform it well enough on the day without having too much rehearsal. And again, as I said, Momoa and Glen were phenomenal in letting me go over and over the moves until it was natural and felt cool. But normally, it’s really neat to see it. I can only speak on Warcraft mostly, or actually also Underworld Awakenings, we got to do it too. We would go in there and just walk it through and be like, “OK, this move, how about…” And the stunt coordinators already have an idea — the fight coordinators — they already have an idea of what they want. And then they start seeing it with bodies and they go, “OK, if you swept a foot there, can you kip up to this?” And it’s neat to watch them put that puzzle together.

David Read:
Yeah, it’s an assembly line, just like anything else. There’s a certain number of pieces to it and it has to go together in a certain way.

Dan Payne:
But the creative aspect of them going, “OK, what if you did this and then that? Can you physically… Would that get you to this point so that we could have him come flying in from this side?” And you’re like, “What if I did this?” And they collaborate in a beautiful way ’cause they… Stunt coordinators hire the certain people they do because they know that that person will bring their special martial art or their skillset to this. So, that when they go, “Hey, I need a move that can…” And you go, “What about this?” And they’re like, “Yes, OK, put that together.” And the fight coordinator’s always controlling it and then they put it on a previz, pad up, and then everybody goes banging away, and they go full on, and they send it and the director goes, “OK, cool, but I want this angle. Shoot it again so I can see what it looks like from here.” They do that, and then when it’s set and they lock it down. Like you said, the director now knows how many shots are there. Or if they let the second director… Bam Bam’s a wonderful director. And they go, “Hey, Bam Bam,” back in the day, “that looks dope. You’re shooting it so these are the shots I’d like. Hit it.” And Bam Bam would go crush it.

David Read:
How comfortable would you feel in providing input?

Dan Payne:
I was pretty quiet. Again, knowing my place as an actor coming into the stunt world and understanding how to respect and honor that opportunity, they… I would wait and they would say, “Can you do that?” And I would say, “Yes I can.” That’s different because that’s a whole other level. And that’s why I say I’m not a stuntman as much as I am an actor who gets to do stunts. Because those stuntmen, they’ve been doing it where they can help with the choreography. I’ll be the guy who will work his ass off to get it right. And I’ll tell you whether I can or can’t physically do whatever it is those guys. I can’t do a kip up. It’s more of a crap out than a kip up.

David Read:
I think it’s important to know the limits of your own physicality. And as you get older, there are certain things that you’re not going to be able to do, as flexible anymore, that if you choose to do, there’s going to be consequences for you afterwards that may impact the shoot.

Dan Payne:
Exactly. It goes to acting too. I’ve had the, “Can you ride a motorbike? Can you ride a horse?” Don’t lie. Because when you show up on set, you’re gonna damn yourself to being the guy who lied and then ended up screwing up production and then they had to rewrite a scene ’cause you couldn’t be on your horse ’cause you didn’t know how to ride a friggin’ horse and you said you could. That’s the same idea. I didn’t wanna show up and be like, “Yeah, yeah, man. Looks…” No, I’ll be like, “Yes sir, no sir. How many bags full?” I can or I can’t. And that’s being a team player. Let’s go back to the team player. When I played pro volleyball, I didn’t pass a single ball on the serves unless I got pulled in on a major spike server who was crushing it. I was kept out ’cause I can’t pass to save my life. Can I hit a ball? I could smack the shiitake out of a ball, but you want me to bump that to the setter, “Do we have a year?” “No, we don’t. We have that one second, so I’m not a part of that second. But put it in the air, I’m gonna smash the crap outta it.”

David Read:
Absolutely.

Dan Payne:
So, know your team.

David Read:
That’s right. Know your team. Know what you can provide and know who, hopefully, who you can turn to, who may have that talent and can–

Dan Payne:
That’s what great directors and stunt coordinators do. They delegate to those that they know can, and then it creates a better product.

David Read:
That’s exactly right. What an experience you have had. What an opportunity to play so many cool characters over the course of that franchise. And we’ve had the privilege of meeting several times at conventions. You’ve been… I’ll never forget when you were at that first Gatecon after the Kull had just been introduced, and you showed up in your super soldier outfit to take pictures with fans all day long in that suit. I’ll never forget that. You have always been one of the first ones to say, “I recognize that it’s important to give back to this community because this community is the reason that we’re on the air…”

Dan Payne:
You’re a mind reader.

David Read:
“…after all these years.”

Dan Payne:
It’s like you’re a mind reader ’cause I was about to say… Do you mind if I throw a shout out? Because to that whole entire fan base, the fact that I get to be involved in it and get to go to conventions and get and got to wear that suit that day and give back and stuff, that’s amazing to me. That is a mind-blowing aspect of what I… So, I get the front end of love doing what I do, and then if you get an email or two or an Instagram shout out saying, “Hey man, that was really cool. Good job,” that’s pretty cool. But to have the opportunity to meet the fan base and have them be so loving, so supportive, so caring, it doesn’t happen across all the genres. Stargate fans, and I wanna say a massive shout out and love to all of you, but the fact that I get to feel that love and that support, and not just for Stargate. We might have been introduced over Stargate, but now they’ll… I know specifically Stargate fans who write saying, “Dude, I saw you in that Hallmark movie and you did a great job,” and “I hope you…” That’s amazing to me. That’s a relationship that’s… you can call it fan, but there’s a… Maybe we should create a word called “frand.” Where it’s a friend…

David Read:
A “frand.”

Dan Payne:
…and a fan at the same time.

David Read:
It’s a culture of its own.

Dan Payne:
There’s a friendship level of the fan. It is. And I’m grateful to be involved in it, and I’m so grateful that… Like that first time I wore that suit, instead of… A fan base that just wanted to see the suit wouldn’t have given a crap who was in it in a lot of ways. But that, like you said, fan base, the biggest thing they acknowledged was my willingness to be there in that suit. I was like, “What? Of course I will. I get to be on this show. You guys love this show. I’m honored to be here.” And the mindset of them going, “No, no. We’re grateful that you sweat your nuts off in that thing for us to be able to meet you and that…” What else can you say? So, thank you to everybody for making this a 10, 20-year… How long has it been? It’s still going?

David Read:
So, the Kull Warrior, that would have been 2003 that started airing.

Dan Payne:
So, the longevity of that fan base…

David Read:
It does. It’s evergreen.

Dan Payne:
…and [inaudible].

David Read:
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Dan Payne:
It really is. It really is. So, I just wanna throw a shout out to that amazing… Every one of them.

David Read:
Absolutely. I have fans in the chat who have questions for you. Sally Whitesides.

Dan Payne:
Hey, Sally.

David Read:
“Since you’ve played these characters, what’s the favorite for you that has stuck out to you in terms of the Stargate roles that you’ve played?” What do you look back on the most fondly?

Dan Payne:
For sure. I just wanna throw, hey, Sally, and I don’t wanna get too deep into it, but sending love, condolences, and all that to you and your family, and hope everything’s coming the right way around. So, love and hugs to you. And then, on top of that, to answer her question — She has a beautiful soul. She’s a wonderful person.

David Read:
Oh, great.

Dan Payne:
I have to say the Uber Wraith. Just for the fact that it was like Kull Warrior 2.0, in that he had a personality and a badass nature to him. It ain’t easy being green. I heard that somewhere. So, I’m gonna go with the Uber Wraith for the badass nature, and being able to…

David Read:
Do you think that–

Dan Payne:
…battle Momoa.

David Read:
Oh, with Momoa, absolutely. The Kull Warrior helped prepare you for that character in one way or another.

Dan Payne:
I think so. There’s a stoic nature of, “I’m going to crush you, and I will be relentless in my pursuit of crushing you.” It just had more badass attitude in the Uber Wraith.

David Read:
Absolutely. Akos Tomas Novaki, “Did you suffer any injuries during the shoot on Stargate?” I mean, you mentioned your football injury.

Dan Payne:
Volleyball. Which–

David Read:
Volleyball? It was a volleyball injury. Excuse me.

Dan Payne:
Yeah. There’s tons of bumps and bruises. I’ll tell you… Because there’s so many, I’ll tell you the most embarrassing one. I was walking through the base as the Kull Warrior and didn’t realize how tall I was, and I was doing a rehearsal without my helmet on and corked the top of my head on a pipe, because that’s how smart I can be. So, I got a nice walloping bruise, like a goose egg on the top of my head, which I then had to put the helmet on top of.

David Read:
And it’s probably growing into a bump at that point.

Dan Payne:
“Why won’t your helmet go on? Oh, ’cause there’s a…” No. I bonked my coconut, like an idiot, on set. But no, whenever you go to ground, there’s gonna be something that’s… Every once in a while, the chest piece, when I’d fall, it would pinch a piece of flesh in it and then put a big line of raspberries in there. Lots of charley horses. Just bumps and bruises, for sure. Getting buried alive when I was chasing Amanda Tapping, Samantha…

David Read:
That’s right. In “Death Knell.”

Dan Payne:
Getting buried alive. That was–

David Read:
How did they do that?

Dan Payne:
They dug a hole. This is a bit of a long story, I don’t know if we wanna… OK.

David Read:
I’ve got time. Are you OK on time?

Dan Payne:
I’m fine for time, I just don’t wanna bore the snot out of anybody who is in there.

David Read:
Tell it, sister.

Dan Payne:
All right. So, they dug a hole, and then they put this vermiculite stuff, which is like fake dirt, and I laid face down in, and they buried my body first, left my head out to last. And all I had was one of those painter masks, like the mask we now have to wear, the hospital mask, and they put that on in order to try and minimize dust intake. But I had no breathing tube. And Peter DeLuise was directing, who is a genius, also brilliantly funny, and very caring. And I’ll tell you why he was very caring. So, they get all set up and they know that it’s gonna be a time-constrained effort ’cause they have to bury my head, set Amanda, make sure the cameras are ready, roll the cameras, clear the set, and then start shooting. And then three, two, one, I emerge. So, they bury my head and they get all the stuff going, and then I can’t really hear anything ’cause the dirt’s now over top of me. It’s gotten quiet. All I can hear is foot pounding and muffled voices. And then the voices start getting more frantic, and then I hear what I’m pretty sure is Peter DeLuise’s voice yelling, “Get him up, get him up.” Somebody had left a bucket of the vermiculite in the shot and everyone had cleared shot. So, I’m under the thing holding my breath, and somebody had left a bucket by accident in the shot. So, they’ve all, “Ah,” and they run back in. And I’m under there holding my breath ’cause there is no… I can’t take a breath. I’m underground, and if I do take a breath it’s gonna be dirt through this mask. So, I’m holding my breath as long as I can, and I’m starting to feel that… Have you ever been underwater and you’re swimming up and you start to go, “OK, I can’t take a breath,” but your chest starts going “Oomph, oomph?”

David Read:
You’re getting a physical response.

Dan Payne:
Yes. So, this goes back to that idiotic thing of just be the team player. “Hold your damn breath.” They don’t wanna… I don’t wanna make them reset, I don’t want this to have to be the guy that, “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t breathe.” “Oh my God, really, guy?” So, I’m under there doing “Oomph, oomph,” trying not to make the dirt move because it has to be this stoic moment where Amanda thinks I’m dead, and they wanna give her that moment off the top of camera. So, I’m under there “Oomph, oomph,” fighting those convulsions, and Peter’s yelling, and then I hear the “Bup, bup, bup, bup, bup,” grab the bucket, “Bup, bup, bup, bup, bup,” footsteps. And I’m “Mm, mm,” and then I know that I’m supposed to count to five, like five beats before I come out of the ground on your action, and Peter DeLuise’s voice out there and I hear, “Action!” And that’s the muffled version underground of “Action.” And I’m like, “One, two, three, four,” and I’m choking away. And then I finally, and then I can’t come up going… I can’t… That’s the Kull Warrior, not gonna give a crap about breath. So, I have to come up stoic, so I stand up and it’s… I remember the shot. It looks so cool, like I felt when I saw it after. It was super badass. So, I come up and all this dirt starts pouring out of the helmet and pouring off me and I have to slowly rise with this stoic power, and I come up and I do a little bit of a shimmy, and inside I’m like, “Just get air in your lungs.” And then I have to turn slow and I can’t see anything. There is dirt packed up my… everywhere, like in my ears, my eyes, I can’t see anything. So, I’m blind, and I’m trying to find air and trying to — without convulsing or sucking wind like a goober — and I raise my arm slowly towards Amanda and then I have to take two shots in the back from Teal’c. Christopher Judge shoots me in the back just before I shoot her, and then I have to blind turn around and aim at him, which I can’t see squat. So, I’m like, “And there?” And I turn and then I do the little movements for the firing and then I hear, “And cut!” And I’m fighting to get the helmet off and I’m trying to suck in air, “Oh my God,” and everyone starts clapping. And I’m like, “Oh my God, what is everyone clapping for?” In the script it says… “You were under there for just over two minutes…”

David Read:
Oh my God.

Dan Payne:
“…from when they put your head under.” And again, it’s not two minutes of hard holding your breath ’cause you can slow-breathe. Underwater, you cannot. But you could… You run out of air ’cause you take a breath and then you slow-breathe it out.

David Read:
Correct.

Dan Payne:
Two minutes is still a pretty long time. And I’m like, “Huh,” and I started getting emotional ’cause everyone’s coming over, patting me on the back and giving me the high fives and giving me the shoulder shake. And they’re like, “What are…” ‘Cause this speaks to the family of Stargate, what a group of unbelievably supportive… This is crew. Why would they give a crap? “Did we get the shot? Moving on.” No. Coming over, high five, and I’ve had somebody come over and say, “Dude, that’s also a bit about you. You’re a pretty good guy to everybody.” And which I think is essential. Say hi to everybody. The guy changing your garbage is doing a part of the thing that makes the show happen too. So, if you treat him any lower or lesser, then you’re a douche, A, and you don’t also get it. And plus, hopefully that guy rises and he’s there to learn and becomes a super director, and you wanna have supported him all the way up there.

David Read:
What goes around comes around.

Dan Payne:
For sure. He said, “That’s a bit about you too,” but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t help but get emotional ’cause I was like, “This is amazing.” I really felt like I worked hard to do something and be a part of the team, and the team came and said, “Yes you did,” with all the high fives and stuff.

David Read:
So, one take?

Dan Payne:
And it’s funny– One take.

David Read:
Go ahead.

Dan Payne:
One take. And then Peter DeLuise, when you do something good, comes around and gives you scratch and wins. That’s a little thing he’d do. If you did something right, he’d come over and go, “Nice work,” and he’d give you a scratch and win.

David Read:
“Sure, let me just put this in my Cold Warrior pocket.”

Dan Payne:
So, he comes over and he goes, “I don’t have any scratch and wins worth this, so here’s 20 bucks. Go buy 20 scratch and wins.” That’s a great story for me to tell because it speaks to how much you wanna work for a show that supports and loves you back, and how much that show loves you in terms of crew, cast, and care for the people in it. Just a lot of fun. And then at the end of the day, the shot, to me, was super badass looking, all that dirt falling out as I stood up. It was worth it.

David Read:
It was, absolutely.

Dan Payne:
Long story, I’m sorry. I hope that was worth it.

David Read:
I hope you’re willing to tell one more longer one. The drone shot and your first reactions to them prepping the shot before you’re gonna take the drone to the chest as the Uber Wraith. I love this story. Before we go back to the fan questions.

Dan Payne:
OK, so as the Uber Wraith, I’m standing over Momoa. This is what you’re talking about? I’m about to throw the final blow, and I’m too much hubris, too much gloating, standing there. And then puddle jumper rocket shows up and hits me. So, this is the first time I’ve ever been on a wire, and Bam Bam, again, kudos for giving me the, having the confidence in me, put me on a wire for the first time ever. And it was a heel dragger, meaning when they hit the button, the wire is gonna drag me heel high with this, imagine a rocket in my chest. And before all that happened, I didn’t really know. I go around and I see them doing a test for this with a bag of weight matching my weight. So, they put 240 pounds in this dummy bag, and then they’re pressing it to see how it reacts, the ratchet. I come around and I’m watching. The first time they hit it, it goes and smashes into this bridge over top, and it goes straight down. I’m like, “What?” And Bam Bam’s like, “Oh yeah, that’ll be you, but we won’t be doing that.”

David Read:
“That was me?”

Dan Payne:
Yeah, ’cause Bam Bam’s got a sense of humor. He’s like, “Yeah, that’s you. The bag, the dummy.” Not, “You’re a dummy,” but a little bit. Anyway, he’s like, “We’re gonna wait and we’ll get… We’re just testing it and we’re dialing it in. And then once we get the weight right, we’ll put you on this wire.” And I’m like, “OK, cool.” And then I went over to Glen, “What’s a wire? How do we do this? What am I supposed to do?” So, on the day they get me hooked in, I’m rigged up to this wire. I’m wearing basically a corset, like the harness that you have to wear, which is cinched up in every possible part of your body that you can imagine — and yes, there too — and locked down pretty tight. And man, my nerves… So, I’m standing over, I’m pretty sure it was Glenn Ennis. Glen was down and I was talking to him like, “What do I do?” He’s like, “Just breathe. And as soon as you hear the three, two, one, hold your breath, breathe out so you don’t–”

David Read:
Oh, so Glen is Ronon’s stunt double at this point?

Dan Payne:
Yeah. He’s laying down…

David Read:
So, you’re over on top of him.

Dan Payne:
I’m over top of him, so I’m ready in the… I’m gonna smack you thing. And then the direction is when they say, “Three, two, one,” look up, make the motion to see that you’ve caught the rocket and give room for the CGI to put that in there, and then you’re going on the ride. I was like, “OK.” It was a 30-foot ride into some barrels and then reset 30 foot more into a wall with a pad on it. And it was the first ride ever. So, anyway, I’m like, “Glen, again, what do I do?” And he’s like, “Just first of all, stop being a wuss.” And then second of all, he said, “Just breathe out because when you hit those barrels, you don’t wanna have too much air in your lungs ’cause it’ll wind you, and just tense up, and just go for the ride.” Basically, they call you dope on a rope. So, “Three, two, one, look up.” And honestly, I’m so glad that they couldn’t see close to my face ’cause they would’ve seen dinner-plate eyes and pure fear ’cause it was the first ever, and I’m supposed to be badass. And all I was, I was standing over like this. Then, “Three, two, one,” and off I went on this thing. I hit the barrels. I thought my kidneys went shooting out my back ’cause they had to have some water in them, so they looked like they weren’t this token barrels put there for effect. But that’s normal. So, I hit the barrels and they all went off the way it was supposed to. And I stood up, and then they rewired me and put me into the wall. And then CGI did an explosion in there and it looked amazing at the end of the day. But what an experience, like a trial by fire.

David Read:
Any bruises from that?

Dan Payne:
Oh yeah. So, my lower back was pretty… On both my hips, hip pointer, where my hip bones were, there’s bruises there, and that’s about it. Otherwise, a body ache from the impact. And I’m so grateful… It was minor. Like I said, stunt guys go through so much more. But I’m so grateful to Bam Bam for giving me the OK to be the dope on the rope.

David Read:
Would those be placed near the end of a shoot or just where it fell on the schedule is where it fell? Was there a strategic decision in terms of that just in case something would go wrong and you would be more hurt than they expected?

Dan Payne:
I’m not too sure about the follow-up, but all those stunts were built on that day. So, that entire fight scene was a day. Hitting Glen up, unraveled into the wall and then down he rolls in front of me, and then firing off the telephone pole. All of that cool butt kicking was all on the same day. And that was Glenn Ennis getting absolutely rag-dolled, which again, is a human train wreck. I don’t know how he still can walk, let alone function, and then my stuff too was on the same day. I don’t know what the backup plan would’ve been ’cause I was the only one in the makeup. And I don’t know if there’s too much poten[tial]… There’s always a potential of stunts for a reason, but I think they do so much work to minimize any kind of unexpected action that Glen’s the stunt double on the day. I guess they could put somebody else on him or in him, and I guess if mine went sideways — which it never… it’s always been good — they would’ve just had to reschedule it.

David Read:
Got it.

Dan Payne:
As far as I know.

David Read:
Well, that makes sense. Cooper had only directed, I think, one at that point. I think that “Sateda” was his second. What was he like as a director?

Dan Payne:
I think he seemed like a kid in a candy shop. I think he was having a lot of fun, like, “All right. Here we go.” But very cool. He commanded the set. He already has the respect for who he is and what he brings to the show and all that. So, I think respect is a huge thing. He had that. Then he commanded the set because he knew what he was doing and he had great people around him, as that whole entire family did at all times. So, he was… But I think I saw a pretty big spark of joy in his eyes every time I got to see him.

David Read:
I would suspect so. Dan Zimmerly, “Would you rather play an individual character for many years or play many different characters if given the choice?”

Dan Payne:
Thanks, Dan, that’s a really cool question. Starting out, when I began my career, I’d wanna play many different characters to experience different elements of range and demands, and what I could or couldn’t do and what I could bring to different characters. The position I’m in now, which is why I love that question, I would absolutely love to be on a series for five years playing the same character and, we talked about plays in the beginning, delve into that whole character’s world and bring that entire history and backstory to life through that character over the course of a series. That’s a really cool question. Early on, multiple characters to learn. And now, not that I’m done learning, but the big learn I would love is to take a character through a huge arc.

David Read:
Explore facets.

Dan Payne:
Yeah. Thanks, man.

David Read:
Vicky Menser– Absolutely. Thank you, man.

Dan Payne:
Hey, Vicky!

David Read:
Vicky Menser, “Have you ever thought about writing your own show?”

Dan Payne:
Is Vicky up late or early? I want to know. ‘Cause I think she’s UK. Have I written…? Yes, I wrote a dramedy that I’m still shopping and I’m praying to get out there, and I call it Californication in a toque. It’s about a washed-up hockey player whose wife has left him, and he’s retired. I’m changing it to an MMA fighter just for the universal global appeal. Thanks to a buddy of mine, Dave Nystrom, and Kerry Dixon, we’re rewriting it to be an MMA… washed up, retired, forced retirement for an MMA artist whose wife’s left him, and he doesn’t know why, and he’s without having his career regressed to the only thing he knew before his career, which would’ve been high school dumb-dumb. And he’s tripping all over himself trying to get back to where he knows he needs to be. So, a dramedy in that, if anyone knows Californication, it’s very similar.

David Read:
For the record, she’s late.

Dan Payne:
Thank you for staying up late.

David Read:
Best of luck with that. That sounds really cool. I’d watch it.

Dan Payne:
Thanks, man. A lot of it, I’m really proud of it, and I’ve had a lot of good feedback. I just need to get that one green light feedback and maybe we’ll get a chance.

David Read:
Absolutely. The industry is so darn competitive.

Dan Payne:
And there’s a big demand for content.

David Read:
That’s true, more than ever. Clare Burr, “Since you’ve had the chance to play so many different characters on the franchise, what was your favorite weapon costume combination?” So, a lot of the Kull Warr[ior], you didn’t… You had a weapon, but you didn’t really. It was on your wrist. And with the Uber Wraith, I’m pretty sure it was just your bare hands.

Dan Payne:
Yeah, Uber Wraith was a barehand badass. I did love the Kull Warrior’s wrist lasers.

David Read:
You’ve played with staff weapons.

Dan Payne:
I think Jaffa. I was gonna say, when I ran up on Teal’c with the staff weapon, that’s pretty… To me, to be able to interact — I’ve been a Jaffa Warrior and had a couple of stunt days getting just shot and killed in the gear and running around with a staff weapon — but to be able to be a part of the story and tell and talk whilst using the weapon as an element of the story, that was pretty cool. The best combination. Again, I’m gonna go Uber Wraith. If we could have put the lasers from Kull Warrior on some sort of badass biker Uber Wraith weapon, that’d have been pretty neat.

David Read:
Seb Gregory, “What role or stunt have you not had a chance to do yet in your career that you would like to do?” I guess you’ve already spoken to a longer specific role and to work out your own dramedy. What is a stunt that you, as an actor, would like to apply?

Dan Payne:
I know for a fact I never want to be lit on fire. And just to share a little bit about [that], when I was 22, I was in an explosion. I had 40% of my body second-degree burns. I was in a comma for four and a bit days and in a hospital for a month and then had to wear JOBST garments for nine months, get special permission to go back to university volleyball wearing these garments. So, fire and I aren’t super friendly. It took me like a year after that to light a barbecue. I’m good now. There’s no problem, but I don’t think I’m mentally prepared to be lit on fire. So, that’s off. So, that was originally one of the cool things that I hadn’t done that I thought would be a stunt, if I hadn’t been burned in real life, that I would have tried, but no. So, now the only thing that I really like to do is a high fall, like a two-story high fall.

David Read:
Into a big crate of soft things, right?

Dan Payne:
Yeah, either a box rig, like the boxes, or the big mat, the air mat that blows out the side and you just “Poof.” And there’s an art form to it, and you have to incrementally increase and learn to fall. And I would love to go through that training, and I don’t know that I’ll get that chance. I’m no spring chicken myself, and those opportunities, I don’t know. I’m still the guy who will always say yes. I love this job, I love this industry, and every day on set’s a great day. So, if it happens, “Hey Dan,” my dream would be a stunt actor role or a character in a series where I get to do a high fall and then somehow, I survive ’cause I’d like that character to keep going.

David Read:
Ian was about to ask, “Did you prefer stunts or acting?” So, maybe something that would give you a combination of both.

Dan Payne:
That’d be the dream. Heavy on the acting, lower on the stunts. I’d love to keep stunt communities busy doing the crazy stuff that I shouldn’t do. Or couldn’t do or wouldn’t do. But I’m an actor first and foremost in heart, soul, DNA. And stunts, again, was an aspect that I was gratefully afforded to be a part of and fell in love with, but haven’t spent the amount of time that I should to be able to full-time it or take any credit as a stuntman. True blue anyway.

David Read:
Absolutely. Theresa Mick, Theresa Mc, “What is a dream role for you, Dan?” If you could play a single character for five or six years, would it be a comedy? Would it be a dramedy? Would it be a combination…

Dan Payne:
Dramedy.

David Read:
–of the two? Dramedy for combination?

Dan Payne:
Straight up dramedy. I don’t wanna sound like too much of a goober, but I love the emotional content of– We talked about Yellowstone. I love that I was watching it and I’d be in tears and then laughing. I love to feel. And to be able to bring feeling to others through work that I get to do would be joy. So, I love making people laugh. My wife jokes that I spend too much time trying. She’s probably right. So, there’s that aspect. But I love telling a good story where there’s a heart, a tug at the heartstrings. I used to say that I’d love to be in a Die Hard type series and yippee ki-yay my way through a series. So, it’s some aspect of a dramedy. Californication but add a physicality to it, which, again, is the series I wrote.

David Read:
Romaine, “Were there any of the Stargate roles that came to pass that you were like, ‘Oh, I wish I got that’?”

Dan Payne:
A lot. To be a part of that show in any larger capacity at any time would have been phenomenal. I got to audition for a few, and then some of them didn’t go my way, but, the family aspect, I got to come back and play. And sometimes I didn’t have to audition, which was wonderful, “Get Dan for that.” Alex and I both were afforded that family concept of, “Oh, that’s a Dan, Alex,” whoever, that they thought for that role, they would just give it to you.

David Read:
Wow, that’s true too. I didn’t think about… So, you didn’t have to audition for everything.

Dan Payne:
Not all of them. But that’s once you earn that spot in the family, prove your professional abilities and etiquette and awareness of what’s needed, then they reciprocate that.

David Read:
If they know that you can do it, and you’re the kind of person that they’re looking for, why not? It makes sense.

Dan Payne:
That’s quite the family aspect. And it’s a fan base thing too. I think that they like that they had such a phenomenally — what’s the word? — the fan base would follow them and support them, so to see familiar faces in there breeds that to a deeper extent, I think.

David Read:
Absolutely. There’s a cult following to it, for sure.

Dan Payne:
So, I think it was cool when fans were happy to see you back in there.

David Read:
Dr. Essex, “Dan, do you have any cosplay character or costumes?” So, I don’t know how much fan conventioning you would do, something like a Comic-Con or something else, where you would dress up for yourself. But I think you could pull off a number of different superhero roles.

Dan Payne:
So, I’m gonna tell you the one that I would wanna do if I ever get a chance. So, I got to do a role on Once Upon a Time.

David Read:
Yes, you did. I texted after this. I was like…

Dan Payne:
Yes, thank you.

David Read:
…”I saw you.”

Dan Payne:
Thank you. So, Ivo… And when I put on the gear without putting the eyes in, I was in the mirror and I’m like, “I’m Star-Lord right now.” So, whenever anybody asks me who my favorite superhero is, I always say Star-Lord. I think that that’s a wonderful balance of comedy, action, but there’s nobody that can do it like Chris Pratt did it.

David Read:
You do have a Chris Pratt demeanor about you, absolutely.

Dan Payne:
That’s huge. That’s the biggest compliment…

David Read:
That’s true.

Dan Payne:
…that I can remember. Thank you. He’s a wizard, a genius, and so I put this gear on, I looked in the mirror, I’m like, “Nobody’s around. I’m gonna pretend to be Star-Lord for a few minutes.” That’s my own little private world for me. So, that would be the cosplay, I would dress up fully with a removable Star-Lord helmet, and I don’t know how I’d ever get it. That would be the one.

David Read:
Kata Siko, “Can I ask Dan?” Of course you can. “What, in Dan’s opinion, is the most ridiculous way he was killed during his career?”

Dan Payne:
That’s a good question. I’ve been killed so many times that’s quite a Rolodex I gotta go through.

David Read:
Drone to the chest would definitely have to be up there.

Dan Payne:
Ridiculous? That’s awesome.

David Read:
Ridiculous though.

Dan Payne:
That was awesome. I’ve got it. I did a short in England, and I was abducted by a giant alien spider-bug thing and cocooned up, and I died in the cocoon. And then, they made me slither out of it as food for the creature. It was terrible. It was horrible. They built this cocoon in the corner of this set, and then I had to climb in the back, and I was all covered in slime. And then they wanted me to, on the three, two, one, fall out dead, limp. And they built a sort of slime ramp for me, so I didn’t go smack on my head, and slide out, and then the creature comes over and grabs me and drags me off and eats me. But I was the boyfriend of this girl who the alien had taken over her mind to bring food to him. It was early on in my career, second gig ever.

David Read:
You gotta explore those facets.

Dan Payne:
For sure, a lot of fun.

David Read:
Not everything that everyone does is going to be an absolute home run all the time. But you have to bring your A game every time you do it.

Dan Payne:
That one was a bunt, and I didn’t make it to first base.

David Read:
Matthew Hall, “Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?” What’s going on? You just hunkering down? Are you getting some work up there? I know that Vancouver’s… they’re working again.

Dan Payne:
So, I’ve picked up a role as a dad on a show about… And I don’t wanna say too much, but if I were to hint at it, saying I’m mighty happy about it, and I wouldn’t duck away from doing it again. I hope that helps people understand.

David Read:
Congratulations.

Dan Payne:
Thanks. That should come back around being that I’m one of the main kids’ dads, so they say. I do know that I’ve had the great fortune, and I hope some of you caught it, to work with Danica McKellar again on a Christmas movie called Christmas She Wrote.

David Read:
Winnie.

Dan Payne:
Winnie. To me she’s Danica ’cause I’ve met her and got to know. She’s such an amazingly wonderfully gifted–

David Read:
I grew up on The Wonder Years so that’s great. Congratulations on that.

Dan Payne:
She doesn’t age. She’s beautifully wonderful. So, I got to do Matchmaker Mysteries with her, and they have told me that my character will return in the fourth one should they get to that. So, it’s a wheel, meaning they’ve done Matchmaker One and Two, they’re filming Three. I was in Two, and then they’re gonna bring me back for Four. Fingers crossed, I love that concept. I love that idea. And again, working with Danica again, such a great honor. So, those two are in the cards.

David Read:
That’s great.

Dan Payne:
Thank you. And I’m working really, really hard– Oh, I’m finishing off the second half of an indie feature that Ken Hegen wrote. I don’t know when that is. So, that’s gonna be fun to wrap up playing a heartless, smart-mouthed sniper in a post-apocalyptic — what do you call [it] — reality series. It’s comedy, and this, again, I blab a lot, but Ken Hegen let me ad lib a lot of things. And there’s an Easter Egg in there that I hope I get an interview for at some point once it’s come out to talk about, ’cause it was a lot of fun to get in. So, there’s a couple things, a couple irons in the fire. But I’m still — and thanks to Dan and his question, and then everyone else as well — looking for that series. And I’m looking for that next level job. So, from positive thinking and all you guys out there, you wonderful, amazing fan people, let’s manifest in the universe a series for me to enjoy and bring joy to you guys, ’cause that’s what I’m looking for. That’s where I’m headed.

David Read:
Boy, we could all use it this year, for sure. Last question. Gerald Leahy, “If and when the new Stargate series that’s being tossed about comes out, would you love to come back?”

Dan Payne:
In a heartbeat. And I think with my physicality, I will hit the gym. I would love to be the new Teal’c-Momoa-something guy. I hope that they have a similar vibe to it, and that there’s… Maybe he’s the big alien badass. I still want my face though. I think I’m pretty good with no four-hour makeups. Maybe some cool outfits and some crazy otherworld things, but I would be in a heartbeat for sure. So, if those guys are listening too, yes, please.

David Read:
Dan, it’s been a pleasure as always, my friend.

Dan Payne:
You too. Thank you so much. And Summer, thank you. I know you’re out there.

David Read:
She is.

Dan Payne:
Thank you. I love chatting with you. You’re awesome. David, you too, man. Thank you. You’re a great interviewer, and I’ve always loved talking to you, brother. And thank you to everyone who happened to drop in, and anybody who watches this, and all the fans. Mad love, thank you so much.

David Read:
Thank you. I’ve always appreciated you, and hope to have you back on in the future.

Dan Payne:
I would love to. I’d be honored.

David Read:
There’s a lot to do.

David Read:
You guys stay safe. You take care of yourself. I’ll be reaching out to you soon.

Dan Payne:
You got it, man. Thanks, David.

David Read:
I’m gonna go ahead and wrap up the show. Thanks, man.

Dan Payne:
Cool. Peace and love.

David Read:
Bye-bye. Mr. Dan Payne, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in. I have Kull Warrior artwork for you. This is submitted by a fan named RoMin-ah. And this blew me away when I first saw it. Had to share it. His comment was, “This time, I drew a Kull Warrior, which is a soldier of the Goa’uld Anubis. As you can see, I also drew the Stargate in the background, a bonus. Honestly, I’m really happy about it.” 11 days it took him to make, working on it off and on… Really, really cool concept art. So, I have a new contest for you for the month of January. So, if you would like to submit trivia questions for this month, you are going to be earning one of these if you are the lucky winner. This is a replica Ancient Communication Stone, and it’s based off of this one. This is an original prop Communication Stone. This is one of the ones that was on the terminal that was used in “Avalon” and in “Identity.” So, this is the replica, and this is the prop, or the original. The replica will be given away to the lucky winner to submit Stargate trivia questions to us for the month of January. And I will next week start to share some information about how you can submit for the episode. If you already know how from previous episodes, you can go to DialtheGate.com, submit trivia questions there at the bottom. So, for the month of January, one lucky winner for submitting trivia questions to the show for our monthly trivia challenge will be getting this little guy. I’ll be announcing February, and I’ll be announcing the January winner very shortly here for the Stargate 3D Stargate prop and Ancient keychain from our friends over at 3DTech.pro for the December challenge, for the month of December, pretty quickly here. So, I appreciate you tuning in. I wanna give a huge thank you and shout-out to Summer, Ian, Tracy, Keith, Jeremy, and our new moderator, Rhys. A huge thanks to Linda “GateGabber” Furey. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s no longer gonna be a production assistant on the show. She is now a full-time co-producer, so surprise, Linda! So, she is now getting co-producer credit on the show. We have some really cool things that are in the pipeline. I’ll just go ahead and say it. We’ve got T-shirts coming. So, if you wanna support the show, the show has always been free. It will continue to be free. It’s free to ask questions to the guests. If you wanna support the show, consider buying a T-shirt. I have three in development thanks to Linda, one for each series. And that’s all I’ve got. Before I let you go, if you like what you’ve seen on this episode, I would appreciate it if David would push the right button. If you like what you’ve seen on this episode, I would appreciate it if you’d click the Like button. It really makes a difference with YouTube’s algorithm and will definitely help the show grow its audience. Please also consider sharing this video with a Stargate friend. And if you wanna get notified about future episodes, click the Subscribe icon. If you plan to watch live, I recommend giving the Bell icon a click so you’ll be the first to know of any schedule changes which will happen all the time, like they did today with Mel Harris. Bear in mind, clips from this live stream will release over the course of the next several days and weeks on both Dial the Gate and GateWorld.net’s YouTube channels. We’ve been working like mad people going through the archive of the last 35 episodes and building up clips to help promote this series in more bite-sized chunks. It was something that I was intending to do when I first started the show to put out a clip every single day, but it’s a lot more time-consuming than I thought, and I just don’t have the time for it. So, I do have a couple of people, Linda chiefly among them, and Zack as well, coming along to help me out with those clips, so that we can spread the word of the show. It’s 2021. It’s a brand-new year. Next week’s guests, Mr. Corin Nemec, Jonas Quinn himself, will be joining us Sunday the 10th of January at 1 PM Pacific Time. So, be here live to ask your questions to Corin via the YouTube chat. And Dan Payne, Siler and stunt performer, will be joining us the same day two hours later, 3 PM Pacific Time, on YouTube.com/DialtheGate. Thank you so much for tuning in. The show has turned into everything that I hoped that it would be, and I hope to continue to produce more shows for you this year. That’s all I’ve got for you. One fan did ask me a question, Redux, “Any chance of having the unsung hero, Sergeant O’Brien, Pierre Bernard?” I will ask Pierre. I’ve been wanting to ask him for a couple weeks now, and I bet he’ll do the show. So, I’ll ask Pierre this week if he’ll come on and do Dial the Gate with us. So, thanks Redux for that question. And thank you all for tuning in. I’ll see you next weekend. My name is David Read. You’re watching Dial the Gate, and I’ll see you on the other side.