The man behind Seth and Dr. Melburn Jackson returns to Dial the Gate to bring us up to speed on his career and discuss the possibilities of another Stargate series!

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TRANSCRIPT
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David Read:
I’m gonna have to tell my web… continue to do that to me. My apologies. Hello, everyone. My name is David Read. I am the host of Dial the Gate, the Stargate Oral History Project. This is Episode 414. I appreciate you being here with me. Robert Murray Duncan, who played Seth, and Melburn Jackson has returned. Mr. Duncan, sir, it is a pleasure to see you again. How are you?

Robert Murray Duncan:
I’m good. Likewise, sir. It’s great to see you, and be in front of an appreciative group. It’s wonderful.

David Read:
What have you been up to since we last had our god, Seth, on?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Wow.

David Read:
And for the record, I would have both Seth and Melburn Jackson under the image below, but I’m using new software now, and unfortunately, I ran out of characters. So, you are best known for Seth, so that is what I’m gonna be going with.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Wouldn’t it be great if one day we had both of us on at the same time?

David Read:
I know.

Robert Murray Duncan:
We sort of do, but yeah. No, things are good. Interesting things going on in the world, and I’m here in Los Angeles.

David Read:
Of late.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And I was thinking, after Stargate, I was probably in Vancouver for about another year and a half or so, and then I went back to New York. So, when you said, “What have you been doing since?” You meant since our last interview.

David Read:
Since our last interview. Yes, sir.

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, I was a teacher at the California Institute of the Arts for 10 years. I taught acting in the character animation department, and then I also taught acting and directing for the voiceover people in the production animation department. So, that took me into some interesting places, and also I was invited to go to Warner Brothers recently to do a lecture ’cause one of my students is now a director there. And then…

David Read:
Really?

Robert Murray Duncan:
… before that I did DreamWorks. I did a three-day lecture there, which was wonderful. And what’s funny is, when people… people are afraid of acting. So, I was told, “Don’t pull anybody out of the audience.” I’m like, “No. No. No. I brought eight of my own students to demonstrate.” And that’s a beautiful theater, and nobody sat within the first 10 rows except for one man.

David Read:
Why?

Robert Murray Duncan:
‘Cause they’re afraid I’m gonna pull them up on stage and ask them to do things. And I never do that. Anyway, I had my students demonstrating. So, there’s one man, though, sitting in the second row, right in the center, and so I asked him, I said, “Sir, why are you so brave?” And he said, “Well, my name’s Don Stevenson. I directed Kung Fu Panda, and I might be doing some feature film directing as live-action.” I was, “Oh, OK. Good. Good.” So, that was cool. And actually, I set up a two-day session for him over a weekend, privately, and then I had some actors memorize some lines so he could work with that. But it was a fantastic experience. A lot of wonderful things came out of CalArts, and the type of work that’s being done there.

David Read:
So, is that how you fell into the voice acting experience? Is that what did it? Or was that something parallel? I’m fixing a camera issue over here, so I apologize.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yeah.

David Read:
My attention is slightly divided while I’m finalizing this.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I can gab for days.

David Read:
Now that’s my man.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I haven’t ever actually worked in live action. Sorry, in voiceover.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Well, that’s not true. I was the live-action reference for John Smith in the animated Pocahontas film.

David Read:
Yes.

Robert Murray Duncan:
They would film me, and they’d send me storyboards the night before, and I’d look at them, and then they’d film me acting the role out. And that would be like once a week, then twice a week, then nothing for three weeks, then three sessions. It went on for two years. It was a great job. And at one point, they said, “We wanna do a dialogue scratch test,” which is just some audio, not the real actor, ’cause Mel Gibson was doing the voice.

David Read:
Yes.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And they said, “Well, we could get someone in the office to do it, but if you’d like to do it, we’ll pay you a little this.” And I said, “Oh, sure. Let’s do that.” So, I did it, and I said, “Do you want me to sound like Mel?” And they’re like, “No. No. No. No. No.” ‘Cause I didn’t quite realize how this worked. So, what they did is they recorded. Mel was shooting Braveheart in England.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And so they sent somebody with, back then, a cassette tape, and they said, “Here, Mel, do this.” So, they directed me very specifically, and then had Mel duplicate what I was doing. And sometimes, when the material came back, and we’re acting it out in the studio, it was weird sometimes. I’m like, “Was that him or was that me?” But yeah. It was a very, very cool experience.

David Read:
Where in that situation… Actually, Robert, could you tilt a little bit down for me, please, the camera? Thank you, sir. All right.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Is that good?

David Read:
OK. Very good. I appreciate that. I’m trying to figure out how I would feel in that kind of a situation, because it’s like I’m creating a character, and also artists are creating a character, and that’s totally cool. But now, in this case, I’ve got another actor on the other side of me, on the other side of the character, coming in to make the character. That had to have been trippy because where does the character begin and end, and which performer is pulling the strings?

Robert Murray Duncan:
They were very specific, like I said, in how they wanted me to do it, and he mimicked that directly. So, you could say it was coming from the director.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And I think sometimes they don’t understand acting, so they’d rather say, “Just copy this instead of trying to direct.” ‘Cause Mel was also sick. He was producing. He was acting. He had a cold or something, so I think they just wanted to get it done. And he did, and he did a great job. But to answer your question, I would never say me. But I certainly had an influence in it.

David Read:
OK. No, there are all kinds of, in this craft, there are all kinds of ways to make a character come to life. Is that one of the more complicated ones that you’ve gone through, or do you have another experience by any chance that you can relate? Where it’s like this is one that I don’t know where this person is coming from, but I’m going to pull them out of the ether somehow and we’re just going to find it.

Robert Murray Duncan:
That’s a good question. I guess every actor has their process. But I studied with Sanford Meisner in New York for two years and he was brilliant. And his definition for acting is living truthfully in an imaginary circumstance. So, sometimes people say, “Oh, you’re an actor. You’re probably a really good liar,” and actually, we’re trying to be very truthful, but we’re tweaking for whatever the circumstance is, which is opposite to what a lot of people think. So, the roles are only difficult when I realize I’ve been miscast.

David Read:
Oh, no.

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, I’ll give you one little experience. I auditioned, I was living in New York City. I auditioned for a classic play, Hedda Gabler, which was gonna be done in another state. And they come into this area, and they grab the actors out of New York and they take them out. And it’s a great job. I’ve done a bunch of those. They call them regionals. Well, when we did the audition, the actress and I were called in. We didn’t know each other, and we just improvised it with our understanding of what it was. And it was a very seductive kind of flirtatious scene. We’re sort of playing with each other. And we did a really nice job. And they said, “Can you guys go outside and just wait for a second?” And then they called us in and said, “We’ve never done this before. We wanna cast the two of you right now.” And I was like, “Well, that was great. It was fantastic.” So, then we were flown up to Maine. We started rehearsals, and the director was very specific in what he wanted. He said, “Now take 10 steps that direction. Pick up the cigar. Turn to the left.” And I knew I was absolutely in trouble at that point, ’cause maybe now with some experience I can fake that. But most people understand to let the actor play with it for a moment. If you’ve cast the right actor, they’re gonna get what you want, especially when it comes to the more important things like emotional quality, the understanding of the characterization, as opposed to where you’re walking on the stage at that moment. Those things you save for later. Just let the actors play. They’re gonna do the work for you. So, I think I was very well trained in the Neighborhood Playhouse, and it comes in handy quite a bit. With the Seth character, it seemed pretty straightforward. At one point I wanted to smile more like, “I’ve got you in my palm.” But that was sort of retracted from me. I was there. I got a little grimace in there, but no. The work was really great, and the people were fun there.

David Read:
Let’s, I wanna peck at that a little bit more, that earlier nugget, and then come back around to our god Seth. Because were you miscast, or do you feel that the director was a crappy director who didn’t let the actor find the character in the space?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Do you mean the–

David Read:
Because that’s what I’m hearing. Not in Seth, but I’m hearing in this character piece that you were talking about where you were hired on the day.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes. I don’t imagine he’s listening.

David Read:
I’m sure he’s a lovely man.

Robert Murray Duncan:
He was, it was their first production they were doing, and he had graduated, and he had done this play as his thesis production.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, what I really learned later was he’s got this whole thing in his head, and then he’s trying to make me fit into that. That is not, in my opinion, a good way to direct at all. And it just was not a good production. And I wasn’t the only one that was being sort of channeled in certain steps and whatnot. So, no. It’s not a good way to direct. I think everybody knows. And in film, it’s really weird. Sometimes they won’t say anything to you. They’ll, and other than, “Let’s start you over here. We’re gonna pick you up,” and boom. And then we’ll cut to that. And I believe when they cast, they realize that’s the person they want. And that whatever you did in the audition is what they want you to keep in terms of characterization and whatnot. I did have another science-fiction show, which will remain nameless, where the director was blowing me way out in some really rage and just screaming and yelling. And I was in some serious prosthetics which made it even more difficult. And I was in a smoky chamber. And there was a glass so that the camera could see in at me. And she’s being very aggressive with pushing me and pushing me and pushing me, and I did it. She asked me to do it. In theater, the director is God. And that’s my background, so you want me to do that? It’s your show. So, then I knew it. I waited at home. Noon the next day, the phone rang. It was the producer from LA, saying, “Hey, Robert, what you did in your audition, that’s kinda…” I said, “No, I know.” I said, “But I was directed, I was sent in that direction very aggressively.” And he said, “I know.”

David Read:
“What’d you call me for?”

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, I said, “I know,” and he said, “Well, if ever that happens, just go to the first AD.” I was like, “The first AD was standing right there the whole time.” So, I learned. OK. But then, of course, what chaos is gonna happen after that when the actor goes up and says, “Can you tell the director they’re wrong?”

David Read:
No.

Robert Murray Duncan:
It was a really bad scenario. But I understand that person because of that didn’t work in Vancouver for a while. So, I’m, for no reason, I’m sort of the bad guy, or was in that case. So, there are different directors. And I’ve learned through that experience as well to really find the balance, and to slow down and stop, and maybe say, “Excuse me, can we have a conversation? Because I’m confused.”

David Read:
You are opening a door for me here, because I hope that you’ll take my hand and walk through it with me here. Because the number of times I’ve done this show, I’ve done over 400 episodes now, and I have never talked to an actor about the process in this manner before. Would you mind continuing to do that with me? Because I have some more questions.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Sure.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, you start with the question. Go ahead.

David Read:
I do, if that’s OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yeah.

David Read:
So, there has always been this, in my experience, I’ve been on set 8, 9, 10 times, in terms of the number of days that I’ve been on the Stargate sets over the years, and a couple of others, professional sets. And there is very clearly a line where you don’t tell the actor how to say a line. The actor has their marks. The actor needs to know where the camera’s gonna go. The actor has to have a certain amount of instruction so that they can stay in focus. But beyond that, you are allowed to build the character where you see fit. Otherwise, the people who are behind the scenes should really be in animation, to be perfectly honest.

Robert Murray Duncan:
There you go.

David Read:
Because then they can make the character do whatever they want. Where, for you, does that sacred line of the art break away, where you are no longer being allowed to express and emote the character, but you have intrinsically become a puppet? And where do you think that is, that would make sense in certain circumstances, because the technique is so specific of what it is that they’re trying to get that, in this case, that makes sense? I have never heard an actor tell me that a producer called you, called them and said, “Why did you make that choice?” And they didn’t go to the director and say that. Not to say, I’m not calling out this specific case.

Robert Murray Duncan:
But also I am, because that is such a unique situation, from my perspective, to put an actor in. There’s a whole diplomacy in everything we do. And I personally, if someone wants to give me a line reading, I’m fine with it. But if it’s every single one, then it gets, “Whoa, OK, but whatever.” But I assume, again, I assume that they, as they said, they liked what they saw in the audition, and that’s what I’m ready to do. And I can go wherever they want, and I did, because I was asked to. It was a misinterpretation, I think, on their part, to sort of slow down and know where that correction came from. But I did listen to him. He started in the phone call. It took about five minutes for him to get to, “I just want you to do what you did in the audition.”

David Read:
Oh, boy.

Robert Murray Duncan:
But I listened. I wanted to interrupt him a lot of times, and I just listened and I listened and I was diplomatic. And then I said, all I said was, “I was sent very strongly in that direction.” And that’s when he said, “Just go and talk to…” And he thought that my arms were covered to here, and I’m like, so it was easy to rerecord the audio, because you could barely see my mouth moving anyway. And then in the audio, I went back to what I did in the audition, which was: the character could kill people with his thoughts. So, he doesn’t need to raise his voice. He doesn’t need to scream.

David Read:
You’re overdoing it.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yeah. So, we went back, and I was fine. But he was on the line while we rerecorded every single line.

David Read:
Oh, OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And fine, that’s it. But it’s funny in the industry, because sometimes the people with larger positions have a greater voice among other people in the industry. And you can be excommunicated without even knowing what happened. So, there’s a lot of politics involved and all that kind of stuff. But I just did what I was told.

David Read:
And all the more power to you. But also, I had Kerry McDowall on a couple of days ago who was the post-production supervisor on Stargate, all three shows, and now post-production producer. And she said, “There’s a reason ‘we’ll fix it in post’ exists as a phrase in the industry, because under some circumstances, there’s no other optimal way to do it.” I mean sure, cringe largely when you hear that, “We’ll fix it,” because we’re abandoning this and we’re just gonna have to move forward. But in certain circumstances, it’s an ass saver. Because this was all printed and it exists now, and ADR is a chance to redo some of that and salvage what it was that you were trying to create.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And let’s bounce to theater for a second again. I understudied John Malkovich in the premier production of Burn This here in Los Angeles. And then a couple of years later, I got asked to go and audition for a production in San Diego. And I got the role. I didn’t know at the time I was the only one auditioning, because what happened was their actor that they had dropped out to go do a film, so I took over. The director didn’t invite critics ’cause I only had seven days to learn their production, which is quick, ’cause my character just talks the whole time, and I’d been four years, I’ve had to memorize the lines. And it was a smash hit. A few critics did come, and he was kicking himself because, “Oh, I should have invited the rest of them.” But there was one line in the script. Now, I had Lanford Wilson’s original, not with me there, but that’s what we were working from when I was understudying him. Lanford Wilson’s in the room, Director Marshall Mason’s in the room, the understudies are in the room. And so you’re watching this whole process go through, which was great. So, then I go into this show in San Diego and there’s a typo in this, in the printed version ’cause that’s what I bought. There’s literally a typo and it does not make sense. It’s like squibbish. And I knew the line from Lanford’s original text and I said it correctly, and then he goes…

David Read:
Uh-oh.

Robert Murray Duncan:
… “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.” The director goes, and he’s a smart guy, he’s a great director, but he goes, “Robert, wait a second. I think it’s a, the word is squibbish.” And that wasn’t the word, but it was that ridiculous. Squibbish actually makes more sense.

David Read:
I’m sorry, what does that word mean?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Exactly. Exactly. And I said, I–

David Read:
It’s like Seinfeld with George. The card says, “Moops.” It’s like, “Uh, no, that’s a misprint.” I’m sorry.

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, it took him about four days to let me change it. And I said, I couldn’t get to LA to give… I was like, “But the word is the,” you know? I said, “Trust me, it’s a typo.” And I could probably go through this thing and find it again. I remember it was the top right page somewhere. But I also infused some of my own interpretations of that character in there. And again, it was the right thing to do. I learned a lot from watching Mr. Malkovich work. We do something different, but it both works, and he’s obviously doing well with what he’s doing. So, it’s an interesting process. It is a collaboration. I went and auditioned for somebody and we had a rehearsal. The stage was raised, and the director and producers are sitting out in front of us. And the director keeps… And we’re standing or sitting with a book, whatever we wanted to do. By book we mean script in hand. And sometimes I’d get up and move. And then the director would get up out of his seat, run over, and go… And I’m like, “We’re just doing the first reading, and it’s not a film.” So, anyway, then I’d walk over there and he’d run over and go… And then at the break, he said, “Robert, when you say that second line, can you…” And I thought, “This isn’t gonna go well.” I actually dropped out ’cause I could just see it’s that same thing. You’re not giving me any… I can save you a lot of time ’cause I’ll nail it. Just leave me alone for a while ’cause I know what this is about. And I don’t mean to be arrogant, but I don’t…

David Read:
He was starting to scold you.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Oof. And just me. And I’m like, you know. And so from those past experiences, I just learned I don’t wanna drop out. I love to work. But I could tell this is not gonna go well. And so I stepped aside.

David Read:
Look, I don’t think that you’re being arrogant because there are different modes and ways to do something. I’m sure there are one or two actors out there who… I mean, obviously this director has been able to pull that off in the past, who are OK with collaborating that immediately. But you have to read your surroundings if you’re going to be truly successful with the most number of people. And in this instance, the greatest volume of actors to approach them and say, “Do you mind that I just did that?” Or, “What would you like to do?” Because that’s all it probably would have taken if he would’ve been willing to back down. But you have to let creative people find their way if you have the bandwidth. If it’s crunch time, I would imagine you would say that that’s another situation where it’s like “Look, we, I get it. We have to get this shot, right?”

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yeah, exactly. And I think most people know that it’s a collaborative effort. It’s a to and fro. And you’re hoping the actor brings something to you that you didn’t think of. And I saw some lines in Burn This towards the end that were very emotional. And they worked really well, and… ‘Cause it was a very touching scene. Here’s a sad story.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I say jokingly. So, I worked with Circle Rep in New York when I was fresh out of school and out of the Playhouse, and some great actors there. Lisa Emery, who’s out all over the place now. She did some big TV roles. She’s an amazing theater actress, and many others. On a Friday night, you’d sit in the theater and say, “OK, you get up and play” And they’re just reading a new play, and this is Lanford Wilson’s home, and Marshall Mason, director. And they just, “OK, you read that role, you read that role.” And some celebrities were there and some not. There’s me. So, it was an amazing, amazing fertile ground of people just making it work. And nobody directed it. They might have given a quick synopsis, and then everybody just reads the thing. And that’s real, and you got some talented people there, and it was fantastic. So, Lisa Emery and I did one play there with a group, The Lower Depths, a classic piece, and it was a director’s forum as well, so if somebody wanted to direct something. So, we did a whole fully memorized production, we ran for a couple of weeks, and Lisa Emery was in this. I’m mentioning her name because later on, when she heard, I guess, that I had understudied Malkovich and she was doing Burn This. She replaced the female lead on Broadway when it went there, and then John was gone and this other actor took over, and she wanted me. And I was in Vancouver, and I don’t know if it was just before the cellphone, believe it or not, they couldn’t find me. And I was like, “Oh, what?” Do you know how many chances you get to go to Broadway? They’re pretty slim. So, we would’ve been great too, ’cause we just had this thing where we just worked off each other really well. But anyway, that’s, yeah, showbiz.

David Read:
Can we talk about finding a character? And I’d like to use Seth as the model, naturally. There are, especially in the United States– I don’t wanna say especially in the United States. Throughout history, there are cults with major personalities at the top who suck people in for all sorts of reasons. In this case, it’s a Goa’uld substance called Nish’ta, which is a mind control device. But you have all different kinds of drugs, pheromones, just the allure of someone, religion, obviously. Was this character in any way intimidating to approach? Because I grew up with people whose children were lost to cults. And that’s dark territory for some people, and this certainly doesn’t make light of it. And you see this father who’s trying to get this guy, his son out of this place. How do you approach a character like that, accepting the fact that it’s an alien and that this is fiction, but also knowing that you would have people watching who have lost family to that kind of a person or that kind of a group? Or did that not even occur to you at the time, “I can’t go there, I’m just going to play this character as truthfully as I can for the time that I’m on the screen?” How did you approach a character like Seth?

Robert Murray Duncan:
The bottom line is, again, back to the process of acting, it’s what am I doing in each scene? Basically, what do I want in each scene? The grand story is somebody else’s problem. That’s how I– you know what I mean? And if they take great credit for this amazing story, it’s them. I was a vessel within it, I guess, pointing out some things. But I look at each scene: what do I want in that scene? And then I do that, and then what do I want in this scene? How, what’s different? How do I feel about it? That type of thing. So, it’s really, I don’t wanna say mechanical, but as an actor, I need to know what do I want and how do I feel about it and then do that. If you have to, though, you can justify, I think you can… I can’t today, but I think a person who justifies themselves to carry out a cultish issue or group, they’ve got these reasons in their head. I know some people who are not very nice people, they’re not running a cult, but they’re just not nice people, and they have no problem condemning others. So, yeah, I don’t go that philosophical into it in terms of my…

David Read:
I see.

Robert Murray Duncan:
… my spirit. I’m not that person. I’m just playing this guy for scene by scene by scene. I come down the stairs, there’s that guy I gotta kill, bleh, you know, I just do that.

David Read:
Exactly.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And you know what I mean? I would’ve liked to have lived a little longer in the series.

David Read:
Well, sure.

Robert Murray Duncan:
But it was fun.

David Read:
Well, you, you go out dramatically both times, so.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And they weren’t sure they were gonna do that at the beginning. They were telling me, said “We’re not sure who, we’re gonna do this zap thing where there’s a ca– your chest is gonna go down in the ground,” but they still weren’t sure what they were gonna do. Seth, I think Seth could have a long life. Historically.

David Read:
Absolutely. And there would be something rather intimidating about having someone like that out there who now is aware of the Stargate program and is very comfortable hiding out on Earth. He could disappear again for years, but raise an army behind the government’s back and no one would ever be the wiser. He’s already got technology there. That’s wild.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes. I think this might be embarrassing, but I only saw the Stargate feature film two weeks ago.

David Read:
For the first time?

Robert Murray Duncan:
For the first time. It was a fluke. I’m scrolling, and I’m like, “Oh, Stargate, let’s check that out.” And I loved it. I’m now more a fan, I think, than an actor in terms of my zeal for it, and I’m gonna continue watching the episodes because the storytelling is brilliant, the characters are brilliant, the acting’s brilliant. The series actors coming in they’re all fantastic. And there’s a lot of good actors in Vancouver that filled a lot of those roles. But I think that type of a show, without getting too heavy here, it offers reflections on the past and the present, and what may happen in the future. Those can suddenly be laid in there, which I think any kind of war combat with characters trying to take over the planet, there’s also leeway there to touch people and educate people.

David Read:
That’s the thing, I’ve had many a conversation with Brad Wright and Robert Cooper and Joseph Mallozzi, and they don’t look at Stargate like the folks who created Star Trek did, where it was very much the message comes first, we entertain second. It’s very much the reverse, and if there is a message, and they often wanna have a deeper meaning to it, as any artist does, it is not on the masthead like a neon sign. It’s like, we are there to entertain the audience. We’re there to entertain ourselves and have a good time. And you have to when you have a bunch of snakeheads trying not to blow up the world. There’s something about that. I’m curious, how far into the show are you, and what did you think of Jay Davidson and, oh my God, Peter Williams’ interpretation of those heavies?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Film and first episode, so I’m just at the beginning.

David Read:
OK.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And it was weird. It was good ’cause I’m seeing Teal’c in there, and I’m like, “Oh.” I didn’t really get far enough to give you a good answer to that. And of course you don’t wanna smear something like a banner, you know, “This is what the philosophy of this is,” ’cause that turns people off.

David Read:
Off.

Robert Murray Duncan:
There’s a lot of that. There’s a lot of that stuff too. But you wanna leave it for interpretation, maybe people will get it, people won’t, maybe it doesn’t matter, maybe it’s just a comedy episode, whatever. But at least, I think good storytelling has to have some semblance of connecting to people’s reality in some way, not necessarily that particular month or whatever, but love is love, and hatred, they’re all iconic sort of messages throughout time.

David Read:
When you are creating this character on screen, when you create any character on screen, you said you take it scene by scene. Where do you begin? Do you begin trying to find yourself in the character or do you just start reacting to what’s on the page? So, in terms of your process, where do you take off?

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, I read it, I look at it, I try to understand where this person is in whatever. I don’t mean sci-fi universe, but whatever their world is. What do they want? Why do they want it? And then I take it as it comes. The emotional quality, which is sometimes very slight, most of the time, you don’t go over the moon with it. But those issues are pretty much what I need to know, and then I think they fill the gap. For example, let’s go back to Melburn Jackson. He’s got a job to do, he’s a scientist, and his kid’s being a little pest, you know? Say, “Get outta here,” you know? Then it goes up a little bit where I’m like, “Stop this,” you know? ‘Cause he’s just being a little brat.

David Read:
He’s interfering.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I’m being a dad. I don’t know if that’s too simple an answer for you. It’s actually a sort of…

David Read:
No.

Robert Murray Duncan:
… I don’t say moment to moment, but it’s a scene by scene by scene ’cause I assume the writer is making a tweak and an adjustment in the next scene or it wouldn’t be there. So, there’s gotta be something a little bit different in that next scene.

David Read:
That makes sense. Now, you’re looking at this as, this is not about me. I’m participating in a story, and what do the scenes, when they come together, equal? And that’s a specific formula, and trying to find it. I think first and foremost, trying to find that truth there, as you were saying earlier. You’re not lying in that performance.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And it’s gonna change depending on how the other actor comes back at me, ’cause there’s usually dialogue betwixt us. When those guys first appeared in front of me and then they’re being smarmy, it’s like, “OK, let’s cut you off and let’s get back to the business here,” you know? But yeah, there’s always reaction depending on what’s going on with the other character and how is that gonna affect whatever’s going on with my character and all that stuff.

David Read:
Hannnahh-k wants to know, were there any touches that you added to Seth that weren’t in the script? And I’m getting a lot of people marking comments here. There was Cliff Simon, whom we lost a few years ago to an accident, he was very, his role was very sensual and very much a darker side to… How I wanna put this? There was a sexual quality to him where he was just magnetic and everyone was completely drawn in, that kind of, you could argue that, you could argue that, you know, I don’t think he did, but you could have argued that he could have said, “Oh, I like what that guy, Robert Murray Duncan did there and I wanna do that again.” Were there any of those kinds of touches that weren’t necessarily on the page that you added to Seth?

Robert Murray Duncan:
I was hoping it would continue because I could see that happening. I mean, I have a whole harem of females around me.

David Read:
Exactly. That’s not a coincidence.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And it went there in my head with Amanda, but not in that episode because it just wasn’t there. But if it had somehow continued in any way, I’d take, maybe in some cases it takes a little nudge with some writing. But no, definitely. But in terms of what I added to it, not really. I was trying to make him a little more smarmy and, “I’m so powerful, I’m just having such a great time.” But when, in the very first take, Mr. Anderson talked to the directors and I was asked not to smile. So, I had to keep it pretty, “I’m a badass.” You know? Which was cool. It was fun.

David Read:
He’s a producer. He gets, he has that level of pull, so, you know. Absolutely.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And then there’s the vision being relayed to me, which is fine. That’s my job.

David Read:
Absolutely, 100%. So, Williamarends said–

Robert Murray Duncan:
Sorry, go ahead.

David Read:
No, please.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I was gonna say, you’re right about trying to add something and giving a character beyond just what’s on the surface, and again, I actually had some of the girls talking to me during the break and one girl’s like, “Oh, I’m a Royal Canadian Mounted Police member.” I’m like, “You look like you’re 12 years old.” And they were very friendly, but in our world you wanna just have etiquette in the real life, and then in the acting performance you can go a different direction.

David Read:
Absolutely. Williamarends wanted to know, even though Seth was an Egyptian god, was there any thought that his personality, or in your mind in looking at this, was similar to that of the Biblical Satan? And this is where he said, “In your one episode, I see your Seth as very much a template that later became Baal,” and Baal, you know, is Canaanite god that’s basically one of the original Satans. There was a lot of similarity there. Or was it more of, “Look, we’re just playing this guy for all he’s worth in every scene, because this is a chance to create something interesting.”

Robert Murray Duncan:
No, I agree with him. I would definitely want to give it that. Right now, curse language wants to come out of my mouth. But no, I wanted to give him that raw evil. And then, again, if there were more storyline, then add some sort of other nuance to it. Definitely. Pure evil’s good.

David Read:
Jakub wants to know, “We are all big fans of Mama Nox and Follow the Yellow Gate Road. Can you tell us about that event and your experience?” I don’t know if I can say anything. I may be involved in a future one, so…

Robert Murray Duncan:
I understand, I understand.

David Read:
… please tell me what to expect.

Robert Murray Duncan:
It was great. Everybody there is super. It’s not one of the behemoth events, so it was more personal. We had a great time. You get to know people. We do the lunches, and I feel like I need to be better at those sometime. It was very moving. I’ve made some friendships with people that I still text every now and then, or they get in touch with me. You will have a great time. It’s more homegrown. The events are organized, it’s fun. The people that go to them, of course, are always amazing. And that’s the thing that makes the whole thing worthwhile. It’s so much fun.

David Read:
Have you done a Gatecon?

Robert Murray Duncan:
I didn’t.

David Read:
That’s the one out of Vancouver.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes. And I… the very first thing I ever did was in England. Was it called Chevron?

David Read:
That was probably the one Gatecon that was in the UK… Or it may not have been. OK, so there was one in England that you had done?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yeah, that was the first one that I’d ever gone to. That was quite a while… And then I did one in Vancouver a couple years ago. Which was also fun.

David Read:
There is something to be said for these lower key, lower headcount events that are just a more casual pace that are specifically designed, for one chunk of it, to accommodate people who can’t deal with large crowds for whatever reason. Either physically or mentally. And there’s something, boutique is not the right word, but something really personal and sincere about it. You’re paying for a regular ticket price, but you have a smaller group of talent, and the guests get more time with one another and with the whole experience. That’s rewarding.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes. And I had no idea of that personal engagement that took place until I went to one, and then what my role was in that. In one particular one, there were two men, they were dressed in Scottish regalia, what I would call, you know, kilts and things. And I was in the Canadian Governor General’s Foot Guard back in the day, so I like talking to anybody that looks like they’re from a military background and showing my appreciation. And these guys were, I won’t say names ’cause I don’t remember… technically, but they had been through some things in combat. And they were from the US and they were there to get out of their head, basically. And I find that very moving. And I wanted to spend more time with them but I couldn’t find them, because I’d like to hear more about their stories. And there’s a lot of that business going on in those breakfasts and things like that. And I had no idea that that’s what took place in the cons, that people are there to talk and connect, and embrace each other.

David Read:
Is that what you were alluding to in terms of wishing that you could have tweaked the experience a little bit more, having a little bit more forethought into what you were getting into?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes. And/or sometimes having more time with people, ’cause you’re sort of scheduled. But yeah.

David Read:
That’s the thing. We’re never allowed instant replay. It may be great for the Olympics and for touchdowns. But there have been instances in doing this where I have gotten off the phone, or the Zoom, I didn’t ask the one thing that I wanted to ask, or it didn’t occur to me at the time, and I lost that person. They died. And that answer is forever locked away from fans, because it’s something that I think that fans would want to have. And it’s similar in that, where you make a connection with a human being, as all of us have done at one point or another, and then they become inaccessible to us either by “I met them at this one thing, I didn’t get any contact information, I’ll never see them again.” At a certain point, we just have to accept that the time that we have with someone, maybe that was enough. In some cases. In this particular situation, I very much would have wanted to go and spend more time with them, and actually really get to take them out to the bar in the hotel or something, get their story. But we’re, we only have the time that we’re given with people, and then that’s it.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes. Yes, and that is like life, isn’t it? It’s, but I, again, I’m just so stunned that that is such a strong foundation and almost a significant purpose for doing these, for both fans and the actors. That’s impressive. It’s kind of rare.

David Read:
One of the things that always surprises people, I think the most, it certainly surprised me, is that the reason for someone to go to a Stargate event like this is largely to get a few moments with someone that they’ve known through the television, in terms of an autograph and a photo. But they come back generally, because of the people that they’ve found there in the process. And that is the glory of Stargate conventions and sci-fi conventions, and just gathering together at these kinds of fan events, where you find a second family, if you’re lucky ’cause not everyone does. And you have a place that you can come back to that you can also call home, other than just your home-home.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Yes, absolutely, absolutely. It’s a very rich scenario. And again, try to name something else that tries to bring that connection together and support.

David Read:
Absolutely. Tsg2167, “Thank you for doing this episode. Seth has looked like he hasn’t aged a day.”

Robert Murray Duncan:
Good.

David Read:
What is your workout regimen? Since I last saw you, I run a 5K on one day, and then the next day I pump iron. What’s your story?

Robert Murray Duncan:
Well, I haven’t been working out. I used to. I haven’t been doing… I want to get back to that. Honestly, I think it’s what…

David Read:
You look like you do.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I think it’s what we eat. I knew someone that had a heart condition. I don’t, but they went keto, and there’s a lot of things that make sense there, basically staying away from sugar and processed foods. And that’s difficult to do in our world, trying to find real food. But that’s good. And fasting every now and then is not a bad thing to do let your body cleanse itself and all that stuff. And I’m not obsessed with any of it. I still have an ice cream cone and all that. I go off the model, but at least that gave me an objective in terms of eating everything. And I try to do two meals a day, not three, those kinds of things. Little things that I don’t miss, and I think it helps. As you get on, you’re looking around, and sometimes you lose a friend or two, and you’re like, “I think I’ll…”

David Read:
Exactly.

Robert Murray Duncan:
“… take care of myself.”

David Read:
Especially as we get older and we see the people who brought us into the world and the way that they go, it’s like, in some cases at least, it’s like, “I don’t want that to happen to me. So, whatever they did, I’m not doing it.” I think that’s one of the benefits of having, if we’re fortunate, us going after the people who brought us into the world. It’s horrible on us, but it’s the way that it’s supposed to be. It’s the way that nature takes its course. Kairon156, going back to the earlier conversation, “do you ever get reference lines or voices that a director will show you, or have you ever had it where it’s, ‘OK, this is the person, this is the sound that I’m going for, this is this is this is the target area that I want you to land?'” Is that a situation that you’ve ever encountered, and what is the protocol in that situation as an actor?

Robert Murray Duncan:
I haven’t really. And if they did, I would try what they’re asking me to do. And again, I can understand why that becomes, “Oh, let me find my own way.”

David Read:
Exactly.

Robert Murray Duncan:
But it hasn’t really happened to me, to sort of give me that type of specific instruction. But I would try it. I would try it and see how they feel about it, and see maybe it makes something change in me that is better. I don’t know.

David Read:
What are you working on these days? Is there anything that you can recommend that we check you out in? And I’m curious if you’re gonna continue to watch Stargate and keep doing it.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I am gonna continue. I want, not even because I had been involved, but because I think it’s an amazing piece of work, and I wanna see more of it. This kind of leverages what you just asked me. I work with a group here of writers and actors, and the person that headed this group is called Bobby Moresco. He directed Million Dollar Baby and wrote it, and all these wonderful films, and he just got back from Italy. They’re doing the Maserati story, and just to tell you…

David Read:
Wow.

Robert Murray Duncan:
… a little bit about sort of why somebody does something, he was particularly excited about it. He had done the Lamborghini story, and the Italians came, “Can you come back and do the Maserati story?” So, he did, but what was really interesting to him was that the Maserati brothers were building their car as World War II was starting to rise, and Mussolini came into power. So, through the brothers’ differing opinions about this person, he’s reflecting his point of view about that and the world, in terms of–

David Read:
Wow. Both sides.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And that, it’s not just about nuts and bolts and making a car. So, he’s going for the human factor in there, and using it to perhaps express a point of view that some people might benefit from. In terms of what I’m doing, I’m writing with them. I’m doing some acting within them. There seems to be a lot of change going on in Hollywood, with all these mergers and stuff like that. I actually want to go and– When I left Vancouver, I went back to New York City, and I was there for 9/11. And there are certain memories I have that I’m trying to put into a story. The story is not about 9/11, but it takes place during 9/11. Sorry, 9/11 takes place within the time of my story. Screenwriting is not easy. Otherwise, there’d be a billion great films out there. But I’m sort of learning from these people and I’m trying to get this film done and take it from there. Objectively, I’m thinking of trying to go spend some time in Toronto and audition for some things there. There’s something about coming into a new town where you have some experience and it’s, “Well, let’s give, see what this person can do.” I don’t know. The industry here seems to be clunking along. It doesn’t seem to be that busy. So, I’d like to go see what’s happening.

David Read:
Where is it that you are right now?

Robert Murray Duncan:
I’m in LA.

David Read:
You’re in LA? That’s what I thought.

Robert Murray Duncan:
So, I thought I’d go check out Toronto.

David Read:
I was shocked that Netflix ultimately withdrew and Paramount was the one that got the library. I really didn’t expect that happening.

Robert Murray Duncan:
I have a friend who’s one of the top execs at Netflix. No, sorry, I have a friend whose son is one of the top execs at… And when he was hired about, four years, four or five years ago, he was with another studio and they pulled him over to Netflix. Netflix used to be a company where you have a really good film idea, and if they believe that, they give you the money and they leave you alone.

David Read:
Exactly.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And they check in to make sure…

David Read:
Of course.

Robert Murray Duncan:
… the schedule’s gonna hit and stuff. Now what they do is they try to produce everything themselves. They try to finance and get their own people to direct it and all this stuff. They make all those decisions. So, they’re taking away a very strong creative energy. And particularly, let’s say animation, they built their own animation studio. Now, it takes four years to make a film. And then how many years is it gonna sit dormant while you figure out what next film you want to make? So, anyway, they changed their model from how they were in the beginning, when they were very successful, and they’re spending too much money. So, his son, when he was hired, he basically had to go down to the big sort of meeting they were having in Santa Monica, and basically say, “50% of you suits have gotta go,” because it’s producer heavy, and before, there was none. There was just, “We’re gonna give you the money, make this film.” And then when you build a studio, that’s a huge expense, and you gotta keep stuff going every year. You can’t sit four years, three years waiting to decide the next animated film. So, they made a lot of bad choices because too much money. I don’t know who’s at the top, but that’s their responsibility to shred it. I just think there’s so much hocus pocus going on right now in Hollywood. I don’t know. Nobody’s banging my door down.

David Read:
I don’t know about Netflix, man. It may not be the case now, but it certainly was, no eye contact with the opposite sex for more than three or four seconds. It’s little things like that. I’m sorry, but in a creative space, I can’t work like that. That is not going to happen. I understand why the policy exists, and also, no. Come on.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And I’m not a pro at any of this stuff, but if a particular foreign country is running the show you’re going to have their ethics. So, you’re not gonna see a woman in a short skirt. There’s gonna be a reverse of some of the freedoms that… Do you know what I mean? In terms of storytelling, which I think can have a strong influence on people. So, who knows?

David Read:
Absolutely. If you are a guest of that nation that’s running that show, in that specific circumstance, that would make sense because it’s like you’re in someone else’s house. You take your shoes off or you eat the meal that’s presented to you, even though if… There’s just certain things that make sense in that circumstance, rather than this blanket, overarching, this is the policy. It’s an interesting world that we live in now, Robert.

Robert Murray Duncan:
It is.

David Read:
Let’s go back to the old Seth days. Let’s reboot Stargate in Season Two.

Robert Murray Duncan:
In a way, I think that’s why my coming into Stargate watching the series at this point is really refreshing, because it is reflecting certain issues. And that’s why I thought…

David Read:
Of course.

Robert Murray Duncan:
…”Wow, these guys are brilliant, really brilliant.”

David Read:
What do you think that the fourth Stargate series needs to do? I know that you’re essentially, in terms of a viewer, still very much a Stargate virgin, but what do you think in terms of your sensibilities, in terms of what it is that you like to consume and watch with television and film now? What do you think the fourth series needs to do to be successful?

Robert Murray Duncan:
I think pretty much more of the same, but keep all good storytelling, have some relevance in terms of the characters’ needs, wants, and desires, and relationships between them, and then what’s going on. You don’t wanna get too heavy into having a clear metaphor for what is particularly happening…

David Read:
Sure.

Robert Murray Duncan:
… in this particular month on the real planet. But I think the charm and the humor that was in there, making things real in a fictional sort of way. And characters that care about each other, having an objective, a goal, trying to accomplish things, and the various conflicts that happen within them, that’s the whole deal.

David Read:
And one of the great things about Stargate that I hope that you are gonna see and get excited about is that, obviously it’s in the now, but also there is enough historical content on it that you’re gonna wanna keep your phone handy because occasionally you’re gonna wanna pause and Wiki something and say, “OK, I’ve heard about this. What is this?” So, that you can delve into it and it can enhance the experience as you watch, because they’re pulling stuff from history. Not just Egyptian, but also eventually Arthurian mythology, and there’s a lot of stuff to pull from that you can go to the library and get books off the shelf that will fill in context for what Stargate was trying to do with certain historical characters in their own spin on things.

Robert Murray Duncan:
That’s actually a big challenge too. Because there’s a whole world that’s already been set and a lot of the fans know it, but coming in, if they’re saying they’re gonna be continuing from there, people are gonna have to catch up, that’s a challenge.

David Read:
That’s one of the nice things about there being a 15-year time gap, because Martin Gero can set– I keep saying Se– I heard you say Seth, and I see Seth it’s like, yes, it was another name for Seth, but keep going. He can set the tone of his show in the soft reboot that he’s wanting to tell, but it’ll be completely couched in the universe that existed before, like Jurassic World came after Jurassic Park. And that’s what’s brilliant about doing it now, is we’ve had plenty of time that has passed, so he can tell the story that he wants to tell and bring in whatever elements from the past that he wants to, so long as he doesn’t step on any of the existing pieces in terms of the fundamental method of how the Stargate works and this and that, and he won’t because he wrote it, he already knows it. I’m excited, most of us are.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Do you have an opinion as to why now, or why it took this much time?

David Read:
I know why it took so much time. My opinion is that it was a question of when they were going to bring it back. I can sit here and go through specific details with you on how the franchise was about to restart at least four times and got canceled from the writer’s strike, COVID, Brad Wright had a version that was ready and then it was being considered, and then there’s another event that I’m missing that happened. And Stargate’s always been the first blade of grass to get cut by the lawnmower of something larger happening over the top of it. To the point where a lot of these folks were like, “I think I’m just done.” And the fact of the matter is, even folks like Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich who wanted to do a second and third Stargate feature, when the end comes over the screen at the end of that feature film, that is not the end; that is the end of what they believed was part one, and then MGM decided to take it into another direction and do a TV series on it. At that point they were like, they put in the DVD commentary, “We have no connection with the television series at all.” Those guys are executive producers on this one. So, it’s almost like everyone is getting back together and in a room where this large group of people has never been in this room before with all of these folks. So, who knows what’s gonna happen if this one’s successful, if this first season is successful.

Robert Murray Duncan:
And I understand in England.

David Read:
It’s shooting in London.

Robert Murray Duncan:
That’s cool.

David Read:
Mostly. It’s gonna be filming around the world, but the base is in London. It’s not gonna be Vancouver or, as far as I know, LA.

Robert Murray Duncan:
That’s cool.

David Read:
It’s gonna be wild.

Robert Murray Duncan:
The British fans are gonna love it ’cause they’ve definitely been pretty dedicated, they’ve been out there.

David Read:
I’ve been getting calls left and right, “Get me onto this set.” It’s like, “What are you talking about?” No. I want a cameo. No, I’m kidding. Robert, this has been great. Thank you so much for taking time to sit down and talk. And I really appreciate that your sincere approach with me today about tackling some of these more fundamental issues that your performance grows out of into the character, ’cause that meant a lot. I wasn’t expecting that. I really appreciate that you did that.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Sure. And if ever I’m doing some work, I’ll let you know, and it’d be great to have you out to a stage production or something like that, if you’re available.

David Read:
Please, be my guest. Absolutely. I’m going out to Gildart Jackson outside of Irvine. He’s doing a production of The Shark Is Broken, which is based on Jaws.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Good.

David Read:
I’m going out next week to take care of that.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Cool.

David Read:
Absolutely…

Robert Murray Duncan:
That’ll be fun.

David Read:
… I’m more than willing. Thank you so much for your time, sir. It really means a lot to have you back.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Thanks, David. It’s been great to talk to you again. It’s an exciting time for Stargate again.

David Read:
And for you. 100%. Please let me know when you’re a few seasons in, and we’ll have you back on, because there are a number of actors that I keep track of who have become Stargate fans since. And when they get a little bit into the weeds of it and really start to truly fall in love with it. I have them back on to get their temperature as fans, and we talk about the characters. Please email me.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Cool. Definitely. All right, David.

David Read:
All right, sir.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Thank you.

David Read:
You be well, sir. I’m gonna wrap up the show on this side.

Robert Murray Duncan:
Bye-bye.

David Read:
Thank you. That’s Robert Murray Duncan, Dr. Melburn Jackson, and our god Seth. My name is David Read. You’re watching the Stargate Oral History Project. If you enjoy Stargate and you wanna see more content like this on YouTube, click that like button. It does make a difference with the show and will continue to help us grow. And if you wanna get notified about future episodes, click the subscribe icon. And if you click the bell icon, it 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 episode will be released over the course of the next few weeks on both the Dial the Gate and GateWorld.net YouTube channels. I do not do this show in a vacuum. No man rose alone. And the fact of the matter is that I have a brilliant team of people who help me pull this off week after week. And I could not have done this one without Antony and Lockwatcher and Jakub Olejarz. These people make the show possible, and it means the world to me that they back me up on this one. Thank you, Antony, as well for doing the chapter time codes for this episode. We have director David Warry-Smith tomorrow, 10:00 AM Pacific Time on the 3rd of March. He did “Pretense.” He did “There Before the Grace of God.” He did “The Fifth Race,” and I am thrilled to sit down with him to talk about these episodes in broader detail, because he did certainly more than that, but those are three that we’re gonna pick for tomorrow because these are very important episodes to the fabric of the canon, and we’re gonna pick them apart a little bit and see what’s under the hood of this classic car and see what the designer had in mind when he put everything onto film. That’s what we’ve got for you in this episode. If you wanna see more episodes that are coming down the pipe, and there’s a few of them, visit dialthegate.com for that information. My name is David Read for Dial the Gate. I appreciate you tuning in, and I will see you on the other side.