ARCHIVE: Interview - Stargate: Atlantis Actor David Hewlett

Article originally published 08/08/2007 at figures.com

Thanks to the folks at the SciFi Channel, we were given an opportunity to conduct a brief one-on-one interview with actor David Hewlett, otherwise known as the brilliant yet arrogant Dr. Rodney McKay on Stargate: Atlantis. We spoke with Hewlett about the upcoming season four of Atlantis, learning 'technobabble' and his reactions to the upcoming Diamond Select Rodney McKay action figure.

Figures.com: What would you like fans to know about what’s coming up in Atlantis?

DH: I’m sort of like referring it to the season of change. The fact is that McKay really never changes that much. There’s just a central core of badness that just will always be there. He’s not a nice person. The interaction for his character (in season four) becomes… it picks up quite a bit. There’s this wicked sci-fi stuff going on. All of a sudden, we’ve got Keller (Dr. Jennifer Keller played by Jewel Staite), we’ve got Amanda (Col. Samantha Carter played by Amanda Tapping) and then McKay’s got his own girlfriend, Katie Brown. So it makes it this incredibly awkward romance with McKay, which is kind of fun. I think that the appeal of the character is that (McKay) is in a room and is supposed to be explaining something but the underlying thing is just discomfort.

Figures.com: Right, McKay is never really comfortable with himself. He’s cocky but underneath it you can tell he’s never really sure. We all knew that guy… some of us were that guy.

DH: Yeah, we all knew him in high school. Everyone knew a McKay and everyone has their own McKay. But everyone wants to be the guy with their hand up in math class… the one who figures out the crossword puzzle first. And he’s that guy. I never was. So, they write the smart stuff and I do the silly and fun things.

Figures.com: How well do you do with all the technobabble on the show?

DH: First of all, learning lines is hell! I’m the worst person at learning lines. Everyone always says ‘oh you’re so good at learning your lines’… but I’m not.

Figures.com: It seems like you have some of the hardest lines.

DH: It’s just takes hours. I swear, I talk to my fiance’ more in character as McKay than we do as real people because I’m learning lines all the time.

Figures.com: Do you adapt (the technobabble) by using the Star Trek method, just making stuff up along the way?

DH: I wish I could. You can’t though. You go off on the wrong tangent and then all of a sudden it’s like ‘so… eh?’. You’ve got to get your orbits right and your Lagrangians… all sorts of stuff. Its funny, the more you do it though the more certain areas become familiar. When I start talking about zed-PM’s and power, I have a certain theory and geography figured out in my brain on how this stuff works. Usually its enough to talk about how this will follow you to this will follow you to that. But every episode (introduces) some new technology and I’ve got to explain it.

Figures.com: When you were first appeared as a guest on SG-1 years ago, did you ever think that McKay would be a regular in a full series?

DH: Not for a second. I went in and he was just the most unlikable character. He was an unlikable character and I made him even more unlikable by adding my own personality. I was a guest star and it really felt like that was going to be it. So, when they went to Atlantis and started throwing my name around… I got kind of nervous about it. As a guest star you can come in and be a jerk who thinks he knows all the answers, gets it wrong and then everyone else saves the day. All of a sudden I’m supposed to be coming up with the answers and getting along with people. It’s like, how do you marry those two completely different characters together? I think (the writers) have done a really good job of it. They have allowed me to still be that sarcastic kind of jerk but at the same time, still have a bit of a heart and help to explain why (McKay) is the way he is. Season four is really good for this.

Figures.com: It seems like you’ve been given the chance to really grow the character.

DH: Part of it is that, like you say, you were McKay growing up. I think a lot of the writers were as well. I think there’s an affinity with that character. They know how to write for him. They get his rhythm very well. So, in a strange way, learning lines becomes easier because they understand (my) rhythm and how much stuttering I’m going to do… and when I’m going to go off on tangents. They know that with anything they write, I’m going to try and say it differently than they want it to… just to be difficult.

Figures.com: So, what do you think of your new action figure? Diamond Select has a prototype of your figure down at their booth now.

DH: Really? They have that now? I’m dying to see that one!

Figures.com: Yeah, they have you in two different outfits. One in the standard uniform and a field ops version with a vest.

DH: Get out! Oh my god! When we did the head scan thing, everyone was this (looks serious) standing very still for the head scan. So I thought, what’s the best McKay (pose)? So, I did this (gives mouth open, astonished look)… he could give that (look) with a gun, a computer, it’s perfect McKay. That stuff is just… I can’t believe its me! I’m so thrilled, I’ve got to see these things!