|
By Kenn Gold
|
|
|
Eric Johnson at the SCI FI Channel Digital Press Event, June 2007. |
SCI FI Channel launched their re-imaged version of Flash Gordon on August 10, 2007 to the highest ratings of the year for a series premiere on their network. Bringing in 2.1 million viewers in the initial showing, the pilot episode gave SCI FI the number #3 cable program in prime, making SCI FI the #2 basic cable entertainment network on Friday night.
Eric Johnson stars in the remake as Flash Gordon, but this is a different sort of Flash than we’ve seen before. He stills lives at home with his mother, is motivated to travel to Mongo to look for his father who he previously thought was dead, and can travel back and forth between Earth and Mongo thru dimensional rifts. Also, in this version of the story, Ming is much more like a business executive who controls access to the planets water, than a mustache twirling evil dictator.
Eric recently participated with MediaBlvd Magazine, and other publications in a confernce call to talk about the changes to Flash Gordon, as well as what familiar elements will be brought in from earlier incarnations. He also discusses how he feels the show will find an audience since it has a full season commitment from SCI FI.
I wanted to start by congratulating on the new show, and also wishing you a happy birthday- I think you had one last week?
Eric Johnson>Yeah. Thank you very much. It was actually my birthday and my wedding anniversary. So, it was a birth-iversary; it was a lot of fun.. And we're expecting our first child. So this is a banner year for me; that's for sure.
How does the fact that the show got an upfront commitment for the full 22 episodes factor in? It seems like SCI FI is really behind it, maybe even more so than Battlestar Galactica and Eureka and some of the other real hits that they've had.
Eric Johnson>Well it's a combination of things. It's the fact that this is an RHI production, Robert Halmi. And he has such an incredible track record internationally and with SCI FI that they know that they're getting into something that Robert Halmi himself is committed to. So I think there's a certain amount of safety net that you have to take with that with his track record and obviously with SCI FI and also around the globe. It's a positive sign. I think that the show will not necessarily be what people expect at first. I mean, this is definitely not Heroes and it's not Battlestar, it's not Smallville. It's something a little different. And I think the fact that we have 22 episodes will really allow our audience to find the show and to get behind it.
I think network TV is tough sometimes when, shows get picked up and they only get one kick at the can before they're canceled. And pilots aren't always necessarily the best indication of what the show is going to be about. You have to do so many introductions to get the story rolling that pilots might not always be the true show in its best form. So if you look at any series, and you look at where it gets to in its second and third season, it's usually far juicier and far more interesting than, say, the first episodes. So I think the fact that we have a whole season to find our audience and to sort of solidify ourselves is a very positive thing. And again it shows the testament and the longevity of the Flash Gordon franchise. I mean, Flash Gordon has been wildly successful and I think this will just be another incarnation of that.
With the Battlestar update, it was very much a darker take on the original source material, and what we're really trying to do is maintain that sense of humor that the comic books really have and bring it to the small screen. Really, our show is a tremendous amount of fun and it does give me a lot of confidence knowing that, they've committed to us for a full season and that they're willing to make a go of this. Because I think once people get a chance to experience the show, we'll have fans for a long time.
What was your experience like at ComicCon this year?
Eric Johnson>It was just awesome. I mean, it was very cool to walk the floor and see some old Flash memorabilia and a few people out there that recognized me, some from Smallville and some from the previews for the show. And it's just cool. I mean, the thing about the fan base for sci-fi and comic books is they're very vocal, they're very loyal, and they're very excitable. And that's what you want. I mean, you want fans that get excited about your show and I think it's just awesome; I can't wait for next year.
Did you happen to pick any Flash memorabilia up when you were there?
Eric Johnson>I actually got a cel from the cartoon that they did in the '80s and that was a gift from the gentleman at King World. That was very cool of him to do that. Gina Holden went home with a lunch pail; that was very cool. And, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of that stuff coming out of the woodwork as people pull out and dust off their old Flash Gordon toys. I think that was one of the cool things about Flash Gordon is that in the 1950s, they made a lot of toys for kids and, you know, I hope kids love us enough today that they want to play with Flash Gordon toys. That would be pretty cool.
At Comic-Con you said that when Sam Jones did a guest starring role that he had taken you aside and kind of handed off the torch. I was just wondering if you could tell us about that experience of meeting him and kind of what happened there.
Eric Johnson>It was very cool. Sam was good enough to come up and do our show. And it was funny. He told me a story about how when he was doing preps for the 1980 film, he actually went around and did some interviews with Buster Crabbe, who was the Flash Gordon in 1936 serials that they did. And Buster had passed on some wisdom and essentially said, "If you lead these people with honor and humility, they'll follow you anywhere." And it's really in keeping with what Flash Gordon is. As much as it is a character, there is a certain amount of respect and honor you have to take in account with this. And so that was really cool. It was nice to have that connection to this small fraternity of Flash Gordons. and the door’s left open for him to come back, and so hopefully that’ll be something that we can see. We’re just really off the ground; we're 10 episodes in. So I think it's something that the producers are definitely talking about -- and I know what the fans of the series would really like is getting some cool, nostalgic guest stars from the 1980 film and beyond. So it's something that I think is very cool that we can do and sort of paying homage to the Flashes that have come before us.
Will the series take more of the mythology from the films of the '30s, the 1980s film, or the comics themselves?
Eric Johnson> The storylines are going to be directly influenced by Alex Raymond's work, which were the original comic strips. We're reminded of it on the front of every script that this is based on a comic strip by Alex Raymond. And much of what we're doing is taken directly from those storylines. And, you know, it's funny because there's so many different generations that have a different idea of what Flash Gordon is. They're saying, "Well, you're not doing it right because you're not doing it like the one that I remember." But we're going to the initial source here. And so, that's the way to keep the truest form of Flash Gordon. I mean, obviously, we got to do some minor adjustments that are mostly from a technological and societal standpoint, you know. damsels in distress really don't fly now on TV. And so our girls are far more capable and intelligent and are just as likely to be doing the rescuing as Flash. But we're definitely more from the comic strips.
Is the overall plot of Flash trying to find his father going to last throughout the season?
Eric Johnson>Yeah, absolutely. I mean, in the original comic book series, it was an accident that Flash and Dale had ended up on Mongo. And so what they've done with this show -- and I think which really expands its appeal -- is the fact that they can get back and forth from Mongo, they're not just stuck on an alien planet. So the problems of Mongo can follow them home as well.
So, you know, the thing about finding his father -- and it's almost a quest for the truth and finding out what happened to him, the fact that he may still be alive and that's driving Flash to maybe put himself in danger when there's something personal at stake for him in this, which is different than in the original comic books. Right off the get-go, he's personally involved in this, and has a personal problem with Ming. So, I think that - it ups the conflict and it makes it a stronger series.
Can you give us some insight into the plots we’re going to see in season 1?
Eric Johnson>Well, first of all, you're going to get some back story on characters like Baylin and Ming and Joe, which would be Dale Arden's fiancée. And then you're also going to have to meet a whole cast of characters on Mongo and different tribes so, you know, we're going to start doing the rounds and meet-and-greets. It usually ends up with Flash being, tied up or threatened to be killed and quite funnily, most times.
So you're going to meet the Lionmen, the Hawkmen and a female-only tribe called the Omadrians. So, first of all, we’ve got to get through the introductions. But then after that, we start really settling in to the mythology and learn that there's this prophecy surrounding someone who will rise up and overthrow Ming. We'll also meet Prince Barin, but I don't think they're calling him Prince Barin. He's just Barin. And that's somebody from the original comic books that people will know.
So we’ve got a lot of people to meet, and Mongo’s a big planet. People who are fans of the original comic strip are going to be getting what they remember. It may look a little different, and have a different name, but, you may call a peach something else, but it's still a peach. It’s really cool to be finding those similarities. And for myself, I have the original comic strips, hardbound, and so I flip through those and then I see, "Hey, we're doing that on our show! This is really cool." And the character of Rankol -- which people say, "Oh, he's some new made-up character" -- is actually from the comic strip.
Do you have any concerns that you will be typecast by this role?
|
|
|
Karen Cliche, Gina Holden, and Eric Johnson at the SCI FI Digital Press Event, June 2007. | Eric Johnson>I think the saving grace here about Flash is that he is not a super hero; he’s just a regular guy. So being stereotyped as a regular guy, that's an okay thing with me. And having the nickname Flash is not necessarily something I'm going to hate. It's a lot better than the nicknames I had in high school. So, it's something that I'm looking forward to. There is a responsibility there. I think some people would be worried about, "Okay, you're going to be Flash Gordon for the rest of your life." But Harrison Ford wasn't Han Solo for the rest of his life. So there are always examples to convince people otherwise.
It seems like Flash has his share of women hanging around him (Dale, Baylin, and Aura). Which would you personally like to see him end up with?
Eric Johnson>Well, I mean, there is the - it's - you know, for Flash, it's his childhood sweetheart, Dale Arden. So, I think no matter what happens, there is a place in his heart for Dale. So maybe at the end of this show in 10 years, we'll do the wedding episode and Flash and Dale will get married.
One of the criticisms of the show has been that there are no longer rocket ships, but that you get back and forth with dimensional rifts. Does that change things?
Eric Johnson>Absolutely. I mean, the lifespan and the kind of stories you can tell really increases. And the thing is, part of Mongo is an allegory, right? I mean, it's another planet but it's kind of a parallel planet. So the fact that you have the allegory and the reality just allows it to be far more comparable and some of the similarities or differences to be seen a little clearer. So I think that's a tremendous opportunity. One of the big things about Flash Gordon before this was the spaceship, and I know that's going to be a tough one for some diehards to let go of. But in 1936, it was far more believable that somebody could build a spaceship in their backyard and blast off to another planet. And unfortunately, now, we know that space travel takes a long time and it's very boring.
So since the 1970s, the wormhole has been the sci-fi space travel of choice, unless you want to see people in cryogenic sleep for six months. Star Trek: Deep Space 9 had the wormhole they were incorporating that into the Star Trek franchise. And it's been everywhere. Obviously people are going to draw the parallels to Stargate, both being on the same network. But it's a theory that's going around in sci-fi for 30 years now.
Can you say something about your co-stars? It seems as though you have a really strong supporting cast
Eric Johnson>It really is. The show is called Flash Gordon but it really is an ensemble show. Obviously it started with Gina Holden there, and she’s an incredible person. She's the only person I've met that is potentially more enthusiastic about work than I am. We have to race each other to our marks because we're excited to be shooting that day. And then we have Karen Cliche who plays Baylin, who is just a consummate pro, and she is such a funny person that we spend most of our time on set laughing. And she's incredibly talented.
We were shooting a day from Episode 8 and it was ridiculously hot out and there were mosquitoes in the woods where we were shooting. And Jody Racicot -- who plays Dr. Zarkov-- when Jody comes in, his days are quite dialog heavy and he's got a lot of science he has to get through. And it's very challenging and not many actors can pull it off. And Jody not only pulls it off, he nails it. I mean, he's so Dr. Zarkov. And I remember sitting there and watching him work and going, "Wow, he's really good." He's just really good. The show is really lucky to have him. And then that same day, the same thing happened with Karen. We were in the middle of a take, and I was off camera and I was watching her work and I went, "Wow, she is really, really good." And we have a tremendous cast. I mean, it's something that we've all talked about as a cast, saying how lucky we feel that we got put with great people.
But it goes down the line. You have Jonathan Walker, who plays Rankol, who's a tremendous actor. And John Ralston, who plays Ming. These people have made their living working on American shows that shoot in Canada and have a tremendous body of work and the amount of experience that's on our set is something else. I think this is Karen Cliche's fifth series. It’s a tremendous group of people and everyday I go to work and there's no drama, no B.S., and no egos. I consider myself so incredibly lucky to be standing among them and to be a part of that team.
Had you seen John Ralston at all in Life With Derek He’s going from father of the year on that show to benevolent father.
Eric Johnson>Yeah, father of the year to benevolent dictator father of Mongo. That's just a testament to his versatility. He's also wickedly funny, as is Jonathan Walker, and Jody Racicot is just hilarious.
We spend such a big portion of our day laughing that the work week just really blows by. People can show up on Monday morning with a smile on their face and 75 hours of work later, on Friday night, they're still smiling. For people to be able to come to work and have that kind of experience means a lot to me. For anybody coming in the show should be fun, because we get to do fun stuff and the people that are on it are just really good people. I think it really shows on the screen.
Can you give us some more of the background on the new Ming the Merciless?
Eric Johnson>Like a lot of things in this incarnation, it had to be updated because of obvious social changes and technological changes that we've had since 1934. And one of those changes is with Ming. Ming was always characterized as this moustache-twirling, evil just evil-for-the sake-of-evil kind of guy. And what they've done is they've updated him, and he has far more of the look of an Enron executive than he does a Fu Manchu moustache-sporting, evil despot.
So it's interesting because, I think, the hero is only as good as his villain, and what they've done is they've made him charismatic and charming and it's far more easier to believe that this planet could come under his tyrannical rule, because he is so charming. I think, he's doing what he believes is best for the planet, and he's controlling their water source and giving it out to people as he sees fit and keeping them in line to ensure their survival. There are obviously different schools of thought, but they’re borrowing more from 20th century dictators than comic book overlords. It’s a nice update. And, again, it's far more realistic in our fantastical setting.
How soon do we find out more about how exactly he came to power?
Eric Johnson>The audience is going to be learning more and more about it here in the first season. And the back story of a lot of our characters -- like Baylin the bounty hunter, you're going to learn about her, because she becomes a very integral part to all of this. She's sort of our link between Mongo and Earth. They talk about Pre-Sorrow times, and there's a lot of history on Mongo that we're going to get. I think it would be a little boring to get it all in one episode. It would be like a Mongo history class. So we're going to dole it out so it's not like an education in fast forward.
Your bio mentions that you and your wife are both involved with The Hollywood Hill. Would you like to say anything about the organization?
Eric Johnson>It’s really a collective of some of the best creative minds in Hollywood and using that creative genius to come up with solutions to both social and environmental problems around the world. Hollywood is a very influential place with the media, as you all know. And to be able to use that influence to influence creative and positive change in the world, I think, is a tremendous undertaking.
And I mean it's as simple as promoting low-wattage light bulbs and if they take that under initiative that is something they will use through their influences to promote. I mean, Lawrence Bender -- who was the producer of An Inconvenient Truth -- is a big member and a large part of The Hollywood Hill. And so much of it is about education and filtering through some of the B.S. science and stick to what is important and relative.
|
|
|
Eric made his first appearance at Comic-Con during the 2007 Flash Gordon panel | Being in Vancouver, my weekly influences and ability to be a part of that has dropped off slightly. But it really is all about education and informing people to make better decisions and, like I said, it's as simple as changing light bulbs in your house. You don't have to change the way you have your house, you don't have to change the way you turn on a light - you're just changing your light bulb and your daily life remains the same. And that's really what they're looking at. They're not looking to change the world. They're just looking to change how we use it.
So just one final question -- the shoes you were wearing at Comic-Con, those red shoes- part of the wardrobe, or are they your own?
Eric Johnson> You know, I'm so glad you saw those. That was a gift from the director who did the pilot, Rick Rosenthal. And when we were in wardrobe fittings, he had this great pair of red shoes. And I said, "Come on, Rick -- those are Flash Gordon shoes. Those are the kind of shoes that Flash Gordon would wear.” They looked like fast shoes -- like you’d just be really fast wearing them.
I joked with him I’d wrestle him for them. And, so we shot that show very quickly and put a lot of mileage on those shoes. So I think they were pretty much toast by the time he got home, and so he went out and found a replacement pair and was kind enough to get me a pair. The best sneakers ever, the BSE’s, as we call them -- they can make their debut at Comic-Con. And they are a very Flash Gordon shoe. In fact, he's going up and he's directing an episode of Smallville right now, and some of the people at Smallville are very jealous of those shoes and they're going to be exclusive to our show.
|
