STAR INTERVIEW with TIM RUSS
Courtesy of www.rainbownetwork.com.
Thank you to Bryony Weaver
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How long have you been involved in the whole Star Trek franchise,
because you’ve been involved for quite a number of years,
haven’t you?
In the whole franchise, roughly
about 10 years now, including TNG and DS9.
Which episodes with the franchise were you first
involved in, and did you do any other work for them before Voyager
came up?
TNG was the first series I was
involved in, in an episode called Starship
Mine. It was where the crew was all evacuated, and I played a
bad guy.
I was also in the movie Generations.
I was in one of the opening scenes with Shatner and James Doohan. I
was the Tactical Officer and I had a few lines with them. That was
after the TNG episode, about six months before Voyager
started. Yeah, I was doing multiple shows for the franchise –
I’d done a DS9 in there somewhere, still working for the same
people. They tend to bring you back if they like you.
How did you get your part in Starship
Mine?
I just went along to a series of
auditions. The producers either like the audition, or want to bring
you back, or whatever, and you just keep going back and forth until
something finally pops. I was auditioning for other shows as well,
so it’s just a matter of circumstance that I got involved with
this show. It could have been any other.
Had
you done any other sci-fi projects before Voyager happened?
I was in Spaceballs.
It was a Mel Brooks film, which happened sometime in the 80s. He
came to a play that I was in. The guy who eventually came to play
the lead in Spaceballs was
also in that play. We were both taken. He got the lead, I got a bit
part in it. Mel Brooks was fun to work with. He’s a wonderful guy,
very personable, very down to earth, very easygoing, just a
wonderful guy, just a sweetheart.
Is the Paramount franchise a nice ‘family’ to
be with?
Well, yeah, you know, if anyone
brings you back to work more often, they’re a good family! Plus,
they’ve given me a lot of other opportunities outside of acting
which is just great, and very rare, I might add! I am deeply
indebted to them for giving me the opportunity to do those other
things.
Given your previous work in other ST shows, did
you have to audition for Tuvok?
Oh yeah. I had to audition twice
for that part. Generally, you have a series of auditions: you go in
for the producers, the directors, and then if they like you,
they’ll bring you in for the execs. of the studios. At that point,
it’s called a ‘test’. At the ‘test’ you’ll get ALL the
people associated with the show, writers, producers, directors,
publicists, execs., the whole 9 yards. Then, from that point on,
they will determine whether or not they are going to go with you.
What did you like about the Tuvok character that
made you go for the part?
At the reading stage, it was
just a part, you know. At that point in time, you don’t really
look upon it as a choice, as a decision on going for one particular
character. As far as I was concerned, I was just getting on the
show. Whatever comes up comes up.
With this, the important thing
was that it was a series that was going to stay on for seven years,
that’s the important thing. It was not about the part, it was
‘do I have a shot at staying on a project like that for seven
years?’, that was the main thing.
So, they knew from fairly early on that they were
going to go for seven years?
Oh yeah, yeah. It’s a
successful franchise, you know, it would have been syndicated if it
wasn’t part of a network. They launched an entire network based on
the show, so the show wasn’t going anywhere for a while, going off
the air or anything.
I understand you’re a bit of a prankster on
set. What’s your favorite prank so far?
My favorite prank [thinks] er
…there was a prank that I did with Ethan Phillips, who plays
Neelix, that dealt with the Pon Farr [the period Vulcan males
experience roughly once every seven years in which they have to mate
or die!]. During one of the shots, I jumped into the frame of his
coverage and sort of molested him while the camera was rolling – a
Blue movie, if you will. That’s locked up in one of the
producers’ offices right now. You can’t get hold of it, but that
was one of my favorites so far. Definitely, everybody liked that
one.
So we’ll hopefully see it on a Bloopers tape at
some point!
Well, I don’t know, because
it’s rather X-rated, R-rated, you know, it’s not good for family
viewing! Well, it’s not overt, but it’s certainly not subtle.
Maybe HBO cable, who knows!
Do you find it difficult
playing Tuvok, because you’re a cheerful person. Do you find him
too restraining?
Not at all. Once you’ve done
it for a while, it becomes second nature. The difficulty is in
keeping it subtle, but still giving away some kind of attitude, some
emotion in the character. You have to have something going on in the
eyes behind the veneer which you’ve got to make pop through.
That’s sometimes kinda tricky, you have to think about it. But
it’s gotten easy now.
Isn’t he due for the Pon Farr fairly soon?
He’s due for the Pon Farr some
time soon, in about a year, but then again, you know, we make up our
own rules about the Pon Farr! Is it 7 years, the same for every
single Vulcan, or is it 8 for some, 6 for others? There’s no
dead-on time when it should happen, and we may or may not get to it
before the end of the series.
On
a personal point, the most moving scene I’ve ever seen for Tuvok
to date was the scene where he’s saying goodbye to Kes in The
Gift.
Yes, and actually, I think it
could have been more. Apart from Katie (Mulgrew) – I think Katie
might have got a pretty good connection with her, but I felt that it
could have been even stronger, even more poignant an exit at that
point. It was there, but I think it could have been more. It was the
way they designed and wrote it.
Now, you’re starting a
concert tour of this country here in Manchester. Where are you going
next?
From here, we’re going to
Glasgow. Then to Bournemouth on the 6th of May, and then
to Holland, and then Germany – Bonn and Cologne. 4 or 5 stops.
There are six of us in the band – J Palmer (bass), Bill Burchell,
Dave Carr, Kevin Karimiritros (drummer), Neil Norman (lead
guitarist), then I’m rhythm guitar and lead vocals. Three of the
songs are mine, the others are other writers and/or cover tunes. So
there are about 11 songs on the CD.
It was recorded over the last seven months in LA and the set
that we’re doing in the concerts is all live. We don’t use any
samples, no sequencing. That’s a basic outlay of the make-up of
the band.
Neil and I got together quite by
chance because I sat in with his band a little over a year ago at
some gig that they had at the Space Fair in LA. He asked me to sit
in with him a couple more times, and then we finally decided to go
ahead and put together a project, because he liked the vibe, the
sound, and I thought the band were great. His father owns Crescendo
Records, and he said, ‘My father has this label, why don’t we
record a CD and put this on his label?’ I agreed.
We got all the songs together, agreed on what we wanted to do
and what would work. We released it about two weeks ago. It’s
airing on radio stations and is in the stores. So we’ll see what
happens.
Once Voyager wraps, what are your plans?
Well, I’m hoping to do some
more directing, some producing, developing (which I’m in the
process of doing now). On the Internet, I’ve got a comedy sketch
series called ‘Fahrenheit 452: The Art Police’. It’s a spoof
on ‘Fahrenheit 451’, the Ray Bradbury story about censorship,
and it deals with a part of the Police Department called The Art
Police. When people have complained or been offended by a work of
art, anything from poetry to plays, to musicals, to sculpture,
painting, we are sent in to remove it. We don’t judge it, we
just remove it. This is going to be playing on http://www.galaxyonline.com.
There will be two episodes per month. I’m producing and writing it
with Bruce Young and Dan Chace, the other two Art Police. Bruce was
on The Sentinel as a
regular, on UPN along with our show for about three years, and has
done a dozen movies. We play the Police very straight laced, black
suit, dark tie, sunglasses, sort of ‘Men
in Black meets Cops’ type characters. It will be shot very
loosely, like a docu-drama and we go around busting the art and the
artists, whenever someone finds a grievance. We make no subjective
calls, we merely respond when someone has been affected. That’s
the gag. It’s based on all the police stories, sketches and
gimmicks, all the things in the real cop world and on the cop-show
dramas over the past 30 years. We simply adapt them to our story. I
think it works really well. It has a lot of puns, a lot of things
like that. It’s had a good response so far. It’s on http://www.galaxyonline.com
roughly around June time.
I have a lot of other things
I’m working on as well, producing, acting, directing, and playing
music. I want to do all of these when the show’s over. If I get
onto other series, if that comes down the pike, I’ll decide what I
want to do at that point in time.
It’s been fun being able to do
other things outside that show because of having been in the show.
Some things you can finance yourself, some things you have to
develop and need an open door to get them done. I’ve just
completed a voice-over for a CD Rom for the Voyager CD Rom game. All the rest of the cast are in there, but the
featured character in the game is Tuvok, so I’ve had most of the
dialogue!, It was a blast doing it. That’ll be released through
ActiVision in about two/three months’ time. I hope people like it.
Final question: if you had to
choose how we see Tuvok going out in the final episode of Voyager,
how would you choose for it to end?
Well, if the series ends with
the ship at home, I’d like to see him back on his home planet,
meeting his parents, his family, seeing his home planet, where he
lives, this kind of thing.
If
we DON’T get home, well then…! It all depends on the story! If
he has to go out, I’d like to see him going out in a blaze, in a
sacrifice for the ship. It’s very dramatic, very honorable, very
Tuvok. That would be great!
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GET TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT TIM FROM THIS Q & A.
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Courtesy of Paramount Studios
On the choice between the "Star Trek"
role of Geordi or Tuvok?
"Back then, I'd have given my right arm to be Geordi."
Is there life on other planets?
"There is definitely life out there. The question
is, "What kind?"
Is the bridge of "Star Trek - Voyager" bridge
authentic?
"If you were standing on the bridge of Voyager, you would
think it could fly."
How long does it take to put on your "Star
Trek" make up?
"About 40 minutes."
Are you restricted from doing anything when you're in
Tuvok make-up?
"Coincidentally, yes. I can't leave the studio with
my make-up on. To have it removed for a short errand would be
ridiculous. I also can't talk on the phone while wearing these
ears. I must use a speakerphone."
Do you do anything differently with your hair during
hiatus?
"Yes, I shave it all off so that the front (which is
shaved back for the show) will grow in evenly."
How do the instrument panels on the "Star
Trek" set work?
"They are computer controlled, and whatever we do, we
are warned not to push the RED button."
Do you do anything unusual on the set?
"Yes. I could be in full uniform, except for the house
slippers I'm wearing behind my console. Sometimes the
script doesn't require me to move."
What characteristics make a Vulcan different from a
human?
"If tortured, they are more likely not to scream.
They don't sweat under extreme exertion, like humans do. They
are stronger than humans. They have an inner eyelid that
shields them from intense light. And, Vulcans can
breathe easier in a thin atmosphere."
How do you feel about "Star
Trek's" ethical and moral questions?
"It is those questions that separate us from other shows,
like 'Dukes of Hazard' or 'Baywatch'. It's
the message received on Star Trek that distinguishes us
from even other science fiction shows."
Have you named your trailer, like some of the other
actors on the show?
"Yes, my fan club had a contest back in the summer of
'95, and my trailer was christened, "The Vulcan
Embassy" - courtesy of a fan by the name of
Rick Rattie. Two of the other entries that I liked won
honorable mention. "Live, Long & Perspire"
- by Kim Curtis, and "Vivas Longum Tempus Et Bene"
(Live, Long & Prosper in Latin) - by Scott Kohnhorst.
If you didn't have "Star Trek", what
would you be doing? "Looking for work."
How long does it take for you to get your fan mail?
"If you send it to Paramount, it could take anywhere from
2 to 4 months before I get what's addressed to me. Then, my
sister assists me with sorting my mail, and arranges
correspondence for me to read and sign. Both of our schedules
are hectic, though, and in some cases, we've taken an
embarrassingly long time to respond."
If you got turned down so many times while looking for
work, why didn't you quit?
"It's like standing in line for a ticket to your
favorite artist's concert. You don't know if you'll get
a ticket, but that doesn't stop you from getting trying.
You stay in line anyway, all day, or all night, in some
cases. If you get out of line, you're guaranteed not to
get a ticket. But if you get to the window, you may have a
chance. You may not sit where you want to, but you'll
get an offer for a seat, at least."
Did your family accept your decision to be an actor
early on?
"It was difficult, because my father expected more of
me. All parents do, you know, 'Nice hobby, but what do
you want to do for a career?'. I learned I had a gift
early on, and I wasn't going to let anyone stray me from it.
Once they knew that, my parents accepted my choice."
Was it a hard road to get where you are now?
"I wouldn't recommend acting for the weak at heart.
There is nothing easy about acting, and rejection can't be
taken personally. Once you get on a good series, IF you
get on a good series, you have to survive the pilot and hope
you get picked up for the season. A lot of wrenches can
be thrown into that mechanism. You could get killed off
on the show, or the season may only last 8 weeks. In the
mean time, you have passed on other possible opportunities.
Even if it's a feature film, it could be a flop, and you'll
fade into oblivion until the next time."
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Tim and Ethan harass each other on stage at a
convention in Berlin, Germany.
What advice would you give someone who wants to be an
actor?
"Develop your talent first, through education and
workshops. Get the proper training. Surround
yourself with people who are actively working towards a goal,
and people who support yours. Negative input is
detrimental.
And then, when you're ready, carve out a niche for yourself in
the industry. Ask yourself, 'What do I do well?', and
whatever it is, make it work to your advantage. In other
words, don't offer them a Chevy when they are asking for a
Porche. It's a small enough community that you will run into
them again and the right door will be open for you.
You may be discovered in two days, in 12 years, or not at
all. But unless you persist, you'll never find out. This
city is full of aspiring actors, writers, producers, and
directors, all waiting tables like I once did - like I would
do again, if I had to."
What is the worst experience you've had to overcome?
"Living in Los Angeles in 1984. That experience was
just not happening AT ALL."
Where did you work when you were a struggling actor?
"Odd jobs, mostly - a thousand odd jobs that never really
lasted that long. I was a singing waiter on more than
one occasion. When I wasn't waiting tables, I worked for
various delivery services and booked singing gigs around
town. I stayed AFLOAT with jobs that kept my schedule
flexible, and sometimes I just SANK."
Have you ever run into any unusual fans?
"Yes. I was in Blockbuster Video's store once,
just skimming through the comedy section, and this gentleman
walked up and stood beside me. He had tattoos on his
body, a plate in his lip, HUGE stretched earlobes with hoops
in them and the full, bright red wardrobe of his native
African land. He was a Masai, and I was in awe that he
was standing next to ME in such a place. Then he turned
very slowly and said to me, 'You are on Star Trek. We
watch your show in Tanzania.' Admittedly, I almost fell
over."
Are there any antics on the bridge?
"Yes, the bridge and more. Garrett and I are
always pelting each other with tape balls. McNeill constantly
swivels around at the helm (when he's off camera) to harass us
while we say our lines. And, he has gas, often.
He's very noisy. Thankfully, Kate and I have a truce,
now."
What would you like to do when the show is over?
"I'd like to direct or produce more of my own
projects, and participate in some Star Trek movies, if the
opportunity arises."
Do you prefer stage or camera?
"Stage! There is an immediacy on stage with a live
audience in front of you that you don't get on film.
Each night you can explore and invent, and it forces you to
perfection. You don't get any reactions from film."
If you could pick one thing to put in a time capsule,
what would it be?
"I feel that the purpose of a time capsule is to look
back. I would want to put in an example of our current
media; photos or TV news clips of special events. I
mean, think about it... What if you had a snapshot of how the
pyramids were built? Or, Stonehenge? Or, the Mayan Temples?
What if you had a photo of Jesus? It would answer so many
questions if you had a visual account of what was... a peek
into the past, rather than an assumption."
Quote:
"Even if you're on the
right track, you'll get
run over if you just sit there."
Will Rogers
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