Stephen Lang in Terra Nova

Stephen Lang in Terra Nova

Stephen Lang has had a rise so rapid of late it’s barely believable, with the actor going from self-confessed ‘journeyman’ to headline act in less than 3 years.

A veteran of the stage, it was only in 2009 when Lang really broke out onto the screen, with knockout performances in both Public Enemies and Avatar making him a household name.

After playing another rip-roaring baddie in last year’s Conan re-boot, Lang nailed the role of leader Commander Taylor in Steven Spielberg’s epic, time spanning TV sci-fi Terra Nova.

With Terra Nova now out on DVD and Blu Ray, we spoke to Stephen about the show, his desire to someday work with Martin Scorsese and just how you properly shout at a dinosaur.

 

So, for people who haven't seen the show yet, can you tell us a little bit about Terra Nova?

Well, Terra Nova is a show which takes place initially 150 years from now where essentially Earth has gone to hell in a hand basket. But then they discover a tear in the fabric of time and they send one individual (which is me, Commander Taylor) back 85 million years into the past.

Over the course of seven years, Taylor and those who come through the tear build a community that they call Terra Nova.

So as the show begins, the colony has been established there, being run by Taylor and we follow the Hammond family, a father, a mother and three children who travel from a future with no future to a past with a great one and them trying to integrate with the very rugged life of the colony Terra Nova.

You're making big speeches, fighting dinosaurs and giving orders, it must have great fun to play Taylor.

He's a wonderful role, I love Taylor. He's a great leader, he's the sort of guy you'd want in charge. But he's not perfect though. He can be very frustrating, incredibly stubborn, he can be quite tyrannical even. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring a lot of colour to this leadership role that he plays. And it's always good to be the boss, and his word really is law.

Let's not spoil anything, but Taylor has some really big twists along the way, what was that like as a part of the show?

This entire season, I think they were trying to work out the true balance of the show. Trying to get that perfect balance between character development and driving the plot, both on the family side and the bigger picture. I think that Taylor always represented a certain ambiguity, he's a character that's never uncloaked.

There's pain to the character which I think is clear, or at least I grasped on to in the playing of it and he carries a lot of burdens. A lot of the reasons behind that became clear as the show went on and even then there was still so much more to tell about him.  So I was always delighted when he was in conflict about something.

We had a lot of discussion about the storylines, and we were not always in agreement about it, the writers and myself. There was a lot of give and take and I would have been very curious to have seen where that storyline would have gone had the show continued.

What was your reaction to the show not being picked up for a second series?

I found it quite devastating actually.  It broke my heart that we were putting a lot to bed and closing the door to this  family that we'd only just started to know and this vast world full of stories and adventures and creatures. I was surprised too, as I thought all the indications were so strong that the show had found an audience.

So, not many of us have experience battling prehistoric beasts, how do you go about it then?

Well, there's a certain mechanical nature to it. Which is to say that I ask myself a bunch of questions like 'Is this one a man eater?' 'Is it fast?' 'How close is it too me?' You've got to absolutely understand what the intent is of the thing you're pretending to see now, but will see later on screen. So, you do that, try and get a nice heady dose of adrenaline and just play.

Thinking about it, I had this one scene when I'm in a faceoff with this ancestral Komodo Dragon and basically I scare him off with fire and by roaring at him and unless you just enter that with 100% commitment, it's not going to work. You've just got to go for it, and when you're doing it every day, it becomes second nature.

This isn't the first adventure into sci-fi you've had. Has being in Avatar opened doors for you?

Well, certainly being associated with the highest grossing film in the history of cinema is a little helpful (laughs), and to be the villain was a very good thing. But this is still a very competitive field and process and although it did open does and make things become available, now you're in the running with actors of tremendous talent and stature. You just hope you get your share though, and you just keep working hard.

So, that saw you work with James Cameron, you've worked with Michael Mann twice, who else would you really like to work with?

Oh my goodness, there's just so many terrific filmmakers out there. I've always really wanted to do a picture with Scorsese, he's just a master. I think the Coen brother have always done great work and well, there's just so many names who are really outstanding. If you're a director and you're reading this, just assume that you're on my list and I want to work with you!

It's fair to say you've only really found this level of success in the last few years. Were their times when you didn't think this wasn't going to happen?

Well, it's been a fortunate career for me, I've been in it a long time and I've always made a living. For a long time though, if you were talking about me at all, you'd probably describe me as a journeyman actor. I've also always had a good career on stage and I've been fortunate to be in some marvellous films over the years but it is true that I think Avatar has changed things.

I was relentlessly pursuing my career before Avatar and continue to do so now. I've always taken great satisfaction from the work but it's tremendously gratifying to have been almost taken to another realm just by being associated with a film of such stature.

Also, now the roles that I can now go for are better roles, which require you to do better work, and really stretch those muscles. It's great.

You spent many a year on stage, do you ever miss that style of acting?

Well, it's not that I'm done with it, I've got a lot of years let acting and that's going to include work on stage. It's been a while since I did a play, for years I did nothing but plays, but I certainly have every expectation of working in the theatre again.

I love the theatre, for years it provided me with not only income but emotional sustenance too. For me to get back into it right now, it would have to be great play. It requires a commitment of time and energy that I'm only really willing to make for something I really believe in and really might challenge me.

Also, it's got to be said, you're in amazing shape for man of 60. How do you do it?

Oh, I work out pretty hard, I came to the conclusion that a lot of the roles I've gotten in recent years is in part down to my physical presence. The state of my preservation if you will. That's good motivation to keep fit.

So a combination of weight and strength training, and yoga seems to do the trick. I've also got a slightly addictive personality though and I've got slightly addicted to working out. Which is probably a lot better for me than drugs, although I do like a vodka on Friday nights (laughs).

So, looking ahead, what was it liked being asked to play Abe Lincoln?

That project, I'm delighted to do it, if it all comes about. I have to say though, that project's a bit like stone soup, there's a lot of people committed to that if the project goes ahead. I hope it goes past pre-production. I know a lot about Lincoln, but I havn't started any heavy duty preperation on that because I don't know when or if we're going with that show. It would be great if it does, but only have a theoretical time right now.

You've also got a packed 2013, that's got to be a good feeling?

Yeah it's cool, but I don't spend a whole lot time thinking about the ones that I've already done. At some point somebody calls you and says 'Hey, we're putting this out, can you make it' and if you can it's a whole lot of fun, but I'm a whole load more interested in the work that I'm gonna do than the work that I've done. I'm always curious to see it though.

 

TERRA NOVA: THE COMPLETE SERIES is available to own on DVD and Blu Ray now.

FemaleFirst Cameron Smith

 

Tagged in