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"Future Guy" (James Horan) Speaks

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James Horan has been a guest star in several Star Trek episodes over the years. In this video interview, he talks about his various roles, including his work on Enterprise as "Future Guy."

 

Following is a transcript of the video interview.

 

STARTREK.COM: Who are you and where are you from?

James Horan: James Horan. I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. About ten years ago I did my first episode of Next Gen, and I played Jo'Bril in the "Suspicions" episode, and that was my first Star Trek experience. One human, yes — Lieutenant Barnaby. I was in the "Descent, Part II" episode, which was the first episode of the last season.

 

Q: Where does the character come from?

JH: Actually, the character is sort of made for you when you're wearing that mask. It's like acting in a mask. It goes back to the ancient roots of drama, where people did put on masks and it evoked a spirit that came through the actor. I just found that especially when you're wearing three, four hours of makeup — they work on you for that long — and then you turn and look in the mirror, the character is there. I just experiment with maybe a little different tone of voice and finding out what the guy is about, who he is, especially in the case of the Jem'Hadar, for instance. I didn't know much about Jem'Hadar when I got that part on Deep Space — it was a two-parter, playing this Jem'Hadar leader in an internment camp — and so Ron Surma, the casting director, gave me a tape of an earlier episode that explained their whole deal of who they were, where they came from, why they have this stuff going in and out of their neck — so it was good. But it still is true that the character comes through you when you're wearing a mask. You don't have to find it as much as you do when you're playing a human or yourself.

 

Q: What other aliens have you played?

JH: I've created two aliens that apparently had never been seen before — or since, as far as I know. One was in the "Suspicions" episode of TNG where I played the Takaran — I'm not sure if there's ever been another Takaran. It was an interesting character, an interesting species. They had this ability to shift their cellular disposition so that they could actually exist with a hole in them. Gates McFadden playing Crusher shot a hole in me and I kept coming. [Clip from "Suspicions"] They could fake their own death; they could just apparently alter their cellular composition. Interesting character; I don't know why they weren't brought back. And then in an episode of Voyager I played a type of alien called a Kolaati. It was a character named Tosin in a scene with Neelix in the "Fair Trade" episode. [Clip from "Fair Trade"] So those two were, yes, totally new to me. I didn't know what they were going to be about. The Kolaati was interested because as they're putting it on me they go, "You don't have a problem not breathing through your nose, do you?" "No, I guess not." But fourteen hours later, of course, I was going, "Man, I have a problem with this."

 

Q: Which was your favorite character?

JH: I liked the Deep Space Nine two-parter of the previous shows, just because it had more of an arc to the character. He started out one way — there wasn't a lot of leeway in how you play Jem'Hadar, it's like they are who they are. They're bred to be warriors. They don't think about anything else — at least this is what I was told — they don't eat, per se, they don't sleep. They're like myrmidons that are bred to do this one thing. But this character — I was told that he's one of the oldest Jem'Hadar. He was probably eighteen or something when they only live to be about twenty or maybe even less. But he developed a conscience. He was so impressed by Worf through these gladiator battles that he was staging with his own people. He was so impressed by Worf's prowess that when it came time to kill him he couldn't do it. He said, "I can't kill him. It doesn't interest me anymore." Then he sacrificed himself, because he knew that that would be a death sentence for him. [Clip from "By Inferno's Light"]

 

Q: Did you have any problems with the Jem'Hadar make-up?

JH: I don't have a problem. It's a rubber suit, when you're playing a Jem'Hadar. Then it's a whole rubber head and then the latex face-piece. I don't sweat a lot, quite frankly, and so I'm a make-up person's dream in that they don't have to keep re-gluing me. I can just stay where I am. I'm not a problem in that. I'm also not claustrophobic about stuff I have to wear if it's for the character, for the course of that run. So it wasn't a problem for me playing a Jem'Hadar. Now, every day for weeks on end — then I might have a problem. For the week that I did it, it was fine. They do zip up at the back, which makes the potty breaks kind of interesting - "Get me out of this now!"

 

Q: Tell us about your role on Enterprise.

JH: I'm basically wearing a jumpsuit, á la Michael Rennie in The Day the Earth Stood Still — I keep saying all I need is an eight foot robot beside me — and say those words, whatever those words are. You guys know what those words are. Then I do the scene. I pull my hair back; they're not sure what the guy is going to look like when he's revealed because no one has told me what he is yet. What you see is a shadowy figure that they do behind a blue-screen, or a green-screen, and then they do a ripple effect, like he's coming from the future through some kind of big force that's bringing him back into the past. Then I'm just using my voice but they electronically alter it to sound spooky.

 

Q: Do you have a favorite original series episode?

JH: Probably that episode with Apollo. [Clip from "Who Mourns for Adonais"] They, too, were well written, but they were sort of reflective of their time, too. I think you can get away with more like just the scope and drama — it could even hinge on melodrama. I don't think that's a bad term — I think it's just a style of drama. Not so much embraced or shown anymore, but I think that all the Trek episodes have touched on that to a degree because it's just a heightened sense of drama. Again, I don't feel like it's bad because hey, I've done daytime. Soap Operas, people can say, is melodrama too. But then again, sometimes it's reflective of life because life, when people are in stress situations they get very melodramatic sometimes if you were looking at it from the outside. Often it's coming from a true place. To me acting, if it's coming from a true place, then its real.

 

Q: Do you have a favorite Star Trek captain?

JH: Well, I really appreciated Patrick Stewart. I think that was a great casting choice, just to have someone with that weight. The fact that he had such a striking look, so commanding — such a commanding presence. He was wonderful. I actually read for Riker when it was first being cast, and of course Mr. Frakes had a little more TVQ than I did, and he did a great job. That would have been a lot of fun to have been a part of that show. I really appreciated his work and I think the casting of all the shows has just been stellar. I really do. I think it's a great ensemble almost every show.

 

Q: Why do you think Star Trek is so successful?

JH: I do think Star Trek does provide those positive role-models. I think that's why it occupies such a place in television history and will probably always be there in one form or another. I think that the success of all the series has shown that there's a hunger for that sort of — not only escapism, but a hopeful vision of the future. There are always these heroes that are part of the crew in whatever situation they find themselves in.

 

Q: Do you enjoy Star Trek conventions?

JH: Well, the conventions are great, I think, just because it's wonderful to meet the fans. They're very complimentary of your work, and they're very appreciative of your work. Even as a guest star, speaking as a guest star. They can look at my life in Star Trek and they've seen it all, you know? They've seen all the episodes, by and large, and a lot of them dress up as the characters and I think that's great. They take pride in how they look and I think it's their escape, their way of expressing themselves for that weekend, and I just appreciate it. A lot of people say, "You think we're weird, don't you?" No, I don't think you're weird at all. I think you're having fun. More power to you.

 

STARTREK.COM

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