"Am I making you nervous? I think I'm the nervous one!"

American actor Ben Browder (who plays astronaut John Crichton on the hit Sci-Fi Channel series FARSCAPE) laughs as he relaxes backstage at the first Farscape convention in Burbank, California. On a break from the crowds and general insanity of any large convention, Browder was gracious enough to make time for one more interview.

"I did get up on the stage. That was tiring but also tremendous fun because of the audiences. You know, this is the first time I've seen a crowd of people who have watched the show, because it doesn't air in Australia. I had never been in front of an of audience of people who watch Farscape. It's just so fantastic. Most of the questions I asked they responded to very beautifully. All of the jokes are inside jokes. If it hadn't been Farscape crowds, they would have been wondering what was going on. But they were just fantastic."

When told about the critics initial reaction to the series as being a Muppet show in space , Browder smiles. "I had the privilege of having a discussion with David (Kemper) and Rockne (S. O'Bannon), while I was auditioning, about the details of the show. The initial script was lighter than the direction they eventually went with, but it would take on a lot. The show takes on a life of its own based on the people involved. David, who has basically been running the show in Australia, is taking over as executive producer. I knew his mind about the show prior to starting."

Browder explains his angle on the puppets in between sips of chocolate shake. "Other than Star Wars and science fiction films, puppets were never used on a television dramatic series, so I think that's where that kind of impression comes from, but our puppets are used for dramatic affect. So, I understand the misunderstanding, but it was not my impression in the beginning. Now Farscape has become more complex, more mature as it grows. That's a function of the directors, the writers and the cast, and it's also the SciFi Channel."

"What we try to do in Farscape is set in the Sci-Fi fantasy world. When dealing with my character, what we do is talk about what is real, and what the real response is. So you're using a high point situation to explore basic human traits. I think it's one of the advantages Sci-Fi has. Also the painting of a big canvas of beautiful pictures. You have a visually interesting setting in order to tell stories."

"It's a very difficult relationship to continue because he is a guy, and she *is* an alien! Often people forget that."

In season one of Farscape, viewers saw Crichton struggling with the emotional difficulty of accepting his fate. He continued to wear his IASA uniforms, symbolic of his longing to return home and a reminder of his humanity. Browder comments on Crichton's stubbornness and sheer brass with characteristic humor.

"If I were really him, I'd probably be dead in the premiere for lipping off to Crais. (Lani Tupu) "Pull me apart? How about I smack your ponytailed, goatee- wearin' face back into space! Katow! Katow! Ben dead. Series over. John's smarter than he looks."

"Seriously, I think John Crichton is one of us in many ways. He represents humanity in the other universe. He has the same kinds of struggles we do, which are violence, wars, danger. His references are our references. So actually I think John's point of view is a singular point of view. John is somewhere in post modern construction. He deconstructs the alien universe for us!" Browder laughs again.

"In the beginning of Crichton's journey in season one, he has no idea what he's up against. He's overwhelmed, he's lost, he's desperate. Then later he grew to a point where he could hold onto the road. He almost became stoic. Then he gets thrown into the aurora chair and it overloads his head."

"The first part of Season Two is where we are seeing the immediate affects of the aurora chair. What was done to Crichton and how he behaves. I sort of sense that he's responding more abruptly and violently than he would have before. A bit of his sanity is gone. He's reacting like someone who has experienced trauma."

"As the season progresses there is a lot of stuff which is on hold. I think people will begin to realize that what happened to John Crichton is deeper than what's on the surface. So his journey in the Second season is that on the outside he's become more competent, but he realizes that the more competent he is, the deeper the problem is. In the last three-part arc titled Look At The Princess, John starts behaving strangely-again. He is forced to be in a situation where he has to get married to the princess of a planet. If he does, he gets turned into statue a la Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back and then his head gets cut off and it's put back together. If he doesn't (marry the princess), they turn him over to Scorpius."

"That arc was also about Crichton and Aeryn. It was about love, what they're going to do, whether they (Aeryn and John) are to move forward or back. In the end of the three-parter, they have a kiss. The significance of this kiss is to see if they're genetically compatible. That's where the episode ends. So they do actually move forward. It's a very difficult relationship to continue because he is a guy, and she's an alien. Often people forget that. You know, they expect them to get together like some normal couple, but she *is* an alien!" Browder raises his voice, grinning widely. "You talk about culture gap, 'We have a culture gap here! Oh, yeah, way to communicate. She's from the other side of universe!"

Browder settles down and thinks for a moment. "You know, even when you and I are talking, there would be gaps in what I am saying and what you are understanding, and vice versa. We would try to be careful not to offend you. Like touching. Some cultures touch all the time. In Japan people don't touch. Many men don't touch. You've got France, where many men kiss. Certainly all the cultural differences and language differences and every thing else is a lot like what John Crichton endures at the other side of universe. The others have to endure with him, and that's how they get to know each other. I've found that even being in Australia for two years, sometimes we misunderstand one another. We have to spend extra time getting to a point where we can find a way to stop to understand each other. It's a peculiar situation."

"No one else could ever play my John Crichton the way I do."

Although Browder has played many characters in TV and film, the bulk of his work has been playing down-to-earth good guys. John Crichton is definitely his most unusual character yet, and - Browder claims - not his reflection at all. "John is strictly different from Ben. No questions about it," he says. "Ben is not an astronaut, John is. Ben is married, John is not. You know, John's behavior towards Aeryn Sun is different from Ben's behavior towards Claudia. I'm not worried about fans having me mixed up with the character. Also, I use reference points of my own experiences to play John but I don't draw upon my life that much. I don't go, 'Wow, I broke my leg when I was thirteen. Therefore when John broke his leg...,' I don't do anything like that. I wait till I see what's in the script. Anything which is not referenced to the script I have not filled in. I don't build the backstory of who John is."

When asked about the significance of his new body deco - a neatly-trimmed goatee- and if its purpose during the convention is to symbolically distance himself from the Crichton character, Browder shrugs.

"Purpose? What I'm here for is to... because I was asked to be here. I'm here for the show. I am here to hopefully make the fans happy and reach more fans so that the show prospers. There's nothing, in a sense, personal for me here, except the experience. The experience of doing the show like this. I've never done it. It's fascinating. I'd never been to a convention. I'd never stood up on the stage to talk to a group of people about playing John Crichton. That's interesting. But I have no agenda as far as who I am, who John is, or what I'm hoping to achieve here."

Was doing a three-part story arc significantly more difficult than shooting a stand alone episode? "I don't think that doing a three-parter is significantly harder than doing a stand-alone episode. While shooting you have a lot of help. If there's anything we lack, it's a matter of time to prepare for the episodes we do because we come through very, very quickly, and sometimes shooting episodes are out of order than will be presented. What we actually try to do in a series is maintain the character's arc. See where the characters have been, where they are going. That's the things you have to remind yourself of. One of the things I have to remind myself of is that John Crichton is still in a very alien universe. It's good that I'm
comfortable on the set, but I can't be so comfortable because of the character."

To deal with such situations, does Browder have any distinct philosophy of acting? "You have different dramatic traditions based on where you are, and styles of acting go through cycles. Whether you're in London and singing or playing in a drama -- that's a very distinct style you're watching. Every culture and era has its own style of acting. The current style of Western culture is the method, which I think is a perfect approach sometimes, and for some people, but not all the time. The people who have the method actors are often very technical actors like Chris Carson. I'm not a big fan of any acting style in particular. I think I use what is available to make things work and tell the story."

"Unlike on stage, on TV and film you are not really in control. A good director can take a bad performance and make it good. He can take a good performance and make it great. It's a collaborative medium. You can layer
your performance in so many ways, but by the time your performance gets to the screen you have relied upon so many others to make it work. If you deliver a great performance and the director is happy, it's the time for the editors to come in and put it all together. "

"I think I've been lucky in Farscape. They've done very, very well by me. They've helped me out tremendously. I think they do a great job. I'm sure that the times I (watch the dailies) and go, 'Well, they missed that,' that they'll catch it later. Scenes get cut and then you put something else in and the time is too short and all that. The episode comes in between 50 and 60 minutes in the first edit, and then they get it down to basically 44 minutes. That's what they deliver. So there's work which you've done which is very important to you, but maybe it's not important for the storyline. You don't control the finished performance."

"You know, I was sort of asked out there (on the stage) what type of actor I wanted to be or any actors whose work I admire or like that and I said Harrison Ford. Immediately after I also thought, 'Oh, Tom Hanks!' Then, 'Oh, yeah, yeah, and a bunch of other actors.' You take what you are given and what is available to you and make the most of it. There are steps in careers. I'll see what comes and decide what to do based on the material."

"My experiences have led me to be who I am, what I do. I'm not duplicated by anybody else. I mean, there's no one whose footsteps I'm following. I'm not trying to emulate James Dean, I'm not trying to be like Harrison Ford, but I can look at what they do. And there's another element which is just sort of the way I respond without thinking, which is good, bad or different. There are things I can't do but other people can do. There are the things I can do which I suppose no one else can do, not exactly. At this junction I get to play John Crichton, and it's a gift. It's my part."

"I play the way I want to play. In that sense, no one else can play the part but me. Some day they might yank me out and put somebody else in, but I feel privileged. This is a wonderful thing to have a hand in. Think about all the great actors who played Lear or play Hamlet. I've never played Hamlet, If I did, it would be compared to other actors, but no one else could ever play my John Crichton the way I do. Maybe they'll get Tom Cruise for the series movie!"

"David Kemper tells me that he has a final shot of Farscape in his head."

Even before Farscape gears up for a third year, there's a talk about Season Four among the Internet core fans of the show. Browder's eyes grow wide. "Season Four? We haven't even started shooting Season Three yet but Season Four?!" he shakes his head in disbelief and laughs out loud.

How does he envision the end of Farscape? "David Kemper tells me that he has a final shot of Farscape in his head. He knows what it is. He's just not sure how he's going to get there. He said that one day he would share with me the final shot, but he hasn't yet. So I'm not thinking too far ahead. I think about the next few scripts usually, so whatever ideas I may or I may not have, I leave it to David and the writers because they are the ones who have to generate the stories."

"It's great to play John Crichton as long as the shows airs, as long as I am contracted. Beyond that, who can say? I mean, you could be running another year and then they don't pick up the series. Again I'm not trying to think too far in advance, but I just think of my plans for my life. Because when the series ends, I have to leave Australia!"

When asked what are his expectations in the future, Browder's eyes take on a distant look and he sighs. "What would I expect or what would I hope? Expect is a difficult one. It's interesting trying to phrase what you expect from the future. Uh... expect? Nothing. Hope for, yes. Actually, that's a line from the show, 'What are you expecting? Expecting nothing but hoping for-' something. I don't know what I expect. I would expect that I could have another year at least of Farscape and I hope to be there for longer. In between that, after that, long term -- I hope to continue to make a living supporting my family, and to be involved in the job I love doing. I hope I'll get a chance to go surfing, spend time with my children and wife. I hope to get to spend more time with my parents. There's a lot of things I hope for."

"I hope to continue to have a career, to be able to expand the career to do other things; to write, produce, and direct. I may write an episode of Season Three. Those things are what I mostly hope to do. Whether I'll be able to do all these things I've never been able to do spontaneously. So I hope to find the balance in my life where I can do these things."

Miwa Hirai