Colin Ferguson gets caught up in time travel and technology in 'Eureka'

Colin Ferguson

The sci-fi series "Eureka" has a twist in its fourth season, which premiered July 9: Many of the main characters travel back in time to the 1940s. This retro time warp is welcomed by "Eureka" star Colin Ferguson, who plays Sheriff Jack Carter, who plays the chief law-enforcement officer in the mysterious town of Eureka, Oregon.

Eureka is a town populated with geniuses and scientists, many of whom work for a research company named Global Dynamics. Time and time again, Jack is called upon to diffuse a potentially deadly mishap involving technology. During a recent telephone conference call with journalists, Ferguson talked what viewers can expect in Season 4 of "Eureka"; how becoming a director has affected him as an actor; and why he gets a weird kind of pleasure from people (including himself) getting hurt doing stunts.

Can you talk about how you became involved in "Eureka"?

I guess the final casting was the most interesting one because it was myself and Jordan [Hinson] and there was another guy, Ed Kerr. I don’t remember who the girl was. And we did the mix and match. And it ended up being Jordan and I who got the role. So probably she’s arguably as important for me getting the job as anything else.

And it’s a funny thing too because as an actor you go in the room, and you do what you do. And I have a very quirky sensibility. And ["Eureka" creator/executive producer] Jaime [Paglia] has a very quirky sensibility. And Jaime was the one in the room who as I just said, you know, he was the guy I met. And typically on my end, you go in and you do your quirky thing and they go, "That’s weird." You’re sort of going through and they cast someone else. So it was a refreshing change of pace for Jaime to sort of go, "Yeah, actually you know what, that’s right."

Joe Morton, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Neil Grayston, Erica Cerra and Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"

Jack obviously is in the midst of some very, very intelligent people that have done a lot with their lives. But yet he seems to be the one that’s always solving the problems, always saving the town. What is it about the character that you think enables him to sort of see what all of these very intelligent people don’t see or get things that they don’t get?

What would it be about the character? I think he still has a good moral compass to him. And he has a good logical head on his shoulders but no real facility with information. So I think he’s a follow the numbers sort of guy in a town where people are so bright, they’re so used to being 10 steps ahead or 20 steps ahead that sometimes it is the little things that he’s good at focusing on. But he also was a federal marshal. I mean, he’s good at what he does. I think he sort of "Columbo’s" it sometimes. And pretends to be a little more clumsy than he actually is.

"Eureka" has a fairly large "will they or won’t they" between Carter and Allison (played by Salli-Richardson-Whitfield). The chemistry between Colin and Jaime Ray Newman (played by Tess Fontana) was very good. What is sort of the overall game plan for Carter and for his love life for this season?

Jaime’s back. She’s back in some capacity this year for a good part of it. I guess I’m not allowed to say what’s going on.

Carter's daughter, Zoe, left for college at the end of last season. Does that mean we won’t see her much at all or if any this season?

Yeah. She comes back for a bunch. She was heavy I would say, in the episode that I directed in the first 10, and that’s always great for me. I mean, she’s such a great sort of presence on set and I think brings so much to the show that it’s nice that she always comes back.

Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"

What has been your favorite type of science-y thing so far in "Eureka"? And can you tell us anything about anything that’s coming up?

I like the more basic stuff. I mean, the intense stuff is fantastic, if you’re going to go into the [scientific] field and all of that stuff. But I like the serum that makes you run really quickly. I think that would be fun. I like the hover board. I think that would be fun. Ending up in another dimension, I think that’s fun.

And as for this year the stuff we have coming up, fun stuff ... metamaterial cloaking, where in some forms it can match any sort of item to another item. And that goes horribly wrong. And what else did we have? We had the mind meld this year. We had a race around the moon. And we also went into the science of Santa for a little while.

Without giving away spoilers, can you talk about this big thing that happens with all of the main characters and how long is that going to play out?

Jaime called me in and I guess I went in sometime in December or January, to the office. And I’ve told this story before. And they he pitches this idea for going back in time and I say, "Oh that’s great. You’re going to get shot down at network. You know, there’s no way you’re going to get green lit on that." And he said, "No, actually we were there this morning and it’s a go. They’re excited about it."

So for us right out of the gate it was instantly fresh. It was a huge sort of boon for us because it was a statement of faith by the network. It’s a monstrous thing to do. It’s a monstrous reboot to do in Season 4. So the fact that they would sign off and show their faith in Jaime and the writers and all of that stuff on that level, sort of gave us a bunch of confidence and a bunch of energy.

And then … the concept sat in the writers’ room. And so the entire 10 episodes were sort of filled with this sort of new sense of well if we could do this then we could do this. And if we can do this then we could do that. And it sort of redoubled on itself over the course of the season. And it made for probably the best 10 episodes we’ve done.

James Callis and Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"

Can you talk about working with James Callis?

Sure. Way back when "Battlestar [Galactica]" and "Eureka" were on the same lot, James was one of the first and definitely most vocal people to come forward and be so supportive and encouraging and helpful. So it was really fitting that he was the one who gets to sort of come on our show and do ten episodes. And we were really, really happy about that.

Working with James, I mean it’s sort of preposterous how nice a man he is. He’s like the sweetest guy in the world. He just extends himself so above and beyond for everybody. So that alone is a pleasure. And then plus he comes at it, you know, it’s nice to get a different energy on the set because he’s such an actor … And it’s really nice in a season where we are sort of reinventing or rebooting, to have someone doing all that work again. So as an actor it was fantastic, and as a person it was fantastic.

Sheriff Jack Carter is kind of the Sheriff Andy Taylor of this generation. He’s the town fixer, essentially. And like Andy Griffith, you come from a comedy background. Can you speak to how your comedy experience works for processing drama?

Yeah. I mean how I process drama I come from I guess a Second City background. And when you do as much comedy as I did sort of coming up, the comedy is easy. You can always throw a joke in. You can always fix something with a bit of levity or reaction and all that stuff. But you cannot sacrifice the drama to serve the comedy. And I know Jaime feels the same way.

So on a show like "Eureka," I think the reason it has a sort of parental Andy Taylor aspect to it is that the drama is very precious to me. And the drama is the situations of other people’s lives and the situations that they’re going through and the emotional stakes that them as people are going through, that’s always sacred to me. And so the jokes will always come outside of that.

And I think there’s something really parental about that, something very sort of caretaker. You know that you’re safe. You know that nothing will be at the expense of you in a big way. In a little sort of poking fun way ... And then this season what posed unique challenges. What was fun about this season is the best writers we’ve had, it’s the best scripts we’ve had. So in some sense, it was the least work I’ve ever had to do because everything was so good right out of the gate.

So then the problem is all of a sudden I’m left with like, "Well, I guess I’d better start thinking about what to do on take two." And it opened up the door for all sorts, like, "Well great, we’ll just nail this in one take and then maybe I can improvise this or maybe give you another option on the end of the scene with this." And it made it really, really fun this year that we as the actors could then give the writers everything they wanted, and then there’s this ending and this ending. And we threw this joke over here if you want this. And it became really, really fun to feel like we were giving them maybe more than they had hoped or different things. And that was a fun exercise for us all season long. And that was a challenge to do that.

Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton, Erica Cerra, Neil Grayston, Colin Ferguson and James Callis in "Eureka"

Have you ever read like a script and seen where they’ve asked you to do a crazy stunt and you thought, "I’m not doing that"? And how did it work out for you?

When have I not read a script where I’ve had to do a crazy stunt? Yeah, I mean sometimes, it’s usually later on in the season because at the beginning the first two or three, you’re like, Yeah, this is going to be awesome. Let’s do it. Kick me in the face? I hope everyone kicks me in the face." And you’re going to do everything that’s requested of you. But by Episode 8, all of a sudden you’re going like so in the scene where I get hit by the car … your body doesn’t heal quite as fast as you were hoping.

I mean some of the [stunt work] is more curious for me technically, how we’re going to pull it off. Like OK, so he crashes into the side of a car. Are we going to use an air ramp? Are we going to use CGI? What are we going to do? Is that going to be like sort of a two day thing, second unit? How much of it are you going to be wearing a helmet? That, for me, is more where my mind goes: the technical of how we’re actually going to pull it off. And then within the technical where is it going to be the window to put the character in there.

Because the stunt itself is very, very quick. So you’re left with, "OK, so is it going to be on the fall? Is it going to be on the reaction to the fall? Because that’s the stuff where I feel like you can get a laugh. You can maybe make the scene a little better by putting some character stuff in. So that’s where I like to do my work …

You get nervous because you read it and you’re like, "Oh, OK, OK … What can I do?" I know it’s a challenge that he’s sort of throwing my way and it’s really nice. Sometimes I don’t think things through when I do that sort of stuff. Like I’ll say like, "Oh, I’ve got this great idea. I’ll throw myself off the stairs and I’ll land on my face." And I’ll do it and it’ll work and then, you know, I’ll have a mild concussion. But I get so married to the idea because they write it and I think, "Oh, that’s hilarious. We’ve got to do it. We’ve got to do it." And I get so excited about it that I forget sort of the ramifications of what happens right afterwards.

James Callis and Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"

When you directed a few of these "Eureka" episodes, do you take into consideration the physical challenges for your fellow actors?

I’m a bit pigheaded about it, to be honest. I don’t. I feel like I take the body so many times that when someone else has to do it I sort of relish it and I’m not really like, "Oh you have to wear knee pads? Oh, OK. Sure. All right, whatever." I’ve said I’m not a soft guy when it comes to that stuff. I sort of think it’s part of the deal.

I have a really childish sense of humor when someone gets hurt. I mean, not injured but hurt. You know, like you’re doing a stunt, you know it’s going to hurt and you can see that they’re hurt. It just tickles me the same way that I laugh when I get hurt. We were doing something … recently when my face was too close to the explosion … You burn your eyelid or whatever and, you know, it’s a stupid thing. And then about an hour afterwards I’m like, That’s the dumbest." So we tend to get really excited about our ideas and not really think about how hard they’re going to be or how much they’re going to hurt.

How is the introduction of Dr. Grant going to affect Jack and Allison?

He’s a bit of a thorn. You know, it’s one of those really difficult things because they have feelings for each other and, you know, I haven’t made a move and, you know, she’s single and he’s single so you don’t really have a right or any leg to stand on to object. But when emotionally, you do object it puts you in a really strange place. So yeah, he’s a bit of a thorn but he’s also a very nice guy, and yeah, it’s a nice little triangle.

What was it like to direct Jamie Kennedy?

It was great actually. It was really, really great. When they said they casted him, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get, you know, because I wasn’t sure if he was going to want to go crazy with it. And I didn’t want him to go crazy. ‘

But he showed up, and he was actually the opposite. The first take we always do as scripted, right on. He nailed it. He nailed the drama of it. And then from them we ratcheted it up. He was an absolute fantastic guy to work with because he could put jokes in wherever you need it … He was an absolute pleasure to work with and I was really, really pleased.

Colin Ferguson and Salli Richardson-Whitfield in "Eureka"

Carter obviously has a pretty weird job, saving Eureka all the time. In real life, you have your own weird gigs before breaking into acting, particularly being a window mannequin. Can you talk a little about that?

Sure. I mean I, in a weird way I can link it back to the character which is sort of bizarre. Yeah, do that. Well it’s sort of, you know, whatever gets the job done has sort of always been something that I’ve tried to live by. And when you’re coming up through university and in your early and mid-20s, you need money. It’s really important. So whenever anybody offered me something, I would just sort of say yes.

I worked as a DJ for a little while. I have no business being a DJ, but, you know, you get talking to someone who says, Oh, we need a DJ." I’m like, "Oh, I’m an amazing DJ." So I was always very quick to sort of put myself in that sort of horrible situation to try to make it all work. I was a substitute teacher, I was a mannequin in a window, I was a DJ, you name it, I did it. I moved a school. I worked planting trees. I worked. I danced on a stool. I mean it was like I did the oddest things. So yeah, but it was always about getting the job done and that was about paying rent.

So a lot like Carter in that sense that he’s just determined to do the best?

Exactly. You know, it’s all about setting a goal and having a problem and overcoming the problem. And however it gets accomplished is great. You did it. I think a lot of people in my world could say yes a little more.

And with the mannequin job, was just for like a department store or something like that?

Yeah. I was in a store window and, you know, I was wearing a toga and I was spray-painted white. And it was a girl who was organizing it. And we then would go out into the department store. And the things that people say to you. The old ladies, they’re sweet and they’re trying to get you to move, and it’s like filthy. Just like are you kidding? But it was fun. And your feet go numb. I don’t think I’d do it very often. But there was a group of people who did it all the time. That was their gig. And it’s an amazing thing actually for how long they can just stand there and be completely content. I was miserable in my head, but I did it.

Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"

Is there something that you wished had been in the show that you had to cut? Or on the other end, is there something maybe you wish you had cut in hindsight?

Oh God, every week, there’s something we wish we could fit in that we don’t get a chance to fit in. As an actor it’s hard because you act an episode that you love. You do it all the way through and then because of the nature of pos- production you don’t find out that that scene isn’t in there until three weeks later when they actually get to the point and they go, "Oh, it’s got to go." And so all of a sudden, you’re going, "I’ve been acting the two episodes after like that scene has been a part of it."

It then puts a sort of a strange strain on you, like, "I hope my stuff is going to work." … It’s even the little sacrifices that kill me where it’s like there’s this little joke that has to go. And it’s a great little joke. That’s the stuff that kills me. It’s not the big stuff; it’s this great little joke that you read in the script and you’re like, "Oh, that’s a great joke." And you got on set and it just killed. And for the two seconds that that joke is it’s got to go to get it down to time. And that’s the stuff where part of you dies … And the hard thing about that is like the scenes can go in but on the DVD you can’t include 45 two-second jokes.

From an acting standpoint, do you and the other cast generally stick to the script or do you sometimes kind of add your own jokes. Which do you find harder if you do?

Well, we all lean on each other definitely. Sometimes if we catch a mistake, we’ll definitely go, "Oh, gosh there’s a thing."And sometimes we don’t catch it even until it’s on its feet. And all of a sudden we’ll be doing the thing, and at the same moment, everyone will sort of turn to each other and go there’s a mistake right here. And so yeah, so obviously we’ll have to fix that. We have a great relationship with everybody. We all lean on each other to do that. This year has been the best scripts we’ve ever had. So as far as having to fix things it hasn’t really happened this year.

I find what’s hard is if there is something to fix, it’s then really hard to improvise around because you’re all focusing on fixing a problem either like the space is huge that you’re in and the way the scene was written it doesn’t play right in a big space. You know, something like that. Or the scene where it’s like a four-line scene that’s 4/8 of a page and the way the production is the location that we got has the car, you know, 50 feet from the door. You need more lip flap to get from that door to the car. So it’s all of a sudden it’s like great, fix it.

But that’s obviously a rare occurrence. No one really enjoys that sort of thing but it’s fun because it sort of gets everybody’s gears going. What we do prefer is you get the script, you do the script, and then if you can give the writers more for the edit, then you do. Because that gets really fun where it’s sort of like, "OK, well let’s do a different version of this joke … because you know you’ve hit it right out of the gate on the first one." So that’s hard.

Our cast is so quick on their feet and funny in their own right that they’ll come up with something else just as another option to have as - at the tag. And that’s always great if you can have options in the editing room you’re always in good shape. And sometimes that’ll just never make the light of day.

Colin Ferguson and Joe Morton in "Eureka"

Are there any plans to bring Stark (played by Ed Quinn) back to the series at some point?

I’m really good friends with Ed and we always joke about bringing him back. Well, I have no say in it, but it would be really funny to bring him back as his brother and call him Tony Stark and then just get mileage out of him having the same name as Iron Man. Well, he’s big enough. That would work.

Seriously, he doesn’t even need the Iron Man suit.

No. Oh, you know, he was working out, he was doing all that work working out … Ed had a child this year, so his wife and him had a child. And he said being a dad for three weeks he lost all of the weight he got at the gym. Yeah, that happens.

Has directing and learning about that influenced how you act?

Yeah, it has. Not stylistically but the more information, the more you learn about all aspects of production, the more you can astutely get your creativity in where it should be. I think a lot about acting in television and on film is about getting acting in the right place. We move very fast, like really fast as a show. We’re a seven-day show that has visual effects and comedy and drama and big locations. If you don’t know where to put certain beats, they’ll get lost.

And so becoming a director and then directing a couple of episodes and a movie now, you just get better at what you do. So I’m incredibly grateful for the experience. It’s made me a better actor, absolutely. And more helpful, I would think, because I’ve been in those places where a director is sort of going "Damn it!" I actually have more help now where I can go, "I can help you out by doing this. Does this help you out?" So I know where to help better.

 Neil Grayston, Colin Ferguson and Erica Cerra in "Eureka"

Erica Cerra (who plays Jo Lupo) told a funny story about how the "Eureka" episode your directed last year where she had to sing, she said how relieved you were when she could actually sing and how excited you got. Can you tell some stories about that?

Erica is funny. I’ll talk about the singing thing. I mean that’s something that Jaime and the writers do all the time. They’re always sort of in the best of ways, sort of saying, "Do you know this?" And "Do this."And really sort of pushing the actors to do more, different, better things than was done before.

And so getting Eirca to sing … I got to shoot her on a piano and she’s singing … So we do this thing and Jaime was insisting. He was like, "No, this is what we want." So we recorded it. And Erica was terrified and she said she couldn’t sing and all of this stuff. And we get to the studio and she’s got this great raspy, sexy, sultry voice that fits completely the song that she’s being asked to sing. So it worked out brilliantly. I mean for us because she could have just as easily been tone-deaf.

She plays a sort of hard, business-focused, everything aligned, everything arranged sort of girl. And she couldn’t be more the opposite. She speaks about 100 miles an hour. Anything shiny, she’s gone and looking at it. She just scatters all over the place. You know, now take my part, do this now, run over this hill, got to go to the bathroom, take it to the top and do this. I mean, she’s always bouncing around in circles. So she reminds me a lot of my sister. So yeah, we get along.

What can you say about the zombie episode? Was it influenced by "28 Days Later"?

I do love that about our show. You can choose your favorite movies and you sort of do a "Eureka" version of that.

Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"

Because "Eureka" has changed so much, does that kind of change your approach from an acting standpoint?

No. No, I always approach it sort of the same way. I mean it’s always script first. You know, you get a story and then you figure out how to do is going to help tell that story. What I’ve enjoyed about this season is that going to new places. With what we can deliver, I find that the scripts this year are more open to comedy. They’re more open to a little joke here and there than I guess last year or the year before. And that’s really exciting …

Everything’s grounded in a new way this year, which is really exciting. There’s more subtext going on and I like that. So no, I wouldn’t say it changes how I go about it but there’s always different things that are called upon to execute it and that’s what’s been great about this year.

Are you ever interested in writing?

I’m a good rewriter. I’m not a good creator. I’m not a good "from scratch" guy. But once a concept’s there, I’m good at sort of tweaking it. So I would be interested in a writing partnership but I don’t have the creator aspect to me.

Photo credits: Syfy