Colin Ferguson
It's been almost a year since the first half of "Eureka’s" third season aired — and a lot has happened since then. "Eureka’s" network, Sci Fi, announced that its name will change to Syfy, as of July 7, 2009. "Eureka" co-stars Colin Ferguson and Joe Morton each directed their first episodes for "Eureka" — those episodes will air during the second half of the show’s third season. And "Eureka" (whose third season returns July 10 at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time) is set to answer some burning questions that were brought up in the third-season midway cliffhanger, when Jack Carter (played by Ferguson) lost his job as the sheriff of Eureka.
Despite all these changes, Ferguson says that "Eureka" still has its quirky charm. That appeal has made "Eureka" the network’s highest-rated original scripted series. Set in the fictional Northwestern town of Eureka, the show follows the events of the town (which is populated by geniuses) and how Jack Carter helps fend off multiple catastrophes. In a recent telephone conference call with journalists, Ferguson gave some insight on what viewers can expect in upcoming Eureka episodes (including what might happen with Carter’s complicated relationship with Allison Blake, played by Salli Richardson-Whitfield), what it was like for him to make his debut as a "Eureka" director, and why he’s taking on more science fiction with "Lake Placid 3," the third installment in the TV-movie series about killer crocodiles.
Can you talk about Carter’s story arc going forward?
From an acting perspective what’s really nice about these back [episodes] is I get to have emotional lines, more specifically with Jordan as we decide, you know, whether she is or isn’t going to go off to college. So that was a really fun episode to play. It was nice to go to those places.
And it’s also to dealing with Salli [Richardson-Whitfield, who plays Allison Blake in "Eureka"] as more on a friendship capacity than a lover capacity, because obviously she’s pregnant through these last episodes. I enjoyed that, being able to sort of dig deeper on the friendship angle of our relationship.
Carter is going to have a new love interest named Tess Fontana (played by Jaime Ray Newman), who has a history with Allison. What can you say about that?
It was a nice change of pace to be able to be overt both receiving and giving of love with a character than the relationship we play with Salli which is sort of unrequited or, you know, confused most of the time. It was nice. It was a nice change. And Jaime Ray was fantastic to work with.
Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"
Looking at these back episodes, creatively what was perhaps the most exciting thing for you going into these back 10 and getting them up on the air?
We’ve always wanted to do these smaller stories, these sort of less "end of the world" type stories. And by me getting to direct an episode, it pulled me out of the plot in a way where ["Eureka" executive producer/co-creator] Jaime [Paglia] actually got to write a smaller, more sort of character-driven episode for Erica [Cerra, who plays Jo Lupo]. And I know that he was really excited about that.
The third season of "Eureka" has been split into two parts. Was that mainly due to the writers’ strike that ended in early 2008?
Well, it was also partially recession-based. That decision was made, I believe, in the fall of last year … when sort of everything was getting crazy and GE [General Electric, which owns NBC Universal] was having … huge cuts and they were sort of making cuts across the board.
Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"
Is it more fun and more interesting to be able to do a show that covers a wide range of comedy and drama?
Yeah, it’s hugely interesting. I mean, it makes it significantly harder. It’d be great to just do your one thing. You go in and you know the tone of the scene right out of the day. But I imagine from a writing standpoint, if you know what tone you’re writing all the time, you know what you’re writing all the time.
Whereas with "Eureka," it is definitely hard. You come into these scenes and you’re sort of like, "OK, you can’t go too funny because that’ll destabilize that." I love it. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it’s difficult.
Colin Ferguson and Salli Richardson-Whitfield in "Eureka"
What can you tell us about Jack and Allison’s relationship moving forward?
There was nothing in the way of them getting together before, and I just don’t know that would have been really hard to play sort of week after week, if we’d gotten together sort of immediately. So I really like the way this has played out. I think they’re truly earning it … I have faith that it’s going to happen. I do, I think it’s going to happen. I think that they’re really going to come to a nice place eventually where they’re so close as friends, and they’re so comfortable that it’s less sort of puppy love or first love, but more of a deep emotional understanding of each other. It’s going to be a real reunion when it happens, I think.
Regarding the science, the innovations and the inventions that have been on "Eureka": Is something that was purely fictional when introduced on the show exist in the real world today?
Wow, I think the most notable would probably be those PDAs. When the show first began, everybody had these little phones on them and it was just a screen, and that was the concept, it was just a screen on the phone. This was prior to the iPhone, well prior to the iPhone coming out. And to sort of see cell-phone technology … going in the same direction as what we’ve done on the show it really funny. I mean, I didn’t understand it when we had the PDAs. I was like, "How is that going to work? That’s ridiculous." And to see that it’s actually gone that way is really funny. Shows the limited nature of my imagination, that’s for sure.
Colin Ferguson, Joe Morton and Salli Richardson-Whitfield in "Eureka"
How would you describe your "Eureka" co-star Joe Morton (who plays Henry Deacon) as an actor and as a person?
Well, I mean, as an actor, he’s phenomenal … He’s so solid. Every scene he comes in he’s so pressed. He comes in with a ton of energy. He’s a joy to work with. Everybody enjoys it. The crew enjoys when he’s there. That’s just who he is as a person and what he brings to everything that he does.
And as a person … he’s a father figure on set. He’s the one with the most experience. He’s done the most, variety of stuff, and for him to come in and work harder than anyone else and to do more research than anyone else, it really sets the bar. And it shows how inexcusable it is to come in with anything less.
Can you talk about sliding into the director’s chair for "Eureka" this season?
Sliding into the director’s chair was absolutely fantastic. I’ve wanted to do it for a while. I mean, one of the things about our show: We’ve got so many different directors come through, I don’t know the actual number, it’s probably 35 different directors. So in shooting the episodes with that many directors you get to learn, you know, from far more experienced people than, you know, potentially I’ve ever be, all their tricks, all their, you know, tools that they use.
And at the same time you get to sort of help them along the way, because I’m in the same set every week and I know where the cameras go in these sets, or where the cameras ultimately end up despite where everyone tries to put them. So a lot of those things I didn’t have to learn. But I guess it’s really different, once you step into the helm of it and really are responsible for what happens on set.
I loved it. I loved every second of it. I’m doing more this summer. I actually leave to go to Bulgaria to shoot a movie where I’m directing. And it’s such a great thing to have been allowed to do and I hope to do a lot more of it. It was also great to be able to work with Erica, who doesn’t get a ton to do on a lot of emotional stuff to hold or sort of long plots to adhere to. And sort of be with her through that experience was fantastic and to watch her grow, not because of me, but just being having to do the extra shots. It was fantastic, I loved it.
After playing Carter for a while now, do you find yourself wondering what’s going on behind closed doors? If you’re at the mall are you wondering, "What’s going on in the basement of the mall"?
That’s funny. I mean, it is funny that you walk around with all this authority on set and rah, rah, rah, rah. And it does sort of seep into your personality. I find it takes me a couple months when I get back to sort of drop my shoulders a bit. You know, because you’re walking around like something’s going wrong or you’re on your way to somewhere. So it is funny. I mean, it’s a great character to sort of take on your personality because he always wins. I’ve enjoyed every second of it.
Jordan Hinson and Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"
Is there anything that’s been a really unexpected aspect of the journey of doing "Eureka" for several seasons?
What’s been an unexpected part of the journey? Probably less to do with the show, but in between the strike and the recession, it’s been far more chaotic than any of us anticipated out of the gate. You know, trying to finish the season, trying to get it up and running. It’s been an absolutely Herculean effort on a lot of people’s part to actually land this thing, and that was definitely surprising. And I think it sort of comes across in the show. It’s its own beat. It has so many different living parts to it that it’s really hard to get your head around when you’re up there.
And I would say on a personal level, what’s been most unexpected is how close I’ve become to some of the cast. I mean, I’ve been with Jordan [Hinson, who plays Zoe Carter] since she was 13, and just love that girl to bits. And that’s really sort of refreshing and the beautiful thing that’s come out of this for me.
Besides "Eureka," are there any current TV shows out there right now that are your favorites?
I just got cable for the first time in my life about a week ago. I’m still stunned, I’m still going through channel 400, like I’m a little overwhelmed right now. I enjoyed watching "I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!" though because I know a bunch of those guys. So that was entertaining.
You were in an episode of "Fear Itself," the short-lived NBC horror series last year. Do you plan to do other horror projects?
I got offered a bunch of stuff after I did that episode which I turned down. But yeah, I do get to do that stuff and I tend to gravitate toward, especially after "Eureka," because you play this nice guy, this character, for 57 months, it’s nice to go the other way. I think what I want to do now is do a little more sort of overt comedy, so that’s sort of what I’m looking for now. I tore up a bunch of tendons in my arm at the tail end of the shoot so I actually am just now back in the pink and allowed to sort of get hired again. So I leave on [July 1] for a couple months, and the one I’m acting in is just a standard, lead hero type thing — and then directing, obviously, which is going to be fun.
Jason Hawes, Colin Ferguson and Grant Wilson in "Ghost Hunters"
You were also in an episode of "Ghost Hunters. "Did that experience really convince you that the paranormal really exists?
I know doing that was awesome and that Jason [Hawes] and Grant [Wilson, the stars of "Ghost Hunters"] are fantastic guys … We actually offered them a role [on "Eureka"], and they couldn’t do it because of their shooting schedule. But it was a great adventure. I would say my mind is open to that sort of stuff, but yeah, that was definitely as overt as it get on that night. And there was so much more that went down that didn’t make the cut, so it’s interesting to see what they actually ultimately cut together. Because I guess you’d call it an active shoot. But we have an episode coming up about ghosts … I don’t think that we’ll ever get clearance to do a completely stylized episode like a reality show as the network really has their thumb on that, like the show is shot a certain way.
Is Nathan Stark (played by Ed Quinn) coming back to "Eureka"?
I mean the future is open, you know I’d love to Ed back in some capacity you know at any point during the future. He’s on "True Blood," so watch him on that, by the way.
Colin Ferguson and Erica Cerra in "Eureka"
Yeah, and on the other side you get to direct two Ericas.
Absolutely. So that was fantastic. And you what? She just kicked the hell out of that scene without the … I’m not sure what form of editing it’s in now. But I hope it’s still reflects it; she did a great job in that scene … I guess I’ve got to thank everybody who was involved … I couldn’t have done it without them.
You mentioned going to Bulgaria. What’s going on there for you?
You know those movies they do on Saturday night on Syfy? Yeah, I’m acting in one of those and directing one of those.
What’s it called?
I’m acting in "Lake Placid 3." I didn’t actually care for "Lake Placid 2," but the script for "[Lake Placid] 3" is actually backable and there’s some fun stuff. And the one I’m directing, I believe the working title is "Fossil."
You’ve done comedy in Detroit, Second City, and in Montreal. Is there a distinct difference in American and Canadian humor?
If it’s funny, it’s funny. I mean, that’s the great thing about comedy … I would find there’s more of a difference between a Friday-night second show and a Saturday night than there is between countries.
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Colin Ferguson and Neil Grayston in "Eureka"
How did becoming a director give you a new perspective on "Eureka"?
It really highlighted that it’s something that I wanted to do because you know as an actor, all the battles that you fight, everything, it’s really 11th hour. You know it’s on set when you’re about to shoot it is when you get to have your discussion with everybody. What I loved as a director and what I was really amazed in a great way to find is how unbelievably accommodating everyone is prior to that moment. You know as a director you get the script seven days in advance and you have a week of breath, and so all the conversations you have over the course of that week, everyone’s so open …
And you get to have these wonderful conversations and it highlights what I liked about it so much: how collaborative it is and sort of how hard it is to be as collaborative as an actor simply because of time. You show up on set, you have to have this thing shot in an hour, you just do. So there’s only so much discussion you can have. And people are a little more frightened when the actor has a question or an idea because they know this can’t be a long discussion. You know you just have to get it in the can, so I enjoyed the time that you get as a director.
What did you think when "Fringe" came on with Active Dynamic?
We’ve been on the air for a couple years at that point, and maybe this is self congratulatory, but I thought it was you know flattering for Jaime and the writers and all that. That the concept of the show, the business model of the show was seen as so viable that other places were, "Oh we can try a version of that" … like how cool is that? So best of luck to them — and hey, let’s hope they don’t kill us. That would be good.
Now that you’re in "Lake Placid 3," what killer crocodile questions are still left unanswered from "Lake Placid 1" and "Lake Placid 2"?
Well let me tell you, what I actually thought was interesting … is they’ve got the massive croc, and then they’ve got like little raptor crocs that can sort of like run in doorways and everything. So they’ve sort of got the massive one and the little guys working in unison.
Colin Ferguson in "Eureka"
So it’s a little "Jurassic Park"?
Yep, a little bit.
Is it fun now?
Yeah, it is actually. The production company has been fantastic and very accommodating like that. And hopefully, yeah, it will be fun.
When is it premiering?
Who knows? I don’t know what their turnaround is. It could be anywhere from like two months to like six.
And the TV-movie you’re directing?
That’s also for the same company, for the same sort of Syfy channel Saturday, those movies. For me it’s great to have a longform movie … Yeah, I believe that’s flying Tyrannosaurus Rexes attacking Oregon. Yeah, not many questions on that, huh?
Have you had any development on the effects of that? Because that can be tough to do on a TV budget.
I’ve sort of washed my hands of the effects. I’m going to have to shoot it sort of in an air-tight way. From my experience with those shows, watching them, the effects are what they are and you just have to sort of accept it, to try to get around it is very difficult. I think is the mandate, you must see the monster in the first act. That’s sort of very counter-intuitive, but it’s like, "Oh, OK, so that’s what we’re making." Hopefully, I’ll be able to do a good job.
What’s been your favorite episode and your most challenging episode of "Eureka"?
Wow. Well, I know my favorite is probably the [third] season finale coming up that Matt Hastings directed. It has so much fun, you know we had you know water and we had fire and I got to do some really emotional scenes with other actors. And so it was a really well rounded episode for me.
The most difficult ones are always the ones where it’s "square peg, round hole." There are a lot of difficult episodes for different reasons to express, but if it was really easy, I’d be bored out of my mind. So it’s really hard to you know throw one up on top of the other.
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Photo credits: Sci Fi/Syfy
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