http://www.bauchau.com

Patrick Bauchau: TNT/Yahoo Chat with Richard Marcus and Patrick Bauchau (Page Two)

From TNT/Yahoo Audio Chat -- March 30, 2001 (continued from Page 1)

Moderator: For Richard: What's it like wheeling the oxygen tank around all the time?

RM: Oh it became like a...it became second nature to me after the first year, and I rather enjoyed it. Of course we nicknamed it "the poodle," so in a sense it was like a pet, and I became very fond of it. There were times when I did trip over it though. We all did. We all tripped over it. And sometimes it had a mind of its own - would take off in various directions. But I rather enjoyed using it.

Moderator: I just have to ask if you intentionally didn't ever oil it.

RM: (laughing) That's great! Actually, you know what? The tank that I used never squeaked. Those squeaks were put in by post-production. So in a sense...I remember a lot of the directors, when they'd say, "Action!" and they would actually go "Squeak, squeak, squeak." (Both Patrick and Richard laugh).

PB: Post-production you call it. Yeah I witnessed Mr. Raines's slipping into the oxygen tank addiction in the course of season one, and I was horrified. I tried to have him to come and be a patient of mine, but it hasn't happened yet.

RM: Actually in one episode you did save me. I ran out of oxygen and Sydney...I think he kept me alive. You know, I'm not quite sure how he did it. (laughing)

PB: I remember it well. That's Sydney's magic touch. He's got healing fingers...and words.

Moderator: For Patrick: Do Broots and Sydney have a strong relationship?

PB: Well Broots is definitely my protégé in the Centre, but...now how could I define that relationship? I guess I encourage him. I encourage him to do whatever he would like to repress in himself. (chuckles) So it comes out a little strange on the screen at times, but it's a humorous relationship, definitely. That's Broots and Sydney, yeah.

RM: Yeah, I think Broots is like a son to Sydney in some ways.

PB: Absolutely. The second-born son, you know, because I've always thought that in Sydney's head the first-born is Jarod and so he demands things of Jarod. But of Broots...Sydney is much less demanding of him. He allows himself to just enjoy that relationship.

Moderator: For Richard: Were you allowed to contribute quirks and other character traits to the role of Mr. Raines?

RM: Hmm. Well that's a difficult question. Except for my own quirks that I couldn't help but add...of course the voice was something that we put in there and played around with. But besides that I can't think of any...of course Raines by definition is quirky. So in a sense, he's just one big quirk. That's a good question. I have to think about that even more. I mean, Raines...it's possible that Raines...of course we all know that Raines had a smoking problem, and he was suffering because of it. But I don't know if we can define that as quirky.

Moderator: Along those lines, we've had a lot of people who want to know if you shave your head or if that's a natural "do."

RM: Uh huh. Let me put it this way, part of it's natural, and part of it's shaved. I guess we could say that I'm male-patterned baldness? Is that the term? Yes, I think. So in a sense, the top there is naturally bald, and the sides were shaved - to make him a complete chrome-dome.

Moderator: For Patrick: Are you classically trained as an actor?

PB: Totally adventurously trained. I guess it's a case of requests being my teacher.

Moderator: We've had a lot of questions for what your upcoming projects are. For both of you we've had this question.

RM: For me there are a couple of projects that are going to occur. One is going to be...I'm going to be doing a movie in Spokane, Washington, and they're gonna try to fit it in before the impending strike. As everyone knows, it's a possibility that there's going to be an actors' strike, so we have to all wait to see if that occurs. Then there's also a show called...well, I have to refrain from telling you what the show is until it's certain that it happens. Actors have to do that until all the deal is complete. But once it occurs, I will inform people what it is. OK? It's a television show that everyone knows.

PB: And in my case, in the case of Sydney, well Sydney is actually currently filming on Panic Room, which is a stylish thriller with Jodie Foster. I play her estranged husband. And it's directed by David Fincher.

Moderator: For both of you: When you go out in public, do you ever think you're the characters you play...do people ever think you're the characters you play and say things to you accordingly?

RM: No I never think that I'm the character that I play, but there are people that approach me and first they seem to be startled, and then they laugh. I don't know how to take that.

PB: That's a great response. That's the best. I get the same. Pretender is a show that people are fond of, and suddenly when they see someone from Pretender, you can feel that they're really happy with their discovery and seeing characters that they've been spending time with for a few weeks or months.

RM: Yeah, I get a lot of, "Where's your oxygen tank?" (both laugh)

PB: And I get a lot of, "Syd! Where's Jarod?!"

RM: And also I do get a bit of...a lot of questions about the voice because of course it was an affect during the show. But as people...as we went into the fourth year, actually Raines lost that throat problem, which is interesting.

PB: What do you attribute that to?

RM: Well I think he was...there was some surgery that was going on behind the scenes, and I think he was regaining his old voice.

PB: Chinese surgeons?

RM: Yeah, possibly. Could have been herbal.

Moderator: For both of you: What is it like working with Michael (T.) Weiss?

PB: Michael of course is our main preoccupation, and the thing is that he is out of the Centre's reach, and it is partly Sydney's occupation is to keep him out of the Centre's reach, so it allows for very few scenes for any of us with him. We've got limited time possibilities with him.

RM: The truth of the matter, as Patrick said, is that the Centre rarely interacted with Jarod, and therefore the actors of course rarely got to work with him. But when we did, and when I did, it was quite enjoyable. Michael was very, very happy to work with the Centre characters. As a matter of fact, what I remember him saying was, "Oh, I wish I could be a part of the Centre more."

PB: He wishes to come back (laughing).

RM: Yeah, he wishes to come back (laughs). And of course Raines really enjoys that part, and so did Richard Marcus. I felt that when I was working with him it was quite enjoyable, and he's a very good actor too.

Continue to Page 3 -->