Date: Tue, 2 Jan 1996 21:07:46 -0600 From: Julie Randolph Subject: Into the Knight (1/1) ** Greetings and salutations everyone, Happy New Year and all that. You will note upon reading this that it is not a fiction, but rather an article I wrote. I was recently given the opportunity to speak with and get to know the people that make up the FK world, I wrote an article which never got picked up by anything, therefore I am going to turn it loose to you and hopefully spread it to the Internet. If it helps, feel free to use quotes, make copies, whatever you like, turn it loose on USA, I am not copyrighting this work. I am taking the chance that maybe it will be useful. Peace. ** JCR Into the Knight Julie Randolph Written in October, 1995 The cast sits wearily inside a darkened set. Lit with the blue gels of spotlights and soft, flickering candles it gives off the ambiance of exactly what it seeks to emulate, a vampire. From a couch, one of the newest among the cast stares into the distance and begins to pick absently on the strings of a guitar he has lain across his lap. Everyone is ready for the shoot to finish, and tired cast and crew wander around...waiting. For them the old church has lost its mystery, but as the lights come up and the crew falls silent, Ben Bass becomes Javier Vachon, and once again the set is transformed into the soft and tranquil darkness known by so many fans across the world. It is a set where dreams can come true and everything is not always as it seems. It is a set taking on a strange new season, but the cast and crew of Forever Knight look into the darkness that is their world and see a light in the distance. Forever Knight burst full-force into the new fall line-up in primetime slots all across the country via the USA network. With a brand new set of permanent cast members, a new look and the inclusion of many new and interesting characters, it looks to be one of the most promising yet. Certainly for fans, watching three of their favorite characters leave the show is not easy. Saying good-bye and moving on this season were Deborah Duchene (Janette), John Kapelos (Don Schanke), and Natsuko Ohama (Cpt. Amanda Cohen). All eyes have turned upon the young woman who is stepping into Kapelos' shoes, Lisa Ryder, who plays Nick Knight's new partner, Det. Tracy Vetter. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, the 26 year-old actress graduated from the University of Toronto in 1992. She spent the next three years performing theater, writing and doing choreography around the country. After a tour in theater, she spent some time doing television commercials, guest starred in several television series including a guest appearance many Forever Knight fans will remember as "Angela" on the episode "Beyond the Law." Ryder also did a feature film last year, "City of Dark", that is currently in post- production. "...and then I started doing this show. i love it, there is a really good atmosphere on the set. It's a good place and I'm learning a lot and just having a great time," Ryder says with enthusiasm. Ryder is in a strangely unique position, having to replace one of the more popular characters from last season. Becoming everything from an idol of the younger female generation to a figure of scorn for Don Schanke fans all over the world, Ryder is adjusting well and keeps a positive attitude about her character's existence. "It hasn't been that difficult to adjust. That's the one really great thing about Catherine and Ger, it doesn't really come up. There have been a could times when they have said, 'Oh remember when John did this,' but basically it's been pretty good," Ryder says. "We all realize that this is the third season, and it's a different thing than last year. I'm not stepping into the same character because he was kind of comedic and I'm a young chick, so I've really got a different thing going." Besides being in the scrutiny of the public, Ryder deals with another potential problem by stepping into the relationship already formed between Geriant Wyn Davies (Nick Knight) and Natalie Lambert (Catherine Disher), who have worked together for three years. "It is a little hard. At the beginning I found it easier to do scenes with Blu or Ben because we were all unfamiliar with one another," she says. "Stepping into the relationship of Nick and Natalie is a hard thing, I still don't think we have it quite down. We are not sure what the dynamic is there, because those two have been working together for three years, but at the same time they are consummate professionals. They know what they're doing and it's easier to work with them in a way _because_ they know exactly what they're doing. You feel kind of secure." Taking as much or more scrutiny is the newest vampire on the Forever Knight scene, Javier Vachon (Ben Bass). Creeping slowly up toward sex-symbol status among many fans across both Canada and the United States, the reserved and soft-spoken Bass finds it flattering. "I just want to do the best I can. As long as people are happy, that's all I really care about and I'm glad to hear that they are. I just kind of go with a flow and hope for the best," Bass says. Born in Baltimore, bass moved to Vancouver when he was very young, and like the other embers of the Forever Knight cast he comes from an extensive stage background. "I had been playing guitar for many years...taking lessons and what not, and a friend of my father, who was an actor, sent me to an audition for a part in a play, and I ended up getting a call back for that. I never really intended to be an actor, it was sort-of a freak occurrence." For Bass, the change from stage to television has been a fast paced and interesting experience. "It's a challenge. I haven't done very much television until this show, and it's a different process, a different approach from theater. It all happens much faster, " he says. "You have to do most of the work on your own, and I'm used to sitting around a table for two weeks before I even get up on my feet. You have to work a lot faster. It's a challenge, but I enjoy a good challenge." The experience of television is not as overwhelming for Blu Mankuma, who plays the new police captain Joe Reese. Having done both film and television, including "Look Who's Talking", the critically acclaimed film "Cadence", and most recently "Robocop: The Series" Mankuma feels himself stepping out of one precinct and into another. "I just felt like I was changing precincts. First I was in blues, and now I get to wear these nice suits. It's great, really. Geriant directed the first two episodes and as a director he's more fun than I can begin to tell you. It is strange, though, because now I'm surrounded by vampires and I never really watched this kind of thing until now so what I know about vampires you could put in a thimble." Fortunately for Mankuma, his character does not hold the monopoly on vampire knowledge. "I love the fact that Joe Reese doesn't have a clue. He doesn't believe in them because everything can be explained. he has no idea and I like that, he should be that way," Mankuma says. Even in the midst of a new season, Mankuma finds the atmosphere and aura surrounding the cast and crew to be comfortable. As he fills the shows of Natsuko Ohama, the feeling of camaraderie on the set gives off a sense of security. "Geriant and Catherine have been a long for the ride on this show and they're a couple of the sweetest people in the world, especially Ger. I met him before when he did a guest role on Robocop. As long as people are that comfortable and nice to be around, you can do virtually anything. It's a wonderful set. Everybody is working in the same direction," he says. Lisa Ryder, who has had the most screen time with the remaining cast members from last season, would tend to agree. "They are really great. Ger even directed the first couple of episodes and I found that to be a really good way to get to know him," Ryder says with a laugh. "They make things go smoothly." Looking in from a different perspective are the incumbents of the Forever Knight scene. Having been with the show since its premiere over three years ago, Nigel Bennett (LaCroix) admits to feeling concern among the fans as the new characters and changes settle into place. "I don't think they like it very much and that's perfectly understandable. They got used to the old people who were there and became followers and when these people went it was difficult for them to accept, a lot of them. But I think they'll come around." It would seem that it is simply a matter of time, as fans adapt to the new characters and begin incorporating them into the Forever Knight world. "The fans are so loyal, and I heard that they had quite a hand in bringing the show back this season, but at the same time it seems that it takes a while for them to get used to changes because of that loyalty to the old characters. I run across that a lot, and I think it's great. As the season progresses and they get used to the new characters and all the changes, that will be a huge benefit,"Lisa Ryder adds. Perhaps the most popular of the many changes this season is the incorporation of several new vampires. Adding to the show a realistic viewpoint that LaCroix, Nick and Vachon are not the only three vampires living in Toronto, a new group has emerged into the spotlight. Called "Carouche", these vampires are often looked down upon as a lower form of "unlife." "A Carouche is a vampire that mainly feeds on animals, almost like a shell kind of creature. They're sort-of unenlightened, or they can be. They just turn into an automaton, basically, of going out and getting blood from the nearest available source, which is usually an animal. It's the idea of, you take on the properties of that which you feed off of...you are what you eat. So, if you just eat rats, you're going to turn into one," Greg Kramer, who plays the comedic Carouche "Screed," says with laughter. Although disliked by the other vampires on the show, Kramer and his character are rapidly taking off in the world of fandom. "I think that's wonderful. I can't really believe it. That's brilliant," he says of this new found status. Allowing fantasy to run wild, Kramer is given a character that is both horribly disgusting and a comedic gem at once, and fans around the world are finding "Screed" to be exactly what the doctor ordered. "Screed is sort-of your comic relief vampire. It's about time we laughed about it. I sort-of fall in the same lines as Nigel's character by the fact that I'm not really in a quandary about where I stand, and find quite a lot of amusement in the fact that Nick does." Even though called upon to do many of the more unappealing activities, Kramer keeps a positive attitude. "Well, the first time you drink that blood, it's like...mmmmmmm, minty. Then the second time it's more like well, yeah, that's...minty. The third time it's like...ummm, this is sticking to me, can we please stop now? It gets everywhere, the universe will stick to you." Through it all, Kramer is enjoying the attention. An accomplished stage actor and novelist, the change to television has been exciting. "I love it, really. Everyone is wonderful. It's unusual when you are in that sort of structure to have the star that is someone who is great to get on with, that doesn't happen that often, but Ger is one of the nicest people to work with, so it's easy." Whether it's Carouche vampires, or the regular vampires, the fans seems to be hanging in there after a long wait and a lot of changes. "I think it has taken us a while to get a handle on it and settle in, but as we go from show to show, I think it's apparent that we are finding that balance,"Nigel Bennett says. Unfortunately, that may not matter as USA recently informed producers that they did not intend to buy any more new episodes for the series. Creating a flurry of activity among the fans, the S.O.S Campaign was born to save Forever Knight. Working together through the use of the Internet, fans across the world, from Australia to Singapore, are currently bombarding USA and TriStar/Colombia with mail, phone calls and e-mail. Like so many other cult classic hits before it, Forever Knight fans do not look to be letting up, and hopes are still high that the last few episodes of the third season can be salvaged. Whatever the case, it looks as if Nigel Bennett's prediction has come true. The fans have adapted to the new characters, given them their loyalty and the road is being paved for a bright and promising future. ***************************************************************** response, flames, oreos, letters of recommendation, definitions of "irony" and/or Geriant Wyn Davies home address to randolph@tenet.edu Just remember everyone...it's not over till its over. Keep the dream alive. *****************************************************************