When Lt. Matthew Scott signed up for military service, he never imagined just how much it would one day change his life. People who do join may expect to serve their country, while some are following in the footsteps of family or friends, and others want to make a better life for themselves. Few expect to find themselves hurled across the galaxy with a random bunch of strangers, with little chance of returning to Earth.
While Scott faces his predicament head-on, Brian J. Smith—the actor who plays him on Stargate Universe—has his own challenges. “My character is fresh out of [military] training, so he’s very much by the book,” explains Smith. “Scott could probably tell you what the manual says and the procedure for handling a certain situation, but he’s actually now in a position where he is forced to experience the stress of being a leader in a really visceral way.”
Right off in the show’s pilot episode [Air], we see Scott starting to come into his own. He’s got a big military heart, and as we’re watching him grow, we’re also seeing him making mistakes and losing it, sometimes more than he should.
“Scott is a very emotional kid, and that’s not surprising considering his past. He lost both his parents in a car accident when he was very, very young, and the man who raised him, a preacher, drank himself to death when my character was around 16 years old. Scott then got a girl pregnant, so he had to face that aspect of himself, which was extremely disappointing and disturbing to him. The thing that saved him was the military. Instead of running away, turning to drugs or becoming a delinquent, he bucked up and decided to make something of himself.”
Positive Support
Although he has only been working in the industry for a few years, Smith has been an actor long enough to know what makes such a career rewarding for him.
“It’s all about the people,” he says. “You hear terrible things about the stars of some TV shows and the terrors that they’ve put people through. I’ve never had to deal with that. I’ve had wonderful role models and people who have always set a great example, worked hard, were positive and supportive of their fellow actors.”
“I’ve found that once again with Stargate Universe. There could have been one of 10 other actors sitting here, but for whatever reason, the cards played out in my favor. It’s a miracle, so why not enjoy a miracle when you’ve got one, and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy more than one so far. Believe me, I have no complaints. I’m one very happy guy.”
Read the full interview in issue 33 of The Official Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/SGU Magazine – on newsstands now!
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