The Huffington Post’s recent in house and self-confessed resident Geek have recently completed an extensive interview with Ming-Na, on a variety of subjects including Stargate Universe and Twitter.
You can read an excerpt of the interview below:
I told my Twitter followers that I was interviewing you and everyone wanted to know why we don’t see more of you on SGU.
Ah, wow. You’ll see more of Camille Wray later on. I think in the beginning she was definitely a character that was still in development, and I think once they latched on to her voice and who she is, she became a more integrel part of the show as things go on.
It’s funny … you’re still listed as a guest star. So everyone is wondering when you’re going to explode onto the screen.
[Laughs] I know! I mean, I can’t talk about it because it’s a contractual thing, so let’s just say that that all aside, you will see more of Camille, especially in the next episode. November 20th. The episode called, “Lifeâ€. You’ll really get to see a personal side of who she is.
I had read that your character will be visiting her girlfriend Sharon…
Right.
And I heard that Reiko Aylesworth is going to be playing the character. Tell me a little bit about what we’re going to see. About their relationship.
Well, I think for those who don’t follow Twitter or any of the Stargate blogs and websites, for the few who will be surprised to find out that Camille is gay, that will be a big opener. But what I think you see in the relationship between Camille and Sharon is just a lovely, stable, warm, long term relationship and you get to see a side of Camille, you know, her more vulnerable side, that she doesn’t really show in the work place.
I know you weren’t aware that your character was a lesbian when you were cast. What sort of acting challenges, if any did that pose for you?
Well, I’ve been really fortunate as an actress to have so many opportunities to play everything from comedy to major dramas and all different types of roles, but I’ve never played a gay character before and to me, that’s a huge challenge, because for one, I know being a minority, being an Asian-American, and a woman, a lot of times there are a lot of sensitive issues and you’re dealing with a minority group that is extremely vocal and want to have a good portrayal of a gay character. So shouldering those responsibilities along with the writers, I felt that it would be a challenge on a social level, but on a personal level as an actor, it’s like any other job. I’m just trying to understand who she is, what her strengths are, where she’s coming from, what her greatest fears are and what her motivation is from day to day. So as far as those challenges are concerned, it’s pretty much the same. Except I’ve never kissed a woman before, on or off camera, so that was the only other new challenge. [Laughs]
So, how was that?
It was good. [Laughs] You know Reiko, I’m so happy they cast her. We just instantaneously had great chemistry. Both of us had never played gay characters before, so it was really exciting for us to explore all that, and talk about who these two people are. I mean, they’ve been together for twelve years. So I’ve been in a long term relationship, so I’ve been able to offer up a lot of insight into what that would entail. And for us it was just great to have such a comfort with each other, because that was really, really important for the characters.