TITAN INTERVIEWS

JULY 7, 2002 - - A CONVERSATION WITH BARRY SAIP

He wouldn't return our calls so TITAN NEWS tracked BARRY SAIP down at ONTARIO PLACE during a promotional tour to chat with him about the Third Season of SPACE ODDITY, his character Bill Magellan and what's coming up in the Fourth Season.

BARRY SAIP:   [Pointing to a bottle of a popular carbonated beverage we have] Are you going to drink that?

TITAN NEWS:   Uh... no. Help yourself.

BARRY SAIP:   [Takes bottle and begins to drink] Ahhh... [noise] Excuse me.

TITAN NEWS:   Uh... sure.

BARRY SAIP:   You want to do the photo now or after?

TITAN NEWS:   Uh... Now is good.

BARRY SAIP:   OK, shoot. [Laughs] I love that.

TITAN NEWS:   Are we ever going to get a picture of you where you aren't hamming it up?

BARRY SAIP:   Ah... No.

TITAN NEWS:   Why not?

BARRY SAIP:   It's in my contract. I don't know if its to protect me when I'm just walking around or what but its there.

TITAN NEWS:   You didn't ask for it?

BARRY SAIP:   No. Should I have?

TITAN NEWS:   Well it would make recognizing you at McDonald's harder.

BARRY SAIP:   Good point. Maybe that's why you never see a picture of Gary [Creator, Executive Producer Gary Davidson] without sunglasses.

TITAN NEWS:   (stops to check) That's true, his character never wears them but all the photos we have he's got them on.

BARRY SAIP:   It's in his contract.

TITAN NEWS:   You're doing promotional runs.

BARRY SAIP:   Yeah.

TITAN NEWS:   How many amusement parks have you been to this summer so far?

BARRY SAIP:   Must be at least seven.

TITAN NEWS:   At least?

BARRY SAIP:   I think so. I only remember throwing up seven times. Yes, seven.

TITAN NEWS:   Throwing up?

BARRY SAIP:   The rides make me ill sometimes.

TITAN NEWS:   You're doing promotion for the series, why are you on the rides?

BARRY SAIP:   Because I love the rides! Who goes to an amusement park without going on the rides?

TITAN NEWS:   Do you wait in line like everyone else?

BARRY SAIP:   Are you kidding! The best part of being on TV is skipping ahead, and getting the car to yourself, well to you and your party.

TITAN NEWS:   Who do you take?

BARRY SAIP:   That's personal. We don't talk about that.

TITAN NEWS:   Sorry.

BARRY SAIP:   No problem.

TITAN NEWS:   Third Season was tough on Bill Magellan, wasn't it?

BARRY SAIP:   Well if you call being killed and then losing your memory and then getting shot at and becoming a pirate and waging a private war and then facing certain death again tough then yeah, it was a pretty tough year.

TITAN NEWS:   And your character and Tzu [pronounced: SUE] hit it off.

BARRY SAIP:   It's been due. MacManus doesn't like to date and he gets all the girls, Bill loves to date but can't get one.

TITAN NEWS:   Until now.

BARRY SAIP:   Until now. This season they get engaged.

TITAN NEWS:   Are you allowed to tell us that?

BARRY SAIP:   I don't care. It's done. We get engaged.

TITAN NEWS:   Do you get married? Will the season end with a wedding?

BARRY SAIP:   Yes and no, in that order but not how you mean.

TITAN NEWS:   What do you mean?

BARRY SAIP:   I can't tell you that.

TITAN NEWS:   What?

BARRY SAIP:   They get married, I just can't say when except that it won't be at the end of the season.

TITAN NEWS:   Will it be this season?

BARRY SAIP:   Next question.

TITAN NEWS:   What does your character, Bill Magellan, have to look forward to this season, other than getting engaged?

BARRY SAIP:   He's going to get promoted and he's going to be in charge, and he's going to stink at it for a while until he gets the upper hand and there are a few episodes which are all his just before everything hits the fan.

TITAN NEWS:   Then what?

BARRY SAIP:   Then we see him in a whole new way. This is Bill's year, by the end of it he's a new Bill.

TITAN NEWS:   Will we like the new Bill?

BARRY SAIP:   I don't care. (Laughs) I'm kidding. I think so. I think a lot of people have been waiting a long time for Bill to get his and he will and I think at the end of it people are going to be pretty pleased. As I read the season I know I am.

TITAN NEWS:   How far have you read?

BARRY SAIP:   I just finished the second to last script this morning. There are going to be some pretty hard episodes, for him and to watch but they're going to be great to act. A nice stretch.

TITAN NEWS:   We can't wait.

BARRY SAIP:   Ditto.

TITAN NEWS:   Thanks for stopping by.

BARRY SAIP:   No problem, next time you should bring yourself a beverage. I hate drinking alone, even if it is pop.

TITAN NEWS:   But that was ours!

BARRY SAIP:   Whatever. (Laughs as he leaves)