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stripe
TX
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posts:
44
(2/19/01 7:59:03 am)
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 'Andromeda's' Superior Keith Hamilton
Cobb
I thought you guys might enjoy a
little light hearted interview
..
Hugs
Stripey
Thu, Feb 15, 2001 01:49 PM
PDT
by Vanessa Sibbald
Zap2it.com, TV News
Not many
people get a role written just for them, let alone the role of a
superior human subspecies -- but even as he himself will tell you,
Keith Hamilton Cobb isn't your average actor.
In the
syndicated series "Andromeda," Cobb plays Tyr Anasazi, a Nietzschean
warrior. The Nietzscheans are a genetically engineered human
subspecies who fervently follow the theories of social Darwinism --
survival of the fittest. Based on the writing of "Star Trek" creator
Gene Roddenberry, "Andromeda" is best described as a mix between
"Star Trek" and "Buck Roders in the 25th Century." The series tells
the story of starship Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) who gets
frozen for 300 years and wakes to find the Systems Commonwealth (a
government spanning three galaxies) destroyed, leaving the existing
universe in chaos.
Tyr, along with space wanders Becca
Valentine (Lisa Ryder), Seamus Harper (Gordon Michael Woolvett), Rev
Bem (Brent Stait) and Trance Gemini (Laura Bertram), joins the crew
of the spaceship Andromeda and its captain, Hunt, with the united
goal of restoring the Commonwealth.
While on a break from
shooting the series, Cobb took time to chat with Zap2it about what's
it like playing Tyr and what he does to let off steam during the
show's downtime.
"Ah… well, I was hired to be the big man on
the show," Cobb tells Zap2it. "The Nietzscheans are purported to be
physically superior in every way to humans. They are human beings
with heightened everything."
On Cobb's web site
(www.KeithHamiltonCobb.com), he shares his diet and exercise tips
for how to keep looking good in those chain metal shirts he always
wears on the show, but one wonders if playing a perfect specimen
brings its own set of pressures.
"No, because ultimately what
we're finding out is that he's not perfect, and the Nietzscheans in
general are not perfect," he says. "They have proclivities and
strength that stand out, but, like all human beings, if you look
hard enough there are flaws, and issues, and Achilles heels."
A guest-starring role on two episodes of "The Beast Master"
led Cobb to a meeting with "Andromeda's" head writer, Robert Hewitt
Wolfe, who also wrote for the Roddenberry series "Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Shortly after the
meeting, Wolfe created the role of Tyr for Cobb.
"I met
Keith, and obviously I saw immediately both in terms of the acting
ability -- he's a classically Shakespearean-trained actor -- and
just also in terms of physical presence, he's a very striking
person," Wolfe told Space.com last June. "There was already a very
obvious way to go with casting him. So, it was a no-brainer."
For his part, Cobb is happy to have the role.
"The
most exciting thing is that it was written for me," says the actor.
"Contrary to popular belief, there's not a whole lot being written
for a 6'4" black guy with hair. It just doesn't quite happen that
way."
Audiences shouldn't be fooled, although the character
was modeled on him, it might not be a tailor-made fit.
"
Keith is such a Nietzschean," fellow cast member Lexa Doig, who
plays Andromeda, told the British SFX magazine. " But he has got a
silly side that you don't get to see very often."
" The thing
about Tyr is he's hugely politically and socially incorrect,"
explains Cobb. " He makes statement based upon what he thinks people
need to hear. And these are things that we can't do in our culture.
He's not a malicious person, he's just an honest person in terms of
'I'm going to put out there what needs to be out there.'"
Not
that all of Tyr is well and good.
" Truth be told, he's a bit
of a liar and a conniver. But the fact of the matter is, he's the
toughest kid on the block. He's not fearing repercussions by
speaking his mind. So it's a great deal of fun to play a character
that can do that."
While the rest of the crew has bonded,
Tyr's remains the outsider, his motivations more suspect. That might
have something to do with the fact that the Nietzscheans were the
ones to destroy the commonwealth, or that he's a Nietzschean without
a pride (tribe).
" It's always more fun to play the villain
or the one who might be the villain. The jury is still out on what
his thing is -- is he a hero, or is he a villain?"
" I
prefer to call him an antihero. He may achieve heroic ends, but by
very dubious means. I think that makes him hugely interesting to
watch. So, I'm enjoying that, I'm enjoying being the character that
people wait to see."
As for what's coming up on the series,
Cobb gave Zap2it some clues of what to look out for.
"
There's some interesting things in both 'Harper 2.0' and 'Forced
Perspective.' I like episodes where a little bit more is revealed
about the character of Tyr, who he is. He came on board and
everybody sort-of perceived him as this dour, ultra serious
destroyer kind of guy. He has that, but there's a human being in
there and we have opportunity from show to show to see other facets,
hints of other characteristics."
" In season two, we are
definitely going to get deeper in the Nietzschean mythology and
history [and] try to clarify who these people are because we created
this race, which has huge complexities from pride to pride --
they're all very different and evolving."
After having
wrapped " Andromeda's" first season in mid-December, the second
season of the series begins production Mar. 26. Cobb describes the
shooting pace as " very frantic," with the crew wrapping 22 episodes
in about eight months -- giving them about one week to shoot each
episode.
With the shooting taking place in Vancouver, Canada,
Cobb is left with little time to pursue his theatrical interests.
However, due to the threatened writers strike, the producers have
scheduled a two-month break in July and August for the cast, during
which time Cobb hopes he can fit something into his
schedule.
" I would like very much to do something in New
York -- Shakespeare in the Park -- which I've never done but seems
to fit into the schedule since we have that break," says the actor.
" I'm always looking for theater gigs in the down time because I
can't be away from stage work and be happy.""
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Red
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TX Admin
posts: 289
(2/19/01 1:40:47 pm)
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Re: 'Andromeda's' Superior Keith Hamilton
Cobb
Great interview Stripe, thanks
for posting it!!
Quote:
and just also in terms of physical presence, he's a very striking
person
That's the
understatement of the year!! 
Redhead
|
Stars
a Plenty
TX New
Member
posts: 12
(2/19/01 7:20:46 pm)
|
 Re: 'Andromeda's' Superior Keith Hamilton
Cobb
Stripe,
Thanks for posting that
piece. It would be very interesting to see his
sillier side, but
doubt if it will appear in his role as Tyr. Yep, he's right,
we
are always waiting to see what his character will do next.
Have to zip over to his website to see his diet and exercise
plan...maybe
we can have it published for the general male
population! LOL We can
always use more "physcial striking
presences."
Like wasn't Ares as a farmer without his shirt on
just perfect? Therefore,
Kevin/Dylan, take your shirt
off!
Well now that I've shown my true nature.....I'll drool
elsewhere,
Stars a Plenty
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Warrior
Queen 1049 
TX
Member
posts: 801
(2/19/01 8:09:47 pm)
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Re: 'Andromeda's' Superior Keith Hamilton
Cobb
I know alot about Keith's threatre
background, he use to do guest appearances alot on "AM
Philadelphia", on Channel 6 in Philadelphia, channel 6 aired "All My
Children", so they use to have alot of their stars on for
interviews, thank you Stripe
Ares play thing
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LadyCorinth
TX Member
posts: 217
(2/19/01 9:35:27 pm)
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Re: 'Andromeda's' Superior Keith Hamilton
Cobb
I'd love to see Keith Hamilton Cobb
do Shakespeare in the Park. His voice is a magnificent instrument.
Thanks for posting this for us, Stripe. I would hope that they would
do something more imaginative than cast him as "Othello." I'd like
to see him do "MacBeth." (It's my favorite Shakespeare play.)
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EZ
RYDER2
Moderator
posts:
963
(2/20/01 9:16:30 am)
|
 Re: 'Andromeda's' Superior Keith Hamilton
Cobb
Thank you very much for posting this
Stripe! Excellent reading!
EZ
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