Dr. Braun is the architect of the technology on the ship as well?
I'm the architect of the actual ship. Jimmy Johnson is the inventor of the nuclear pulse propulsion -- which is actually based on real technology. There was a thing called Project Orion. This is a technology where you have a giant series of metal plates on the back of something, and in order to propel the ship forward you would launch an atomic or nuclear device off the back of the ship. It would explode and do its force-meeting-an-object-in-a-vacuum thing.
And so the two of us, even though we have a long history and are very at odds with each other, for very good reason, had to work together to make this happen. So Braun knows every inch of the ship, backwards and forwards. He's essential to the success of the mission.
You've worked with Ritchie, and you've also worked with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau [who plays Commander Frank Pike] -- you were on an episode of New Amsterdam ["Honor," 1x04].
I'm afraid I wasn't too good on New Amsterdam [laughs]. But Nikolaj was! And actually, it was weird, when we were doing New Amsterdam together, we really had this immediate connection. And it was one of those things where I met him and his wife, and he met my wife, and we had this immediate kind of brotherly connection. And I was like, "Gosh, I really wish I was doing a show with this guy all the time. I really like hanging out with him."
And he really, just like a good ship's captain, he really elicits a kind of loyalty from me as a friend, and that's something I tapped into for the show.
He seems very steady both on and off camera.
He is, he really is. And we're both Danish, too. He's actually Danish, and I'm third generation. So there's a kind of stoic solidity that he's got -- infinitely more than I do [laughs]. I was corrupted by my time in Minnesota.
But Nikolaj carries this thing with him, and even on set, if I was having doubts about something, or I having a moment where I was like, "Geez, I don't know if this is working, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing here," I could always count on Nikolaj to give me a straight and soothing answer.
So he could be my captain any day of the week, I'd be proud to serve.
You also did a sci-fi short, called Stream.
I was in a sci-fi short called Stream with Whoopi Goldberg (2009). I was in another sci-fi thing called Messengers (2004). Both of those are based more in the real world, on Earth. This is actually my first sci-fi show, and I'm really excited to do it.
I'm also writing a graphic novel with Neal Adams -- he was one of the main Batman artists in the 70s, he's probably on of the six legendary comic artists that are around -- and Neal is doing our cover and he's executive-editing the graphic novel. It's going to be a 72-page graphic novel, it's called The Reconcilers. If people want to find out about it they can email us at thereconcilers@aol.com. We're going to premiere it at the WizardCon out here in New York in October. Neal's working on it, and we've got a guy named Moose Baumann, who's a really well-known comic colorist, so we're excited.
You've got a lot of projects going on...
I was inspired by Ron Moore and Michael Taylor! They're so prolific, and I didn't want to leave the science fiction world after our last day on the movie of Virtuality. So this offer came across my desk, and I was like, "Yeah, why not?" And six months later, I actually have something that's coherent! [laughs]
And you write for theater as well. If the series gets picked up, are you going to lobby to write some episodes?
I think that may be in the works. Writing for television is a full-time job. There's been some talk from other director friends of mine to do some directing in the future for television, and that would be a possibility. I'd love a chance to write for Ron, or for Michael. But in terms of my two lives, if I'm acting on a show, I probably want to keep the writing separate from that, and vice versa.
Our new play, Aftermath [written with his wife, Jessica Blank], is opening at the New York Theater Workshop in September. So I'll always have a full plate. But I would really love to do more Virtuality, and I hope people tune in.
It's airing on a Friday night in the summer. Are you worried about it getting the visibility it deserves?
I'm not worried about anything that Ron Moore, Michael Taylor, and Peter Berg do. We're in good hands with them, and the fans know good stuff when they see it. And if the fans love it and lobby for it, I think we'll be in good shape.
My wife has shown me a couple of fan sites, where we're one of the most anticipated science fiction premieres that are happening this year, we're tied with True Blood right now -- another fine show that a couple of my friends are on. So I think we're in pretty good company.
Who do you know on True Blood?
Well, I did a movie [Undermind, 2003] with Sam Trammell, who plays Sam, the dog. And there's a young woman on the show that I was at the Sundance with -- she's actually more friends with my wife. She plays the African-American woman who's the girl's friend [Tara, played by Rutina Wesley].
There's also a gay relationship on Virtuality, which is actually surprisingly unusual in science fiction.
I'm a fairly progressive guy, and I hope we ultimately get to the point where that doesn't seem so unusual. Even in Minnesota, everybody that I knew growing up has a family member who's gay, or a friend who's gay, and I just don't think it -- I think it's great that it's on television, but I would love to get to the point where it doesn't matter at all. As a matter of fact, my wife had two bridesmen at our wedding.
So I think it's really brave and wonderful of Fox to take the step and put that on the air. I think it's good for everybody.
Anything you want to add about Virtuality and what you're hoping for?
It's got that -- it's kind of like Space Oddity by David Bowie. It's one of those things that you can listen to over and over again, or watch over and over again, and get something new from it.
And I just really want people to tune in, because if they have as good a time watching it as we had doing it, I think they're in for a really nice long ride.
