SARAH
DOUGLAS
(Cmdr. Pamela)
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Ohhhh, the glorious Sarah Douglas, how we do love you!
Born on December
12, 1952 in Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire, England, Sarah is
notorious for her roles in "V," "Superman" and "Conan the
Destroyer." Of course, she was also in "Beastmaster 2" with
fellow "V" alum, Marc Singer.
Sarah has a
gazillion credits to her name, so check her out on
IMDB. Her website, which includes her upcoming
convention appearances, is
HERE.
What a beauty
Sarah is, yes? |
SARAH
DOUGLAS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - 09/10/2010
(Special
thanks to Steven Bayman and Eli for making this happen!)
IR:
Was it
more fun to play Pamela in "V" or the Villainess Ursa in "Superman?" Did
you prefer to go after this type of role, or were you somehow typecast
as a baddie?
SD:
Two completely different
experiences…with V, I came in over a period of a few weeks and shot my
scenes. I got to bicker with the delightful Jane Badler and boss her
around. Until she killed me. It was all quite quick. With “Ursa”, that
experience went from 8 or 9 months shooting, into an extended break,
then back for another 9 months with another director, redoing most of
the stuff I’d already done. Superman turned into 3 years, and then 9
months plugging the film on my own. Playing Ursa took up a massive
chunk of my life, it’s what people always mention to me, 30 odd years
later. It’s such a thrill. But Pamela was also fun for different
reasons.
I tried
very hard not to be typecast, but when you find that Hollywood starts
looking for a “Sarah Douglas Type” you just embrace it in the end.
Being bad is so much fun, but it’s always a pleasure to play against my
type when the chance comes along. One of my roles a couple of years
back was a transsexual on a BBC Daytime show. I’m a woman, who’s
playing a man who’s now a woman…get your head around that!!
IR:
Would
you have stayed with "V" if they hadn't killed off your character,
especially since it seems that the Lydia character in the weekly series
was modeled after your Pamela character?
SD:
I was asked to continue into
the series, at the same time as Falcon Crest came along. I had the
choice of being a lizard queen, or wearing nice earrings and great
clothes. Being in V would have meant being one of two or three women,
Falcon Crest was a whole group. V was turned down because I chose the
earrings and great clothes!!! Perhaps, with hindsight, I should have
gone into V because of it’s longevity and popularity, but at the time,
it was recommended that going into a nightly soap competing with Dallas,
Dynasty and so on would give me more exposure. Lydia was the next
version on from Pamela, I understand (not to take away from June
Chadwick’s great performance). Pretend it’s me if you like!!!
IR:
What did
you think of doing "V?" How were your interactions with the cast and
crew? Did you enjoy the experience?
SD:
All good
fun…..I’m not a sci-fi fan myself in that I sit down and watch anything
sci-fi, mostly because half the time, I don’t quite understand what’s
going on, so you can ask me these questions at fan conventions and I
sort of glaze over…not through boredom or disinterest - I just don’t
necessarily remember or know too much. But I LOVE the work, the
interest in it and the imagination that goes into it. The fans are just
hardcore about the stuff. It’s amazing. I didn’t spend too much time
on the show, like I say, I just came in and did my bit and left - that’s
episodic tv work for you. It was such a long time ago that I don’t
remember every scene that I shot, but if shown a clip, it triggers
something. Thank heavens for YouTube!!! But I do recall I had a great
time on the show. Nice people. Have managed to catch Jane Badler in
the odd episode of Neighbours too! And I hear that she’s back in the
new version….well, good for her!!! Haven’t seen her years, but if she’s
at the NYC Comic Con also, will be nice to try and meet up and get a
photo opportunity for the fans. Pamela vs. Diana, 26 years later…Wow!
IR:
Why do you think that sci-fi
is so popular in modern culture and why do people immortalize their
favorite sci-fi characters above even important historical figures?
SD:
Goodness, perhaps because people just like to escape from problems in
their lives and reaching for the stars and all that….sounds such a
cliché, but there it is. And maybe because these characters, as you
watch them on DVD now, they’re with you here and now, you can relate to
them, as opposed to somebody you can learn about from the books and how
history has recorded them. People just want to get away from stuff,
sci-fi does that for you!
IR:
How did you enjoy being directed by
Richard Donner in "Superman I and II" and do you have any good memories
u can share about playing the naked green woman on "Space: 1999."
SD:
Fabulous. Very laid back.
The type of director who would say “now we have as long as you need to
get this right” whereas Lester was “do this, do that, stand there.” I
responded better to Lester’s type of direction on that project, but
Donner was just loved by the entire cast. I wasn’t aware of the
problems going on, which now EVERYONE knows. I just went in, did my
work and went home at the end of the day. The American cast came over
and bonded because they were all away from home, I was never part of
that, but that’s not to say we didn’t have a great time together, we
did. It was just a long, sometimes physically painful (from hanging on
wires with no other support), very tiring, ultimately wonderful
experience. Great guy, and I remember, he was the first man I ever knew
who wore coloured glasses. I think they were pink if memory serves!
For AB
Chrysalis - a very long and lopsided wig, a lot of smoke, the marvellous
Martin Landau. I connected with him again in LA a few years back and
went to remind him of our work together and he right away said “AB
Chrysalis” - very sharp man!
IR:
Tell us a bit about your character "The
Red Queen" in your 2010 TV Movie "Witchville."
SD: The Red Queen - Queen of the
witches…….you don’t want to mess with me in it! Great costume, fabulous
director in Pearry Teo, had a blast in China for 3 weeks making it. The
end result was very impressive for the time we had and I was very
pleased with my performance. MyAnna Buring - a nice, young girl that we
should keep our eye on - and ANOTHER Queen on the CV…..does nobody want
to see me being NICE??? No, seriously, had a lot of fun, with the hunky
Luke Goss as my son. Can’t complain.
IR:
What's it like working on "Doctor Who."
Is there more pressure due to the fact that the show has been around for
a very long time?
SD: My oldest and dearest friend,
Waris Hussein, directed some of the original Doctor Who episodes, so the
show has had a long standing affection. Now that I’ve done some of the
Big Finish audio stories and now 3 of the Adventure Games, I’m hoping to
be put into the show, in front of the camera. Who do I need to charm to
do this? I’m aware of it’s enduring popularity and how successful the
show is, but it doesn’t really put any pressure on me as such. I just
learn my lines and make sure I get them right. I’m thrilled to be
recognised as being part of Doctor Who now. I just want to be IN the
show now!!
IR:
Did you have any pets as a child? If so,
what kind of pets and what were their names? Do you currently have any
pets?
SD:
Always been a dog loving
family…..had various ones over the years. Have a lovely German Shepherd
in LA called Nike, which now lives with a dear friend of mine as I
travel so much with work, so Nike is really her dog….
IR:
What has been your relationship status
(single, married, divorced, significant other) since you were a
teenager? Have you ever been IN love (with a human!) ? If so, tell us
your thoughts ...
SD:
Haha, in love with a human -
well, women are from Venus, men are from Mars…..yes, I was married once,
in fact he played the news reporter in Superman II with me, just before
we 3 villains destroy East Houston. Divorced after a few years, at the
time I did “Conan” (1984). And there we go.
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