On Sunday, September 30, 2001, we chatted with Chris Demetral and Jonathan Walker (Sam Clemens in “The Ballad of Steeley Joe”).  The chat began at 3 PM ET and lasted for roughly 3 hours.

Chris Demetral (from LA):

• Chris mentioned that he liked  the episode order that they are using for syndication, putting “In the Beginning” before “Queen Victoria and the Giant Mole”.

• Someone asked him about the movie “For Hope” that is scheduled to be shown this week. He said that it was one of his favorite roles, playing the son of a woman (played by Dana Delaney) who has scleroderma.
  
  
• Francesca Hunt (Rebecca Fogg) does not like to be called Frannie.

 Jonathan Walker (from Toronto):

• The costumes for SAJV were all hand-made clothes, made to be as authentic as possible. They were considered important for the series, and they actually flew him cross-country from this home in Vancouver to Montreal for a day just for fittings.

• He likes costume roles, for the sense of character they provide. Costume roles can be a bit difficult, since they are made to be authentic. In SAJV, he found that big coats and trousers made of thick wool can be very hot in the studio under lights. The boots were custom made just for him and he wished they had let him keep them.

• When asked about his accent that sounded predominantly British, Jonathan explained that he was born in England and lived there until his family moved to Canada when he was 12. He finds that the British part of his accent gets stronger when he is around fellow Brits.

Chris:

• Chris wanted to keep Jules’ leather jacket, which looked modern, but he was not allowed to. The jacket was made to look slightly modern because Wardrobe wanted Jules ahead of the curve for the time, even the fashion curve.

• The producers didn’t think that Chris’ real hair looked period enough, and so they ordered it permed. It did eventually wear off, so that it looks curlier in some episodes than in others.

Jonathan:

• Clemens had curly hair at the age Jonathan was playing him, and Jonathan’s hair is straight. They decided not to make him wear a hair piece, though, and went with his regular hair.

Chris:

• Phileas’ sideburns were appropriate for the time period. Originally Jules’ sideburns were fake. The unwritten Sideburn Rule is that the longer Jules’ sideburns are in an episode, the better the episode worked.

• Chris says he tries to put a little bit of himself in all the characters he does. He says he doesn’t feel as smart as Jules must have been, but he does think he has somewhat the same touch of innocence and wonder at the world around him that Jules exhibits.

• Chris’ favorite episodes to film were “Dust to Dust” and “Rockets to Dead”.

• In the pilot script, Jules was suppose to be somewhere between the ages of 27-30. But the producers decided they wanted him younger, so he became the age Chris was at the time of filming, 23-24.

Jonathan spoke on this:

• When asked about the documentary he is writing about his dad, and his dad’s experience as an orphan in an orphanage in England, Jonathan said that it is going very well. The research is progressing well and they are arranging for funding now for the production.

• When asked about the Toronto Film Festival, he explained that the festival which he attended had been going strong, but basically ground to a halt on September 11^th with the news of the terrorist attacks in the US.

• He is hoping to come to the next chat with the actors on October 28^th, but he’d like to lurk at that one and listen to the other actors talk about their experiences on the set of SAJV.

• He wished everyone success in getting a second season for the show, then had to leave for a prior engagement.

Chris:

• Jonathan was a fun guy to film with, who made some very long hours on that shoot go by very quickly.

• The original sets are still there at the studio in Montreal, so they would be available for a second season.

• He hasn’t heard anything about the actors adding material at the new SAJV official website.

• Chris told his parents that he wanted to be an actor or a wizard as a kid. He and his family moved to California at age 7 from Michigan. After his first audition, the casting director sent him to one of the top LA child actor agents who signed him that day. He considers himself very blessed and lucky for the opportunities he’s been given.

• Chris says it can be difficult for an actor to date when the older brothers and father assume that you are disingenuous because you are an actor and just pretending to be nice

• The sweat you see in “Queen Victoria and the Giant Mole” was a really sticky glycerin mixture they put on their faces. It was, itchy, uncomfortable, caused breakouts, but looked good on camera.

There was a lot more conversation than this, some very informal and all of it a lot of fun. We particularly want to thank Jana Demetral, Chris’ wife, who was present and agreed to participate and answer questions. A great and often hilarious time was had by all. If you want the full chat details, join us for our next chat.

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