Bernd Lorenz
Since June 2007 Non Commercial Fanwebsite
Gary Jones - Interview from Earth into the Universe and back.
Welcome The-Entertainment-Junkie.de and Stargate Fans,
today my guest is Gary Jones
Gary Jones is a Welsh-born Canadian actor, who has worked on television and on stage in Britain and Canada. He is known for his recurring role as CMSgt. Walter Harriman in Stargate SG-1.
Hello Gary Jones and thank you for your time for the Fans.
-Hey, Bernd. I’m going to call you Bernd Toast. Ask around. It’s funny. You are welcome to my time because I always have time for the fans. Wait. Which fans? Oh! SG:1 FANS??? Yes! Them! Those are the ones I have time for.
Gary you was a part of the Big Stargate World.From 1997 - 2009 you was in all Series and Movies a part in Stargate. How was is for yourself in all this times?
-It was for sure a Big Stargate World! I was over the moon to be a part of it. Over the moon and all the way to PX9-782. The cast and crew became one big family and it was super fun to be a part of that show. It was truly thanks to Richard Dean Anderson that my role got expanded in Season 8. When Richard became the General, he requested that he have a more involved connection with me. So the writers jumped to his command and I had more lines and funny moments than I had ever had before. It was great fun and I’m truly grateful to Richard.
It was awesome to be in the movies and I was also very fortunate to be asked to appear in the San Diego ComicCon to host a Stargate panel with the cast of SG;1 and Atlantis in front of 4,000 fans. it went to well that i believe they added those panels to the “SPECIAL FEATURES” in the Season 10 box set!
Your last Stargate job is some years ago, do you miss the Cast and the series?
I miss the work and the paycheque, as would any actor. The people were awesome and made the work super fun. Working on a show like that for so many years meant that I could relax around people and let them get to know me. And once the writers got to know me, they found out that I was also a comedian. That’s how they ended up writing me funny lines because they knew I could handle it and deliver the lines.
Do you still have contact to some of the Stargate Cast?
I see them more often at conventions. We don’t really hang out but if we do see each other it’s great fun to catch up. They’re all pretty great people. Some of them, like Andee Frizell, who played a Wraith, I didn’t get to meet until I saw her at a convention! With people like her, our paths sometimes never crossed on set even though we might have appeared in the same episode. So sometimes I’m meeting someone for the first time even though they were on the show for years, it’s just that they may have shot their scenes in the morning and mine might have been shot in the afternoon. Either way, it’s great to catch up with all of them and share a laugh and a beer.
Many years the Fans don´t know your TV Series name and renamed you "The chevron guy". What do you think about the nickname when you hear it the first time?
Yeah, that was cool of them. I had no idea until I showed up at my first convention and they yelled out, “It’s Chevron Guy!” I seriously didn’t think anyone even knew who I was on the show since I thought the camera used to whiz by me as I listed off the encoding Chevrons. So when I was assured by the event organizers that fans did indeed know who I was and had even named me “Chevron Guy,” I was intrigued to say the least. At that time, in all the scripts my characters was listed as ‘TECHNICIAN.’ As the seasons progressed it moved to ‘SERGEANT’ then to ‘MASTER SERGEANT’ then to ‘CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT’ then to ‘DAVIS.’ Once they named me “Davis,’ I knew that I was truly part of the show and that the only way that they could get rid of me was to kill me off.
So for the longest time I was ‘CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT NORMAN DAVIS.’ then in the episode ‘2010,’ Richard Dean Anderson meets me in the future when the Stargate has become a tourist attraction. He calls me ‘Walter’ and that name wasn’t even in the script! He just made it up on the spot and when the script person told him that my name wasn’t actually ‘Walter,’ Richard said, “Well, it is now.” So that’s how I became Norman Walter Davis. Then in a later episode, Don Davis (General Hammond) had to refer to me as an ‘Airman’ because I was in the Airforce. Because of Don’s thick southern American accent, it came out sounding like “Harriman.” So that’s how after 10 seasons I started out as ‘Technician’ became 'Sergeant Norman Davis’ and ended up as ‘Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman.'
What are your plans for the future ? Is there something you work at right now?
I still audition like I always have. I also write and dream up show ideas.There is a production company currently interested in an idea of mine that is a comedy cooking competition show. I’m also busy writing a one-man Fringe theatre play called GARY JONES: ASK FOR DETAILS.
Gary you are not only a Stargate Actor you also in many series and movies like
"Supernatural" , Sanctuary , Dr Dolittle 3 , The L Word and many many more. Whats your personal highlight so far?
I would have to say that the two highlights for me were not acting in any film or TV. They were both live comedy events. One was playing Captain Kirk in a semi-scripted, semi-improvised musical of Star Trek. It was a huge hit and ran for about two years to sold-out houses. It also featured Dean Haglund from the X-Files as Spock and Ian Boothby who now writes Simpsons and Futurama comics as Scotty. The other highlight was performing comedy at the home of Bill Gates.
Rumors about a Stargate Reboot i heared sometimes. If you had the chance will you be one more time CMSgt. Walter Harriman ?
No. As far as I understand, it’s a reboot that has no interest in using previous cast members.
At the last some words to your fans?
Stargate fans are truly loyal and awesome. I always have a great time whenever I meet them at a con. I want to take this opportunity to thank them all for supporting the show and coming out to meet me. I would not be able to travel the world if not for them. Thank you all from the bottom of my flight suit.
Thank you Gary Jones and i hope to meet you one day in germany.
I’ve been to Germany a few times and I LOVE IT THERE! German people are awesome. I look forward to meeting you also, Herr Bernd Toast,
