Women's Murder Club

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

Agent John Ash, Women's Murder Club

Just an observation, a musing if you will, but I wonder how long it takes an actor to feel comfortable in a character's skin, or even if there are degrees of that process. Or if the crazy schedule of shooting TV guest spots even allows for that? And here's the musing part, I guess - Joe didn't seem comfortable in John Ash's skin... but then, did Ash feel comfortable in Ash's skin? Which turns it right back around to actor motivation. This whole actor-approaching-a-role process really fascinates me.

Good morning and welcome to my brain on much too little sleep. ;)

Comments

[hyndara71.livejournal.com]

I never watched this show, it never aired over here, so I cannot say if or if not. But he looks so damned hot in that suit! *thud*

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

He was actually only in two episodes before the Writer's Strike cut the series short. It wasn't picked up after that and SGA was off hiatus, so the John Ash character really never got developed.

But, yes... he does look hot in that suit!!

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

When I think back to the entire first year of ST:TNG, it seems to me the writers, directors, and actors all had to undergo a a period of transition before Next Gen became the show it grew into. Perhaps the learning curve is shorter now because I wonder if it would have been given the same amount of time to find its way.

I suspect for actors, some roles fit like a glove and others have to be tailored a bit to fit. Some roles probably resonate with an actor, where others ask them to tap into a small, dark part of themselves to play it. Most likely as well, some actors have a hard time shaking certain roles. It probably depends a bit on the actor too.

I read somewhere that Daniel Day-Lewis carried that long rifle used in Last of the Mohicans with him everywhere for nine months--so that when he used it, it would seem like an extension of him. Word is that once he dropped out of a version of Hamlet because he began to hear the voice of his recently deceased father (though I have no idea if that's true).

I'm leaning toward the idea that Ash is not comfortable in Ash's skin, however. ;-)

[ayouas.livejournal.com]

I once heard Patrick Stewart say in an interview that he didn't unpack his suitcases for the first six or eight months of filming TNG, because he truly expected to be fired at any instant. That show definitely took awhile to gel.

And I've heard those same types of stories about Day-Lewis. He immerses himself in his characters in ways that make people around him question his mental stability. The guy is hooked up a little different, but it pays off on the screen, I guess.

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I heard when Day-Lewis was in My Left Foot he didn't move even during breaks in filming! I can't say I was ever that dedicated when I was doing theater, but I do recall one role that played with my head a bit and I was glad when it was over.

I hadn't heard the Patrick Stewart story--cool! Thanks for sharing. :-)

[syble4.livejournal.com]

I'd have to say Day-Lewis is a Method actor. They try to become the person they are portraying.

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

Sounds like there is madness to his Method! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

[syble4.livejournal.com]

Love, love, love, your icon!

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

It's brand new--by txduck! I was so enamored with her icons, I added to my user pic package so I could get some more. :-)

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

This does make sense... I can see how the Writer's Strike and all that uncertainty doomed the character and the series. My idea was more toward the thinking that Ash wasn't comfortable in his own skin and I wondered if that was something I, myself, was choosing to read into the character, or did I get an inkling of that either in the writing of Ash, or the portrayal by Joe. I certainly didn't mean to disparage either and the answer (in hindsight) seems so obvious.

And the TV aspect certainly would be different from a film role, but I guess that's another reason all this stuff fascinates me. I studied Psychology, I was made to get into people's heads. ;)

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

certainly didn't mean to disparage either and the answer (in hindsight) seems so obvious.

It didn't sound like you were disparaging anything--just musing out loud, which was pretty much what I did in return!. I think a guest spot would be much harder than a recurring role to make any sort of stamp on it, but I think you're assessment of Ash not being comfortable in his own skin an accurate one.

Just look at his face when he takes in Boxer's 'murder board' that she's re-created in her attic. You can tell he's thinking there's a fine line between the obsessed cop and the obsessed killer and he's wondering where he falls along that spectrum--and if he has the right or the guts to push Lindsay back into full madness again. (Or at least, that was my take on it! :-)

[nialla]

I think maybe he didn't feel comfortable in his hair. ;) I think this was the show that Joe has mentioned cast him as an FBI agent and insisted on taming The Hair to the point they were spraying it down with glue because bits kept popping up even with industrial hairspray. He'd warned them it was impossible, but they didn't believe him.

Ash was supposed to have further appearances, but the writer's strike ruined that plan. Once the show went back into production, Joe's hiatus with SGA was over and he couldn't do any more episodes. That would have allowed for more time to get into the character both for the actor and the audience.

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

I think the one in which they glued his hair was Providence--they also tried to 'age him up' a bit for that one too! You are absolutely right about the writer's strike killing his chance of returning--as well as the show itself. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGqsMruPjlM

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

This show and Providence were the ones where hair and makeup tried to 'tame" the hair.

I can certainly see how the writer's strike affected the show. It would have been interesting to see where Joe would have taken Ash. I got a very dark, secretive vibe from what I did see, which is a lot intriguing.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

If I remember right, the hair stylist kept complaining like he was doing his hair 'thing' on purpose. I love hearing his telling of that story. Makes me laugh every time...

[nialla]

I like the sound effect he uses for when a cowlick suddenly decides to defy product and gravity. ;)

I've got a single cowlick, but thankfully it's in a place where I can mostly control it by keeping my hair cut in a particular style. Boring, but better than having a large portion of my hair achieve liftoff. I can't imagine having to try to tame it every day.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

"Boiiinnnggg"

I think Joe gave up on trying to tame his. My nephew has 2 or 3. The same amount as Joe, I think. I can't even contemplate trying to tame them...

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

I have met FBI agents and they have never looked like THIS
>;-)

AND BTW neither did any NSA look like Brendan

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

I've met some nice looking FBI agents, but not THIS nice looking! The others I knew were all older, a few of them retired FBI who were working security jobs. One thing I will say for them, they were all still pretty fit.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

((((((NODS)))))) indeed, but not like THAT and NOT like Dean when it comes to NSA

[gaffsie.livejournal.com]

I don't know. Ash never really resonated with me the way Sheppard, or Julian or Brendan did. There was definitely potential for something great there, but due to the writers' strike we never got to see Joe grow in that role.

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

And maybe that's it... the character didn't resonate. I got a dark or disturbed vibe from Ash and I suppose it's anyone's guess whether that was Joe or the director or the writers... I'm thinking it would have been an interesting role for Joe, because he certainly wasn't playing it along the lines of Brendan Dean.

[melagan.livejournal.com]

And how much of it comes down to the director?

A lot I think. And heaven only knows what ends up on the cutting room floor.

As for Ash.. there are things I could do with that tie....

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about the director - and the writers for that matter. I had just picked up a certain vibe from Ash and was trying to figure how I'd gotten it - through Joe, or the direction, or whatever.

As for Ash.. there are things I could do with that tie....

Of that, m'dear, I have no doubt. ;)

[ayouas.livejournal.com]

It fascinates me, too, in part because I know that I could never, EVER be an actor. When I watch BTS footage of the bizarre, often truncated process of getting a shot - esp. an action shot - with all those people standing around, watching... Nope. Never. But I love hearing the actors talk about the process on bonus material, etc.

With Agent Ash, I wonder how much of it was a deliberate acting choice, and how much of it had to do with that role falling during SGA. If he'd done that show outside of his run as Sheppard, how might it have been different? Sheppard seemed like such a perfect fit for Joe. Plus, he was the lead, and there was action, and more to sink his teeth into, and maybe the role of Ash was just too... limiting... compared to what he was used to on SGA.

On the other hand, like you suggest, it may have just been a by-product of guest starring, or the grueling pace of filming an hour-long TV show, or the fact that Joe was using his hiatus to work instead of recharge his batteries... Who knows, but it's interesting to speculate.

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

Even with Sheppard, I believe Joe had to grow into that role. BUT, he didn't have much help from the writers or producers during the early episodes - the writers seemed to waffle a bit (like they did with McKay after S3). In the end, though, there's no question that Flanigan defined Sheppard. Joe looked so comfortable in the role.

Oh, I love watching the commentaries and hearing the actors talk about production and motivations and such. And I always get a kick out of someone who says, "didn't have a clue, but it turned out okay." I always wonder about that

In this case, the writer's strike doomed the character and the show, but I saw something very interesting in the character of John Ash. I don't feel that Ash was comfortable in his own skin and would have loved the chance to see if I was at least on the right track. Then again... that's what fanfic is for, right?

[syble4.livejournal.com]

I think it could also be that the character didn't have any substance to him and it was all up to Joe to give the character some, well some character. I don't think guest roles are given more than a name for an actor to work with. It could be that Joe had a hard time defining this character as an individual and thus he came across a but unstable in his own skin.

I've only seen those episodes once, but of what I recall, I didn't see issues with this. Of course, now I will HAVE to go find them and re-watch them. (work,work,work...)

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

There wasn't any one thing I could point to and say, "see, that right there." It was just a feeling I got - something dark and secretive about Ash. Of course, that could totally be just my own deranged mind ;)

I agree with you that lot of guest roles are the focus of one episode and some even die rather quickly (Supernatural, Fringe). Joe had several recurring roles, so I just wondered if he approached Ash with that same way of thinking... I believe it was certainly planned that his character would return.

It's also been a while since I've watched the eps, so I think I've talked myself into a re-watch, too.

[tavabean.livejournal.com]

I vaguely remember watching these eps and thinking that the "twist" was going to be that Agent Ash WAS the killer. Perhaps that's why the character seememd a bit "off" to me.
But wow, he sure looks good there!

[neevebrody.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, THAT is something I would love to have seen. That's the kind of vibe I was getting, something dark and disturbing. Of course, if Ash was an agent who could get inside killers' heads, then he would be equally as creepy. But it would be cool to see how Joe would play that.

He does look mighty fine!