Dan Bacon is an actor that starred as a Technician in Stargate Atlantis. He's also a reader for the Battlestar Galactica 2003 series. At the Galactica Two Convention in England, held August 4-6, 2006, Martine Voppen spoke to Dan about his work as a reader and upcoming parts.

Hi, this is Dan Bacon. I’m an actor from Vancouver and I also work as a reader. So, I’ve been asked to explain a little bit detail about being a reader. Basically to become a reader is just the cast directors will cut you off and ask you or you can approach a casting director. In Vancouver the busiest casting director is Coreen Mayrs in Heike Brandstetter and they actually cast the Canadian casting for Battlestar Galactica. So… Basically, yeah, they’ll ask you and then they bring you in and it’s all based on how you do. I mean, not every actor is a good reader. I’m blessed with having a really good memory, so I can read a set of sides. I can read two or three pages of dialogue and read it twice and have it memorized. So, when the actors come in, and I’m off camera… The actors come in to audition for these parts, I’m able to keep an eye contact with them…really quickly, which a lot of actors appreciate to actually look them in the eye and have a connection, as opposed to them looking at someone staring at a piece of paper. So, the fact that I was able to do that really quickly definitely got me in favour with them, so this year has been incredible.

 

Dan Bacon, reader on Battlestar Galactica 2003 at the Galactica Two convention in England

I’ve literally…if not…two to four days a week, every week, being a reader. So… And it really helps being an actor because I see everyone come through. I see the best actors in Vancouver, down to the fresh newbies out of theatre school. You see such a wide variety. To see eight people come in and do the same audition is invaluable, because you see all the different variances and you start looking at it from a casting view and you get to look at it from the directors view, in terms of why should we pick this person over that person. What was it that that person did? What imaginative thing did they come up with? What was their connection or commitment level? And I see it, because I’m directly looking at these people. These people had the chance to go home and memorize, you know, the lines they have to say and make their choices as an actor. Then they come in and the biggest thing I see, in actors, is that they don’t listen. And Aaron… Also something that he notices on set is, when someone comes in, they’ve memorized their lines, they have made their choices… Then they come in and they’re acting with you, but you can tell that they’re not listening to you.

Were you there for Aaron’s audition?

No, I came in after… I was Aaron’s reader for Butterfly On a Wheel and he did a very good job with that. Uhm… I’ve been Callum’s reader a number of times. A lot of these guys come through and I’ve been their reader. Yeah, it’s sort of a weird thing, you know. I really enjoy it, because it’s like acting every day. And you’re acting different characters and different roles and so forth...

Any chance on seeing you or your face on Battlestar Galactica in the future?

You know what’s funny, is that I’ve been the reader for a bunch [of] casting sessions they’ve had this year, but with Battlestar the nature of it being such an ensemble piece with so many key characters…that they’re not introducing any big characters, unless it’s someone like Dean Stockwell or Lucy Lawless…and they do that all through Los Angeles so they’re not actually come through Vancouver. So, a lot of the ones that they’ve been casting are unfortunately too small, or sort of bit parts. So, I don’t really get to see a lot of the big things, and I haven’t auditioned for it yet. Although! Aaron did say that an upcoming episode has a techie-guy-character and it’s… [this is an inside joke as he very often plays a techie, for example in Stargate] So… Being, that I understand the techie-world we’re hoping that, uhm, that I have at least an opportunity to at least take a swing at it and see what happens…

It’s tough because a lot of types of characters I get to play are already totally like Alessandro’s part for example. It’s totally something that I would read for or get cast as, but that’s done. Or a Hoshi which is Brad Dryborough, or Dualla, Kandyse’s character. Those are the characters that I will often play and read for and they already have those people.

Dan Bacon as a Technician on Stargate Atlantis

Which character did you actually read during auditions? Any well known characters?

Uhm yeah, I did, uhm… I don’t know if it’s in season 2 or 3. I think it’s season 3, but there is a new Cylon character that you’ll see. And the actress…she’s not really so much like a new Cylon persona. She’s on the ship, the Cylon Base Star…and I don’t know off the top of my head her name but, yeah, you’ll see her. The actress that got the part is a girl named Tiffany Lyndall Knight.

Probably some supermodel look-a-like?

No! They did audition a lot of supermodels for it because she’s sort of a theoral character, because she’s very…theoral. It’s the only way to explain it. Aaron…he will know the character, but yeah, I was the reader for that and it was quite an interesting character, so I’m very curious to see how it’s put into it. And it’s apparently a lot of special effects and really cool stuff going around it, so…

Yeah, I heard that they’re introducing a hybrid of some sort…

That’s the one! That’s the one! So yeah, I’ve got be the reader for a couple of people that came through for that. And there’s actually an English actress, that came in, who was a model. I can’t remember her name now, she came in. She happened to be in Vancouver. She had been in L.A. and was in Vancouver and I was her reader. She did a great job.

Final question. Do you have any future projects lined up?

Well, I also was on Butterfly On a Wheel, Deck the Halls with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, Supernatural, The L-Word, and then the Atlantis, Stargate Atlantis…by the end of the year. That’s the big one I’m excited about, Stargate Atlantis. Because it was really fun and I got to work with some cool people and there’re some really cool scenes that I have, so that’s the one…And hopefully Battlestar Galactica!

Hopefully. We’ll all hope for you.

Fingers crossed!

Thank you very much.

Thank YOU very much.