On-Line inteview with Nigel Bennett
By Sci-Fi Channel
February 12, 1998

chimaeron: Hello Mr Bennett.

PhantomGirl: Hi Nigel!

EricDr: Greeting and Salutations Nigel

Moderator: No your connection hasn't broken

Moderator: The room has just become moderated.

Moderator: That means only I and Nigel Bennet can speak out loud.

Moderator: If you have a question for Nigel, please send it in a private message to the Moderator.

NigelBennett: Hello to everyone. Happy Valentines Day to all!

Moderator: I will try to get to as many questions as I can.

Moderator: Hi Nigel! Glad you could make it.

NigelBennett: My pleasure

Moderator: Any opening comments?

NigelBennett: Nope, just glad everyone could make it.

Moderator: I have to say this:

Moderator: Don't forget about the Forever Knight Marathon tomorrow, in honor of Friday the 13th...

Moderator: First question:

Moderator: <SchankeyIAM> to <Moderator>: Comment and question, I was a volunteer at SyndiCon and loved you and John doing Green Eggs & Ham, my question is when are you and John going to do something like that again?

NigelBennett: The next time someone dares us to do it! It depends on when we arrive at a convention at the same time. John doesn't to as many as I do, so who knows. It was great fun doing it.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: Wo, I'm sorry, Forever Knight marathon is Valentines Day. Saturday.

Moderator: I have my schedule upside down.

Moderator: <barbwire> to <Moderator>: Nigel when you and Ger and John were on Sci Fi Vortex you looked like you were having fun and were old friends, are you in real life?

NigelBennett: Oh yes, we are. I actually rented Ger's house when I first moved to Canada. We've been friends ever since. I only met John doing Forever Knight, but we are even no9w working on charity work together.

Moderator: <MASTERWEB> to <Moderator>: I'm sure this is the most asked question, but we have to know the chances of the show being revived.

Moderator: Nigel, are you there?

NigelBennett: As a series, I thinkk the chances are minimal... Non-existent. As a number of made-for-television movies, I really don't know. I hear lots of rumors, but haven't been approached yet. I think the chances for that are good.

Moderator: <knightie35> to <Moderator>: Are you still willing to make a Forever Knight movie if one becomes available?

NigelBennett: Absolutely. No talk that I've heard. Nothing definite at all, but if it were to happen, I'd be very interested in doing it.

Moderator: <Naegling> to <Moderator>: I find La Croix so fascinating because of his philosphical nature. Which philosopher(s) does La Croix pattern himself after, or is he an original?

NigelBennett: I think he's an original. He's something of an existentialist. He'd probably like Jean-Paul Sartre.

NigelBennett: I do think his philosophy is unique.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <volute> to <Moderator>: Other than Keeper of the King, have you written or co-authored any other works?

NigelBennett: Not that have been published. We're working on the second novel at the moment, tentatively called "His Father's Son".

NigelBennett: That'll be out as soon as we finish it.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: Can you tell us a bit about Keeper of the King, for those who haven't read it?

NigelBennett: It's about a vampire called Richard Dunn who was originally Lancelot. He's a good vampire, chosen for his goodness. And his job was to keep the king safe, which he failed to do, and he's now a personal security specialist.

Moderator: <LWench> to <Moderator>: Q: "Will your character on Psi Factor be expanded any soon?"

NigelBennett: It's the first in a 3-book deal.

NigelBennett: I don't know. We're waiting to hear whether it will go for a 3rd season. Likely it will, but it's really up to the producers what they do with the character. I'd like it to be expanded, and it seems liikely given how this season ended.

Moderator: <DevDeb> to <Moderator>: The majority of roles you play are bad guys, do you feel like you're being type cast?

NigelBennett: Yeah. I'm not complaining and I don't know why I've been type-cast. I don't mind. I find doing good guys very difficult. I enjoy being a bad guy.

Moderator: <mercbard> to <Moderator>: Nigel, we in the US feel very deprived at not getting to see your Oatmeal commercials. Any chance they will be shown stateside?

NigelBennett: I don't think so. There are actually 5 of them. We've been doing the commercial for 5 years -- each year there's a new character. In the latest one I actually play my own mother!

NigelBennett: Freud would have a fit!

Moderator: <RevKale> to <Moderator>: You've played a vampire on television, you've written books about vampires. Now dig into the deepest, darkest corner of your soul, Mr. Bennett: Do you believe in vampires?

NigelBennett: I believe that there are people who believe that there are vampires.

NigelBennett: and I believe that whatever you do is fine as long as you don't hurt anyone else

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <nite1228> to <Moderator>: If Last Knight had not occurred, do you think that LaCroix and Nick were heading for a reconciliation?

NigelBennett: Hmmm. Difficult one. I think that Last Knight _was_ in some way a reconciliation, but that's just my personal view. I think there was a growing if grudging mutual respect between them.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Psistrike> to <Moderator>: Nigel, every fan has a theory as to what really happened when the camera cut away in "Last Knight". What's yours?

NigelBennett: I spiked him with the sharpened stake. My personal theory is that I killed him. And that was his triumph over me...

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Ralphy> to <Moderator>: What is the status of the movie you're supposed to be working on, "An Englishman in New York"?

NigelBennett: We have a meeting coming up in March with a big producer in Canada. He hopefully will find the money for it and once that's in place, we'll start.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Jenn> to <Moderator>: Do you consider Lacroix more 'fun' when he's being truly evil or when he shows redeeming qualities? Personally, I like him really evil, like Iago or Richard III.

NigelBennett: I like him evil. I agree with you. I didn't like La Croix liked. He doesn't need to be nice.

NigelBennett: Who's going to stop him from doing what he wants to.

Moderator: <Christina> to <Moderator>: Did you ever feel silly acting those melodramatic moments wit the teeth in?

NigelBennett: We walked a tight-rope. Every time we walked a really narrow tightrope. We only got away with it because of our training in the theater. At times we'd crack up as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. There were some interesting moments...

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Ireland> to <Moderator>: Whose idea was it to make Lacroix the Nightcrawler, and what function do you think the Nightcrawler served on Forever Knight?

NigelBennett: He was written as the Nightcrawler in the very first episode, except as more of a late-night DJ like Wolfman Jack. It was partly his way of keeping tabs on what Nick was doing. He had to let Nick know he knew what was going on. It must have been frustrating for Nick...

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: Moderator's note: To all of you who are asking "Is my question getting through" the answer is yes.

Moderator: <judi> to <Moderator>: <Moderator> <judi> to <Moderator>: Whic is your medium of choice? Theater, Movies or TV?

NigelBennett: Movies if I have my choice. There's much more time on a movie set than on a TV set. You can experiment more, take chances more. On TV, the deadline is too tight -- 6 days to shoot an episode.

NigelBennett: If you think that an average script is 55 pages, that's 9 pages a day which is huge.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Matt> to <Moderator>:how much of Lacroix was scripted and how much did you personally influence the character?

NigelBennett: I didn't influence him all that much. The writers were quite firm about the character and where the plot lines were going. I'd often change dialogue, though. But that was more in the way he said thngs rather than what he said.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <FavT> to <Moderator>: What do you think is the worst thing that LaCroix ever did and why?

NigelBennett: I think there were a lot of really bad thiings that he did. When he didn't tell Nick things and let him make mistakes and both Nick and mortals suffered as a result. He played with Nick's emotions.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <jazzie1228> to <Moderator>: Mr. Bennett, what do you think of the internet fan clubs that LaCroix has?

NigelBennett: There are so many! I don't log onto them as much as I used to. It's amazing. The whole internet fan thing is amazing. The fact that it's still going strong 2 years after we finished shooting the show. It's a huge compliment. Don't stop!

Moderator: <Ralphy> to <Moderator>: Tell us about the kind of fan mail you get. Nice? Weird? Scary? Normal?

NigelBennett: Healthy/unhealthy mix. All sorts. I got an awful letter a couple of weeks ago from someone who is clearly not well. There are all sorts of people in the world. And I appreciate it. At least I'm getting fan mail. It is wonderful when I open a letter and someone says "You've changed my life". Makes you feel humble and proud.

Moderator: <knightie35> to <Moderator>: Do you have any conventions lined up for this year yet?

NigelBennett: Yes I do. Almost certainly going to AggieCon in March in Texas. There's a convention in Vegas in June which I'm probably going to. And one in Halifax, Nova Scotia in October. But I'm open to offers so if anyone knows of any conventions looking for people to come along, get in touch with my fan club...

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <DkPrRoyal> to <Moderator>: Question: Even though in Nikita your character was supposedly terminated after his attempt to eliminate "Operations" you think they'll bring him back?

NigelBennett: I hope so. I really liked that character. I didn't see the second episode, just the first. I was doing ADR. The director was ecstatic about how it turned out. You didn't see the body on the floor -- that means anything could happen...

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <FavT> to <Moderator>: We know how *we're* spending valentine's day, Mr. Bennett. How are you spending it?

NigelBennett: Alone! With my blonde! (My dog, and he's a male. It'll be an interesting day...)

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Mar> to <Moderator>: I really love the Nightcrawler monologues. Some are outrageous. Do any stand out in your mind?

NigelBennett: Not now. It seems so long ago. I used to enjoy doing them. It was always intersting to see how they were shot. I was just sitting there with a microphone as they tooks shots of my eyes, ears, nose, etc.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Bons> to <Moderator>: Was making the episode of 'Once A Thief' with John Kapelos as much fun as it looked? I mean, you got to play with a *tank*!!

NigelBennett: It was hysterical. It was great fun. We were silly together and messed around and ad-libbed. The director was great and encouraged us to do it. And I always wanted to fall flat on my face in a mud puddle.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <sammi> to <Moderator>: How did they pull off the scenes where you were flying in Forever Knight?

NigelBennett: In the first scene, they actually had us rigged up with wires, but it looked kind of silly. They did something called a Swish Pan where the camera moves down diagonally as we stepped up onto a box. And somehow it worked.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <peas> to <Moderator>: Question: Mr. Bennett, with your first book in paperback and the second coming along, do you see yourself writing more in the future; perhaps even solo?

NigelBennett: I hope so, yes. I think that if the second order of Forever Knight novel comes, I'll be doing more on my own.

NigelBennett: Pat is much more proficient than me so fills in huge gaps. I love writting and I want to do more

NigelBennett: If there are any publishers out there....

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <LWench> to <Moderator>: You've played a 'DJ' ..... Have you ever thought about a radio career? (Since you have that wonderful voice...!)

NigelBennett: No, I never have. I tend to freeze. I've been interviewed live on radio before. You have to be on the ball. I've done a radio series on CBC called "Ideas" that I qutie like. I've done several episodes of that.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <LisaK> to <Moderator>: Have you read any of the fanfiction done by fans? If you have how did you feel about them?

NigelBennett: No, apart from odds and ends. I haven't looked at any for several years. And that's really a conscious decision -- once I started writing, I couldn't really afford to look at any of it lest it sneak its way into my own writing.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Dragonkiss> to <Moderator>: Mr. Bennett, what do you do outside your acting and writing?

NigelBennett: At the moment, I do a lot of downhill skiing. I live about 90 minutes out of Toronto, with a ski slope about 10 minutes away. So I do that with my kids. And I have my dog. And I hunt and I fish and in the summer lots of golf

NigelBennett: I'm going away in a week to the Carribean to play lots of golf.

NigelBennett: .

NigelBennett: And I'm handy around the house -

NigelBennett: I'm finishing my basement right now - plumbing and wiring and all that.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Cerelyn> to <Moderator>: Do many people recognize you in public when you go out?

NigelBennett: Yes they do. But mainly from the oatmeal commerical. It's like a double-edged sword -- getting recognized, but for all work I do...

NigelBennett: They sometimes recognize me for other things too.

NigelBennett: People where I live love it -- it's a really small town and adds some excitement.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <merlin000> to <Moderator>: do you keep in touch with the other actors from the show?

NigelBennett: No. If we need to get in touch we do. John Kapelos and John Cassar work on charity projects with me so we;re in more regular touch.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: What kind of charity projects are you currently working on?

NigelBennett: Our charity is called the Motion Picture Industry Charitable Trust. It's based on what happed at "Bridging the Knight" where we auctioned props, etc.. So we beg and plead with actors, etc. to get any kind of memorabilia so that twice a year we have auctions. The first one will be this October in Toronto.

Moderator: <judi> to <Moderator>: What was your first acting job? If you had not gone into show business, what do you think you would have become and why?

NigelBennett: The one in October is probably for Covenant House in Toronto that helps street kids and the other is the White Ribbon Campaign -- a movement of men who are opposed to violence aganst women.

NigelBennett: My first acting experience was at age 11 in Shaw's Cleopatra and I played an Egyptian citizen. My first professional experience Breconshire Theatre Company. It was a review-type show.

NigelBennett: If I hadn't become an actor. I toyed with the idea of getting a Ph.D. I also toyed with the idea of becoming a ploiceman.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <HilanderSarah> to <Moderator>: Q: "Do you like any other TV shows? (guessing that Forever Knight is like a masterpiece to you as it is to us)"

NigelBennett: I still watch it occasionally. It's on a channel called Showcase as well as the Sci-Fi Channel. I like The Simpsons and Home Improvement.

NigelBennett: :-)

Moderator: <ravensong> to <Moderator>: Do you have any plans to do any plays? I'd love to see you in a stage performance.

Moderator: We only have time for a few more questions. Please send your final questions to the Moderator now.

NigelBennett: I haven't done a stage performance for 9 or 10 years now. And I'd certainly consider it seriously if asked. I'm not sure I can do it on stage anymore. It's a whole different discipline though it might be like riding a bike. But no one asks me anyway, so I don't do it.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <knightie35> to <Moderator>: You're part on Earth: Final Conflict has been revived for a second time. Do you think you might have a reoccuring role on that series as well?

NigelBennett: No they kill him at the end of the second episode... But who knows what happens to people killed by the companions. It's one of them that kills me.

NigelBennett: In fact, the girl who plays the Companion who kills me was the girl who played Nick's wife in FK.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Vaelen> to <Moderator>: What do you think of the vampire theme? Do you ever miss playing LaCroix? Is it worthwhile to write letters to try to bring back Forever Knight?

NigelBennett: The vampire theme is still very popular (Buffy). I certainly do miss playing LaCroix. If people write, eventually the powers that be will look down and try to make something out of it. It's a Peter Pan thing, an immortality thing, it's always fascinating.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <SpacemanBob> to <Moderator>: Is bad guy in your nature?

NigelBennett: I think there's bad guy in all of our natures. I'm just lucky I get to act mine out.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <Space> to <Moderator>: Seeing as how LaCroix lived through so much History, if you had one period of time you would like to visit other than the present which would it be and where?

NigelBennett: Many people may not know this, but I'm actually a qualified history teacher. My favorite period is the Tudor period in England. It would havebeen great to be there. Parliamentary democracy started at that point in England.

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: What other TV appearances will you be making in the near future?

Moderator: (Besides FK in a few minutes)

NigelBennett: I'm not sure when they show these things, so I don't know what's coming up, but I recently did an episode of Honey I Shrunk the Kids. I'm about to work on a mini-series about the war of 1812 playing an american general. Then a Showtime piece on the Naked City series playing a psychotic killer.

Moderator: Last question:

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: <GenericHandle> to <Moderator>: Q:If you were given the oppertunity to become a vampire in real life would you take it?

NigelBennett: Yes. See how I struggled with my conscience there...

NigelBennett: .

Moderator: Thank you so much for chatting with us. We all appreciate it.

Moderator: And thank you everyone. And don't forget to watch the FK marathon on Saturday!

Moderator: We will now make the room unmoderated. Don't panic.

NigelBennett: It's a real pleasure and thank you all for your continued interest in the show-- we really appreciate it and hopefully in the not-too-distant future we'll be doing some more

LILKNIGHT: Thanks Nigel

snix: oy..

amandarh: Thanks Nigel

Lynnette: Good Bye Nigel!!!!!! Thanks so much!

Panther: Mr. Bennett, my I ask, what is the url of your official fan club?

Vmp: G'knight Nigel :)

DrLambert: now who is heading for the pub

DRAVEN98: thank you for your inspirations

sci-fi: BYe!!

barbwire: Thank you Nigel!

FavT: Nigel--thanks

Knight: Thank you Nigel

Lister: Thanku Mr. Bennett!

Rob: later Nigel

KTB: Thanks Nigel!

joe: thanks

Starseye: Bye Nigel

TheLadyT: Nite Nigel!

barbwire: Bon Soir!

KnightOwl: Thank you Nigel

chimaeron: later nigel!

LdyLCroix: Good Knight Nigel

Larkisha: bye...

jc5816: Hi Nigel and thanks!

Natsicle: By Nigel, thanks!

Beth: Thanks Nigel

Matt: byy Nigel!

Lister: And Drink Diet Coke!

sci-fi: Thank YOu!!

DRAVEN98: hello Nigel

Klaus: thanks nigel

holiday: Thanks so much, Mr. Bennett.

Lister: <LOL

nite1228: Thank you Nigel.

Vmp: Thanks so much :))

nyrfan: night nigel

Flyonwall: bye Nigel

T`Mana: thanks, Nigel.

Charon: night Nigel

mav2: nite nigel

menoly: thanks mr bennent good luck in everything

Blackheart: Good night Nigel, thank you

Claudy: thanks Nigel

LadyX: Thank Nigel

Gimpy: thanks Nigel laters

dollhouse: Bye Nigel!

NigelBennett: nbfc@erinet.com

IamJody: Thank you Mr. Bennett!!!!!11

Magik: Thanx Nigel.

FavT: Loved the bathtub scene!!!

wilz: bye!

Starseye: Peace be with you!

merlin000: THANK YOU NIGEL and Good Luck!

LWench: Thanks, Nigel -- Have a wonderful evening.

Ravenette: Thanks Nigel, you were great!

Oblivion: Thanks Nigel. Have fun and cheers,

KnightTime: Thank you Nigel. Thank you SciFi channel.