Armin Shimerman video interview - talks about Buffy

[PuckRobin]

Armin Shimerman was just interviewed on the Shuttlepod Youtube podcast shows by Star Trek Enterprise actors Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating (who played Watcher Blair in Helpless). They start talking about Buffy at about 1 hour and 1 minute into the podcast. And both remark on it not being a happy set.

https://youtu.be/B3SupbBRR2c?t=3661

(DS9 is one of my favourite versions of Star Trek, and Armin Shimerman is always singled out for praise as being one of the nicest people on his show. A bit before they get to Buffy they talk about the DS9 crew was more "down to business" and serious than TNG or Voyager was. And also, they talk about how Scott Bakula on Enterprise is the nicest guy, and that a set's mood often depends on the lead actor.)

Oh, and the Berman that they contrast Joss Whedon to is 1990s/early 2000s Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman, not Buffy's executive producer Gail Berman.

[Stoney]

I took what he was saying to be that the dissonance between the cast members was what made the set so difficult. He remarks on having people that were having difficulties coming to him, as someone almost removed from it. For a moment, it sounds like he's saying that Joss went to him too, but I don't think he means that. Rather that Joss was around on set a lot more than he/general actors might expect. That at first it made him wonder if Joss didn't trust him because he was always there when Armin was and he'd wondered if it was about him, because he just wasn't used to that. For the exec producer to be there every time. But the thing was that Joss had to babysit the mostly young actors to make sure everyone was copacetic. That Joss and ASH as the two 'adults' did a lot of that.

I felt at first like I might not have followed his point. Probably because it wasn't the kind of comment I was expecting. As well as, because the guys talking seem to know each other well enough to talk in almost cut off sentences at points. But I rewatched that part and I think the above is all he's really saying about it in response to Dominic Keating's remark that clearly is saying it was a very tough set. It's interesting to hear someone talk as if the issue wasn't Joss. Well, not necessarily. I'm not sure it isn't somewhat compatible with what has also been said though in there being a sense of having to compete against each other as the actors, and whether or not you were in favour with Joss compared to others. It could be that Armin was so removed from being treated that way that all he really saw were the ripples of that. Which could fall in with both JM and ASH saying they were unaware of the struggle others were going through.

[Priceless]

It sounds to me that the actors were the ones coming to Shimerman to moan about other actors. I doubt the showrunner would come to an actor to have a moan about the set, but perhaps he would, just to stir the pot?

[Stoney]

No, I don't think Joss was going to him. It sounded like he was saying that because of what Dominic says just before, but it was the start of him talking about Joss' high/daily presence on set.

[Cheese Slices]

Great interview. Loved to hear him talk about his stage work and experience, and about how seriously he took his role on DS9. You can tell he's a very thoughtful actor, and very passionate about his craft. Interesting to know that he's taught at the university and other places and fell in love with it; great little lecture about needing to know basic rhetoric in order to do Shakespeare well. He also sounds like a good, mendacity-free guy in general. (And God, he's 73 ??? He looks so much younger).

As for the Buffy stuff, well it does sound an awful lot like a lot of things that I'd read about the set, so no big surprise there.

It sounds to me that the actors were the ones coming to Shimerman to moan about other actors. I doubt the showrunner would come to an actor to have a moan about the set, but perhaps he would, just to stir the pot?

The way I interpret it is that he meant that he was surprised that Whedon was on set daily because he wasn't used to the executive producer being that involved, and that he felt like one of the reasons for that was that he had to reign the cast in and make sure things went as smoothly as they could.

[Stoney]

I made a note of the starting time of the comment on Shakespeare so that I could play it to my daughter who's currently studying. I know they've looked at rhetorical figures, as we've discussed them at points, but I'm not sure how much in relation to Shakespeare specifically.