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Summer Glau, Salute to Serenity & Firefly Q & A
Patti Hutchens on 11/25/2008
Summer Glau stepped from behind the curtain as she was introduced, looking timid. She was wearing a trench coat, boots and carrying an oversized purse. As she approached the director's chair on the stage, the Firefly song played over the speakers.
The questions started almost immediately, the first fan asking what were her acting influences. Her favorite movie as a child was Camelot, she would watch it with her grandmother every Christmas. Her favorite actresses are Juliette Binoche, Cate Blanchett and Shirley MacLaine.
The next fan asked if beating up Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin helped prepare her for her Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles role. Summer answered that they are "terminator size guys so, yeah."
Now, a question about her Irish accent for the episode "Shindig" and can she still do one. Summer replied that she thought it was cockney and it took a few days to learn it. She used it when she auditioned for the role as the ballerina in Angel and thought she blew that role. She went to that audition dressed like a ballerina and was prepared to do it with an accent, so she just picked one and auditioned. The ballerina was Russian, so she had to switch and found that hard.
The next fan asked if Summer participated in the many pranks that went on on the Firefly set. She admitted that she was terrible at pranks. Summer then went on to explain a prank that Nathan played on the set master. The set master had a monkey that made terrible noises at the wrong times and kept it on the set. Nathan kidnapped the monkey and sent ransom notes to its owner. He also sent it on a journey across country with his parents. They sent back pictures of the monkey at locations across the country, like the Grand Canyon. The joke turned sour when one of its fingers accidentally got cut off, Nathan then returned the monkey.
Someone wanted to know if she has ever hit anybody during a fight scene. Summer had been told that if anyone gets hit, it is the stunt mans fault, because the fights are choreographed so you don't have to fake a hit. She did manage to hit a few men and also got hurt a few times herself. But, she admitted that she liked it and that it was fun. Once she kicked a guy hard in the face and that fighting all the way through tired her out. She can use fake hits in her Terminator role, but she couldn't in Firefly.
A fan asked, if she hadn't been injured, would she have continued to pursue a dancing career? Summer admitted that she had thought that dancing was what she would always do, but then she got hurt. So she then tried acting; it was her back up.
Summer answered a question about her new role saying she absolutely loved Terminator. She said that being in the cast of Firefly/Serenity was a really challenging role and that she never felt that way about a cast before. She was treated like a little sister. She didn't know about working on a set and didn't know how to read her call sheet. They had to tell her when to come in, as she didn't know what it was like to be a professional actress. The rest of the cast instantly made her feel like she belonged.
Working on Terminator is different because they are a very small cast. Having just the three cast members makes for a terrific bonding experience. Her cast mate, Thomas Dekker is really funny, the funniest person she knows, she said.
The next fan said she enjoyed watching the bloopers and asked how hard is it to stop laughing and get back into character. Summer admitted that she laughs when she is nervous. She never wants to ruin a take for everyone else and that ruining a take can cost a lot of money. Also, you don't want to be the jerk that can't stop laughing and admits that she has gotten better at it. She is able to stop laughing because she doesn't think she is that funny. Summers says she has gotten better since she has been on Terminator, she has had to hone her abilities to not laugh while working with Thomas Dekker. The fan asked about scenes for a future blooper reel and Summer hinted at a water related accident that soaked her. The incident put her in a bad mood because it was really cold. She had to be fully blow dried in her trailer; it was not pretty.
Summer was then asked about the story of how when anything went wrong during the filming of Firefly, the cast members liked to yell Summer's name, blaming her. She explained how that came about. During the final scene in the episode "Out of Gas", she had to hold up a ball and say the final line of the scene. The scene was a "oner" in which the camera walks through shot with no cuts and it takes a long time to set up. Summer was really looking at the ball, getting into the scene and then it got very quiet. Suddenly, Nathan yelled "SUMMER!" They had all been waiting for her to say her line. After that, they all started to do it on other scenes, yelling her name even if she wasn't even there.
The next fan congratulated Summer for the fact that Terminator had been picked up. She discussed playing Cameron and who the character was based on. She said it was hard to be the only robot; the other characters got to let loose and be emotional. In the episode "Allison from Palmdale" she played 4 characters, 2 from the present and 2 from the past. That episode was difficult because they are often shooting 2 episodes at once with different crews. She had to shoot the interrogation scenes with a crew of people that she didn't know; it was very hard.
On the subject of Firefly/Serenity, a fan commented on Summer having such intense expressions for the role, but occasionally being able to say a line or have an expression that was funny. The fan thought these were so much fun to watch, and asked if she prefers funny or serious. Summer loves both, but believes she has a funny face. She has a hard time making people laugh, so she tries to play it honest; being very sincere makes her funny.
Again, someone asked about Summer's ballet background, asking if she still practices. She admitted that she has a love/hate relationship with dance. It makes her sad because she is not as good as she used to be, she can't practice for 10 hours a day anymore, it is just so strict. She doesn't like to watch ballet either; except she can watch children dance. If she goes to a class, it would be jazz or something else, but not ballet.
Summer was asked if she watched all the Terminator movies before getting her role. She admitted she had not, but that it her father had seen them all. Thinking back, Summer said that she had never thought that Terminator would change her life. Joss Whedon called her to tell her that the Terminator movies meant a lot to him growing up, very cutting edge. They were an important part of his life; they pushed the boundaries for action movies. In watching the movies, Summer was really taken with how moved she was by the Terminator, himself. She really cared for him.
When asked if she kept anything from Firefly, she answered she did not keep anything. She was young and followed the rules. When it came to the movie Serenity, they would not let her take anything, but she did manage to take her stunt double's biker boots.
When asked about her weirdest fan experience, Summer replied that she will never tell. She chooses to protect her fans, as she appreciates them and added thank you.
A fan brought up the subject of a dance related project with Joss Whedon that Summer had mentioned at a previous convention. She confirmed that she is still doing it and that she had just talked to Joss the other day. Joss is trying to do a ballet and she has met with a choreographer. Joss is writing the music and she is trying to get in shape; she really wants to do it.
The next fan asked about her work on 4400, and Summer explained that she had tested for the pilot. She was cast for the pilot, then had to pull out, then was cast in the role of Tess for the second season. She didn't know if she should take the role or not, because she didn't want there to be confusion between Tess and River. Summer really enjoyed her work on the show; she said they were a really good cast and really good people.
Summer was asked about her favorite charity, answering that it is called "Let's Dance" which is a foundation that helps kids to get dance lessons.
Now, who would win in a fight River or Cameron? Summer laughed and answered "Arnold Schwarzenegger."
Summer was asked about being naked in a box and naked on a freeway and does she ever say "No". She admits she has tried, for the pilot Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles she had to be naked on a freeway in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was snowing and she got really sick with a kidney infection. They were supposed to come through the vault naked, but they all said "no" and were able to keep their clothes on.
A question was asked about the scene in Serenity where she was spread out looking down from the ceiling and how was it shot. Summer explained that the hall was built to fit her legs. At first it was too short, then it was too wide but the third time was a charm. She was held up with a harness. Joss left her up there between takes because it was too hard to get her up there.
Finally, Summer was asked how hard it is to memorize her lines. She replied that it becomes natural; that once you get used to playing the same role, you get into that rhythm.
They announced that time was up and Summer thanked everyone as she left the stage. But the fans all stayed in their seats because Adam Baldwin's Q&A was next.
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