On Sunday, Syfy presents its four-hour event, The Phantom [Sunday, 7/6C]. Based on the 74-year old comic strip, this new adventure of The Ghost Who Walks also features the newest in a long line of Phantoms that dates back to 1536. While respectful of the character and the strip’s traditions, Syfy’s The Phantom makes some pretty big changes in its presentation of the latest man to wear the Phantom’s skull ring.
I had the opportunity to take part in a teleconference Q&A session with Ryan Carnes, who stars as Christopher Moore, whose life take a radical turn when he learns that he is both The Phantom and the last of his line. Carnes came across as cheerful and irreverent, much like his character, and very enthusiastic about the project.
My review of The Phantom will appear on Saturday.
I’m here with my sister who is my writing partner and we were wondering – we’ve heard rumors that the min-series may be a backdoor pilot for an actual series. We’re wondering if there is any truth to those rumors.
Ryan Carnes: Yes, there is truth to those rumors in terms of the way that the project was presented originally. It was presented as a backdoor pilot.
And, you know, at this time we don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know what the fate of the min-series is going to be, but obviously the more people that watch, the better chance this thing has of getting some legs and getting a following and becoming a series.
So we obviously are encouraging as many people as possible to tune in.
We were wondering have you always been a comic book fan and The Phantom in particular. Were you a fan of him?
Carnes: I actually have to be honest, I wasn’t as a kid. I wasn’t in to comic books; I was more into sports and music and stuff like that. I was outside a lot. I grew up in a really small town kind of on a farm and in the woods so that occupied my – most of my time.
But, you know, I mean I think it definitely has been a dream of mine as an actor to be able to play a super hero at some point. You know, there’s so many more super hero movies and comics being turned into movies now. It was awesome. It mean it really was like a boy’s dream come true.
And in terms of The Phantom, I had heard of The Phantom. I was somewhat familiar with The Phantom though I can’t say that I was, you know, a loyal fan who had followed it. So when I got the audition for the project I did some research and then once I got the part, then I dug in and did a lot more and found out a lot more about Chris and Kit Walker and The Phantom.
Congratulations on getting to play a comic book super hero.
Carnes: Thank you very much. It was great.
And as you touched on briefly with the last question here, I was curious as to since this is re-imagining, what you did actually look at as far as, you know, was it the comic strips or the previous movie version of The Phantom in preparing for the role.
Carnes: I did both. I screened the movie from the ‘90s with Billy Zane. And god, I only wish we would have had the budget that they had for that movie. We – you know, we would have shot for six months instead of two.
Right.
Carnes: And I did, I went back and I looked at some of the old comic strips, you know, and I looked on line. I looked at, you know – just like I researched the history of the character. But at the same time I was cautious with myself to not get too caught up in, you know, being oh, you know, I have to make sure that I do this, this, this, this, and this because it was a re-imagining and it was a very new take on an original series.
And, you know, I wanted to be able to still make my own choices and my own conclusions based upon what was on the page for me in this project.
So, now between Desperate Housewives, Doctor Who, and now The Phantom, I think it’s safe to say you’ve played some very diverse characters and you’re always very interesting to watch in these different roles. And I’m just wondering when you, you know, look for parts to play, what is it that grabs you about a character or what do you look for in a script?
Carnes: Well first of all thank you for saying that, that’s very kind.
I guess what I look for is — that’s a great question. It’s – really it’s a combination of things.
One is it going to challenge me in some way and what are those ways that it’s going to challenge me. Is it going to push me; is it going to push my boundaries?
And also I really like to find characters that have something to say; that are not two-dimensional, that are three-dimensional that have a really great art. And obviously in this show, I mean, what an incredible treat to be able to play this character. I mean he has a fantastic arc – a huge arc. He goes from – he’s a boy in the beginning and he’s forced to sort of become a man as it were and assume this massive responsibility. So I guess that’s – generally what I look for is just a character that is able to reveal a part of his soul through his journey.
How does it feel to put on that new suit as opposed to the famous purple suit?
Carnes: Well I’ll tell you what, this is a point of great contention among the fans.
Yes, it is.
Carnes: You know a lot of them – I think I’ve gotten the impression that they really, really loved the old suit.
You know, I’ve never put on the purple spandex so I can’t speak as to how that feels. I would imagine it feels tight and vulnerable. But I can speak to how it felt to put on the new suit and that was really cool. It was really cool actually to – you know, there was a process in terms of going when I first arrived in Montreal, going to the fittings and all that with the costume designer, and so I sort of knew what I was in for. But it wasn’t until I finally actually put the whole thing on that I went okay wow, this is pretty rad, I could get used to this.
And it changed actually. It evolved through the course of the shoot because in the beginning it was very tight and restrictive. I actually had to because of some of the stunts and some of the choreography that I was doing, I actually wore it for rehearsals for the martial arts choreography so I could break it in because it was so restrictive. But very quickly it just sort of loosened up and took on the contour of my body. And about halfway through the shoot of two-thirds of the way through the shoot we actually had to have them take it in in areas because it had gotten – it has stretched so much.
So it was really cool. I mean I was – I’ve never gotten to wear anything like that before and it’s not what you get at the Halloween costume store for dress up for Halloween, that’s for sure. It’s a little fancier than that.
Now, can you talk about the different stunts you performed and how difficult or fun they were?
Carnes: Well anything that I got to do was fun. And I mean unfortunately because of insurance reasons there were some things that I would have loved to have done that I didn’t get to do.
Right.
Carnes: On the other hand, fortunately for insurance reasons there were things that they wouldn’t let me do that probably saved my life and some bones. Because my stunt double Marc-Andre was – he was incredible man. I mean he – I mean he just had no fear. And actually he busted himself up pretty good a couple of times through the shoot.
But a couple of the things that I got to do were was some of the green screen stuff that we did I got to be pulled up on a harness and do some sort of like scaling – not scaling but sort of like repelling on the wall. That was very cool.
I got to – there’s a scene where I come in through a window and, you know, they didn’t let me come through the glass obviously, even though it was safety glass. But I still got to sort of – I still got to make the jump and swing in on the rope and do the roll on the ground and that was really cool.
It was like, you know, I felt like I was like five years old again going crazy in my mom and dad’s house, you know, tearing things up. That was a lot of fun. I’d love to get to play like that again.
You’re only the third actor to play the character in the character’s 74-year history so there’s a lot of traditions and a lot of background for the character in print and on the big screen. And while the mini-series respects those traditions of character there are a number of changes, obviously the suit being number one of which. Which of the other differences did you find most interesting?
Carnes: I think what I felt – well, I mean, in terms of – well I speak to what first came forward for me.
In terms of the things that have been on the screen, you know, like compared to the movie of Billy Zane, I found it interesting that they chose – because this was an origin story that they chose to make The Phantom younger. And I mean this was a kid who was in law school so he’s somewhere between 22 and 24, assuming that he went straight to law school after undergrad. And you know, that’s young. That’s much, much younger than the Billy Zane character was.
And I found that interesting because that is a time of great transition in any young man’s life. And to go from being – I mean you know, it’s not like you’re 35 or 30 and you sort of like – you’re sort of beginning to figure out life a little bit maybe.
I mean when you’re 22 you have no clue or at least that was my experience. And so I thought it was really interesting to make that choice to just throw this kid into – in front of the bus really and go well here. You know you thought you knew what you were going to do with your life sort of; now you have no idea. Now let’s see how you rise to the occasion. So that to me – that was, I think the most interesting departure.
Also tying in with that, your Phantom is the only one since the very first one to begin without the benefit of a life of training. How did that help you with the role?
Carnes: Can you – I’m not sure I understand the question. You mean without training in terms of the character in the story?
Yes, like all of the Phantoms except for the very first one had a lifetime with training. And Chris/Kit comes in as you say, much younger and with no clue of what he’s going to do. The fact that he doesn’t have any of that previous training — although he obviously has some natural gifts — how did that help you personally develop the role?
Carnes: Well I think that it just really informed probably what Chris and Kit were going through emotionally. I mean I had never — to sort of draw a parallel — I had never done any martial arts training. I shot guns before. I’m from Illinois for crying out loud so I know what it’s like to shoot a gun but I’d never done any martial arts training and I had to go in and learn some martial arts and some choreography like that.
And I just think that when you don’t really know — like in terms of the character — he doesn’t know what’s coming at him, it sort of made it – it grounded my performance in a certain reality because there was no – it was like, you know, some of the things that were coming at me in my performance, you know, when I had discussions with the Director Paolo. And there were times when I just said, you know, “I don’t know. I don’t know really, what Kit is feeling right now. I don’t know. I have no idea.”
And Paolo said, “Well I think that’s good because you know what, I don’t think he does know and he has no idea of that scope of what is happening to him. I mean his life has been turned upside down.” And so I think it really added to that that I hadn’t had any previous training because like I was really being put through the wringer.
So for me as an actor I think it really just – it only helped me.
Great. As a fan of the strip anyway from the mid-50s, I have to say you really nailed the basics.
Carnes: Thank you.
I was curious to know what it’s like going from work on a TV series like, you know, general Hospital and Desperate Housewives to a TV mini-series about a superhero on Syfy?
Carnes: Well, you know, it’s different. It’s very different especially in this instance where basically we were doing two movies. I mean we were doing two back-to-back movies essentially.
And I actually really – I liked that. Sometimes TV – I have a lot of respect for actors who do a lot of TV because, you know, from my time on Desperate Housewives I knew that you don’t know – one doesn’t know from one week to the next really what’s going to end up in the script, what turns and corners the character is going to go around; what new revelations are going to occur. So it’s challenging – it’s really challenging and you’ve really got to sort of fly by the seat of your pants.
And to contrast that with this you know, I had two full length scripts in front of me and I could really chart the journey. I could chart the arc. I could track that and that helped me as a performer to be able to I think, give the best version of myself and the best version of the performance.
So, you know, in that respect I loved it. I loved what it afforded. And, you know, just beyond that I mean, it was a very different kind of role.
I mean I had a blast. Like getting to do drama and some comedy you know, there’s definitely some light moments in it mixed with action adventure it’s like my dream role. It really was. To get to just run around and run away from villains and chase villains and shoot guns, it was great. I didn’t get to do any of that stuff on Housewives or General Hospital so…
What would you say was more in the challenging experiences while filming The Phantom?
Carnes: I would say probably the three weeks of nights that we shot about two-thirds of the way through. That was very challenging.
My co-star Cameron she told me she did a horror movie one time that they did like three months of nights, and I can’t imagine that.
I think I might have lost my mind. It was challenging because, you know, I was already far enough into the role that I had sort of begun to walk around.
I mean I felt as Chris and Kit anyway, and sort of lose track a little bit of myself and then mix that in with being on nights for three weeks where, you know, you’re rhythm is off, your hormones change. By the end of that three weeks I really – I felt like a zombie. I mean I felt like I was in like a zombie movie.
How long did it take for you to snap out of that?
Carnes: I don’t think I fully snapped out of that until I was done filming and back in L.A. I mean it took me a while to sort of recalibrate and get my bearings back. You know for a while it was just sort of like in a bit of a haze, but again, you know, it sort of ties into the last question that I answered.
I really think that that probably aided my performance and everything that I did because the character was exhausted. He didn’t know what was happening. He was lost. And I think, you know, it really worked in my favor probably.
I wanted to find out if there was like one particular thing you thought was your special contribution to this iconic role, maybe like a body movement or a particular clothing style that you insisted upon having, just the one thing that made the role your own.
Carnes: Wow, that’s a great question!
Okay you can think about it, I can have a follow-up question here. What was it like to work with Isabella Rossellini?
Carnes: Well that was a tremendous honor to get to work with her. I don’t think that many young actors my age have been able to have that honor so, I mean, and she’s and icon. And I was just really honored to get to do that. And, you know, I don’t know – I don’t want to give anything away to anybody who’s going to be reading these releases, but the way that she and I interacted in the movie was pretty surreal for me. So I’ll just leave it at that.
And then to answer your first question, yes I think one thing for me that I really wanted to maintain I guess in this character was his sense of sort of irreverence at times as Chris. You know, at the core he was an irreverent guy, but there was something about him that really wanted to rebel against who he was becoming I think in terms of becoming a law student and to sort of – you know, I mean it’s doing the par coeur I think, speaks for that. You know, that’s a little bit of a counter culture rebellious type activity that, you know, that guys engage in — or girls.
So, you know, just in terms of like – I was really insistent upon keeping my tennis shoes untied as much as I could because to me Chris wasn’t the type of guy who would have his tennis shoes always tied up perfectly. He was the guy who would walk around with his sneakers untied so he could just kick them off whenever he wanted. Or, you know, it was like it was a small thing but for me that really helped ground the character in the way that I saw him.
I wanted to find out maybe if you could tell us a little bit about how you first saw your character’s relationship develop with both Sandrine Holt and Cameron Goodman’s characters as the min-series unfolds.
Carnes: Well to start with Sandrine, I think that – I loved that relationship because there was definitely I think from the beginning there was like there was something in Chris – in Kit that knew that she was sort of like the oracle. That she was somebody that he could trust whereas his trust and faith in (Vandermark) wavers. And that’s really conflicted relationship.
But with Sandrine, you know, I think from the very beginning, even probably from the first encounter in the – down by the East river docks, I think there’s something in Chris that knows that it’s okay that he can trust her. And then obviously as time goes on she proves worthy of his trust and I think it was a great relationship because it really gave Kit a rock to lean on and somebody that he really felt was not going to betray him.
Right.
Carnes: In terms of the character with Cameron, you know, that was a great relationship too because I mean I love the fact that they knew each other from sixth grade and, you know, hadn’t seen each other since. You know, I’ve had those own experiences in my own life and those are synchronicities like that are just awesome. I love when things like that happen. So that was really cool to sort of like kick off that relationship.
And then for her to come to represent something from his life it’s like she’s the only remaining shred of his old life. And a time when all these things are unfolding and revealing themselves and he has no idea who he is anymore.
You know, and that scene with (Jordi) sort of proves it – the scene outside the coffee shop. You know, that’s another attempt at him to reconnect to a touchtone of his old life. But, you know, the woman who is his love, the love of his life who may in fact bear his children at some point, that’s huge. And that was a really beautiful relationship to see be maintained throughout the mini-series because you know, I think there’s something inside of him – something instinctual that knows that he must protect her. He must hang on to her and it gives him something to fight for.
I also wanted to ask you if you don’t mind, the characters you played in both Doctor Who and Desperate Housewives, maybe some of the acting challenges you found stepping into and playing both those roles.
Carnes: Well I would say on Desperate Housewives the biggest challenge was that when I first got on that show, you know, I don’t know that — I think I’ve talked about this in publicity before — but I think a lot of people probably don’t know that when I first got my role in that show, the very first episode was – it was a co-star. And it was a one-episode co-star as Jesse Metcalfe’s buddy on the show. And they said well you can go ahead and put a guest star on your resume, you know, we’ll let you do that and I was like, cool.
So then they invited me back for a second episode and I was like wow, great and I thought that was it. Then they called and they said look, we want to introduce a new character on the show. You’re going to wind up revealing that he thinks he’s gay. He’s going to be a confidante for Mrs. Solis. And, you know, we almost went to casting for this role but then we thought, you know, why not ask Ryan first.
So they came to me and they said, “Do you want to do that?” And I said, “Are you kidding me?” A chance to recur on this show which at the time it was I think the number one show. And I was like hell yes, please. So, you know, I think the biggest challenge was for me to go from like, you know, my character had a huge arc on that show.
Yes.
Carnes: So I think that was the challenge, you know, was going from the guy who was just John, the gardener’s buddy at school to becoming this guy who breaks down in front of this beautiful woman and says, “I think I’m gay.” So that would have been the biggest challenge I think for me on that show.
And in terms of Doctor Who, the biggest challenge for me there was sitting through four hours plus of makeup every day. That was – man, I had never done that before. And since having done that role I have an enormous amount of respect for actors and actresses who allow themselves to be put in a position where they have to wear prosthetics that take hours a day.
I mean Jim Caviezel on The Passion of Christ, I mean that – what courage and strength of will that must have took to sit through that much makeup.
Because I would get there – you know, we wouldn’t start shooting until 7:00 or 8:00 every morning and I’d be there at 5:00. It would take between 2-1/2 and three hours to put the prosthesis on. And at the end of the day, you know, at the end of a 12 or 14 hour day it would take another usually about an hour to take it off. So that was hugely challenging I found.
I wanted to know since comic book fans can be very unforgiving, did you feel any pressure stepping into this role?
Carnes: Actually I didn’t really allow myself to entertain those doubts. I didn’t – when I got cast in the role I didn’t go online — which I don’t anyway. I don’t – I make it a habit to not go online and read what people say about me or the projects that’s I’m in. You know, I let – I get – I let that stuff be filtered through my – the team that’s around me. You know, I trust them to inform me of what I need to know. So before I went into it I – you know, I didn’t go online and see what people were saying.
I just didn’t allow myself to go there because that would have – to me that’s like – that’s a good way to kill the art and to kill a performance by being affected what people think and what they’re saying about you or the project or the role. So I can’t – quite honestly, I can’t say that it affected me at all. I mean, you know, of course inherent in being number one on a call sheet and being the lead in a franchise like this, sure there’s some pressure. But I just chose not to go there.
Okay, fair enough. Well now that the project is wrapped, if you had a chance, what would you tell fans that might be staying away from this version because of the differences? Like what would you tell them to get them to at least give it a chance?
Carnes: Well I guess I would just say that I would really encourage them to try to go into it with an open mind and attempt to allow themselves to surrender to viewing something that is in some ways an entirely different story. And that you know yes, it is the same story. It does carry the title of The Phantom. Many of the things are the same, but we really were going out trying to re-imagine a story and tell it in a slightly different way and take some risks.
So I would just encourage them just to surrender to what they might see and see if they don’t enjoy it. I would challenge them to just watch it with an open mind and just see if they don’t enjoy it.
I was just wondering if you had seen the final cut?
Carnes: Well, you know, I’m sure. Bill might be able to answer this question.
I saw, I believe, the cut that aired in Canada in December. I don’t know if there’s any discrepancies between that cut and what’s going to air here in the States or not.
Actually I don’t think so.
Carnes: So I’ve seen a version of a final cut.
Was it as enjoyable as you hoped it would be?
Carnes: Actually yes. I loved watching it which is shocking for me because in the past at times, I’ve definitely been an actor who – I don’t take great pleasure in watching myself, it’s a bit discomforting. It makes me uncomfortable especially to watch myself in front of my friends and things like that.
But yes, you know, I know I sat there in my apartment by myself and watched it and I did, I enjoyed it. I was really pleased with the final product. And I actually I think going to have a viewing party with some friends next weekend and show them the product, yes.
We noticed that you were in the Duke University Marching Band and we wondered if you have any current music projects.
Carnes: Yes, thank you for asking. Yes, I was. I was in – it was referred to affectionately as DUMB University Marching Band. Yes, I played the bass drum there. And currently I’m in the infant stages of putting together with the help of a writer and producer who’s a friend of mine, a band.
And we’re going to get in the studio and put something together and record something. You know I can’t – we don’t have – there’s no name yet; there’s no project title but it’s been a dream of mine.
I’ve been in a few bands along the way growing up just sort of like, you know, during the summertime hacking around with a few guys. But I’ve never really been in a band where I pursued to, you know, you go in and record and produce a product. And so I’m really excited to be doing that right now.
I was just curious. You mentioned that the mini-series had already aired in Canada. I was curious if you had heard much of the Canadian reaction to it?
Carnes: Well I didn’t really – like I said a minute ago, I didn’t rally get on the blogs and things like that and see too much of what people were saying. I did get passed along to me a couple of reviews that were I thought for the most part very positive. And maybe Bill could speak more to the reaction that – and the way it was received. But my impression is that it was received very well.
Thank you Ryan for your time today.
Carnes: Yes, you’re welcome. And I just want to say to everybody who called in today and took the time out of your day, thank you so much. This is a project that I’m very proud of and passionate about and to have an opportunity to talk about it and spread the word is really great for me.
So thank you all.