Andrew Jackson Page
Andrew spoke to me about his role as Master Burton in the mini-series, Merlin's Apprentice which also starred Sam Neill and Miranda Richardson. This is a trancript of that interview.
Sam Neil has a wonderful dry sense of humour. He's somewhat introspective. It was a little overwhelming meeting him on set for the first time. As I approached the set I faced an enormous crucifix that represented the epitaph of Sir Gawain. Mission was stunningly beautiful. We walked near the edge of an enormous cliff face, surrounded by pastoral European-looking rolling hills. Sam Neil stood in the distance complete with beard, long hair, staff, and costume. The only thing missing was the Loreena McKennitt style soundtrack. I was a little nervous approaching him for the first time. I've watched him in numerous films and have tremendous respect for the man's work. The whole experience that day was surreal
“Master
Burton is a modern thinking pragmatist who would have been a successful
corporate man
in
the modern world.”
Master Burton is a modern thinking pragmatist who would have been a successful corporate man in the modern world. How ironic I'm drawn to the romanticized values of the middle ages and ended up being cast as someone out of sync with his time. The reality of living in the middle ages would likely destroy any romantic notions however. People simply didn't bathe. They wore lockets filled with resin to attract the body lice. When the locket was full, they emptied its dead contents and replaced it with fresh resin. There were some questions from wardrobe concerning my character's personal background. This is a man that rose from lower to upper class, which is nothing short of miraculous.
Master Burton understood accounting and was a literate man (rare for that period). How was this possible? I got together with a local writer who had done a tremendous amount of research on the middle ages and we collectively agreed, that Master Burton had been raised in the church.
The church was the only place for someone to learn accounting and develop the ability to read and write.
This
character decision was shared with the director and wardrobe and may have
influenced the ultimate designs for the character's clothing. I wore long
multi-layered priest-like robes throughout the production. I quickly developed
respect for women wearing long garments as I nearly tripped several times.
Master Burton had been a metal collector in his early adult years. It was the first real profession of the era.
Metal was worth its weight in gold. The Romans had traveled across the
country destroying any armories or locations that showed the potential
to be an armory. Master Burton would have had to know where all the
battles were taking place and bogs were located to salvage basic metal
materials. My character helped to build and inadvertently protect Camelot.
“We've
lost a certain honour, chivalry, and integrity. Qualities that we might
have taken for granted 50 years ago are so rare today”
There was quite an elaborate studio built in Maple Ridge, BC, for the project. The building was filled with a number of sets both inside and outside. I loved having an opportunity to work next to the round table. The weather was extremely warm throughout most of the shooting schedule, which made it a struggle in five layers of costuming. They also shot parts of the production at the Stargate Atlantis set. The space is massive. It seemed like the size of a football field, with a multi-story high ceiling and an Earth-covered floor. The buildings were reminiscent of the middle ages. Unfortunately, it took two days for us to clear our nasal passages from the airborne dirt we'd inhaled while working.
Jennifer
Calvert played my wife, "Mistress Deborah", in the production. She was
somewhat of a driving force behind both of our characters and an integral
part of Master Burton's business decisions and objectives. The two of
us were very codependent on one another in terms of the relationship
both as actors and as characters. We appear together in almost every
scene. We were the caretakers of Lady Yvonne, played by Tegan Moss.
Burton acts as somewhat of a confidant for Lord Weston, played by Garwin
Sanford, and is responsible for protecting Lady Yvonne's virginity and
insuring she retains an aristocratic countenance.
Garwin Sanford as Lord Weston had the perfect haircut. The first day
I saw him on set I said, "My God, he looks perfect for the period."
There was this moment Merlin faced Weston and made reference to the
darkness that had found its way into Camelot. We were shooting in mission,
a location which is infested by some of the most unusual looking insects
I've ever seen. A very long legged spider proceeded to move across Garwin's
hair, to the side of his face. Fortunately, Garwin is not afraid of
spiders; didn't detect the critter and simply continued on with the
scene. Sam Neil certainly noticed it however. I'm not a fan of spiders
and was somewhat beside myself. With Garwin's long dark page-style hair,
I had visions of Olivier in Richard III.
The early
part of the mini-series takes place 50 years earlier. Arthur is alive
and Camelot is perfectly restored. We
see a utopian world that Merlin leaves behind.
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Andrew Jackson
I chatted with this fine actor about Merlin's Apprentice plus his appearence in The Evidence. Andrew will attend Timeless Destinations
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We jump 50 years and Camelot has changed dramatically. The perfect world has lost some hidden sense of integrity and honour. The people don't understand what's missing from their society and why they have lost the Grail. Maybe it's a little pretentious on my part, but I drew parallels to our own society. Over the last 50 years we have changed dramatically
We've lost a certain honour, chivalry, and integrity. Qualities that we might have taken for granted 50 years ago are so rare today. Whether the audience will draw some parallel between our society and the fallen Camelot world remains to be seen. The tainted Camelot has a sense of its own unseen corruption. There is obviously darkness somewhere, but no one knows who or what is responsible. I love the discovery and message at the end of the mini-series as to the source of darkness. It was a really nice touch. The answer has not been explored before. It's not entirely a black and white answer.
“My
character helped to build and inadvertently protect Camelot”
David Wu, the director, is an exceptional human being. He is apparently extremely well known overseas not only as a director but also as a performer. He has his own talk show that is the equivalent of Jay Leno in China. He's quite the clown. The first day we met, he was showing me images from magazines, ideas that visually inspired him. He told me, "Humour is good, I like humour," with a big smile on his face. He was always there for everyone and extremely supportive. He would edit as he shot. The man never slept.
He had just
finished another film and was making plans to do another movie immediately
following Merlin. It was just crazy. I figured David was some kind of
superman. For him to function as he did was extraordinary. I really, really
enjoyed working with him. He said he really likes to capture actors when
they are not speaking which is not the traditional format. David prefers
to capture the person listening and receiving the information. He certainly
loves action. There are many action sequences through the piece. He wanted
things to be dark and moody. After all, Camelot had lost its utopian perfection
and beauty. "
Photos Courtesy
Wanstrom And Associates
Special Thanks Bill Wantsrom and
Echo Bridge Entertainment.
