Thu, Feb 15, 2001 01:49 PM PDT
by Vanessa Sibbald
Zap2it.com, TV News
Not many people get a role written just for them, let alone the role of a superior human subspecies -- but even as he himself will tell you, Keith Hamilton Cobb isn't your average actor.
In the syndicated series "Andromeda," Cobb plays Tyr Anasazi, a Nietzschean warrior. The Nietzscheans are a genetically engineered human subspecies who fervently follow the theories of social Darwinism -- survival of the fittest. Based on the writing of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, "Andromeda" is best described as a mix between "Star Trek" and "Buck Roders in the 25th Century." The series tells the story of starship Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) who gets frozen for 300 years and wakes to find the Systems Commonwealth (a government spanning three galaxies) destroyed, leaving the existing universe in chaos.
Tyr, along with space wanders Becca Valentine (Lisa Ryder), Seamus Harper (Gordon Michael Woolvett), Rev Bem (Brent Stait) and Trance Gemini (Laura Bertram), joins the crew of the spaceship Andromeda and its captain, Hunt, with the united goal of restoring the Commonwealth.
While on a break from shooting the series, Cobb took time to chat with Zap2it about what's it like playing Tyr and what he does to let off steam during the show's downtime.
"Ah… well, I was hired to be the big man on the show," Cobb tells Zap2it. "The Nietzscheans are purported to be physically superior in every way to humans. They are human beings with heightened everything."
On Cobb's web site (www.KeithHamiltonCobb.com), he shares his diet and exercise tips for how to keep looking good in those chain metal shirts he always wears on the show, but one wonders if playing a perfect specimen brings its own set of pressures.
"No, because ultimately what we're finding out is that he's not perfect, and the Nietzscheans in general are not perfect," he says. "They have proclivities and strength that stand out, but, like all human beings, if you look hard enough there are flaws, and issues, and Achilles heels."
A guest-starring role on two episodes of "The Beast Master" led Cobb to a meeting with "Andromeda's" head writer, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who also wrote for the Roddenberry series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Shortly after the meeting, Wolfe created the role of Tyr for Cobb.
"I met Keith, and obviously I saw immediately both in terms of the acting ability -- he's a classically Shakespearean-trained actor -- and just also in terms of physical presence, he's a very striking person," Wolfe told Space.com last June. "There was already a very obvious way to go with casting him. So, it was a no-brainer."
For his part, Cobb is happy to have the role.
"The most exciting thing is that it was written for me," says the actor. "Contrary to popular belief, there's not a whole lot being written for a 6'4" black guy with hair. It just doesn't quite happen that way."
Audiences shouldn't be fooled, although the character was modeled on him, it might not be a tailor-made fit.
" Keith is such a Nietzschean," fellow cast member Lexa Doig, who plays Andromeda, told the British SFX magazine. " But he has got a silly side that you don't get to see very often."
" The thing about Tyr is he's hugely politically and socially incorrect," explains Cobb. " He makes statement based upon what he thinks people need to hear. And these are things that we can't do in our culture. He's not a malicious person, he's just an honest person in terms of 'I'm going to put out there what needs to be out there.'"
Not that all of Tyr is well and good.
" Truth be told, he's a bit of a liar and a conniver. But the fact of the matter is, he's the toughest kid on the block. He's not fearing repercussions by speaking his mind. So it's a great deal of fun to play a character that can do that."
While the rest of the crew has bonded, Tyr's remains the outsider, his motivations more suspect. That might have something to do with the fact that the Nietzscheans were the ones to destroy the commonwealth, or that he's a Nietzschean without a pride (tribe).
" It's always more fun to play the villain or the one who might be the villain. The jury is still out on what his thing is -- is he a hero, or is he a villain?"
" I prefer to call him an antihero. He may achieve heroic ends, but by very dubious means. I think that makes him hugely interesting to watch. So, I'm enjoying that, I'm enjoying being the character that people wait to see."
As for what's coming up on the series, Cobb gave Zap2it some clues of what to look out for.
" There's some interesting things in both 'Harper 2.0' and 'Forced Perspective.' I like episodes where a little bit more is revealed about the character of Tyr, who he is. He came on board and everybody sort-of perceived him as this dour, ultra serious destroyer kind of guy. He has that, but there's a human being in there and we have opportunity from show to show to see other facets, hints of other characteristics."
" In season two, we are definitely going to get deeper in the Nietzschean mythology and history [and] try to clarify who these people are because we created this race, which has huge complexities from pride to pride -- they're all very different and evolving."
After having wrapped " Andromeda's" first season in mid-December, the second season of the series begins production Mar. 26. Cobb describes the shooting pace as " very frantic," with the crew wrapping 22 episodes in about eight months -- giving them about one week to shoot each episode.
With the shooting taking place in Vancouver, Canada, Cobb is left with little time to pursue his theatrical interests. However, due to the threatened writers strike, the producers have scheduled a two-month break in July and August for the cast, during which time Cobb hopes he can fit something into his schedule.
" I would like very much to do something in New York -- Shakespeare in the Park -- which I've never done but seems to fit into the schedule since we have that break," says the actor. " I'm always looking for theater gigs in the down time because I can't be away from stage work and be happy.""
by Vanessa Sibbald
Zap2it.com, TV News
Not many people get a role written just for them, let alone the role of a superior human subspecies -- but even as he himself will tell you, Keith Hamilton Cobb isn't your average actor.
In the syndicated series "Andromeda," Cobb plays Tyr Anasazi, a Nietzschean warrior. The Nietzscheans are a genetically engineered human subspecies who fervently follow the theories of social Darwinism -- survival of the fittest. Based on the writing of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, "Andromeda" is best described as a mix between "Star Trek" and "Buck Roders in the 25th Century." The series tells the story of starship Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo) who gets frozen for 300 years and wakes to find the Systems Commonwealth (a government spanning three galaxies) destroyed, leaving the existing universe in chaos.
Tyr, along with space wanders Becca Valentine (Lisa Ryder), Seamus Harper (Gordon Michael Woolvett), Rev Bem (Brent Stait) and Trance Gemini (Laura Bertram), joins the crew of the spaceship Andromeda and its captain, Hunt, with the united goal of restoring the Commonwealth.
While on a break from shooting the series, Cobb took time to chat with Zap2it about what's it like playing Tyr and what he does to let off steam during the show's downtime.
"Ah… well, I was hired to be the big man on the show," Cobb tells Zap2it. "The Nietzscheans are purported to be physically superior in every way to humans. They are human beings with heightened everything."
On Cobb's web site (www.KeithHamiltonCobb.com), he shares his diet and exercise tips for how to keep looking good in those chain metal shirts he always wears on the show, but one wonders if playing a perfect specimen brings its own set of pressures.
"No, because ultimately what we're finding out is that he's not perfect, and the Nietzscheans in general are not perfect," he says. "They have proclivities and strength that stand out, but, like all human beings, if you look hard enough there are flaws, and issues, and Achilles heels."
A guest-starring role on two episodes of "The Beast Master" led Cobb to a meeting with "Andromeda's" head writer, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who also wrote for the Roddenberry series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Shortly after the meeting, Wolfe created the role of Tyr for Cobb.
"I met Keith, and obviously I saw immediately both in terms of the acting ability -- he's a classically Shakespearean-trained actor -- and just also in terms of physical presence, he's a very striking person," Wolfe told Space.com last June. "There was already a very obvious way to go with casting him. So, it was a no-brainer."
For his part, Cobb is happy to have the role.
"The most exciting thing is that it was written for me," says the actor. "Contrary to popular belief, there's not a whole lot being written for a 6'4" black guy with hair. It just doesn't quite happen that way."
Audiences shouldn't be fooled, although the character was modeled on him, it might not be a tailor-made fit.
" Keith is such a Nietzschean," fellow cast member Lexa Doig, who plays Andromeda, told the British SFX magazine. " But he has got a silly side that you don't get to see very often."
" The thing about Tyr is he's hugely politically and socially incorrect," explains Cobb. " He makes statement based upon what he thinks people need to hear. And these are things that we can't do in our culture. He's not a malicious person, he's just an honest person in terms of 'I'm going to put out there what needs to be out there.'"
Not that all of Tyr is well and good.
" Truth be told, he's a bit of a liar and a conniver. But the fact of the matter is, he's the toughest kid on the block. He's not fearing repercussions by speaking his mind. So it's a great deal of fun to play a character that can do that."
While the rest of the crew has bonded, Tyr's remains the outsider, his motivations more suspect. That might have something to do with the fact that the Nietzscheans were the ones to destroy the commonwealth, or that he's a Nietzschean without a pride (tribe).
" It's always more fun to play the villain or the one who might be the villain. The jury is still out on what his thing is -- is he a hero, or is he a villain?"
" I prefer to call him an antihero. He may achieve heroic ends, but by very dubious means. I think that makes him hugely interesting to watch. So, I'm enjoying that, I'm enjoying being the character that people wait to see."
As for what's coming up on the series, Cobb gave Zap2it some clues of what to look out for.
" There's some interesting things in both 'Harper 2.0' and 'Forced Perspective.' I like episodes where a little bit more is revealed about the character of Tyr, who he is. He came on board and everybody sort-of perceived him as this dour, ultra serious destroyer kind of guy. He has that, but there's a human being in there and we have opportunity from show to show to see other facets, hints of other characteristics."
" In season two, we are definitely going to get deeper in the Nietzschean mythology and history [and] try to clarify who these people are because we created this race, which has huge complexities from pride to pride -- they're all very different and evolving."
After having wrapped " Andromeda's" first season in mid-December, the second season of the series begins production Mar. 26. Cobb describes the shooting pace as " very frantic," with the crew wrapping 22 episodes in about eight months -- giving them about one week to shoot each episode.
With the shooting taking place in Vancouver, Canada, Cobb is left with little time to pursue his theatrical interests. However, due to the threatened writers strike, the producers have scheduled a two-month break in July and August for the cast, during which time Cobb hopes he can fit something into his schedule.
" I would like very much to do something in New York -- Shakespeare in the Park -- which I've never done but seems to fit into the schedule since we have that break," says the actor. " I'm always looking for theater gigs in the down time because I can't be away from stage work and be happy.""
