Shanks Passes Through the 'Stargate' to '24'

By Kate O'Hare, Zap2it.com, Zap2It.com | April 30, 2007

Michael Shanks on 'Stargate SG-1'

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Earlier this year, the cast and crew of "Stargate: SG-1" headed to the Arctic to shoot scenes for "Stargate: Continuum," the first of two straight-to-DVD movies based on the long-running Sci Fi Channel series.

But Michael Shanks, who plays archaeologist Dr. Daniel Jackson, couldn't tag along, because he was too busy helping counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) save the world on FOX's "24."

Or, he would have been, had he actually ever shot a scene with Sutherland. But Shanks is indeed on "24," in a multi-episode arc that begins on Monday, April 30. (For those who wish to remain entirely spoiler-free, stop reading now. Thank you.)

"We never even worked on the same day," says Shanks of Sutherland.

Shanks plays Washington lobbyist Mark Bishop, the love interest of Lisa Williams (Kari Matchett), assistant to Vice President Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe).

"I don't get anywhere near Jack Bauer," Shanks says, "so I don't get killed. Even if you're a good guy, it's dangerous to be on that side of the story."

Of course, he can't say too much about his place in the ongoing plot, in which one tumultuous, 24-hour day is chronicled in real time.

"When I've been doing interviews," Shanks sys, "my wife keeps turning to me going, 'Don't! You can't say that.' I'm going, 'No, no, I'm not talking about what happens, I'm talking about what I do.'"

Shanks has a friend on the show in director/producer Brad Turner, who has also worked on "Stargate SG-1" and its spin-off, "Stargate: Atlantis."

"Brad came down to set when I was shooting my last episode," Shanks recalls. "I said, 'What are you doing down here? You bored?' He said, 'Yeah, kinda.' He's directing the last two episodes of the season, so I said, 'If you're bored, why don't you just go up on the Internet and reveal spoilers and see how interesting your life gets?'

"On the third page of the script, it says very clearly, 'Do not discuss this script with anyone other than cast and production staff.'"

One thing Shanks does reveal is that he has a love scene with Matchett, a fellow Canadian he met back in the early '90s in Stratford, Ontario. On a show accustomed to mayhem, romance apparently caused a bit of a stir.

"I'm not saying where or when," he says, "I'm just saying there was a little bit of sexy stuff, which is unusual for '24.' A show like that doesn't really have time for it. What's funny about it, the crew, they were quite bashful at times about what we were filming.

"Somebody came over and articulated, 'Sorry if people are kind of giggly around here. We're used to chain-sawing people's heads off and cutting fingers off and torture scenes, that's the day-to-day for us. But the sex thing has us all acting like teenagers.'

"It was nice to work with somebody like Kari in that kind of capacity, because there was already a rapport there. We're friends from long ago, so it's easier than 'Hello, stranger, nice to meet you. By the way, I'll be taking your clothes off.' There's always an awkwardness on day one."

Ironically, Shanks began watching "24" for the first time early in this season, shortly after terrorists detonated a suitcase nuclear bomb in Valencia, Calif.

He says, "Somebody said, '"24" set off a nuke. They finally did it!' So I started watching, and lo and behold, I'm watching for good reason, because it ended up being homework for what I was going to be involved with."

On "Stargate: SG-1," which returned with the remainder of the episodes for its 10th and final season on Friday, April 13, Shanks worked for many seasons with Richard Dean Anderson, who played team leader Jack O'Neill. So if he had actually shot scenes with Sutherland, it would have been his second time beside an action hero named Jack.

"It would have been very comfortable," Shanks says. "'Jack, what do I do?' It falls off the lips very easily."