Posted:
18:34:30 on August 19 2001
By: Steve Krutzler
Dept: People
Freelance writer and former Fandom correspondant, AntonyF, has conducted an extensive interview with ENTERPRISE cast member Anthony Montgomery that appears today at TrekToday. The actor plays Enterprise helmsman 'Ensign Travis Mayweather'. In the interview, Montgomery talks about his past history auditioning with 'Trek' and how he got the ENTERPRISE role. Here are some excerpts:
An inquisitive nature, enthusiasm and a desire to explore are all traits that most fans would agree embody the best of the Star Trek franchise and the characters that inhabit it. With the fifth series, Enterprise, close to airing in the US, Anthony Montgomery is undeniably well suited to his role of Travis Mayweather, the ship's helmsman. His infectiously positive personality is unavoidable, and he naturally embodies those character traits we have come to expect in Star Trek.
Although he's already done a number of interviews to promote the new show, Anthony is continually happy to speak about his latest role. All eyes may be on Enterprise, however his first contact (no pun intended) with the Trek franchise was actually with predecessor Star Trek: Voyager. "I auditioned with Ron [Surma, the casting director] two years ago for an episode on Voyager," he explains. "I didn't get that part, but I did start a great relationship with that casting office. Ron brought me back in [around] eight months ago, for a part as Tuvok's son [in "Repression"]. It wasn't a presence that would have physically been there, it would have been a computer transmission. It was down to me and one other guy [Ronald Robinson], and the other guy apparently looked more alien than I did, and that's why he got the part."
Anthony would next return to audition for Enterprise. "The relationship was already established, and when I got called for this I'd just finished shooting a pilot. I was leaving on a Wednesday to go up north and shoot, and they called me on the previous Friday and asked me if I could come in on Monday, [and I] met with Ron. He knew I was leaving, asked if I could come back and meet the producers on Tuesday. I did, and met Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Jim Conway (who is the director), and I believe I met Merri Howard that day also. I left town to go and shoot, and after I'd left town Paramount was calling, and when I got back into town on Sunday my manager told me everything was closed. The test deal came through on Monday and I went in and tested on Tuesday, and I went to Paramount. I didn't have to go test for UPN because apparently the deal and everything wasn't done at that time. So I just met the executives over at Paramount, went to my agent's office and found out ten minutes later, literally ten minutes after leaving the set. I'd been in her office a couple of minutes when business affairs called and picked me up for the series."
What was his reaction at the news? "I screamed, I screamed really loud," he exclaims. "I just laughed and gave her the script back I was reading. I was like, 'I guess I won't go audition for this.' It was great, and just fun, the whole process. We're actors, but we're professional auditioners as far as I'm concerned until we book a job, and we book far less jobs than we go out for.
"I didn't put anymore on the audition than it was. I said I'm going to give them everything I have, and it's going to be up to them and God as to whether or not I get the part. Some parts come around, others don't. On some, I really got out of my head thinking it was my fault I didn't get a job, and realize there's a lot of variables you yourself don't control in this industry. Then things just started happening for me."
For the rest, click here.
