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People Got A Lotta Nerve by Neko Case[audio:http:\/\/wormholeriders.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/19-track-19.mp3]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Andee Frizzell is a wonderful person in her own right, but in the world of the Wraith, she\u2019s a true Queen! In fact, she\u2019s more than one! Andee was behind every Wraith Queen the Atlantis expedition encountered over the course of 5 years except the very last, in the episode entitled \u201cThe Queen\u201d. I\u2019ll let Andee explain why!<\/span><\/p>\n Andee was wonderful about taking questions, and she got a good variety. So, here we go!<\/span><\/p>\n Please Note: Though I have used quotations, this is not word for word exactly what was said, only as close as I could get by taking notes so messy and shorthanded that no one else could ever decipher them, not even Daniel Jackson! No video or audio recording is allowed at Creation conventions. <\/span><\/p>\n Which Wraith queen is your favorite? <\/em>Andee was particularly fond of the queen from “Allies”. Why? Because she loved that beautiful traveling robe she got to wear! The shoes were to die for also, though she was forced to take them off after that prolonged walking shot in which they were featured. She also enjoyed playing up on the primal instincts of the queen from Submersion as she menaced Teyla and discovered Teyla’s pregnancy.<\/p>\n How did you differentiate each Queen from the others? Was there anything you did as an actress to make each one distinct<\/em> as a member of their race? <\/em>\u201cI should try telling people that. \u2018I played a race<\/em>\u2019. The context of how the Wraith in that specific story line was going to create or forward the story, that\u2019s how we would create that Queen. So the Queen from \u201cSubmersion\u201d has been trapped under water for 10,000 years, so she\u2019s not going to chat. \u2018Oh, so the food now thinks!\u2019 No, she\u2019s gonna, (stabs the air with the palm of her hand like a Wraith feeding and makes a kinda scary face) eat you! It\u2019d be like if I just started talking to an apple. I made her much more primal because that was the story. And then the one with the chenille traveling dress, she\u2019s going in and trying to say, \u2018I want to be friends\u2019, <\/span>. . . “<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Do you foresee your role as the Wraith Queen being used to [the poor guy was nearly stammering trying to get the question out, and Andee couldn\u2019t seem to resist interrupting] <\/em>“promote products? (Puts out a hand like she\u2019s holding a product in a commercial) \u2018Use Lipitor!\u2019 (Laughs, then shows us a feeding hand) \u2018Or I\u2019ll kill you.\u2019 . . . Sorry.\u201d Andee lets the guy finish. \u201cI was just thinking it would be really useful for intimidating small children.\u201d \u201cOh my God, (shifts into to growling Wraith voice and shows us a clawed feeding hand) \u2018Eat your broccoli! Clean your room!\u2019 For sure! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know I was thinking more like, you could have it open up on the hair (flips her hair around), and then she turns, (puts on a scary grinning Wraith face). \u2018Don\u2019t hate me cuz I\u2019m green\u2019 or some kind of salon selectives. \u2018I love beautiful hair\u2019 or something like that. I could see some products coming out of that, for sure. \u2018How to keep luxuriously oiled\u2019. That was something about the prosthetics, because they wanted to have this shimmery shiny, \u2018tadesquepole\u2019 [your guess is as good as mine] reptilian glaze.<\/em>If there was one product I could say, \u2018I use this on set\u2019, it would be KY. A lot of boxes of KY were used on the Stargate Atlantis set. This could be a future trivia question. Trivial Pursuit: \u2018What item was most used . . .\u2019 We went through boxes of KY. So I can say (pretends to be doing a commercial holding the KY box) \u2018And I\u2019ve used it myself!\u2019 (and then wipes her face like it\u2019s all over it).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They obviously put the Wraith voices through some changes in post production, right? <\/em>\u201c(Growls like a Wraith) No. My voice does go through a synthesizer after we tape because of the teeth. The teeth over the series got smaller so they can actually fit in your mouth. You know that one with the white hair? I couldn\u2019t even close my mouth! (Smiles with her mouth wide open to show us what it was like) It was like (mimes dripping drool) yeah yayayaya. <\/span>I was like a pit bull. <\/span>I was like, \u2018she doesn\u2019t need any more KY on her face, it\u2019s all saliva!\u2019 So when on set, (takes her voice to a crazily low octave) I can pretty much do whatever I want with this voice, (comes back to normal) but they would still have to put it through the synthesizer because it was like, \u2018Eth Ferthst\u2019[Earth First!]. I was like, \u2018I fink I thaw a putty cat!\u2019 (She grimaces and wipes off the microphone, checking to see if the MCs are watching) The next guest is going to be, (grimaces at the microphone and tries to shake it out). \u2018I put some KY on the mic, here ya go!\u2019 (pretends to hand it off, smiling) Next guest please! Yeah, so I sounded pretty much like Tweety Bird. \u2018I fink I thaw a putty cat!\u2019 So, it\u2019s not very menacing when you\u2019re like, (in Wraith voice) \u2018Kneelth!\u2019 So it went through the synthesizer basically to get rid of the \u2018listhp\u2019. \u201c <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n What Queen did it take the longest to get ready to play? <\/em>\u201cThe Pilot, because it takes five hours to get in, and it takes two hours to get out. So that\u2019s seven hours. <\/span>Then we\u2019re usually on set for 12. Yeah. Zits. I could do acne cream! (In Wraith voice) \u2018Before, and this is after,\u2019 shiny KY face. The makeup, because there were a lot of changes happening on set – trying to create the atmosphere, the new sets, the wardrobe – everything was so new, and the excitement, I think I was in the makeup for like 21 hours in one day. To this day I still think that if I die of unnatural causes and they do an autopsy, I\u2019m sure that in my large intestine they will find a big ball of undigested Barbie hair. Because I ate more wig during those five years of shooting. It just gets stuck, and what are you going to do? It\u2019s KY! (Demonstrates wordlessly it getting stuck, covering her mouth and pretty much eating it. Eeew) Yeah. There\u2019s definitely plastic Barbie hair lodged somewhere in my body.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The teeth discussion continued as someone asked, How did you manage to eat anything while on set and in costume? Did they feed you?<\/em>\u201c(Puts on a pouty face) \u2018Please sir, I want some more!\u2019 (Then puts up the feeding hand again) Why do you think I eat people through that? The Wraith developed that [referring to the maw of the feeding hand] simply because they\u2019re like, \u2018look at these! (pointing to her teeth) What am I going to go with these?\u2019 The teeth did come out, and a lot of stuff went through a straw. The mask over time got thinner and thinner as well as the teeth got thinner and thinner. The first one was silicone, and it was thick, so only things that were the size of a quarter could go in your mouth. So you just squish a lot of food (demonstrates sticking food into a mouth she could barely open). <\/span>Like a DVD player. That\u2019s how I ate . . . a little. On set they have a catering truck, and they have this trail mix stuff. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s in there. It could be prehistoric animal\u2019s bones, but it\u2019s full of nuts, M&M\u2019s, Smarties, and some sort of raisin and some sort of fruit. I ate a lot<\/em> of that. That went down because it was easy to shove in there. <\/span>So I think a lot of my victims smell chocolate, peanuts, when I come at them.”<\/span><\/p>\n Do you get recognized even though you act in prosthetics?<\/em> At her first convention in Oklahoma, Andee said, a man started following her around, obviously nervous about approaching her. Finally he gathered his courage and asked if he could have a picture taken with her. After that he loosened up enough just so say that he watches her show all the time, and loves her role on Battlestar Galactica<\/em>! Oops!<\/p>\n When asked why she didn’t get to play the last Wraith queen, Andee has a theory. She stood up, showing all six feet of her height, and then exageratedly demonstrated how tall actress Rachel Luttrell is in comparison. A short Wraith queen isn’t nearly as intimidating, and Teyla would have looked much too short, so they found another shorter<\/em> actress to play the rival queen.<\/p>\n If you could get rid of one part of the prosthetics of your costume to make it easier, what would it be? <\/em>\u201cThe face. (Shrugs like, No Duh) The whole thing (indicating the entire head portion of the costume).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Someone asked Andee to tell the \u201cWet Wedgie\u201d story. Apparently she\u2019s well known for this. If you have any concerns about what\u2019s involved here, don\u2019t worry. It\u2019s all good clean hilarious fun! \u201cWell you know the episode \u201cSubmersion\u201d. I got a call and they said, \u2018can you hold your breath?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah\u2019 \u2018For a minute?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Dude, what\u2019s going on? You\u2019re going to pug the nose now?\u2019 They\u2019re like, \u2018Listen, you\u2019ve got to get in a tank of water, and you\u2019re going to be underneath there, and then you need to hold your breath for one minute, we\u2019ll tap on the tank and you\u2019re going to come up\u2019 (acts out the Queen coming out of the water, snarling) scary-like, right? I\u2019m like, \u2018Ok, I can hold my breath for one minute, not a problem. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo, the day of shooting, we get there, there\u2019s a big tank, it\u2019s three feet high so I have to get super low. I guess they wanted to conserved water so they\u2019re like, \u2018ok, you\u2019re gonna be in this little bucket, underneath the water. So there\u2019s a weight that\u2019s down there just so you know where you\u2019re mark is, cuz it\u2019s dark and your under water and you\u2019re wearing prosthetics. But you have to be exactly on your mark because we have a crane shot <\/span>coming all the way around and down right on this spot, so right on that exact spot you have to (does the Queen coming up, snarling, again), AND you can\u2019t come up and be like (does the Queen coming up, but gasping for breath). You have to make it look like it\u2019s totally normal for you to be underneath there. AND you can\u2019t be down there like \u2018Blub Blub\u2019 (uses her hand to show bubbles rising). We\u2019ll see that, so don\u2019t let any air out.\u2019 (Rolls eyes) I\u2019m like, \u2018ok, I can do this, it\u2019s all cool.\u2019 \u201cI don\u2019t know if you remember the outfit. It was long, black, beautiful, with a big neck on it. I get into the pool of water and it\u2019s like here (shows it being at mid thigh deep on her). I\u2019m standing there wearing leather pants, the whole thing. My wig is really long and they didn\u2019t want it to float up so they tied it to the back of my pants. [People who know where this is going are laughing, so Andee whines \u201cDon\u2019t wreck the story!\u201d] I take a big breath (literally . . .then pretends to dive) Down I go. I\u2019m down there less than half a second when all of a sudden I realize my mask is made of foam<\/em>. Ever tried to put foam underneath water? Not only does it want to expel<\/em> itself out of the water, it is glued to my face <\/em>(Demonstrates her face being pulled by the mask by squishing her cheeks in and scrunching it). All the sudden, from my clavicle up wants to LAUNCH out of the water. So I\u2019m thinking, \u2018Oh my God,\u2019 so I grab the weight, a 50 pound weight. I weigh 140 pounds. It starts bobbing (bobs up and down on her chair). <\/span>My face wants to shoot out of the water. <\/span>Then the second<\/em> sensation that strikes me \u2013 remember it\u2019s one minute. One second and this started to happen! I have 59 more seconds to go! \u2013 I had a head piece in this one, so I had the wig, and they put a great big piece of foam <\/em><\/strong>on the top of my head to give me a beehive. That<\/em> now wants to take off out of the water. But guess what? It\u2019s tied to my pants! Suddenly, the third<\/em> sensation is of a leather pair of pants sealing itself<\/em> right into the crack of my butt! For the next 57 seconds, I am doing everything in my power to keep my face, my hair, and my @$$ from not flying<\/em> out of the tank, and being the only actress ever to \u2013 without cables<\/em>\u2013 fly across the Stargate set. <\/span>So, moral of the story? Wet Wedgies SUCK!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Oh my God, I was in stitches and tearing up, I was laughing so hard! She pulled off quite a feat there! I mean that scene was perfect! Way to go, Andee! Does Creation know how to pick their pinch hitters, or what?<\/span><\/p>\n Next up, he gets dropped through air vents, thrown through space, punctured by a micro meteor, zapped by electricity, and worst of all, is forced to play second fiddle to Rodney McKay. I have nothing but sympathy and appreciation for Radek Zelenka, but David Nykl no doubt has payback in mind for Rodney! After all, he saw fit to torture fan fiction writers. If you don\u2019t know what I\u2019m talking about, read my \u201cCabaret and Cocktails\u201d post. Laugh all you want. I haven\u2019t found any video of me on YouTube yet, and it had better stay that way! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" People Got A Lotta Nerve by Neko Case[audio:http:\/\/wormholeriders.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/19-track-19.mp3] Andee Frizzell is a wonderful person in her own right, but in the world of the Wraith, she\u2019s a true Queen! In fact, she\u2019s more than one! Andee was behind every Wraith Queen the Atlantis expedition encountered over the course of 5 years except the very last, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[210,211,168,6129,158,391,109,164],"class_list":["post-422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stargate-vancouver-2009","tag-allies","tag-submersion","tag-the-queen","tag-andee-frizzell","tag-costumes","tag-creation-entertainment","tag-vancouver-stargate-2009","tag-wraith-queens"],"yoast_head":"\n
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