Claudia Christian Interview

There was once a clear divide between screen actors and voice actors; there was the occasional cross-pver but most were very much one or the other. That, however, is no longer the case, as actors move between stage, screen and voice with greater freedom than ever before. We chat to Claudia Christian, primarily known for her screen work on shows such as Babylon 5, about her career and seizing voice opportunities in video games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

RPGSite: Hi Claudia, thanks for taking the time out to chat with us. How are you today?
Claudia Christian: Jet lagged!

RPGSite: Haha, we’ll try not to be too rough on you then. You have been acting most of your life, first falling in love with it after performing in a school play just five years old. Now most people are terrified of being on the stage, so what was it that for you made it not a nightmare but a dream?
Claudia: I grew up with 3 older brothers so the fact that someone was actually listening to me was enough to combat any stage fright I may have had!

RPGSite: It wasn’t something that you pursued professionally until you graduated from school, so how did you satisfy your desire to act whilst growing up?
Claudia: Theatre, drama class - I was basically a theatre geek growing up.

RPGSite: It is an industry in which it is notoriously difficult to find a foothold, so was it ever a struggle to keep the dream alive during the inevitably lean first few years?
Claudia: My first years were far from "lean", they were the easiest years of my career; it's when you hit 40 and reality TV is the main form of entertainment that’s when it gets tough!

RPGSite: You are not an actor who comes from a long line of professional performers, as your father is a surgeon and your siblings are genetic engineers and veterinarians. Were you supported early on or did your family want a more stable career for you?
Claudia: Of course they wanted me to go to college and be a doctor but I am a determined lady...

RPGSite: One of your very earliest roles was in an episode of Dallas, a then highly popular and now iconic TV show. What was that like for someone just starting out?
Claudia: Amazing and a great way to jump right in.

RPGSite: What are your feelings about the new Dallas – can lightning really strike twice?
Claudia:  I am wary of any remakes… though I did laugh a lot whilst watching Starsky and Hutch the movie.

RPGSite: Now I must confess to a tingle of childish excitement when I saw Quantum Leap on your résumé. That was an odd show for Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, as they were the only regular cast. Did they make the guest actors feel welcome?
Claudia: Oh yes, they are both very professional and Scott is as nice in person as he seems on camera.

RPGSite: Dean Stockwell’s character is a hologram that only Scott Bakula could see, so was it challenging not to react to anything that he did while you were filming together?
Claudia: I can't recall actually; the thing I remember the most was being sewn into my dresses, they were incredible...

RPGSite: Haha, well, that kind of leads into my next question - the episode you starred in was ‘Play It Again, Seymour’, a 1940’s film noir style story in which you were the femme fatale – was that as fun as it sounds?
Claudia: It was a really fun job.

RPGSite: You had been working regularly for some10 years when you landed one of your most famous roles – Susan Ivanova in Babylon 5. What was the audition process like for the show – was competition fierce or were you offered the role early on?
Claudia: I was offered it after just one audition and a quick little call back the same day.

RPGSite: Had you had any prior experience of working in science fiction? Did it even feel like a science fiction or more like a drama that happened to be in space?
Claudia: No experience in sci-fi except for the film The Hidden. It only felt odd when I had to say things like "tachyon emissions", things that were not everyday words - like Vorlon and Kosh and Balosian freighter!

RPGSite: The creator, J. Michael Straczynski, took a unique approach in planning the show as an ongoing narrative and writing almost every episode himself. Did that make it easier to understand and ask questions about your characters and their motives?
Claudia:  I think so, yes.

RPGSite: What was the shooting schedule like, filming over twenty 45 minute episodes a year?
Claudia: It was great; we did 22 a year and rarely worked any overtime at all, unlike other shows. That's how Babylon 5 kept the costs down.

RPGSite: Was the regular work a relief, since you didn’t have to worry so much about what your next gig would be, or did it hinder you from pursuing other roles?
Claudia: I enjoyed Babylon 5 so I come from that place; if I were to ask myself "did I waste my late 20's on a show no one in the industry saw?" I would drive myself crazy. It is what it is and I am proud to have been a part of it.

RPGSite: Are you disappointed that you weren’t there for the fifth and final season or do you simply accept that it wasn’t to be and look back on the four you did fondly?
Claudia: I have no regrets, the 4 seasons I did were incredibly satisfying and I made friends for life.

RPGSite: Moving forward to 2011, you could recently be heard in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, one of the biggest games of the year both in terms of scope and popularity. How did you first come to be involved with the game – were you approached directly?
Claudia: Nope, I auditioned like anyone else!

RPGSite: Had you had much prior experience of working on video games?
Claudia:  I've done quite a few – Shrek Forever After: The Game (voice match for Jennifer Saunders), Guild Wars 2, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, etc.

RPGSite: According to various sources, you voice two characters – Aela the Huntress and Legate Rikke – can you tell us about them and how you found their voices?
Claudia: Honestly I just do it and they sometimes direct you and sometimes they do not...

RPGSite: It is one of the most star studded video games in history, with an epic story, world and thousands of hours of dialogue; did you get a sense of that while you recorded?
Claudia: No! I wish I had!

RPGSite: Has working on video games introduced your work to a whole new group of fans?
Claudia: I think they overlap somewhat with my B5 fans but my nephews finally respect me now that I am in Elder Scrolls!

RPGSite: Talking of fans, in August 2011 you hosted the first ever Claudia Con, a convention of your own creation which took place here in the UK. What motivated you to put together a project like that and how long did the seed of an idea take to grow?
Claudia: I wanted to give something back to the fans. It took 9 months to do all of the work and then the riots happened on the same weekend!

RPGSite: Oh dear, hopefully everyone was OK. Despite that, was the weekend everything you hoped it would be, for the stars and the fans, and do you have any plans to make the Claudia Con a regular occurrence in the future?
Claudia: The turn out was awful because of the riots; half the people paid and did not show up out of fear - pity because it was a blast!

RPGSite: What led to the convention being held in the United Kingdom to begin with?
Claudia: I live part time in London and the UK fans have been incredibly supportive of many things I have done (all fans are but I am just saying that they are particularly keen on sci-fi).

RPGSite: Time is nearly up but first, Doctor Who – a few years ago you starred opposite the Sixth Doctor in the Big Finish audio, The Reaping. Are you a fan of the show?
Claudia: I am a good friend of Nicola Bryant’s, she got me the gig - bless her! I have never seen the classic or the new show but I love Nicola and Colin [Baker] was great to work with!

RPGSite: Is there any chance of you appearing in the television series one day?
Claudia: I can only hold my breath for so long...!

RPGSite: And finally, you are also a musician with several albums to your name. How would you describe your style and do you currently have anything new in the works?
Claudia:  I don't fancy myself a singer but I sure have fun writing songs and trying to sing them! We just recorded two new songs for the Babylon 5 CD "Trying to Forget", we are going to re-release it with the new songs on it. Bill Mumy wrote and recorded both. It's Pat Tallman, Mira Furlan, Peter Jurasic, me and Bill.

RPGSite: Claudia, thanks so much for your time. It was a genuine pleasure.

Thanks again to Claudia for chatting to us, jet lagged and all. If you would like to keep up with all the latest news and information regarding her career, head over to her official website!