Calgary Sun
Friday, December 14, 2001
Making a name for
itself
By Kevin
Williamson
In any given episode of Alias, the following shall occur:
College student-turned-secret-agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner)
dons a wig and form-fitting outfit, and ends up running -- no,
careening -- down long, winding corridors.
Sydney and her estranged dad, aloof fellow spy Jack (Victor Garber),
have steely-eyed exchanges rife with tension.
In Adam West Batman fashion, things end with a cliffhanger set to
wrap up next week.
"For better or worse, we have developed certain signature moments in
the show," admits creator-executive producer J.J. Abrams from his
office in Los Angeles.
What makes Alias -- it airs Sundays on ABC and CTV -- one of the
year's best new shows, is that while it adheres to all the spy-flick
formulas, it adds an unexpected punch in the emotional heft of its
characters, particularly the aforementioned relationship between
father and daughter.
Action Jackson
That suits veteran Canadian actor Garber just fine.
"It's rare to get a series on the air and it's rarer for a series to
stay on the air. And I thought, if I did this, I could live with it.
It's very dimensional. It has a lot going on."
That includes, Garber notes, the most shoot 'em up action he's seen
in his career, which began 30 years ago on the New York stage.
"This coming episode has Jack in action. It's so different than
anything I've ever done.
"I never thought I'd be wielding guns and climbing through elevator
shafts."
That's not to say Garber hasn't seen his share of spectacle --
notably his role in a seldom-seen film called Titanic -- but to those
who haven't seen Alias, it may seem he's signed on to something
horrid, ie: Charlie's Angels.
"(Alias) only happens to be spies. But really, it's about
relationships and loss and healing. That's why it's so compelling. I
know so many of my friends who are completely addicted to the show.
It's very rewarding."
"It feels good to know that we're doing well and that our numbers are
good."
Garber, the stage actor in him suddenly aghast at relishing ratings
glory, pauses, then adds: "I never thought I'd say that phrase."
Halfway through the season, Abrams describes the production -- any
single Alias episode feels like three of most other series -- as "the
monster never gets full."
Yet it's also easy, while speaking to Abrams, to recognize where
Alias gets its hyper-pitched pace: the man, simply put, speaks in
one, big, long sentence.
But even after apologizing for "rambling," Abrams can't stop himself,
especially when hinting at the things still to come -- or how Alias,
with its adrenalized plotting, can avoid an accelerated burnout.
"What's nice about how we've been working is that we have storylines
arced out for this year. It's not just an entertaining hour ... And
we've talked in vague ideas we want to explore in seasons to follow.
"Series TV is a lot like driving in the fog. As you go, things become
clearer."
As they will for fans with Episode 11, which Abrams says
contains "the biggest story revelation so far" -- about Sydney's
mother.
Among those fans is Pulp Fiction filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who
Garber says has filmed a guest role as a character who tries to take
over the evil spy agency, SD-6.
"I can't say anything more -- actually, I probably wasn't supposed to
say that."
'Very adorable'
But it's doubtful even Tarantino's arrival will take the spotlight
from Garner, who's become a certified media darling.
"In Jennifer, she brings a girl-next-door quality that's very
relatable," Abrams says.
"She's very adorable. So the fun for me is cutting to the scenes
where she's kicking someone's ass. I always thought when I found the
actor to play Sydney, I'd have an actor who would walk onto David
Letterman, and you'd think, 'Oh, she's so cute.'
"And then they'd show a clip of her battling. I didn't want people to
think when they first saw her, 'Damn, she's tough.' "
"When I met Jennifer," Garber recalls, "I said, 'This woman's going
to be a huge star because she's so gifted and so beautiful -- and
she's an angel to work with.
"When you're working together for 15 hours a day, there's no room for
divadom."
©
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