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Dreamwatch
2004; Issue #115
Dangerous Liaisons
By Jenny Cooney Carrillo
Thanks to Gem at SD-1.net for the transcript and st_george2 at The Palace for the scans!
Torn between the woman he loves and the woman he married, Michael Vaughn is a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. A key player on the hit spy-fi show Alias, the handsome CIA agent was left devastated when his lover Sydney Bristow was 'declared' dead in the season two finale The Telling. Seeking solace in the arms of pretty NSC agent Lauren Reed, Vaughn quickly maried Lauren - only for Sydney to make a dramatic reappearance during season two's closing moments. And now, as Alias' third season unfolds, Vaughn must deal with his conflicting feelings for the two women in his life as well as a dangerous new organisation known as The Covenant.
One person who's not in the least bit worried about the trials and tribulations facing Vaughn is his alter ego (and partial namesake) Michael Vartan. An actor whose credits include Never Been Kissed and One Hour Photo, Vartan has been with Alias since the show's launch in 2001 and couldn't be happier with the direction the writers are taking - even if his character is experiencing new emotional extremes every week!
As Alias continues to weave its tanlged web on both sides of the Atlantic, Dreamwatch interrogates the popular American actor about life as Michael Vaughn..
Alias' third season has been packed with surprises, starting with Melissa George's debut as Michael Vaughn's wife, Lauren. Were you shocked by that plot twist?
No, I thought it was genius. As soon as someone gets too comfortable or something becomes a habit, J.J (Abrams....) will flip the tables by 180 degrees. He just knows how to twist stories to really get people's emotions going.
Despite his marriage, Vaughn clearly still has feelings for Sydney. How has this been to play?
It's so much fun. This sort of triangle is so desperate and horrible and great and fantastic that I hope it lasts a while because as an actor it's just so much fun to play.
What do you think is going through Vaughn's mind at the moment?
Vaughn met Lauren at a time in his life where he needed to maybe find a new direction. He had just quit the CIA and they were on the same level and they found comfort in one another and just got along famously and got married. But now Sydney's back and he obviously has enormous unresolved issues with her. How can you not? It's human nature.
It sounds like you're really enjoying this season's storyline...
This is such a huge thing that if it wasn't written properly it could end up being like a soap opera. But the way J.J. is shooting it is just unbelievable. So far this year every script has been like, "Oh my God!"
Do you think Vaughn will go back to Sydney?
I honestly don't know. It probably won't happen this year, only because dramatically I think it would be such a let-down if they quickly got back together. It would be like, "Oh come on!"
Overall, how ould you say season three compares to previous years of Alias?
I think the show has been streamlined a little bit in terms of good and evil to make it, to a certain extent, more easy to follow. There's a new evil entity in town called The Covenant. There's less of the crazy time machines and clocks that activate some sort of world ending cataclysm! [Laughs]
How much say do you have in Alias' storylines?
I think J.J. Abrams, for all his genius and his ability to create these unbelievable stories, is also the most ego-less person I've ever met. You can so easily walk into his office and say, "No, I don't feel comfortable with this line or this part of the character," and he will say, "Well, what do you want to do?" It's fine, he has no problems. For someone who is so talented to be so willing to give up the lines he's written is amazing. It's always about how we can make it better.
I trust J.J. and the writers so inherently, so I never really feel the need to say, "What if we did this?" My ideas, inevitably, are never as good as theirs.
World-ending clocks aside, how true to life is Alias?
I've always felt that there are so many things about the US government and other governments around the world that we don't know. I mean, no one really knows what is going on. There are so many different covert factions and I think the one thing about our show that appeals to the public is that although we do touch on these areas, it's always in comic-book fashion. It's still not really exactly what's happening. We never name terrorists. So there's an element of pretending because it's a very delicate thing to get into, because you're dealing with people's emotions and how they feel. And certainly after 9/11 everyone's feelings about these subjects have changed.
I'm glad we're not really focused on reality. It's more of a fantasy thing because otherwise there would be a lot of instances where I think the cast and crew would be uncomfortable and maybe feel we'd crossed a line. But the world we live in now is so covert, who knows what the Hell is going on?
Have you had any interaction with real-life government agents?
In the beginning we had a liaison who would basically just say things like, "well, we wouldn't say it like this, we'd say it like this. We wouldn't say, 'Roger', we'd say, 'Check that.'" It was literally that specific.
Except when he's on the occasional mission, Vaughn rarely wears anything other than a suit and tie. Can we expect to see him in a crazy wig or glamorous costume any time soon?
No, it's the girls who get all the fun and crazy wigs. Maybe they should make him a Russian ballet dancer. Maybe Vaughn comes out in a tutu...Oh boy, let's not go there! [Laughs] No, my costumes are pretty sort of standard. They are not even costumes. It's different shades of grey. I am not lucky enough to get the crazy ones.
Did you have to do a lot of training for your role in the series?
I haven't done that much, because in the first year my character was basically behind a desk, so I had a lot of training with papers and pencils! [Laughs] With the gun stuff and all the firearms handling, we have such a great stunt crew that they make it so easy for me to do. We learned how to shoot guns, but as far as the fights go, they co-ordinate it so specifically that it's easy for us to do it.
You've been dating the show's star, Jennifer Garner, in real life for a while now. Has that affected your experience working on the series?
You know, it's funny. Jennifer and I were friends for so long, and any time you have a base that is friendship, that can only be a good thing. So the way we get along on set hasn't changed.
On set the dynamic is the same and, you know, when we're at work we work, and we have a private life now that has not bled over into work. So there's never been any tension. I'm incredibly happy. She's so amazing.
Is it possible you'll marry Jennifer one day, or are you against the whole concept of marriage?
I'm not against it. I am very for it. I haven't really thought about it, but I do love the idea of being married and having a family.
What's your home life with Jennifer like? Do you do things like cook for each other after work?
Yes, she's a fantastic cook. I am just content at being the 'sous' chef ; I do the chopping and the peeling and the cleaning. I let her do the cooking, as I don't cook well! Our schedule is so gruelling that when we do have time off we usually do something quiet like that.
I'm currently teaching her French. I feel so lucky that I speak French that any time I can speak French with someone I try to.
How long are you contracted to star in Alias?
Before we shot the pilot episode we had to sign a six-year contract.
Prior to Alias, you were pursuing a successful movie career. What made you sign up for a potential six year run on a TV show?
I had been working in movies - some really good, some really bad. I was happy with where I was. I certainly wasn't getting the offers I dreamed of, but I was making a living at it. It's not that I never wanted to do TV, it's just I didn't want to sign on to do something for a long period of time because the reason I became an actor was to ensure I didn't have routine and habit in my life.
But then I read the Alias script and I thought two things, to be honest with you. First, I thought that this show is going to run. It's too well written, the cast they had assembled is too great and it's too fantastic a female role to not at least be given a shot. So I knew that it would be picked up for at least seven episodes. Second, my part was so small in the pilot episode I thought, "Who knows where it's going to go? It's one morning of work. They're paying me more money than I've ever dreamed of. Sure, I'll do it!" I'd also worked with J.J. before and I knew what a talent he was. I just had a great feeling about Alias from the start and the six-year contract thing didn't even enter my mind.
And how do you feel about working on Alias now? You seem really proud of the show...
I am proud. It's just so nice to be on a show that you are really proud of because as an actor, especially in the beginning, you sometimes have to play parts that you don't really like because you have to work and you have to further your career. I've done some things that I wasn't necessarily so proud of, so to be on Alias and to just watch how great the show is every week is amazing. I just feel so lucky to be a part of it.
© Dreamwatch 2004
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