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Series Mag (France)
September 2005
Interview: Michael Vartan
Thanks to Katia at Jennifer Garner Fan Club for the scans. Translation thanks to Helene!
The quote on the Michael pic reads "I never thought of leaving the show, even when things turned bad with Jennifer."
INTERVIEW
MV fans, don't worry, the seducing Michael Vaughn will well and truly be in the fifth season of "Alias", which starts in September in the U.S. Yet it remains to be seen in which state we will find the good-looking secret agent after the last episode of Season 4...
MICHAEL VARTAN
S.M: Was it really discussed that you would not be in the 5th season of "Alias"?
MV: I can assure you that all this has only been a huge rumor, which besides really upset me... One day, I came across an article that implied that my presence in the 5th season of Alias was jeopardized. I was in shock! I immediately called JJ Abrams to ask him if he had made any comments about it. I told him:"I hope you still want me on the show because I just bought a new house and I need money to pay it!". But JJ was as surprised as I was and he assured me that my role was not threatened at all.
SM: Where does this rumor come from, according to you?
MV: I think it started when Jennifer began dating Ben Affleck. As a result, some fans maybe thought that I'd be madly jealous and that I would consequently leave the show so as not to be next to Jennifer. But all this was ridiculous and even if I won't go on any further on this issue, I can tell you that I never thought of leaving the show, even when things turned bad with Jennifer. Besides, if I had had to leave the show for this reason, I would have done it a long time ago...
SM: Nowadays, "Alias" is one of the most appreciated shows and its popularity never stops increasing. How can you explain that?
MV: I think it's because of a bunch of little things that, in the end, make this show both coherent and seducing. I think the audience likes the conspiracies, the spy secrets... And there are stunts and the fact that, to some extent, fans feel close to the characters, particularly Sydney, who's still very popular to the audience. To me "Alias" is a bit like James Bond. You have to stand back, without trying to know if what happens is really believable. For I can tell you that if the CIA worked like SD-6, all its agents would be dead for a long time...
SM: After 4 seasons, what is your favorite episode?
MV: It's not easy to answer. We've shot 88 episodes so far so to choose only one is almost impossible.
However, as I have to choose, for various reasons I'd say that my favorite is the pilot. This episode is the best TV moment I've seen. And I'm not saying this because I'm part of it! [laughs] To me, the pilot is incredible and Jennifer was great in it. And as it was just the beginning of the show, we were all very excited but as well very anxious to know if the audience would like it. 4 years later, we're about to start a new season which makes me really happy.
SM: What can you tell us about the 5th season?
MV: You know, we just started shooting on August 1st, so I can't tell you much for the moment. It's true that many questions are still to be answered, especially about Sydney and Vaughn, who had a potentially lethal car accident which consequences are still unknown. All I can tell you is that they're alive or else there would not be a 5th season! ...
[laughs] Yet, as to their relationship and especially their wedding, I can't tell you anything because I don't know at all. It will be a surprise...
SM: Writers don't keep you informed a long time in advance about how your characters evolve?
MV: Unfortunately, no. Usually we know about the evolution of our character when we get the episodes scripts, that is about 2 or 3 weeks before shooting.
Sometimes when we discover the scripts, we're totally amazed. We often happened to think that the writers were going too far, that the storyline was a bit far-fetched. And once the episodes are shot and the plot is developed, the story ends up being coherent each time. It's like a huge puzzle. At first, you don't get what's behind all these little pieces and once they're all put together, everything is perfectly clear. It's a bit the same thing with "Alias". Even if some things are dark today, there's high chance that everything will become clear in the few next months.
It's just a matter of patience...
SM: You're refering to the mysterious revelation of Vaughn to Sydney, that he's been lying from the beginning about his true identity?
MV: Yes, among other things...
© Series Mag 2005
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