Jewel Staite

Jewel Staite: What Nathan Fillion stole from the set of Firefly

If you like Jewel Staite as Kaylee from Firefly and Serenity and Dr. Jennifer Keller from Stargate: Atlantis, you’ll love the REAL Jewel Staite! That’s why we’re so pleased she’s agreed to join us regularly here at Blastr to answer your questions and share whatever happens to be on her mind.

Yes, it’s been two months! I know! I’m lazy and fickle and I forget that you’re out there, pining terribly for my next blog entry! You are, aren’t you? Don’t answer that.

I’ve been caught up in yet another whirlwind lately, this time one full of house guests, scripts piled to the ceiling to read/memorize, and, because I’m a complete moron, a move to another house right in the middle of it all. To say I’m exhausted and spent is an understatement. But the good news is, we’re settled in to our lovely new abode, we’ve spent some time with some amazing friends, I’m feeling creatively inspired, and all I can hear is the sweet sound of silence. And the occasional weeping coming from Paul McGillion while he watches The Biggest Loser. Paul hasn’t quite left yet.

In other news, my food/drink/public declaration of gluttony blog is up and running at www.happyopu.net. Opu means tummy in Hawaiian, and growing up, my grandmother’s not-so-subtle way of commenting on somebody’s expanding midsection was "Well, he sure has a happy opu..." So in homage to her, happy opu seemed like the perfect name. And now I have an actual excuse to be eating the way I do all the time, which is a relief. I’m now also one of those ass-hats who takes pictures of food in restaurants, too, which is a humiliation I’ve had to come to terms with in order to please my readers. See what I do for you people? But it really has been fun. Especially when the people who work in those restaurants think you’re somebody special and start giving you free stuff. Maybe I need a shoe blog so I can start getting free shoes!

All right. More importantly, your questions:

1. Who is your favorite science fiction character and why?

I’m assuming I can’t choose my own characters here, and if I say Dr. Beckett, Paul’s going to start crying all over again, so I think I’ll go with someone from Lost. I know there are some discrepancies on whether Lost is really a sci-fi show or not, but it’s about people on a magical island that moves through the spacetime continuum, so something tells me I’m good. I’d say John Locke would be my very favorite, because of his faith, his mysticism, his wisdom, and that "I may be nuts enough to shoot you at some point" glint in his eye. Kind of like the look Paul’s going to give me after he reads this blog.

2. Where do you get your quirky and sometimes misunderstood sense of humor from?

The credit for that one has to go to my dear old Dad. My dad looks like a cross between the Marlboro man, Jack Palance, and maybe the guy in Tales from the Crypt. As Dad would say, "Thank heck you got your mother’s genes." He’s one of the most hilarious people I know, and can pretty much reduce me to a helpless fit of hysterical laughter every time I talk to him. Case in point: on his birthday last year, I bought him a tequila shot. After shooting it back, I asked, "How was it, Dad?" He said, "Well, it put some lead in my pencil, but I got nobody to write to!" I mean, does he need his own show or what? I have the best dad in the world.

3. What’s your favorite part of your craft vs. the hardest part?

First off, I don’t know why, but that word "craft" drives me mental. It just sounds so uppity and pretentious and thespian-like. What I do is just a job, a really fun, really rewarding and wonderful job. I choose not to take it too seriously, and I also choose to separate it from my real life as much as possible, because I think that’s important for maintaining your sanity as well as maintaining your ego in this business. Having said that, I’d say the hardest part is the in-between-jobs part, where you’re looking for the next "right fit." It can be really daunting and exasperating, and sometimes downright boring. But the next part, which is my favorite part, is when you’ve found something to do that inspires you, and inspiring people to work with, and everything just comes together like magic. Those moments, when you’re so creatively fulfilled you feel like bursting, are the best.

4. If you could play an actual person in a biopic, who would you choose and why?

Beyonce. ’Cuz we look alike.

5. What kind of mementos have you stolen I mean forgot to give back from the shows you’ve worked on?

Now, listen. I’m an honest kind of girl. I’ve only taken the things that have been so graciously given to me.... by other people that have stolen them. Like Nathan Fillion. (The irony that he’s playing a guy who helps cops right now is not lost on me.) I had some lovely things from Firefly, such as my "Kaylee’s Room" door sign, my hammock from the engine room, some Alliance money, and one pink bra I swear I forgot to give back to the wardrobe department. Most of these things have since been given away to charity auctions, except for the bra. Because that would be weird. And also because I can’t find it, and I’m scared to look in Nathan’s underwear drawer. Sadly, nothing came back with me from Stargate: Atlantis, except for Paul, who’s still on the couch. He says hi.

Okay, I’m off! Thanks for the questions, as always! Until next time,

XO Jewel