TV
Zone - Issue #114 May 99
By Steve Eramo
The Sentinel's Lieutenant Detective Jim Ellison fears that he is losing his
mind when one day without warning his senses become extraordinarily acute.
When his new-found powers begin to interfere with his job Ellison decides to
take a temporary leave of absence from the Cascade, Washington
police force.
Desperate to discover the cause of his problem
Ellison confides in Blair Sandburg, an anthropology graduate student and keen
expert on tribal cultures. Sandburg attributes the detective's condition to
his stint as a soldier in the army and the 18 months he spent in the Peruvian
jungle as the sole survivor of a failed reconnaissance mission. Ellison's
experience left him with heightened senses, all of which have now resurfaced
to aid his survival in the urban jungle. Sandburg offers to teach Ellison how
to master his powers in exchange for the opportunity to observe him in action.
Garrett Maggart was relatively new to the acting profession when he auditioned
for the role of Sandburg.
"It
was in the middle of the summer - long after the pilot season," recalls
Maggart. "I was in Connecticut visiting family and friends and my agent
faxed me the sides (dialogue) for the audition. My mother's co-workers at the
YMCA thought it was a big deal because they were getting Hollywood scripts on
their fax machine. I read the lines and he (Blair) was me. It was the only
time I ever looked at my mom - well, not the *only* time - and said, 'I want
this job. I'm going to cut my vacation short, fly home and get this part.' She
said (nonchalantly), 'OK,' because that's the way she's always looked at
acting.
"I met with
The Sentinel's casting agent
April Webster and two days later she introduced me to the show's creators Paul
DeMeo and Danny Bilson. I read for them and they made me an offer that
afternoon. Next I had to audition for the executives at the studio and then
the network. It was agony," jokes the actor. "It was five hours in
front of what seemed like 40 people - actually it was probably more like 10.
Once I was cast I had to read with eight different actors who were trying out
for the character of Jim Ellison. They didn't find Richard Burgi until the
second round of auditions. I think they always had him in mind but he was
doing something else, I believe, when casting began. When we read together,
though, things just clicked."
Unlikely Candidate
With his long hair, pierced ear and casual attire
Blair Sandburg is hardly a candidate for a police recruitment poster. He and
Jim Ellison are as opposite as chalk is from cheese but their different
personalities complement each other and, in fact,
make them ideal partners. Sandburg's offbeat approach to a case sometimes
sheds light on a clue or piece of evidence that even Ellison with his years of
experience and super-senses may have overlooked. Although the young man's
enthusiasm sometimes grates on the nerves of Ellison and his superior Captain
Simon Banks (Bruce A Young), they soon come to depend on Sandburg's
contribution to their crime-fighting efforts.
Family Atmosphere
"Jim and Blair have bonded intensely and have
become more than just friends," notes Maggart. "They're more like a
guide and his follower and they sometimes interchange these roles. As far as
Captain Banks, he and Blair were adversaries at first. I mean, he really
didn't want Blair around. He's been on the police force for over 20 years and
has struggled to build a career for himself. All of a sudden this little
long-haired punk comes along and starts putting in his two cents about how to
catch the bad guys. However, he and Jim have learned to appreciate what Blair
does. They applaud his bravery and the fact that he's not a cop but still
sticks his neck out for what he believes is right.
"I think my character has certainly grown up
over the past four seasons, especially having faced assorted dead bodies,
carnage and mayhem," says the actor. "Prior to Blair hooking up with
Jim Ellison he was pretty much, I don't want to say a recluse, but preoccupied
with his studies and kept his head buried in his books. However, being exposed
to life on the police force has helped make him a man. He's gone from being a
wide- eyed kid to a sarcastic young man to finally an adult who's learning how
to cope with adversity and whatever else may come his way.
"I
couldn't have asked for a better initiation into series television than being
a part of The Sentinel," adds Maggart. "Richard, Bruce and I
get along great. There are no egos on the set. Despite their years in the
business I *never* had to hear, 'Oh, here comes the new kid.' Richard and
Bruce are professionals who want to do good work. They're not the types to
just show up on set and say the lines. They're intelligent actors who read the
scripts and make suggestions. We're constantly bouncing ideas off each other
and, hopefully, helping make the material even better."
Stunt Man!
Another production aspect of the show that gets
Maggart's adrenaline pumping is the stunt work. "I'm a very physical
person and I like to try to do as many of my own stunts as possible. Of
course, that doesn't happen very often, but when it does I'm always willing. I
remember there was a scene in one of the second season episodes in which
Ellison and Blair were supposed to jump off a cliff and into the water.
Richard and I were begging them to let us do that but it was just too
dangerous. We did, however, get to ride in a boat down the rapids. That was
wild! In one of this season's episodes I jump off a helicopter and land in the
water. I mean, it was only 10 feet or so from the water's surface but it was
still cool hanging off the side of the helicopter and doing the jump."
Cancellation
The Sentinel's third-season finale SENTINEL TOO ended
with a dramatic cliffhanger in which Detective Jim Ellison is desperately
trying to resuscitate Blair Sandburg, who has apparently drowned. The message
'To Be Continued' that came up on the bottom of television screens led viewers
to believe that this unfortunate situation would be resolved next season.
However, in a last minute decision UPN decided to drop the series from its
fall 1998 schedule in favour of new programming. Fans quickly mobilized and
flooded the network with letters, phone calls and e-mails. Their fervent show
of support was a key factor in UPN bringing the show back as a mid-season
replacement in January.
"The
fan reaction has been tremendous," says Maggart. "Everyone is so
complimentary. Parents have written telling me that their children have become
interested in anthropology or rediscovered their enthusiasm for school because
my character proves that you can be an academic and still be cool. Inner-city
kids have also sent me letters saying that they like the way that Blair deals
with anger and doesn't respond to violence with violence. They think it's
pretty neat that Blair always tries to talk his way out of a tricky
situation."
Teacher Training
Maggart's interest in helping children extends way
beyond his portrayal of Blair Sandburg. Before beginning work on The
Sentinel he volunteered as a teacher for a children's acting class that
was run by his manager. "I consider myself more of a guide as opposed to
a teacher," he says. "I always hated when my acting teachers said,
'That's wrong.' I'd ask, 'What do you mean wrong?' It's how I feel. How is
what I feel wrong? Feelings valid or invalid are still feelings. There could
be better ones, though, and that's what I tried to get across to the kids in
the class. I miss doing that. Every once in a while I'll go sit in on a class
but I work so much now that I haven't been able to do it as often as I'd
like."
Surprise, surprise! Blair Sandburg is miraculously
brought back to life in the show's fourth season opener and conclusion to
SENTINEL TOO which guest-stars Star Trek: Voyager's Jeri Ryan as Alex,
a female Sentinel. However, his future and that of The Sentinel's
depends on how the series performs during its prime time comeback.
"The last of the eight episodes we did has a
pretty interesting ending so that it can close the series if we aren't picked
up again," explains the actor. "It also leaves the door open for a
whole new bunch of adventures. So we'll have to wait and see what
happens."