Edited transcript of Jason Behr AOL chat Feb 19

Thanks to MyrnaLynne for editing this:

I tried to make sense out of
Jason’s AOL chat Monday night; they had a lot of technical problems and it
seems very few of the questions were posted, just Jason’s answer to them.

Even though I didn’t participate in the actual chat, I tried to supply the
missing questions (in parentheses) based on Jason’s answers and to fill in a
few blanks and fix up the typos, etc. It helps if you are a ‘psychic
transcriptionist’!:

Jason Behr Chat on AOL February 19, 2001,
7:30

PMDan: Welcome to everyone and welcome to Roswell chat with Jason Behr
… Give us a rundown [about the show, your character] Give us an idea of
the Hybrid Chronicles

Jason Behr: [I play one of three aliens in Roswell] who go through life as teenagers. I play Max. He found out that he was the
king of his planet sometime in the second season, which started the alien
mythology.

Q: (? Re Max and Liz, re the balance between sci-fi and
relationship)

Behr: I am not actually sure how that is going to go … the
relationship between the two of them, they have been through so much.. I’m
not sure what they are going to do for a balance between the two of them.
When we have a story that involves the dark, edgy science fiction elements
and the relationships, those are the most interesting stories. When you have
too much of either one of them, you can turn off certain viewers. It’s nice
to have a balance between the two of them.

Q: (? Re high school)

Behr: I
think high school is such an important part of a lot of people’s lives
either good or bad. I think high school has a very lasting impression
whether they like it or don’t like it. It also helps when you are walking
through lockers, have a backpack, the environment sort of works on the
stage, and sort of remember those times.

Q: (? How/when did you get into
acting)

Behr: I’ve been acting quite a bit since I was a kid a way for me to
channel my youthful exuberance I guess. I had a lot of energy when I was a
kid.

Question: If you weren’t acting what would you see yourself doing (?
Directing)

Behr: Probably, I really have no idea. That is the only thing I
can do.
Question: Do you enjoy fame or would you prefer an ordinary life?

Behr: To be honest, I am working so much, I’m really not outside just
hanging out and on the streets, I really working all the hours on the show.
If anyone ever comes up and says anything, it’s usually very complimentary,
and that kind of stuff usually puts a smile on your face.

Question: What has been your favorite episode this season and last?

Behr: It’s a toss up from
either.. the Pilot has been my favorite. The first episode was very
powerful.. All the actors gave real strong performances.. I thought there
was a nice balance of the comedy between Michael and his battle and the
drama of Max’s situation, and the stranger that he let die [in ARCC]. I
think that was one of the more powerful episodes.

Question: Do you relate to
you character in any way?

Behr: Sometimes, there is always a little bit of
yourself in the characters that you play.. you forget about who you are when
you’re playing these characters. I think Max is a little more indecisive,
and understandably so, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He
is a little shy, a little hesitant, and a little indecisive.

Q: (?About the
variety of roles this season)

Behr: Absolutely, whenever you are doing a
season of a series, you are playing the same character over and over again,
it’s always refreshing to do something different. The New York version of
Max, I was only on there for the very first minute of the show. I think all
the actors were going for a very different take on their New York
counterparts. I think the general idea was to take these characters and kind
of play what if, what if they grew up without parental supervision, sort of
free rein with their abilities. Quite different characters, quite different
animals.

Question: Do you know if there is a sure third season to Roswell?

Behr: We don’t know yet. Nobody has told us if we are or not coming
back. It’s always an issue when we come near the end of the season. I don’t
know of any of these shows that have been picked up for the next season.
Well, the fans were very helpful last year, allowing people to really see
it. The show is being watched, and that it should stick around, but I’m not
sure.

Question: Jason, have you learned anything about yourself while playing
Max? If so what did you learn?

Behr: I learned that I need a lot more sleep
than I get! I’ve learned that I guess Max has a certain humanity that is
both frustrating and refreshing, because I think he sees the world through
different eyes than I do. I guess I’ve learned to be a little more
open-minded about things. Always have a better question about who he is and
what he isn’t.

Question: Who do you admire the most in the world, living or
dead?

Behr: First and foremost, my mother. [She instilled] a lot of beliefs
in me and values that I use every day. She’s been my hero as long as I can
remember. Other than that, career-wise, I admire Paul Newman, probablywho
stands out most. No particular film, every film that he does, he is amazing
in. I can’t think of one film that he has done that I said I didn’t like his
performance.

Q: (? Using fame for good causes)

Behr: If I look at someone’s
career that mirror’s that, it would be Paul Newman. He is a true
representative of class; he makes a helluva salad dressing. More money is
made on Newman’s brand name than his films, and all the money his company
makes goes to charity. To me, that is doing something with who you
are.

Question: Hey Jason, I want to be an actor on TV just like you! What
advice can you give me to pursue my dream in television?

Behr: The best
advice that I could probably give anybody to believe in themselves. Don’t
let anyone tell you that things are not possible, because they are
possible.

Question: (?How did you get the role of Max)

Behr: It kind of just
happened. I was in North Carolina when I read the script for Roswell. The
character was so different than the one I was playing on that show. I think
anybody around my age was into science fiction in my age.. Star Wars, ET,
Battlestar Galactica, it was kind of normal to be a science fiction buff to
that degree.It fascinated me.

Q: (? About Internet)

Behr: … the Internet
fascinates me. It allows people to exchange information so freely that
innovating and scary at the same time, because sometimes I wonder how much
of this information is true, you have to consider the source. So weird, I
can talk with somebody in Japan forcrissakes! The technology is great, but I
am not quite comfortable with it and I don’t surf the net as often as I
should.

Q: (? Do you like fan websites)

Behr: Absolutely, it’s very
flattering, they don’t need to do this, they don’t need to spend the time
doing this… it’s very flattering. It’s kind of surreal. I never expected
that kind of stuff when I got into this. It’s very flattering.

Question: Are
you good friends with the cast? Who’s your favorite?

Behr: It’s funny, the
very first few months before we started working on the show, we hung out a
lot. We decided to get to know each other before we started working those
long hours. We found ourselves spending so much time on the set that when we
would leave the set, we would go live our own lives. We’ve been getting a
lot better as we’ve sort of got used to the schedule. We are hanging out a
lot more now than we have in a long time.

Q: (?Do you play jokes on each
other)

Jason Behr: Not really.. we’re pretty good to each other. There’s no
real super huge pranks or anything like that. Every now and then, that might
have happened. We have a thing that we go out and get jama juice a lot.[?] Some of the cast members just get more fiber.

Question: Do you have another
passion, aside from acting?

Behr: I like to spend a lot of time with my
family. It’s the most important thing to me. But I spend a lot of time
outdoors with my family and my dog, spend a lot of time with my dog. I like
to play basketball a lot. I’m really a student of film, I really enjoy the
film process. I watch as many movies as I can when I have free time.

Q: (?Do you know what is coming up in the show)

Behr: It depends.. In the
beginning of the season, you pretty much know what is going on the first
half of the year. Things keep popping up, you have no idea. I could not
tell you what is happening in the next episode. Other than the one we are
shooting right now, I don’t know what is happening.

Question: Jason I love u!
My name is Adriana and my question is what do u think is hardest scene
you’ve done on Roswell?

Behr: There are two kinds of real difficult scenes.
They are the ones that are physically draining, like there is this one scene
where I had to run through the streets of Roswell. We probably started
shooting around 1 o’clock and didn’t stop shooting until 6 in the morning.
All I did was run, no dialogue just running. That was very physically
draining. There are also ones that are emotionally draining, like when Max
heals the children in the hospital. Me, just being there and the whole idea
of trying to give these kids the gift back, it was very emotionally draining
to me.

Question: What’s the hardest part of Max’s personality for you to
portray?

Behr: Probably, his decision making. A lot of times what frustrates
me about the character, a lot of times he is so cautious and so thoughtful
of things, he doesn’t know which way to go. He sometimes can be so
cautious, almost paralyzing. He doesn’t do anything. He needs to be more
pro-active and make decisions eight along. At least he could say that he
made a judgement.

Question: Any movies on the horizon?

Behr: Right now most
of my focus is on the show, I would love to do films. I enjoy watching films
as I said before, I enjoy the whole process of it. When I get the
opportunity to move into that venue, I will. Right now, the scripts I’ve
been reading, the stories that are being told, are not the most unique
stories out there. I’m just waiting for the right one.

Q: {?Any hints about
what is coming up?

Behr: There are some things that are going to happen in
the next few episodes that really do change the lives of all these kids.
Some things that are going to come up that aren’t really expected or
expected in a way that none of themare really ready for.

Q: (?What most
surprising thing you’ve had to do)

Behr: Probably when Max sang. I couldn’t
believe they did that to him. There is this episode called End of the World,
this future version of Max comes back to present-day Roswell to break up Liz
and Max, the younger Max tries to sing to her, and I was really surprised by
that. I knew Max couldn’t sing, so I don’t know why he was.

Question: Have
you heard anything about viewers wanting Roswell to bring the core
characters and relationships back as the focus of the show? Are their plans
to guide Roswell back into that direction?

Behr: These hybrid chronicles are
pretty science fiction-based, we are going to slow it down a bit and find
out how it affected the characters. Swing it back the other way.

Q: (? Re
music in the show, Dido theme)

Behr: It’s interesting because when we were
first doing the pilot we heard some temp music of what the theme was going
to be. We didn’t want that thing like Dawson’s Creek, like a one-hit
wonder. We really didn’t want that. The first time we heard Dido, it felt
so appropriate, and so perfect to the show. I haven’t got sick of it yet,
and I think she is very talented, and I’ m very happy with her success. I
think her teaming up with Eminem helped her incredibly. She is a very
talented artist to have her lead the show it great. She had come to Los
Angeles during the first season and gave a concert, a few of the cast
members were able to go, but I was working and I couldn’t be there. I was
kind of pissed because I wanted to be there.

Q: (? Has Jonathan Frakes given
you advice on dealing with fans)

Behr: Not so much advice on how to deal with
fans, but how to deal with the pressure I guess. Frakes is a great guy, and
directed a few episodes last year. He is a lot of fun to work with. He has
a great personality that is good for the cast and the crew. He is a lot of
fun to be around.

Q: (? Is Jason Katims open to suggestions from the
cast)

Behr: Sure, that’s one of the nice things about it, you can always
give suggestions to Jason for what you believe could be a good character
arc, or what you think your character should be doing at this time. It’s up
to him at the time at what his character wants to do, but he is very
polite

Q: (? Re Max, pressures)

Behr: Absolutely. I think from the very first
show, his world was turned upside down he was exposing himself to Liz and
the [events in the] cafe changed his life forever. As the days go on, his
responsibility of keeping this alla secret and not being discovered… I
think the discovery of being the supposed king of this so-called planet is a
huge responsibility. He never asked for this reponsibility and doesn’t know
how to feel that responsibility. I think he has a lot of pressure on him.
He is going through a lot of stuff and has a lot of pressure.

Q: ?

Behr: They
break stories and decide which direction of the show… [Chat cut off and
ended here. Sure Jason would have made a polite good-bye to his host and
fans if given the chance!]

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