Matthew Ewald Interview

Matthew answers the fans questions (from a old interview Matthew did for the Galidor forum http://galidor.proboards.com/index.cgi)

1. What was your favorite "Galidor" episode to film and why?

Each episode carried new adventures, new thrills and mysteries, new passions and loves -- it's hard to simply pick one episode as a favorite because the entire cast and crew always seemed to one-up themselves with the episodes that followed. I, myself, am such a true and great fan of the series, I have such a deep passion and love for it (which is probably one of the greatest understatements of my life) that I find myself picking episodes that are my favorite as a "viewer" and then there's another part of me that chooses episodes I remember as favorites, while I was helping to bring it all to life.

Episodes like "Belonging" - "Seeing Is Just Seeing" - "Relativity" - going evil in "Escape From Kek: Part Two" - "State of the Art" or sneaking into "Area 51" with Lind. Each episode carries something truly special to me because of the memories I have and have shared with all who had fought and worked so hard to bring it to life. Not one episode means more than the others because I'm just so deeply in love with everything "Galidor" was and could have one day become.

At this point in my life -- to answer your question -- I will say that I believe the first episode ("Identity") is one of my favorites because it is the episode that started the adventure. It was that first step into the dream.

2. If you could be any of the bad guys except Nicky who would it be and why?

I'd have to say Gorm... only because I feel that he was a tortured soul. This was a man, a creature who once was noble and true -- he had family, friends, and dreams -- I'd take on Gorm because I'd love to explore what it was that made him into the black armor-wearing tyrant that he had become. Who was this warlord and... and "Destroyer of Realms" before he was locked away in that black armor and heart? What was it that stripped away his goodness? And would he ever be able to redeem himself for the horrific atrocities he had committed to not only the Outer Dimension, but its people? That is what I find fascinating -- that's what I feel would be worth exploring.

3. If you could have any of Nick's glinches in real life which would you have?

The Egg's wings. Absolutely. :)

4. What would you like to see happen to Nick and Allegra?

That's it right there, that's the challenge.

That is what I have been fighting so hard for so many-many years to achieve... That answer. To chase those stars. To reach them and bring my dream of "Galidor" it's rebirth and finality. Hopefully one day I'll be able to show everyone who lost themselves in the dreams and adventures "Galidor" was and "is" that very answer. Hopefully one day I'll be able to bring my vision to life. Until then... I'll simply say: I'm not finished yet.

5. If you had the chance what would you do differently with Nicholas?

Thinking back on it, I probably would have carried over more of that wide-eyed excitement and awe of everything Nicholas was seeing in "every" episode -- no matter how big or small. All of his dreams, all of the adventures of imagination and time that he had had since childhood -- everything he loved and wished to explore in those dreams and imagination was happening to him in the Outer Dimension. Everything Nicholas dreamed and believed in was real. I would have liked to have shown more of that excitement and awe even with the weight of the Realms, of being the "Chosen" weighing on him.


6. What was the best thing about working on Galidor?

The best thing about working on "Galidor" was just... man, it was the adventure! It really was. Being able to go to those Realms and locations so beautifully and amazingly brought to life by the crew -- being able to Glinch and explore the mysteries and wonders of the Outer Dimension. Being able to be a part of the dream that "Galidor" was... that was the best part. There wasn't a day, not one single day, where we weren't all laughing and loving everything we were doing and all working so hard to bring to life.

I had dreamed of adventures like that since I was just a little boy in Mound, Minnesota -- greatest dreams of all... and I was able to bring those childhood dreams to life because of "Galidor." I was portraying a chosen hero, a half-human half-alien prince fighting alongside my best friend and trusted protectors against an evil that was destroying and reshaping everything the Outer Dimension was. I had an ability to Glinch unlike anything or anyone the Outer Dimension had ever before seen. THIS was the greatest adventure of my dreams. And working with everyone -- from cast to crew, from directors to writers -- working with everyone just made that dream everything it was.

My call time would be as early as 4:30am and there wasn't ONE DAY where I didn't wake up with a smile on my face. Greatest moments, greatest years, and greatest happiness of my entire life. "Galidor" was an adventure that I miss so deeply with every breath I take... and the reason I miss it so much -- is because of how much fun sharing those adventures with Marie, Sam (Jens), Jeff (Euripides), and Claude (Nepol) were. The best thing about working on "Galidor?" Simple -- it was the adventure.

7. Who out of Nick and Nicky is your favorite?

Well, Nicholas and Nicky are essentially the same character -- not just in look and dreams, but in hopes, wishes, and desires... in the Quest to free "Galidor" and save the Outer Dimension. It is just the circumstances of their lives that had dictated who they had become. If Nicky still had Jens, Euripides, and Nepol by his side, if Allegra wouldn't have had chickenpox on the day the Map came to him and he had found the Egg, he might have turned out exactly like Nicholas... but being alone, having to fight Gorm and his minions, having to go on the adventure alone had hardened him... changed him. Good or bad, right or wrong, he was simply another aspect of Nicholas. But they had the same heart, the same dreams... somewhere along the line he just realized that without his friends, his family and loves -- without them, he wasn't the same as he could have been...

Nicholas is my favorite -- but Nicky was a blast to bring to life. Why? Well, he was Nicholas unchained. No rules, no restrictions, he was stronger, a little wiser in certain aspects, but at the same time -- he was missing that key factor that makes Nicholas who he is... and that's Allegra and The Troika. Without them, the adventure isn't the same. So Nicholas is definitely my favorite. But Nicky was a blast.

8. If you could go back in time what would you say to your younger self?

"DON'T EAT THE SHRIMP BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF SHOOTING!"

9. Why does Nick keep getting angry so much?

The reason I played Nicholas in such a way (sometimes losing his temper and getting angry) was because I thought: here you have a young boy who has dreamed of adventures, of alien worlds, and the battles against good and evil. About having a super-hero like power and believing... No, KNOWING that there was MORE to his life than just school and wishing for those dreams to come true. He just knew there was more to life. To HIS life. He knew that his dreams were real... and here he was -- completely unafraid to chase those stars.

But once he reached them -- once he took that first step out of the Egg and felt the earth of Arbo beneath his feet -- he realized that it wasn't all fun and games. He was the chosen warrior -- destined to free "Galidor" and save the Outer Dimension. It was life and death. There was real danger. There was darkness and hate in Gorm and his brethren. There was sorrow and pain by those enslaved by Gorm and there were only flickers of hope in the distance... he was on an adventure, but at the same time he had all of this pressure on him to save so many and the deep rooted fear that he wasn't good enough, strong enough, brave enough to actually save anyone... I did my all to make it fun and exciting, but all (at the same time) real. Real in the sense that "anything" could happen... and that in getting angry and losing his temper he (with the help of Allegra and The Troika) was able to learn from his mistakes -- which let's face it, he made often. Although things were hard and he was afraid -- it didn't mean he couldn't stop Gorm. Just because he was afraid didn't mean he couldn't do what was right.

His anger was born of his fear -- like so many of us experience with our own fears and worries. I tried to bring that to life, but "always" did my best to show that anger wasn't the answer -- it was believing in oneself and fighting for those who can't do so themselves. It's about doing what's right in the face of that anger and fear.

10. On Bouncing of the walls when Rom puts her hand on Nick's mouth what do you think Nick was gonna say?

I was going to say: Yeah and I'd like to say I think you're a big %$@# %&*#!@ #%@#* $%&*$#!

11. When filming Galidor. Like all actors did you forget half you line during half the filming?

Oh absolutely. It happens -- sometimes you're right in the middle of a scene and then all of the sudden you, even if your life depended on it, can't remember what the next line is. You have a good laugh about it, look at your Sides / Script, ask the Script Supervisor, director, or so on and so forth and continue with the scene. But hey -- that's the amazing thing about film and television: there's always a second take. :) Sometimes even a third, fourth, fifth, six, seventh, eighth, and ninth. Even a tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, but shoot -- I'm a "One-Take Wonder." :) Me forget a line? Ha!

12. What was it like when you found Katrina's Galidor videos what was your reaction to them?

The biggest thing was how incredibly honored I was (and still am). I was thrilled, overjoyed, excited and just -- well, honestly? I was blown away by them. It was... it was proof that "Galidor" still meant and means so much to so many.

Not a day goes by where I don't fight and dream of bringing "Galidor" back to life -- not ONE day -- but no matter the outcome of that dream, because of Katrina and so many-many others, "Galidor" lives on in these videos and stories and tales told. It is a great joy and happiness for me. I'm humbled and honored because of everything you all are doing.

13. What was one of the funniest bloopers or inside jokes you and the actors had when filming Galidor?

Shoot -- there were so many! No kidding, we were always laughing like crazy people. Inside jokes ran rampant and bloopers happened almost every day... The thing is -- we all made it fun for one another. One blooper that sticks out in my mind was when I was in the Pilot House (of the Egg) with Euripides while filming a scene in Episode 14: "The Road to Kek.”

I was sitting there (listing to Euripides tell me about my Father and Mother) and as I'm looking at Euripides... his eyes... those big ol' eyes start going all crazy. Cross-eyed, one left-one right, one up-one down and I lost it. One of those things where you'd actually have to be there to really enjoy the funny, but man... I was laughing so hard because here you have this wise old soul, this great philosopher and confidant criss-crossing his eyes, as he's giving this dramatic speech about my parents... Good times. :) It was all done by animatronics, so apparently the bet was how long I could hold out on laughing... I feel bad for whoever lost the bet because I was losing it in about 2.6 seconds. But there were always bloopers and laughter -- this one was mild in comparison, but a great memory to have.

14. Were you and Marie on strings during the flight scene in "A Crack in the Map" or like lying down or?

Please allow me to show you. :) ( see up the top of the blog main picture )

15. What did you and the cast do for fun on the set?

We sang a lot. :) We had our own little Outer Dimensional band consisting of the Twins FX group (Erik and Karl, along with the rest who created the animatronics suits and masks), myself, Sam (Jens) and a few others. We were always jamming and having a good time. Other than that -- I read, listened to music. We sat around and talked. Slept (any time we could catch some shut-eye was well worth it -- we didn't get much.) Other times I'd run over to the production office and chat with the writers or toss a ball around with the crew or play hacky-sack (remember hacky-sack?). We were always having fun on and off set.

LEGO had delivered this cool little table Soccer game (like football), only this table was made out of LEGO bricks. Man, we would play that ALL the time. Marie and I. The crew. Have little championships... I thought I could become an enterprising man and leave a little "Tip Cup" hanging on the wall of my trailer / lodge. 25 cents if you want to play... and we played a lot... and I never saw a cent. :) Other than that we all just hung out -- spent a lot of time with Marie and Karen (Lind). With Sam (Jens), Jeff (Euripides), and Claude (Nepol). We always had fun, that's for sure.

16. What, off set moments or even breaks during filming scenes that would you most want to relive?

I would really love to be able to just sit down with Marie, Sam, Jeff, Claude, Karen, with Derrick and Steven, with Randy and Tara... All the crew. I'd love to be able to sit down with everyone, have something to drink, and just... just be together again. Laughing, talking, reminiscing. I'd love that. That's what I would love to relive.

17. As far as you know is "Galidor" based on anything of the past or was it completely created before the show?

"Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension" was born from the mind and imagination of Tom Lynch -- a man that I not only deeply respect and admire, but also call "friend."

18. How long did it take shooting one scene? and how long does it taking to film one episode?

One scene could take a few hours to finish depending on what the scene consisted of. Sometimes there were Glinches or action / adventure scenes which took longer because of special effects -- other times scenes went relatively quickly because it was all about the dialogue with one set-up and a few takes. A few different angles and that was that... it all depended on what type of scene we were filming. Some scenes took longer than others for a number of reasons -- how many cast members were involved, how many close-ups needed, a master, or a location shoot. It always changed. But the one constant was that one episode took a week to film. The only exception was for Episodes #15 and #16 which were "To Be Continued." Those two episodes were connected so they took slightly longer to finish. On my Saturdays or Sundays I would go to the Cinegroupe facility and record all of my ADR. Not bad for a half-hour series.

19. What did you do when you was not filming on set while other people was filming there bits Eg : when Allegra is talking to Jens in the egg in episode 7?

Sleep or study my lines for upcoming scenes.

20. What did all of you do after filming the last take? What was the last take?

The last take we had filmed was for Episode #22 -- "Mr. Tager Goes To Earth." It was Allegra's and my goodbye before I boarded the bus... I'll never forget that night for as long as I live. The last take was when Allegra leaned up to kiss me on the cheek... her goodbye... and I remember hugging her and knowing that this was it. (I didn't know at the time that we weren't coming back for a third season, but it was heartbreaking just the same because of what the series and people meant to me... saying goodbye, even if only for a few months, was something I dreaded.) I hugged her tight and when I pulled away and saw that tear fall from Marie's eye... well, it was a hard scene, but a fitting one. Marie did an incredible and truly amazing job. In one hug, one kiss, and look she said a million things without having to say one. Her talent and heart is what made Allegra so loved... and it was that incredible scene with her that helped me realize (even if I already knew within every fiber of my being) how deeply "Galidor" and it's characters meant to me.

After we wrapped production on season two we all had a big party outside the studios. Food, drinks, laughter... we took pictures and said: "I'll see you soon."