Interview : Cliff Simon + video
We went to the FACTS convention on October 12th 2008 to meet Cliff Simon. Cliff was very nice to give us a video interview that you can watch here. There are 3 parts to watch. Watch the videos at Stargate Online.be - The Belgian Stargate Community
Cliff Simon is well known to us Stargate fans as Ba'al, the evil Systemlord. We talked with him about his character Ba'al, about Don S. Davis and also about himself. It was an honour to meet him. I was nurvous at first but he was very friendly, made sure I was comfortable. So my deepest thanks to Cliff for taking time for us.
Steven : Is this your first time in Belgium. What is your first impression of the convention and the country?
Cliff Simon : I was in Brussels 10 years ago but only for two days. I didn't get to see anything of the country. It is beautifull. It is nice to come from America to Europe because Europe is beautiful, old buildings and has character. With California and Los Angeles, it is new. There is no buildings from the 17 and 18 houndreds. It is nice to come to Europe and ... I just like the way the Europeans think. They're more worldly, know more about what's going on in the world. America is a great country but American people only know what is going on in America. So it is great to visit. It is beautiful.
Steven : What have you done in the past two days here? Exploring?
Cliff SImon : No, we haven't been out of the city. Just some nice restaurants, good bars, meet some local people, ... we've met some very nice people. They're all very friendly and respectfull.
Steven : You've been playing Ba'al for 6 years now since season's 5 Sumit and Last stand episodes. Has it become natural for you to play Ba'al? What do you like the most about playing Ba'al?
Cliff Simon : Yes, he has become natural. When I was still going out to film, it is not a problem to put on the costumes and do it. I know the character so well. The basic thing about playing Ba'al is the freedom I had to do what I ever had. I could say what I wanted to say. What I liked about him is, he's very unpredictable. We never know when he's going to be good or bad, funny ... That is what I liked. That is the way I created the character. Luckly the writters are good enough for me that way.
Steven : But you had a lot of ... how do you say it ...
Cliff Simon : Freedom?
Steven : Yes
Cliff Simon : Yes, they write the dialog. But the freedom in the way I portrait him, if I wanna smile or make him funny, or I could do anything I want to do.
Steven : How much of Cliff Simon, do we get to see in the episodes and movies in Ba'al? Are there characteristics that you recognize yourself in the character like your own smile, your own laugh, ...
Cliff Simon : I've always believed all the work I've ever done, the characters I play, are creating from me Cliff Simon. That's what makes him real and what makes him believable. I don't believe in acting a character. You always need to bring something of yourself into a character and than you build on that. When they write the dialog, they write him as a bad guy. But I play him as a nice guy. So you play oppisite of what they write. You let the dialog do the talking for you because he's a bad guy. That is only written but I play him as me. If I were going to kill somebody, I'll smile and say : "I'm going to kill you". That makes him more evil.
Steven : That's your own intuition?
Cliff Simon : That's how you make a character grow. When they write the dialog, it is just words. We've to bring him to live. And to do that, you need to do let it grow. You have no control. We just see where it goes. Like with Jack O'Neill, he's making a joke and Ba'al is reacting and is smiling ... ok I'm going to make it funny aswell. That's how we do it in real life. That's what makes Baal more human and interesting.
Steven : Yesterday at the FACTS convention, there was held a tribute for Don S. Davis. Could you tell us something what you remember about working with Don?
Cliff Simon : Don was a great guy, a total professional. I call him one of the last gentlemen. He would always make sure you were comfortable and was just totally professional. He's not a selfish actor. He was always working with you. You could thrust him with what you're going to say. He would always make sure you're ok and everything is ok. Just a true professional and a great man. A big loss.
Steven : It must have been hard when you knew about it.
Cliff Simon : It was very difficult. I was away on a convention with Chris Judge when w've found out.
Steven : What's the hardest part and funiest part when going to a convention? Is it sometimes exhausting? Signing and talking pictures, talking with the fans, ...
Cliff Simon :Yes, very tiring. Even if we're out there, we're always smiling, talking to people. We do it, because we want to do it. It is very draining. It drains all your energy. So at nighttime when people think we're party all night,we're in our hotel room sleeping beacuse it is very hard work. All day sitting and talking and talking and talking and cameras going off all the time. So very tiring so at nighttime my voice is all ... urrrg.
Steven : Like Ba'al (laugh)
Cliff Simon : Exactly (laugh)
Steven : What is the weirdest gift you've ever recieved from a fan?
Cliff Simon : I got so many gifts. I don't know. They're all very nice things. Neclaces and stargates. People give a lot of stargates, ... I keep it all. Sometimes when there is a important auction, I'll take that and sign it and put that in the auction. A lot of times, we get food, sweets and candies. But a lot of the time I can't take it when I'm flying on the airplane. If it isn't packadged properly, I can't take it back to the United States. I would have to eat it or leave it there. So when someone wants to give me a gift, rather a chain. or like that. I never had anything strange. Not yet! (laugh)
Steven : What or who inpired you to become an actor? You were once an athlete. So what inspired you to become an actor?
Cliff Simon : The way I started, I was a professional model and a dancer and acrobats. I was doing a lot of stage work for 13 years. I've always wanted to be an actor. I didn't know how to go about it. I've never started acting when I was very young. Than I started studying drama. I studied for years and years and slowly got into it. I would go into auditions and eventually got work. When I was in South Africa, I was a regular person on a show for 6 years. We've shot a lot of Delta Force movies. So once you've start, you'll get to know and get to meet people. People will know you're in the acting circle.You get an agent. It's a very slow proces. I've been in the industry since I was 20 years old. I've been in the industry for a long time. It has taken this long to get to where I am.
Steven : And you're far allready.
Cliff Simon : It is amazing. I'm very lucky to be in the United States for only eight years and to have all of this thanks to the Scifi and Stargate because I have a lot of friends who've been acting for a long time but nobody knows them but they've done a lot of work. But because it is a scifi gerne you become famous very quickly.It is quitte amazing.
Steven : Where do you see yourself in two or three years?
Cliff Simon : Euhm ... the next James Bond (laugh).
Steven : That's a good one.
Cliff Simon : That's my dream role. I really don't know. I'm trying to get into producing now. I'm busy producing my own movie which we hopefully we're going to development sometime in the future. As you know, it takes a long time to do these kind of things.
Steven : What's it about?
Cliff Simon : It is a true life story about an african american guy who's the first guy to swim the English channel. He's champion marathon swimmer. Because I've been a swimmer, it is a story I wanna tell. And it is a human drama story. He's been through a lot in his life but he came through it and achieved amazing things.
Steven : It's based about you and ..
Cliff Simon : No, no it is a real guy. He lives in Buffalo, New York and it is his life story and I'm going to produce it. I would like to see it get into development in the next year.Maybe tw, three years, you need to get the financing. If it gets to the screen it will be a very good movie. I know it will be!
Steven : In your entire career as actor or in your entire life, what's been the biggest challenge for you that was difficult but you managed and you're still proud of it today?
Cliff Simon : I've had so many challanges in my life. You keep moving through all of them. The biggest challange I had was moving to the United States. When I was in South Africa, I was at the hight of my career. I had everything I wanted. Everyone know me. I was a big celebrity. All that kind of stuff. I gave everything up and came to the United States. I had nothing. Zero. Start from scratch. I had to find an agent. Nobody knew who I was. So it was like starting my career all over again from the beginning which was a big challange. Obviously with the Stargate and I'm very lucky to have started that because I have a worldwide fanbase and people in the industry now know my name. So slowly I can start building up again. But that was the biggest challange I had. When I got to Los Angeles in the first year, it was very very difficult. There was no work. You didn't knowif you made the right decission. But I knew it was the right decission. You just got to keep going and keep going.
Steven : Never give up.
Cliff Simon : Never give up. Those people think and look at me : Wow Cliff Simon just got Stargate but they don't know I've been doing it for 20 years.It is hard work. Nothing happens over night. You got to put in time and work. Stick with it, stick with it. What you want in life, just stick with it. Eventually it is going to happen.
Steven : You can be very proud of it what you've accomplished.
Cliff Simon : That is why I don't take Stargate for granted. Maybe some actors do. They take a lot of things for granted. I know a lot of American actors do because they didn't really have to struggle. A lot of them have but some of them haven't. And those that haven't, need to appreciate what they got.
Steven : Thank you so much for the interview.
My final note: Meeting Cliff Simon was something I always remember. He has been so nice and humble to me. Visit his official website : www.cliffsimon.com and also his charity auction : www.karmarescue.org.
Thank you for reading.
Cliff Simon is well known to us Stargate fans as Ba'al, the evil Systemlord. We talked with him about his character Ba'al, about Don S. Davis and also about himself. It was an honour to meet him. I was nurvous at first but he was very friendly, made sure I was comfortable. So my deepest thanks to Cliff for taking time for us.
Steven : Is this your first time in Belgium. What is your first impression of the convention and the country?
Cliff Simon : I was in Brussels 10 years ago but only for two days. I didn't get to see anything of the country. It is beautifull. It is nice to come from America to Europe because Europe is beautiful, old buildings and has character. With California and Los Angeles, it is new. There is no buildings from the 17 and 18 houndreds. It is nice to come to Europe and ... I just like the way the Europeans think. They're more worldly, know more about what's going on in the world. America is a great country but American people only know what is going on in America. So it is great to visit. It is beautiful.
Steven : What have you done in the past two days here? Exploring?
Cliff SImon : No, we haven't been out of the city. Just some nice restaurants, good bars, meet some local people, ... we've met some very nice people. They're all very friendly and respectfull.
Steven : You've been playing Ba'al for 6 years now since season's 5 Sumit and Last stand episodes. Has it become natural for you to play Ba'al? What do you like the most about playing Ba'al?
Cliff Simon : Yes, he has become natural. When I was still going out to film, it is not a problem to put on the costumes and do it. I know the character so well. The basic thing about playing Ba'al is the freedom I had to do what I ever had. I could say what I wanted to say. What I liked about him is, he's very unpredictable. We never know when he's going to be good or bad, funny ... That is what I liked. That is the way I created the character. Luckly the writters are good enough for me that way.
Steven : But you had a lot of ... how do you say it ...
Cliff Simon : Freedom?
Steven : Yes
Cliff Simon : Yes, they write the dialog. But the freedom in the way I portrait him, if I wanna smile or make him funny, or I could do anything I want to do.
Steven : How much of Cliff Simon, do we get to see in the episodes and movies in Ba'al? Are there characteristics that you recognize yourself in the character like your own smile, your own laugh, ...
Cliff Simon : I've always believed all the work I've ever done, the characters I play, are creating from me Cliff Simon. That's what makes him real and what makes him believable. I don't believe in acting a character. You always need to bring something of yourself into a character and than you build on that. When they write the dialog, they write him as a bad guy. But I play him as a nice guy. So you play oppisite of what they write. You let the dialog do the talking for you because he's a bad guy. That is only written but I play him as me. If I were going to kill somebody, I'll smile and say : "I'm going to kill you". That makes him more evil.
Steven : That's your own intuition?
Cliff Simon : That's how you make a character grow. When they write the dialog, it is just words. We've to bring him to live. And to do that, you need to do let it grow. You have no control. We just see where it goes. Like with Jack O'Neill, he's making a joke and Ba'al is reacting and is smiling ... ok I'm going to make it funny aswell. That's how we do it in real life. That's what makes Baal more human and interesting.
Steven : Yesterday at the FACTS convention, there was held a tribute for Don S. Davis. Could you tell us something what you remember about working with Don?
Cliff Simon : Don was a great guy, a total professional. I call him one of the last gentlemen. He would always make sure you were comfortable and was just totally professional. He's not a selfish actor. He was always working with you. You could thrust him with what you're going to say. He would always make sure you're ok and everything is ok. Just a true professional and a great man. A big loss.
Steven : It must have been hard when you knew about it.
Cliff Simon : It was very difficult. I was away on a convention with Chris Judge when w've found out.
Steven : What's the hardest part and funiest part when going to a convention? Is it sometimes exhausting? Signing and talking pictures, talking with the fans, ...
Cliff Simon :Yes, very tiring. Even if we're out there, we're always smiling, talking to people. We do it, because we want to do it. It is very draining. It drains all your energy. So at nighttime when people think we're party all night,we're in our hotel room sleeping beacuse it is very hard work. All day sitting and talking and talking and talking and cameras going off all the time. So very tiring so at nighttime my voice is all ... urrrg.
Steven : Like Ba'al (laugh)
Cliff Simon : Exactly (laugh)
Steven : What is the weirdest gift you've ever recieved from a fan?
Cliff Simon : I got so many gifts. I don't know. They're all very nice things. Neclaces and stargates. People give a lot of stargates, ... I keep it all. Sometimes when there is a important auction, I'll take that and sign it and put that in the auction. A lot of times, we get food, sweets and candies. But a lot of the time I can't take it when I'm flying on the airplane. If it isn't packadged properly, I can't take it back to the United States. I would have to eat it or leave it there. So when someone wants to give me a gift, rather a chain. or like that. I never had anything strange. Not yet! (laugh)
Steven : What or who inpired you to become an actor? You were once an athlete. So what inspired you to become an actor?
Cliff Simon : The way I started, I was a professional model and a dancer and acrobats. I was doing a lot of stage work for 13 years. I've always wanted to be an actor. I didn't know how to go about it. I've never started acting when I was very young. Than I started studying drama. I studied for years and years and slowly got into it. I would go into auditions and eventually got work. When I was in South Africa, I was a regular person on a show for 6 years. We've shot a lot of Delta Force movies. So once you've start, you'll get to know and get to meet people. People will know you're in the acting circle.You get an agent. It's a very slow proces. I've been in the industry since I was 20 years old. I've been in the industry for a long time. It has taken this long to get to where I am.
Steven : And you're far allready.
Cliff Simon : It is amazing. I'm very lucky to be in the United States for only eight years and to have all of this thanks to the Scifi and Stargate because I have a lot of friends who've been acting for a long time but nobody knows them but they've done a lot of work. But because it is a scifi gerne you become famous very quickly.It is quitte amazing.
Steven : Where do you see yourself in two or three years?
Cliff Simon : Euhm ... the next James Bond (laugh).
Steven : That's a good one.
Cliff Simon : That's my dream role. I really don't know. I'm trying to get into producing now. I'm busy producing my own movie which we hopefully we're going to development sometime in the future. As you know, it takes a long time to do these kind of things.
Steven : What's it about?
Cliff Simon : It is a true life story about an african american guy who's the first guy to swim the English channel. He's champion marathon swimmer. Because I've been a swimmer, it is a story I wanna tell. And it is a human drama story. He's been through a lot in his life but he came through it and achieved amazing things.
Steven : It's based about you and ..
Cliff Simon : No, no it is a real guy. He lives in Buffalo, New York and it is his life story and I'm going to produce it. I would like to see it get into development in the next year.Maybe tw, three years, you need to get the financing. If it gets to the screen it will be a very good movie. I know it will be!
Steven : In your entire career as actor or in your entire life, what's been the biggest challenge for you that was difficult but you managed and you're still proud of it today?
Cliff Simon : I've had so many challanges in my life. You keep moving through all of them. The biggest challange I had was moving to the United States. When I was in South Africa, I was at the hight of my career. I had everything I wanted. Everyone know me. I was a big celebrity. All that kind of stuff. I gave everything up and came to the United States. I had nothing. Zero. Start from scratch. I had to find an agent. Nobody knew who I was. So it was like starting my career all over again from the beginning which was a big challange. Obviously with the Stargate and I'm very lucky to have started that because I have a worldwide fanbase and people in the industry now know my name. So slowly I can start building up again. But that was the biggest challange I had. When I got to Los Angeles in the first year, it was very very difficult. There was no work. You didn't knowif you made the right decission. But I knew it was the right decission. You just got to keep going and keep going.
Steven : Never give up.
Cliff Simon : Never give up. Those people think and look at me : Wow Cliff Simon just got Stargate but they don't know I've been doing it for 20 years.It is hard work. Nothing happens over night. You got to put in time and work. Stick with it, stick with it. What you want in life, just stick with it. Eventually it is going to happen.
Steven : You can be very proud of it what you've accomplished.
Cliff Simon : That is why I don't take Stargate for granted. Maybe some actors do. They take a lot of things for granted. I know a lot of American actors do because they didn't really have to struggle. A lot of them have but some of them haven't. And those that haven't, need to appreciate what they got.
Steven : Thank you so much for the interview.
My final note: Meeting Cliff Simon was something I always remember. He has been so nice and humble to me. Visit his official website : www.cliffsimon.com and also his charity auction : www.karmarescue.org.
Thank you for reading.
Comment