Wayne Pygram interview, SFX magazine. Interview by Chuck Wagner
“I never wanted to be an actor.” Wayne Pygram tells the Farscape convention audience “I was seen drumming and asked to read” He looks friendly enough fielding questions from the convention stage, wearing a T-shirt with a South Park version of Scorpius emblazoned on the front. But through the charm and friendly smile, you see the menace that Pygram can manifest to play Scorpius, a character so evil he could be called Mr Tiggywinkle and still be menacing.
“I’ve thought about this’ Pygram says after completing his turn on stage. “The clearest way of articulating it is to say that Scorpius can’t be immoral, because he has no morals. So what’s seen to us as being immoral, that’s not the way he operates at all. He hasn’t got yin and yang, he hasn’t got balance. He’s a single entity. That’s why he feels evil to us. He doesn’t necessarily indulge himself in it or enjoy it. He’s just single-mindedly nasty. If someone does something for Scorpius and fails, he’ll be punished. But if he does the job well, he’ll be rewarded, and not in a manipulative way. Scorpius is a very truthful sort of character, but the truth is also a hell of a lot of danger. He has no conscience at all. Scorpius is also very refined. He doesn’t have to get his hands dirty.”
Scorpius is also a technical genius, a trait not shared by Pygram.
“I haven’t got a mobile phone,” Pygram says with a grimace. “They’re an excuse for people to be late! I’ll be with people and we’re at dinner, and other people will be coming for dinner. “They’ll be ringing up going ‘I’m in the cab! I’m in the cab!’ Then they’ll call again ‘I’m just around the corner! I’m almost there!”
Pygram sighs and shakes his head. Even in civvies he’s surprisingly recognisable as his alter ego. An insult, you might think, given that he plays Scorpius under layers of make-up. But the Scorpius look has been created with a new technique that enables more of the actors’ performance to shine through.
“The make-up is a thing called Hot Flesh. It’s a new prosthetic make-up, and I’m the first person to have worn it. It’s a particular make-up that’s been developed own in Sydney by the Creature Shop for Farscape. The older style prosthetic make-up – like D’Argo’s for example – are built from foam. They’re much thicker. There’s no comparison with Hot Flesh. Technically, the big difference is hat foam reflects light; with Hot Flesh, light actually penetrates through the make-up. I can see myself blush in the rushes. It feels like baby skin, it’s very light and not uncomfortable to wear. The only discomfort associated with the make-up and the mask is compression. They zip me up, and I’m zipped in for the day.
The mask and make-up do look rather tight.
“There are three layers. I have a silk thing like a balaclava out in, which leaves out the part of my face that they’re going to play with. The silk thing has Velcro around the edges. Then they apply a five piece prosthetic made of Hot Flesh. Then the Helmet goes on over the top. The helmet is latex. It’s basically part of the make-up. It’s not costume. It’s put on by the make-up people and it was designed by the make-up people. But my make-up is being changed and refined all the time.” This is some change from being a drummer.
“I was in a band called Horse’ Pygram recalls ‘ It was a hard-rock band, but that finished about 18 months ago. I’ve started two new projects, one with Anthony Simcoe. Anthony’s a songwriter. I also do a little jazz thing with my mates that I used to play with 20 years ago. It’s mainly a compositional thing. We’ll be lucky ever to do a show, which is a great regret, because I’m a performer. I love to perform in front of an audience. Music is like theatre. I don’t think you get the final magic until you’ve played a song in front of people.
Heavy metal, eh? The music of the devil according to some (the same ‘some’ who also reckon Harry Potter is anti-Christian) but Pogrom doesn’t think years of aggressive skin bashing has much to do with his aptitude for playing such an evil character. “I’m not a method actor… none of us are in Australia’ he says with a grin. ‘It’s about the imagination. For me as an actor, I use my imagination. I grew up working class. I played a lot of sports, such as rugby league, which was and is a pretty ugly game. I grew up in a Housing Commission area – public housing. I spent until the age of 12 in public housing. If you lay down, through confrontation or someone trying to intimidate you, you’re gone. You’ve got to stand your ground. I learned that at a young age. I’m not like that myself in my day-to-day dealings, but I understand working-class people. I understand criminals and the way criminal minds work.”
“It’s like Al Pacino once said in a magazine interview. The article on his work went on for 3 pages when he said ‘At the end of the day, either the muse kicks in or it doesn’t.’”
[index]
[Gigi Edgely interview]
[Lani Tupu interview]
[Tammy MacIntosh interview]
[Anthony Simcoe interview]