SAN FRANCISCO – “Terra Nova” has already been a long journey for Jason O’Mara and Stephen Lang and the new Sci-Fi series won’t even debut on FOX until this fall. The actors already shot the first two episodes in Australia last December and are now heading back down under in June for at least 11 more episodes. Considering the pressure everyone involved in the costly FOX show (and we’re not even counting executive producer Steven Spielberg’s fee) the two veterans seemed genuinely enthusiastic about their current endeavor.
Lang, who knows something about epic productions after his memorable role in “Avatar,” says it was the combination of scope and family focus that attracted him to the project. Many assume Lang plays the villain on the show, but the actor (as well as his co-star) insist it’s not that cut and dry. As Frank Taylor, Lang plays the commander of the Terra Nova settlement, a chance for the human race to start over 85 million years in the past. But as Lang tells HitFix, his character isn’t your typical Military stereotype. He’s much more “Daniel Boone” in Lang’s eyes. One thing is clear, at the end of the pilot, O’Mara’s Jim Shannon finds himself at odds with Taylor, his new boss
Speaking to the very charming former “Life on Mars” star, O’Mara is a little too fearful of producer repercussions to give away the drama the rest of the series hinges on. Non-spoiler fans will be happy by his response of “I’m going to Australia and I’m taking it one scene at a time.”
Enjoy both entertaining interviews with both Lang and O’Mara below.
For more on “Terra Nova” check out Dan Fienberg’s recap of the show’s entertaining WonderCon panel.