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Post by faninawe on Mar 8, 2008 17:47:18 GMT -5
Hello Lee,
I wanted to ask you a couple of questions so the fans could get to know you a little better.
1. How did you feel about being cast as Travis Crabtree?
2. How much of Travis Crabtree is Lee Hansen, and how are Lee Hansen and Travis Crabtree different?
It was not clear until Season 2, how Astrid could have ever been with Travis, let alone have born his children. He was a rude, crude, selfish and hateful jerk, at least on the surface. It was a real revelation to get a peek at the charming, caring, softer, more romantic side of Travis.
3. How difficult has it been to perform the whole range of changing emotions Travis has gone through?
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Lefty
I just woke up here...
I got a boo boo
Posts: 16
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Post by Lefty on Mar 9, 2008 10:43:16 GMT -5
Hmm, it seems Lee is playing hard-to-get.
*puts on a pink tutu and big, fake eyelashes, then bats eyes suggestively*
Yoo hoo...Lee...
(maybe he likes that sort of thing ;D)
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Post by leehansen on Mar 10, 2008 11:43:01 GMT -5
1. How did you feel about being cast as Travis Crabtree?
Well, I thought the show was going to be called "The Travis Crabtree Chronicles" where I'm in a different part of a furnished house and spout off monologue, in the veins of Spaulding Gray and Eve Ensler. But that was not to be. John wanted to cast other people who were my friends way before this. He told me that I was going to be the fly-in-the-ointment character. Funny story. Unknown to me, John sent out charcter background sheets to the stars involved, sans me. He didn't realize I didn't get mine. So when I saw that I did not get one, I just told him, "All I know about my character is that he is an a-hole. If thats all I need to know about him, then fine, I'll run with it." He laughed and e-mailed my sheet which, I found out, had my little secret I kept from the other cast members. We all had our secret backgrounds and did a good job keeping them from each other. As far as I how I feel about being cast as Travis, I feel that this is a personality I'm not used to being. I say some things in the second season that I feel like taking a shower afterwards. I'm funny but not in a mean way like Travis. Despite Travis's griping and snarkiness, he's actually contributed and finalized some of the situations in the house. I, on the other hand, would be a team player from the get-go.
2. How much of Travis Crabtree is Lee Hansen, and how are Lee Hansen and Travis Crabtree different?
We are Locutus of Borg.
The only things that I bring to Travis is my humor and knowledge of pop-culture. As I replied on SyFy Portal, John writes my dialogue but I ad-lib some things as well. As far as our differences, aside by how he feels about Astrid, Travis is all about Travis. He will try to save himself first, not because he's a coward, but because he feels HE is the most important person in the house. Remember, by the end of the first season, we find out that everyone has an intimate connection to the house but Travis. Travis has his own unique situation to the house that Bill doubts he really has. I, Lee Hansen, would be a red shirt. Taking a bullet (or phaser blast) for any and all. My humor would try to diffuse situations, instead of instigating them. Am I a lover or a fighter? I'm a lover who will fight for that which he loves.
3. How difficult has it been to perform the whole range of changing emotions Travis has gone through?
Its not been too difficult displaying different emotions throughout the series though it's mostly been sarcastically driven. I've had tragedy in life, so I know what its like to lose someone you love. When I care, I do care. I just have to care in the mode of Travis, which is he cares til he accomplishes what he wants. I think Travis cares for Astrid in his own way, because he sees a lot of his own personalty traits in her. She's hot-headed, sarcastic, witty, and uses people to get what she wants. How can Travis not feel like they belong together. Despite their age differences (pay attention to the show, people) whose to say they aren't kindred. Travis feels loss in the way that only Travis can express it, which is, not let everyone know how he feels. In "Distressed", we kind of get a feeling on why Travis is Travis. Despite his boisterous, cantankerous behavior, he's as vulnerable as the rest of the group. In displaying it, however, he feels would make him look weak to the rest of the house, especially Astrid.
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Lefty
I just woke up here...
I got a boo boo
Posts: 16
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Post by Lefty on Mar 10, 2008 17:10:43 GMT -5
I think your acting in "Distressed" was phenominal and it was good to see some humanity in Travis Crabtree. Equally welcome was to know the source of Travis' pain. Understanding the character a little more makes Travis far more interesting and, dare I say, likable.
I always want to spell that last word "likeable" because without the "e" it looks more like "lickable" and I DO NOT want to infer that I find Travis Crabtree lickable in any way whatsoever. Despite the tutu, that's not my thing.
Thanks for answering faninawe's awesome questions, Lee.
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Post by faninawe on Mar 13, 2008 21:29:27 GMT -5
" We are Locutus of Borg." Lee, you are absolutely correct! If you are portraying Travis Crabtree, but Lee Hansen brings none of the sarcasm to the role that he plays so well, so believably, then Lee Hansen is LEGEND! Thank you for such a comprehensive reply to my questions. I really needed a peek into who the real Lee Hansen is. It sounded like maybe Lee Hansen needed a little catharsis, also. I agree with Lefty's comments. I would like to add that your acting has been phenomenal throughout the series to date. I have to say it was just becoming too difficult, dare I say painful, to see Travis cutting people left and right with his sharp comments. Guess John knew that it was time to soften his character up a little. We just needed a little reprieve and then back to business. Oh, and about the whirlpool thing. I wanted alien abductions. Where the heck were the aliens? I wanted the missing people to come home, not have their anomalous particles neutralized or give them a sensory lobotomy! Good grief, my skin crawled when Theresa said that! I voted in the poll that Astrid should not be with anyone. She should steer clear of you and Bill! It is becoming clear that isn't going to be the case. Astrid just seems to have a lot of very bad karma. As far as the age differences you mentioned, do they really matter in this house at the end of the universe? I haven't seen anyone bothered by it except Sam. It would appear that age wouldn't come into play until you all finally break free of The House and can go home. Thank you, again, for giving us a deeper understanding of Travis and of Lee.
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