Bill Dow

Bill Dow: (On how he got into acting) Well, I was going to university, and took a couple of years of university, and I was without direction…I didn't really know what I was going to do and I took a year off and traveled around Europe which was the last time I was in Paris actually, so that let's you know how long ago that was. When I came back I took a drama class just because I thought it would be an easy elective that would fit in with the rest of my program and I fell in love with the theatre and the people that were there and just the ability and the potential for communication and so as time went on, I spent more and more time in the theatre and in the drama department then conducting the rest of my studies until by the time I was supposed to finish university. I was fit for nothing else really. So I stopped going to school and carried on in the theatre and even at that point I hadn't really committed being an actor, I just ... I found I wasn't much good for anything else. I wasn't technically inclined so I could run a saw or hammer or nail straight or any of that kind of thing. I wasn't organized enough to be stage manager. So acting was about the only thing I could do. And fortunately for me, people saw some merit in hiring me and gave me jobs and I worked kind across the country, across Canada as an actor for a few years and then by that time I decided that this is in fact what I do and I will be an actor. And since then I've gone into directing, I've done a lot of directing in theatre, I've directed a short film which gained a certain amount of notoriety and then a few different things like that. Surprisingly enough and much to the delight of my parents I'm now back in university and doing a masters degree in humanities and cultural studies.

Bill Dow: I loved doing the X-Files, David and Gillian were always very supportive, we had a good time together - lots of laughs. Of course, when that show was just becoming popular there was a lot of excitement around it, because that kind of success was new to everyone. Coming onto Stargate was different because there was this well-oiled machine clicking along. When I did that first episode there was no indication that there was any future for Dr. Lee. So it was very gratifying as the writers started to discover what I could bring to the show. Also, my relationships with the cast grew over time - I guess I only wish I had started sooner so that Richard and I could have done more together - we had a real blast together. And now, of course, as Stargate re-imagines itself, there is the kind of excitement that comes with creating something new - and we don't really know yet what all the possibilities are. I think that's always the best, that period where anything can happen - you get a sense that its good, and that it is still unfolding...the actual creation. I like that the best.

Bill Dow: (On his favorite character to play)Well, again, they all have a special place and allow me to visit different areas of myself. I love playing Dr. Lee its just so much fun. I really enjoyed the last play I did I played Martin Dysart in "Equus" - and it had a big effect on me. It is about a man who has found that the passion has left his life, he is experiencing a very small slice of what is available in the world he has no reverence, no worship, and no ecstasy. I found it very inspirational to tell that story night after night, it was a real spur to me to not become complacent.