Lost in Space - Jonathan Harris at Megacon 1998 VI

Back and continuing with Dr. Smith in Lost in Space and his delicate back...

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Jonathan Harris - But you see that was part of his nature. Having other people do the work, not he. How to do that? Never to say "I don't do work" No! You say "My back has a crick in it" instead of "I'm not going to do it" That was Smith to a tee. And I never betrayed him, I played him fully. When you play a character, and I'm a character actor, you must remain true to the character. And from 7:00 in the morning until God know what time at night, you cannot draw a fake breath in that time, if you truly understand him. He will do do exactly the right things at all times, and say exactly the right thing, and react exactly the right way, because he is in it. And so it is with everything in the character. On the stage or on the screen or anyplace else. On the stage is easier, because you walk through the act once, and no one says 'cut'. A big word 'cut'. But you have to adjust to that. It's not all that easy. Because [on the set] your destiny is controlled by other people, compared to the stage where you have total control. Sure, you've been written, you've been produced, you've been directed, you've been rehearsed, you've been lit, and up goes the curtain and none of them are there! Only you! Total control. You are the result of, you understand, the whole of the others. Total control. In film, no control. All you do is learn the lines somebody wrote, and then pray a lot. Because you can be killed by a light. And I've seen it. And I've had it happen to me. Not that man was wicked and did it deliberately, but the man had no time. To make an adjustment of the light takes ten minutes. Time is money in television. And film, but especially in television. Time is money. And you see that on the dailies, or maybe on the screen, oh God! But there you are, killed by a light. And the editor gets it, and that show's on the air next week. And it's got to be trimmed down to size. [makes scissors noises - clip, clip, clip] and you could have done your very best acting of a month or two months in a particular scene, and it's gone! You want to die! Your destiny is controlled by other people. So there you are. If you are the star of the piece or the scene, maybe they cut somebody else. But even so, sometimes you get it too. [snipping sound] . It's got to the job. It's not vicious. It's not evil. It's got to be on time for minutes, and that means something goes to shorten the shot.

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