I: Nigel, this is your second appearance at Toronto Trek and it's one of a number of conventions you are doing this year. Do you find that, with the sudden emergence of the Forever Knight fan clubs and their popularity, you are much more in demand?

NB: Yes, it's great! This is the third one so far this year. I did one in Boston in March. That was fun, in the cold in Boston. Then I did one in Madison, Wisconsin, in the heart of the dairy country of the US. And now this one. Then I have Dallas, where I go in two weeks time. And then there is another one near Toronto, in Markham, in October or November.

I: This has all been from the fan response?

NB: Yes, the fan response is amazing from the show.

I: That has done a lot for your show, hasn't it!

NB: Yes, it saved the show.

I: You did one season?

NB: We did one season and we lost our time slot because David Letterman moved over to CBS. And there went our time slot - it just disappeared. It was fan response that really kept it on, kept the pot bubbling there. And after 18 months of sitting around trying to claim UI (Unemployment Insurance) and failing, we were picked up again. It really was the letter-writing campaign and the phone-ins. James Parriot, who is the main producer, must be going crazy because they publish his address everywhere. In the fan letters they publish his address. And they keep phoning and writing.

I: It is like a weapon.

NB: Yes, it is like a weapon. So, fan response has been phenomenal.

I: Are you looking forward to more years of the show or is that a "that depends" situation?

NB: It's a "depends" situation. At the moment we're doing 26 more this year. We've done 13 so far. We're on 2 week hiatus at the moment and we have 13 more to do. Also, there's an option in our contract for 2 more years. So, we could still be doing this in '96. Help! (laughs)

I: I know the shooting is done, by and large, at night. That really throws off your rhythms as far as sleep and life and even getting to the bank.

NB: What life? (laughs) I mean, yeah, it's inconvenient. Definitely! I'm not sure which is worst - the night in the summer or the night in the winter. I don't know. You get these winter nights and it's just a nightmare! A Forever (K)nightmare. (laughs)

I: LaCroix, of course, we believe has died off. He was basically turned into a Vampire kabob - well done. He is going to come back?

NB: Yeah, you see, good kabobs always return on you. (laughs) Yes, he comes back. In fact, the last episode that we filmed of the first year - the very last scene that we shot was; he was back. He was looking up at Nick's apartment window and sort of glaring.

I: With him back, does that mean that you'll get more shots in the real time as opposed to the past?

NB: So far we've been doing episodes where there are both. LaCroix has a job now. He's off the unemployment roll. He's a late night radio show host. A sort of talk show radio.

I: As opposed to the president of a blood bank?

NB: (laughs) Yes, absolutely. It is one of those strange new wave, strange talk shows that he does.

I: Has his character developed any or is that something to work on in the upcoming season?

NB: It has developed. The relationship between LaCroix and Nick has changed subtly. The overt antagonism that used to be between them isn't so overt anymore. There's a lot of simmering anger. It's still there, but LaCroix has become more of a mentor now rather than an antagonist. He's seen that his attempting to bring Nick back to the vampire way by violent means hasn't worked. So, he is now trying to say, "Now look, Nicolas...." He'll use sweet reason instead. It's still not working, but at least he's trying.

I: I've noticed that you have a strong female following - extremely strong. I was wondering if that is because it seems that of all the creatures of horror and mythology, the vampires are usually seen as seducers.

NB: It's a very erotic thing. When vampires were first written about in fiction in Victorian England, which was an age of great repression, it was regarded as soft porn almost. The idea, especially, of a woman vampire. A guy would turn a woman into a vampire and she would become this ravening creature who would throw herself at a man and bite his neck. It was just Whoa! - for the Victorians. They thought it was amazing stuff. So, yes! it is very erotic.

I: Which obviously explains that wonderful female following you've got!

NB: And apparently quite a large gay male following as well, which is fine.

I: Ann Rice's work - her classic Interview with a Vampire - is about to go into production as a movie. And it features a very controversial casting: Tom Cruise as Lestat. Now if you could cast that role, who would you put in it?

NB: Well, I've said this before and people go No! No! No! I think that he should have a certain "weight", he should have a certain body of experience behind him as a mortal, as well as a vampire. I would have cast someone like Redford. Robert Redford would have been wonderful, you know. He's aged nicely! As would Connery. Connery would have been a superb Lestat. But not young. I don't know, Tom may well just come out with a wonderful performance and we'll all go "Gosh!, weren't we wrong!" But, for me, he's a bit young.

I: That's what a lot of people feel.

NB: I worked with Brad Pitt on another movie immediately before the started shooting and Brad was looking forward to it a lot.

I: Do you happen to know who's doing the interviewer role?

NB: I'm not sure. I don't know what role Brad is doing.

I: Speaking of things you're doing - that commercial....

NB: (laughs) "That commercial"

I: In doing the research for this interview I found that there were a number of people who did not know who Nigel Bennett was. But, if you said "The Scotsman who has oatmeal thick enough to stop a bullet", they immediately knew who you were. I think you're getting as much fame off that commercial as anything else that you've ever done.

NB: I tell you, it's the only thing where people have ever stopped me on the street and said "It's You!" is that commercial. Nobody ever recognizes you from the straight stuff but a commercial! It's because it's shown so often, they recognize the face. We're doing another one. We're about to record episode two.

I: See, they're so popular you're doing a sequel. Now, do we get to see the kilt and the knobby knees this time?

NB: I don't know. I was wearing one originally. I think it ran overtime, but in the original opening shot was his feet entering the frame. Then panned up over this awful kilt. They were different tartans as well, which is a real joke. I mean his socks were one tartan and his kilt was another and his tie was another.

I: That would have been wonderful.

NB: Just crazy, crazy!

I At one time you did Coronation Street. Now how long ago was that?

NB: Oh, that was years ago.

I: Now, there are an immense number of women who are strong Coronation Street fans. And they have all wondered about you.

NB: I was a bad guy in that as well. It was when Deirdre was married to Ray Langton.

I: Oh, that is far back!

NB: Yes, a long time ago. And it was before Ray left her for that other woman.

I: That's right.

NB: She'd been walking home. She was working at Len's lumberyard or hardware store or whatever it was. She was walking home and she was attacked. She was sexually assaulted.

I: And that was you?

NB: Yes, that was me.

I: Did you know Nigel Farrell as well? Did you work with him?

NB: No, I didn't, no.

I: He was another wonderful villain on Coronation Street.

NB: I worked with Peter Adamson on that. And then again had the good fortune to work with him here in Toronto doing Run for Your Wife.

I: I didn't realize he worked here in Canada at all.

NB: Yes, it ran for 2 years. It was a really long running play. Before we got into Phantom and Le Mis, it was the longest running show there had been for a while. Except for, of course, The Mouse Trap.

I: A lot of them from Coronation Street were wonderful singers, multi-talented people.

NB: Yes.

I: Much as you must be if you've done the Rocky Horror stage show.

NB: (laughs)

I: No, you laugh, but you must be a singer.

NB: Yeah, somewhere there is a cast recording of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, the stage show. And you will find me featured on there as Mr. George Mole.

I: Can you give us a line from Rocky Horror or is that just too far back?

NB: Rocky Horror.... Oh, gosh, I don't know, from Rocky Horror? No, I've forgotten all that.

I: Doing the Time Warp again?

NB: Yes, doing the Time Warp, That was the big number. It was great, I tell you. We opened in Milan, which was wonderful. We toured Italy with it. On opening night the audience just went crazy. They went berserk. They had never seen anything quite like it.

I: Did you do it in English?

NB: Yeah, oh yeah! They know the words. They watch the movie everywhere, you know. They squirt water pistols and they put umbrellas up and everything. On the opening night we did the curtain calls and everything. And they invaded the stage! So, we ran upstairs to our dressing rooms, and they invaded the dressing rooms! We were sitting there going "Help!" and there were these dozens and dozens and dozens of Italians going "Hey! Bellise! Bellise! Incredible!". It was like "Wow!" -- like being a rock star - weird!

I: You have admitted to being a Trek fan.

NB: I certainly am. They keep writing out my favorite characters. That's the only problem.

I: That's rough. Although, you can invent your own! If you had the opportunity, would you do a Trek?

NB: Yes, oh Yes! I'd pay money!

I: I have noticed in some of your fanzine letters that certain people are apparently writing on your behalf to Paramount.

NB: This is what I've heard.

I: Now, you must have obviously established self worth, a certain ego, because you are an actor and have to be able to stand on your own. If the producer from Star Trek says "I'm giving you a part because of all this writing in.". Would you accept it with as much gladness knowing that your fans got it as opposed to your talent?

NB: Oh, yes. In all modesty, the fans wouldn't be there if talent hadn't been there in the first place, would they? Yeah, I'd accept it. I'd do anything! I'd pay money! I'll kiss his dog! I don't care! You know, it's like Richard Harris. There's a story about Richard Harris, when they were doing the movie Camelot. He desperately wanted to play King Arthur and the producers said "No! No! Richard Harris? No! No! Come on!" And Richard Harris, who was an established film star said "I'll come and audition for you. I'll come now and audition for you and sing for you." So they said "Oh, all right." And he did and he just blew them away.

I: There you go, anything is possible!

NB: I'll do that! I promise! Anything!

I: You were quoted once as saying that Deep Space 9 is the more cerebral of the Star Trek series.

NB: Uhm, yes.

I: And of the fans, many feel that it is the worst series, sorta like Drek Trek. How do you reconcile your view with theirs?

NB: I may have said that it is the more cerebral, but I did not say it was the better. I sort of agree with Drek Trek. It's a wonderful name! DS9 is so ponderous. It's so meaningful, every line. You just think, oh come on, lighten up, guys!

I: Yes, it's a little heavy.

NB: I don't watch it all that much now.

I: A little about your career. You had done extensive work in Britain before you came to Canada. Now, when you crossed the ocean, you had quite a few options. There was Los Angeles. There was New York. And they were all much bigger markets for your type of talent. Why pick Canada?

NB: Well, at the time I was married to a Canadian girl, so there was no problem with immigration, with getting in here. I might be able to wangle it now - to get into the States. But really, at the time, they had no reason to even consider allowing me in there. No relatives. Not a known quantity - a name or anything like that. Now, I might be able to pull something off.

I: Although, now that you are so well established in Canada, would you like to stay, or are there greener fields?

NB: Yes, I would like to stay. It's not even greener fields. It's a sad fact of the industry that most of the stuff that is made here is American. And most of the leading roles of most of the stuff are cast in the States. So, if I want to carry on playing good support roles, I can stay here. I can play guest principles. I can do this series, which is wonderful. But, if I want to start playing leading roles in big series and big films, I've got to go out to Los Angeles. There's no other way for it. You have to be down there. You have to be available.

I: That takes me to courage. There has to be a lot of courage, or self conviction in acting. If you go down to L.A., of course you are in a bigger market with much more competition. Do you have the self confidence to do that? Would you do that?

NB: I don't even know if it is self confidence. I think it's just being stubborn, is what it is.

I: Which is maybe the better quality.

NB: Yeah, I think I would be okay. You see, it wouldn't be the end of the world if nothing happened. It's not THAT important. It's not brain surgery. It really isn't. As far as I'm concerned, if I went down there and I was successful. That would be wonderful. But, if I went down there and I wasn't successful, it wouldn't be a negative thing. It wouldn't take away from anything else I'd already done. After all, 90% of this job is luck. It's being at the right place, at the right time. It has very little to do with talent.

I: Although we know you have plenty! Thank you very much for spending time with us.

NB: Thank you.

I: You have just driven us batty!