From IGN (Australia):
http://dvd.ign.com/articles/865/865943p1.html(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)
Interview: Stargate's Sam Carter SpeaksAmanda Tapping - the woman who brought sexy back to smart.by Joanna Cohen, IGN AU
Australia, April 10, 2008 - The woman who has made smart sexy for the past decade is once again fighting brutal enemies in distant galaxies as Stargate SG-1 returns with the ultimate voyage, Stargate: The Ark of Truth. Golden Globe and three-time Emmy Award winning actress, Amanda Tapping, is back as Sam Carter; the sexy scientist with one of the bleakest romance histories in space.
The final series of Stargate SG-1 may have drawn to a close but that is not the end of the story. This week sees the Australian release of the first of two DVD feature-length adventures. Stargate: the Ark of Truth concludes the series finale and sends SG-1 on their final mission to defeat the sinister Ori force.
Tapping talks to IGN AU about sci-fi women, shooting in the Arctic and over ten years of being Carter.
**snippage**
IGN AU: Did you go into this role with preconceptions about the portrayal of women in the sci-fi genre?
Amanda Tapping: I found the portrayal of women quite stereotypical – particularly early sci-fi. Women either played a very sexy alien or a bitchy leader. It was pretty one dimensional and linear to be honest. Uhura was the first character where you sort of went ooh she is intelligent but she still had to wear the short skirt. I think Captain Janeway blasted it out a lot too in terms of being a strong leader. I went in feeling that sci-fi had been very linear in its thinking, television in general can be very linear in its thinking.IGN AU: What do you think it is about Stargate that has given it this phenomenal longevity?
Amanda Tapping: This is going to sound like the most esoteric answer in the world but it honestly just felt like there was some sort of magic when we all got together, There was something about the chemistry between the four actors and the writers and the mythology they were able to weave. At the end of the day, we all had a good time. I honestly think that that joy about our work translated onto the screen and made it kind of fun to watch. And I know that sounds really flaky but we did have a lot of fun making this show and I think that made it a lot of fun to watch. The writing was amazing, the mythology was great, the production values, the special effects they all helped make the show what it is.
**snippage**
IGN AU: I am interested to hear about your work with UNICEF.
Amanda Tapping: What I do with UNICEF is more of an educational angle. I go right into local schools and talk to the children about what a quarter means to a child in Tanzania; how much fresh water that buys, how many medical supplies that buys, how much penicillin that buys and how many pencils for the school. I put it into concrete terms for them. I will stand in front of an assembly and say, split yourselves into two groups and the kids will shuffle over. And then I will point to half the room and say that all of you guys are sick because you do not have enough water. And those of you who are healthy, split in half and half of you are in danger of losing your eyesight because of this reason and then break it down until there is only one tiny group of healthy children. They can then relate it to themselves on a more intimate level. I like to go into the schools and speak one on one with the kids. It is very hands on for me.
Stargate: The Ark of Truth is available on DVD in Australia on April 9, 2008.
