Janeway Had A Little Lamb...

In addition to his guest role on Voyager, Michael has appeared in a recurring role on the daytime soap opera Port Charles, is an accomplished stage actor, having appeared as Devin McFallen in Space at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and Ah, Wilderness! at South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, and Kirby Fenton in the revisionist The Merry Wives of Windsor at the MET Theatre. Reisz is also an accomplished voice actor, voicing Yamato "Matt" Ishida in the Fox's English-language version of Digimon: Digital Monsters and the upcoming Digimon: The Movie as well as appearing in Jumanji, Godzilla, and Men in Black.

LOWER DECKS: Were you a Trek fan, before going to read for Billy Telfer?

MICHAEL REISZ: Absolutely. I've always been amazed at Trek's ability to create a compelling, entirely different world on a weekly basis. In addition to Voyager, of course, I was a big fan of TNG as well as DS9. In fact, whenever I go up for roles in Shakespearean pieces, Armin Shimmerman is kind enough to coach me. He's an expert with Shakespeare.

Did Armin give you any advice on guest starring in a Trek series?

Armin and his wife Kitty Swink, who has also appeared on Trek, were wonderful. They gave me great stylistic tips. Most importantly, though, Armin also told me which was the best oatmeal to order at the commissary early in the morning.

What was neat about Billy and "Good Shepherd" overall was that the story was primarily character driven. You had good, but fallible people forced into a difficult situation. You saw the friendship between Billy and Celes, the tension Harren had with everyone, and Janeway's intense interaction with crew members that you don't always see. I also loved the fact that Billy could be funny. Playing the hypochondria scene with the Doctor was a hoot, and by the end of the week, all of us—Kate, Zoe, Jay and I, along with Director Rick Kolbe and the whole crew in fact—were cracking up and having a blast.

Had you worked with special visual effects before, and did you find it difficult, or easier than you expected?

I had never worked with effects like that on film. I recently worked on the West Coast Premiere of Tina Landau's SPACE at the Mark Taper Forum. In that context, special effects of both sound and lighting were extensive and fascinating to work with. But if you're talking about the bug in my neck, nope, never had that before. What they can do at Trek with both makeup and computer effects amazes me. One thing I really took away from my stay there was how hard EVERYBODY works and how absolutely committed everyone is as a team to get the job done well.

You know, we all had such a great time that honestly everyone was terrific to work with. I had long admired Kate's work—I saw her at the Taper in The Aristocrats years ago—and was thrilled to work with her, as I was with Bob Picardo. Both were so generous and kind that they made everything easy. As for Jay and Zoe, they were the best possible team I could have worked with. One of the AD's, Yumiko, started to call us the Three Musketeers because we would just be hanging out together the whole time. I've seen them at subsequent auditions and such, and there is still this total bond. They are great. I also want to point out that everyone one the set, from the higher ups on down, was remarkable. It truly was one of the nicest, most fun sets on which I have had the pleasure working.

Any chance of us seeing Billy again, next season?

I hope so, because it was truly one of the best jobs I have had.

In what direction would you like to see the character taken?

I don't think Billy's fears have completely evaporated and I would love to see him and the Doctor working together—maybe something that totally grosses Billy out. I also wonder if that thing in his neck left any traces or eggs or something that went undetected. Could be interesting. The fact that the three guest characters left a mark is really a testament to the writing staff, don't you think? That the writers have introduced individuals whom you would like to see develop is really terrific.

What was your best experience on the Trek set, what was your worst?

Best—Two things. First, working with that cast and crew was unbelievable. When you are a guest on a show, you often expect to be treated kindly and with respect, but as the visitor that you are. With Voyager, everyone welcomed us with open arms as if we were regular parts of their family. Merri Howard would come down and visit, Joe Menosky (who wrote the episode with Dianna Gitto) was always there, and everyone was always so friendly with us. The crew, who gets there before us and leaves after us, was incredibly welcoming, and the regular cast members—especially Kate Mulgrew—were remarkably generous. On our last day, Rick Kolbe and the whole crew took a moment to stop and thank us as we were leaving. They gave us a little round of applause. That never happens! (Well, not to me anyway!) I'm still blown away by everyone. Second: It was such a kick sitting in the Delta Flyer and walking about the ship. I mean, how much fun is it to pretend to be flying a spaceship as part of your job. I am a lucky and thankful man!

Worst—Waking up at 3:30am to get to the set and get in makeup and wardrobe. Thank G-D Billy was human. Ethan Phillips is superhuman!! But it comes with the territory, and I would do it again in a nanosecond.

Animation is fantastic. Actually, I didn't find it hard at all and I don't really know why. I just sort of took to it. I do know that some of my friends feel sort of tied down when they only have a microphone, but I actually find it somewhat liberating. In animation, you can be anything. I've played everything from a worm, a football hero, an army sergeant, to a million other things and it doesn't matter what you look like. You also don't have to shave and you can work in your sweats, so that's pretty great too. It gives you permission to be as childish and as goofy as you want, and it lets your imagination soar. I have to say, Matt on Digimon is a really fun character to play.

In the animation industry, many stripped animated series have the voices recorded first, and then the voice performances are synched to the final animation.

What was the most difficult aspect of working in this method?

Digimon is a "dubbed" series, while other animation is recorded first and then animated to the voice. When I did episodes of Jumanji, Godzilla, Men In Black and such, those were recorded first and animated later. Personally, I find dubbing work much more difficult because you have to create a believable character, while matching the lip flaps. You are incredibly constricted in what you can say and how you can say it. With "original animation," for want of a better phrase, you have the luxury of creating the character as you see it. The unfortunate matter is that there is a big hullabaloo brewing now in the animation industry over dubbing contracts versus original contracts, but that's another story for another time.

A director friend of mine, Maria Burton, referred me to the director of the pilot, Alex Stein. We met and decided to go ahead with the project. It was a great experience because it allowed us to create a show in an ever growing medium and the crew was wonderful. Entertainment on the internet, I believe, is going to be the wave of the future.

Who has been your favourite director to work with, on stage, on television, on film, and in the animation industry, and why?

It's hard to pick out favourites because each person teaches you something new and I have been fortunate to work with great people. On Stage, Tina Landau is one of America's premiere, up and coming (I think she's already here) Directors and Writers, and working at the Taper was a milestone for me, so she's the tops for many reasons. On TV, Rick Kolbe was great to work with on Voyager. He creates amazing shots and facilitates a wonderful atmosphere. On Film, I haven't really done that much film yet so I don't have a wide selection, but Jay Kamen comes to mind. He's one of the best editors in town and is now breaking into directing. Animation, again, they have all been good, from Michael Sorich, Bob Buckholtz, and Jeff Nimoy on Digimon to many others. I guess the person with whom I have worked the most and truly am in awe of is Susan Blu. I worked with her on Jumanji, Godzilla, and Men In Black and she can do anything! You have to see her in action to believe it.

What can you tell us about your role in the upcoming Tiffani Thiessen horror movie spoof I Know What You Screamed Last Summer?

It's a really funny spoof and my thing was very last minute. In fact, you won't even see me. I am the voice of the Vice-Principal that booms jokes over the PA system throughout the film. Doug Blake, the producer, is a friend and he asked if I would do it. John Blanchard is a very funny director and the project cracked me up, so I said sure. Everyone should see it. It's funny.

That's hard to say, because I have liked them all, but 3 really stand out for me.

The first is Billy on Voyager. Like I've said a million times, it was truly one of the best jobs I have had. The character, the script, the cast and crew—all of it added up to an amazing experience.

The second is Devin McFallen in SPACE at the Taper. Working on a new play with one of America's premiere directors is an experience I will never forget. The play was very experimental and that added to the excitement for me. Plus, it had been a dream of mine to perform at the Taper and I couldn't believe it when I first set foot on the stage. It was surreal for me, as that was the theatre that my parents took me to as a child.

Finally, Richard in Ah, Wilderness! at South Coast Repertory. Again I got to work with a wonderful cast and crew, and it was the first time I was the lead of a big show around which everything centered. That was a big break for me and I will always be grateful to SCR for giving me that opportunity.

What projects are you currently working on, that we have to look forward to in the coming year?

Well, there are some things in the works, so keep your fingers crossed, but until the contracts are signed, I hesitate to discuss them. What I can talk about is Digimon: The Movie for 20th Century Fox. We are recording it now for an October 6 release. I will still be playing 14 year old Matt and it looks terrific.

If you could play any role, in any medium, what would your dream role be?

There are so many, that it would be impossible to pick one.

What is the single most influential advice as an actor you ever received, and what advice would you pass on to actors just starting out in their careers?

Life is far too short not to be passionate about what you are doing. If you love this profession, then always study, always approach it as a business, and always treat people with respect. It's a wonderful, frustrating, uplifting job and I am honored to be a part of it.

Thank you, Michael, for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with the fans!