Date
of publishing: 6th September 2005
Larry has performed in dozens of TV series and feature films
such as "Feds" and the soon to be released Dana
Carvey comedy "Master of Disguise". Now living
in Los Angeles, he worked in New York for six years starring
in the PBS series "Square One TV" and later starred
in the Fox Television series "A.J.'s Time Travelers".
Larry got a role in the episode "Origin" from
stargate SG-1 season 9, playing the first Prior coming into
our galaxy. He is credited as "Prior 2".
This is not exactly an interview as there's only 2 questions
but enjoy the reading! Hallowed are the Ori! 
Gilles Nuytens: How
could you describe the Prior you portrayed, his psychology,
his way of thinking, and which part of yourself did you
gave to him ?
Larry Cedar: If the Prior I played were
to have a slogan it would be, "You Think You Know,
But You Have No Idea." By his way of thinking the Ori
are an indisputable, unavoidable fact, and any who would
deny the truth of their power are only fooling themselves.
It's as if the Prior (at least from his point of view) views
the universe from a much more enlightened, broader perspective,
well beyond anything the mere humans of Stargate might ever
hope to attain. For the Prior, the "truth" of
the Ori is practically not worth explaining, but rather
should be accepted by all as a fait accompli.
There is, therefore, a large degree of arrogance to the
Prior's "psychology", as if he's one of those
rare creatures who's figured out how to use 100% of his
brain, as opposed to the more "limited" intellect
of the typical human being.
 To
play the role I simply tried to tap into that unfortunately
arrogant part of my personality which, I'm embarrassed to
admit, has on more than one occasion had me convinced that
I was the smartest chap in the room.
Gilles Nuytens: Despite
your role is secondary your character had a big presence
on screen and some of your lines were excellent like this
one "And the rock wept tears of fresh water and his
thirst was quenched". I think you did an excellent
job and your performance fit exactly to your character.
What was your best memory, do you have something funny to
tell me about this character or about the work you did on
the set of Stargate ?
Larry Cedar: Thanks for the compliment.
I'd like to take credit for the beautiful language, but
that would go to the Stargate writers. Quite an imaginative
bunch, wouldn't you say?
The most absurd aspect of playing an "all-knowing,
all-powerful" Prior is that between takes I needed
to be led around like a helpless fool due to the limited
vision created by the opaque Prior contacts in my eyes.
As with many of the ominous characters I've played over
the years (the creature on the wing in Steven Spielberg's
feature film, "The Twilight Zone" for example)
the chasm between fantasy and reality can be comically large.
Best memory? Chatting with Lou Gossett, Jr., an idol of
my for many many years. He couldn't have been any more humble,
good natured, or generous in his work. And Ben Browder,
by the way, is a hoot. Great cast, great crew, great show,
life is good.
Best,
Larry Cedar
"Prior 2" |
