Actress Amanda Tapping made a name for herself playing Samantha Carter for 11 years on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. In 2008, she jumps to Sanctuary, the new SCI FI Channel fantasy series in which she will star, and which she is serving as an executive producer.

GateWorld’s Denise caught up with Amanda at Gabit Events‘ AT3 convention in London this past May. Since the interview is mostly about Sanctuary, we’re proud to present it in its entirety here at SciFi Stream! Thanks to Amanda and Denise for sharing, and to Gabit Events.

In the interview, Amanda talks about the great risk she took in leaving the Stargate franchise for a new project, her many roles in the Sanctuary office, and the tonal changes being made to bring Sanctuary from the Internet to television. She also hints a bit at what is to come in the show’s 13-episode first season.

Read the full interview after the jump!

SciFi Stream: I’ve got some questions, some of them I made up and some that folks sent in.

Amanda Tapping: Oh, cool.

SFS: So, probably the first one that folks want to know is do you know what Sam’s second episode [of Atlantis Season Five] is?

AT: I don’t. I do not know what Sam’s episode is. I’ve chatted with Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie about it and it’s kind of schedule dependent right now. It may be the 100th episode, it may not. I’m not sure. There’s been a bit of chat about that. But, I can honestly say that I don’t know.

I’d love to say that “I can tell you but I’d have to kill you,” because that gives me a sense of intrigue … but I don’t know.

SFS: You talked today about how Sanctuary is and that you start filming Monday. Monday night.

AT: Yeah.

SFS: How are things different on Sanctuary? Because you’re not just “come, do my lines, go home” and there’s all that behind the scenes stuff. How is that different?

AT: I think I’ll be better able to answer that question after a few weeks of filming, in terms of how to juggle it while we’re filming. I imagine that, at least my understanding is that I’m going to be — while I’m shooting and then every time I’m off set — I’ll be looking at dailies and dealing with office issues.

I’m very hands-on. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t as hands-on as I am because it would give me a bit more time. But there’ll be a lot of behind the scenes stuff for Martin [Wood] and I especially, because we’ll be on set most of the time. So there is a lot — even [things like] looking at casting tapes.

It’s going to be goofy. It’s going to be a lot different. I will have (I would guess) zero down time while I’m shooting Sanctuary.

SFS: You said the pilot — well, the first episode is not going to be in the pilot, and the witches [from the second half of the 2007 webisodes] show up later. (Webisodes 1-4 will be re-shot and reedited, while webisodes 5-8, the witches, will air later in Season One.) Is there anything else that you can say that you guys are doing?

AT: Well, the first episode that we’re shooting is a two-hour, two-parter. And it takes the first hour of webisodes and spins it out into two hours. We delve more into Will’s back-story. Will’s back-story has changed quite a bit. We don’t use any of the flashbacks but one. So the flashbacks will be used later on.

It really spins out the story a lot more. It gives you a bit more of the history of the Sanctuary. It’s a bit more intriguing and less sort of, we’re not telling you too much right away. Although, because it’s been out on the Net people will generally know my history and Ashley’s history so, you know, it’s a loss leader because people already know it.

But it’ll be brighter, and I think more accessible. Like I said before, the show is actually better for the changes we’ve made. It’s a little broader in scope and it’s a little more accessible to more audience members than it was before. It was very genre-specific and dark and edgy. It’s still going to be dark and edgy because we still like that feel, but it’s going to be a little broader.

SFS: Sunkrux wanted to know: What kind of behind the scenes work are you doing, and what are you enjoying the most?

AT: Well, I have been heavily involved behind the scenes on Sanctuary since we shot the little tests that we did in July 2006. And so then I helped take on the role of trying to find funding — which is a massive undertaking because we don’t have a studio behind us. We don’t have an MGM.

So that I have not enjoyed as much because it’s hugely stressful, because you suddenly go out and you’re asking people for money and you’re responsible for their investments. And a lot of our crew invested, which is amazing. So we wanted to make it so that everyone had a piece of the back end.

So I’ve been fundraising, and then once we sort of started into production with all the breaking of the story and going through story beats and now casting and crewing the show. Dealing with the network. My job is to sort of be the liaison with the network in terms of costume and hair and makeup. Martin’s dealing with the technology.

We’ve all sort of taken on different roles. But, you know, it’s not unusual for me to get a call from one of our heads of the network saying, “Ok, we need to talk about the costumes for Bigfoot.” So that’s totally different for me.

You know, it’s been a lot more work. I thought my hiatus would be pretty stress free. And it’s been more stressful than when I’ve been shooting!

What I am enjoying the most is interacting on a different level with the crew, and bringing the whole thing together. Even things like packing up our offices — I think GateWorld was visiting us as we were getting ready to pack up!

SFS: Right.

AT: So, we were bubble wrapping glass tabletops and, you know, I was doing all that. And I loved that.

SFS: It sounds like fun.

AT: Yeah!

SFS: I can’t remember who sent it in. She wanted to know: If you had Chris Judge, if he decided to come [to Sanctuary], if you could get him to come, what would you like him to play?

AT: We actually considered Chris for the pilot for this role of the vampire, vampire lawyer. But he wasn’t, it wasn’t a big enough part. We wanted to use him better. Chris would, by the virtue of his physicality and his incredible sense of humor, would make a really cool monster I think.

SFS: I think he’d have fun.

AT: He totally would! He’d probably have too much fun. But yeah, I’d love to see him do something like that.

SFS: OK, and they were also wondering: Does Bigfoot have a name yet? And what is one thing about Helen that Bigfoot knows that no one else does?

AT: Ooh, I can’t tell you! What’s interesting to me is, we have 13 episodes now to spin out a pretty rich tapestry and to sort of build an interesting arc. And we’ll eventually come to know how exactly Helen and Bigfoot [met], how she found him. And we’ll get to know a bit more, like I said, about Will’s back-story.

So there’s certainly things about Helen that Bigfoot would know that nobody else knows because, in a large sense, he’s her personal butler. But I can’t tell you. Partly because I don’t know. I’ll have to think of something!

SFS: Siobhan wanted to know — and this is off the topic of Sanctuary: If you had an afternoon off, what’s your favorite movie to just veg out and watch?

AT: I’m still a huge fan of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I think it stands up. But lately, because a rainy day is “cuddle on the couch with Olivia,” Finding Nemo for the 357th time. She loves that movie. That and Flushed Away. So, I have to say, if you’re going to watch kids’ movies, those are two good ones.

So honestly, when it’s really yucky out and we have said, “Let’s make it a movie afternoon,” Liv and I will cuddle up under a blanket. My favorite place in the whole world. You’re gonna make me cry! But yeah, Finding Nemo.

SFS: If you could live as long as Helen Magnus, do whatever you want, what would you do?

AT: The esoteric and first answer that springs into my head and heart is charity work. If she had that much money and was able to sort of … we talked about history repeating itself, and Helen has certainly been witness to that in her long lifetime. So I would imagine that it would be no different for me — that you see things coming, a little more than maybe we do in the present day.

But if money were no object … oh my God, I’d change the face of the planet. We’d have food for everyone, and water. And she would probably be more proactive environmentally. Or I would be more proactive environmentally, knowing, you know …

SFS: Yeah.

AT: Because you see it. It’s so funny to me that people are suddenly all shocked that we’re running out of water. What? I mean, you know, back in the day when the Thames was as polluted as can be and it was sludge, people weren’t aware that water might be an issue at some point? Do you know what I mean?

If I were to live that long and money were no object, I’d be way more proactive, socially and environmentally. Yeah, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

SFS: That works. OK, anything else you’d like to add?

AT: Well, I hope the fans enjoy Sanctuary. I’m really proud of it. I took a huge risk and a lot of people took that risk with me. And fans on GateWorld have always, always — GateWorld has always been hugely supportive of me. So thank you and, I’m going to get kind of emotional but it’s really hard to leave.

It’s really hard to leave Stargate. It was a really, really difficult decision, in large part because of the fan base and because people have been so supportive. And so I felt like I was taking not only a leap away from my comfort zone and my home at the Bridge Studios, but a leap of faith with the fans that there might be people that may not want to join me on this journey. And that’s OK.

But it was a big … oh my God, I’ve had this great home and comfort zone, all these people that supported me and the show and everything that we’ve all done individually. And so it was a big leap of faith. But so far the fans have been amazing, and I’m forever grateful. I really am.

Sanctuary premieres Friday, October 3 on the SCI FI Channel in the United States!