Actor John Barrowman is proving that he will never die with a new segment to his series Torchwood: Miracle Day on the Starz channel.
Torchwood is a British television show that spun off originally from another show Doctor Who. Moving to different television stations every year on the BBC before now arriving in the United States, the show follows a group of alien hunters led by Captain Jack Harkness played by Barrowman. Miracle Day begins with the entire population on Earth unable to perish and the events that happen thereafter.
Barrowman is from Scotland but was raised in Illinois before studying music and theatre in San Diego. He has appeared in musical films such as De-Lovely and The Producers before landing the pivotal role as Jack.
Windy City Times: Hi, John. What time is it where you are calling in from?
John Barrowman: It's just after 8:30 p.m. It doesn't get dark here until about 10 o'clock. I am looking out past my back garden, across the swimming pool. I live right by the beach, looking into the south coast of England.
Windy City Times: Rough life! Do you live with your partner there?
John Barrowman: Yes, I do. If I describe it to the equivalent in the States, then we have a house in the city and this is our house in the country. Scott and I usually spend the weekends here. We have our house in central London. Unfortunately, he had to go back to London to work and I stayed here because I have the day off.
Windy City Times: I watched the first three episodes of Miracle Day. I was not familiar with the series so I am new to the show.
John Barrowman: This is really great to see your perspective of it because the one thing that I think really worked well was the fact that someone who is coming new into it was getting a little bit of back story, history through the characters and finding out who this Torchwood organization is but not having to watch all of the series to pick all of that up. Did it work?
Windy City Times: Yes, I followed along very well. The series has had such a big following over the years.
John Barrowman: It has been a huge surprise to us but also it has been really gratifying. The show itself many years back was written for a spin-off for the character of Captain Jack from Doctor Who. Torchwood is an anagram of "Doctor Who." We have a science-fiction history behind us. Over the years we have evolved. Torchwood was on a very small digital channel then we proved ourselves and got great ratings there. We moved to a bigger channel BBC Two. Our series slightly changed again and then moved to BBC One, which is the big channel over here.
It seems like the natural progression is the fan base that we have built, the last series Children of Earth internationally has just grown and grown. It made perfect sense for us to become part of Starz in a collaborative effort and move over to the States. We filmed it both in the U.S. and the U.K. It is becoming more international like our audiences. As we say over here, we are chuffed!
Windy City Times: I was wondering where it was filmed because it is hard to tell.
John Barrowman: Well, we filmed as you can see from the first episode it was done at a beach and a cottage. This was filmed in South Wales, in fact about 15 miles up the coast from where I live, called Rhossili Beach. We filmed here for two and half weeks, Eve stayed a little longer because she had interior shots for other episodes that are coming up. We did it all in one block. We filmed everything else in the United States, either on location or on the Warner Brothers lot. That was a total trip because I would ride my bike around the lot. I have done Desperate Housewives over at Universal and different things but this was my show. I was so proud and pleased to be able to have that. It was a really nice feeling and overwhelming.
Windy City Times: Eve Myles really stands out in the show, and just visited Chicago. When are you coming?
John Barrowman: I would love to come there but I am filming another TV show at the moment. My television show in the U.K. that I am not only in but I produce it. I am hard at work. I would love to be there. I guarantee you that I will come at some point because it is my old stomping grounds.
Windy City Times: You lived in Illinois for a while.
John Barrowman: I lived in Aurora, then Joliet, Ill. I went to school up in Chicago for a period of time at DePaul University.
Windy City Times: How is it with the old cast and new cast working together?
John Barrowman: I know you guys want horror stories but I have to be honest with youwe actually all hit it off. I think the new people that were coming in, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and Alexa Havins, had done their research and saw what the show was prior so they knew who Eve and I were. It was like welcoming new people into the fold.
Eve and I look at ourselves as being the mama and the papa of the ship. I might be tooting our own horn here but if you asked anyone we are really easy to get along with. We are not difficult and have our feet firmly on the ground. We have tasted a little success and we learn to deal with it. It hasn't changed who we are. We treat everyone like we are a big family. It was great to welcome new people into the cast, to have new energy there. It adds something special to it.
Windy City Times: A fan wanted me to ask if Ianto [a male co-worker and lover of Barrowman's character] would be returning to the show.
John Barrowman: Ianto is mentioned but he won't be coming back into the series. Ianto was Jack's last love interest. They had a really good relationship. He died in the last series.
Windy City Times: Many people still come back from the dead in this series.
John Barrowman: That is true, but I think we have moved on. Russell T. Davies explains it better, he says we couldn't have transplanted the show in the States and brought the entire company with it. People had to die!
Windy City Times: In the third episode you get to have a little safe-sex message.
John Barrowman: Hey hey hey! I got to have a little bit of ass and some safe sex. Of course, it was a good safe sex message and so it should be. Ironically over here in the U.K. from last year to this year the HIV spread rate has doubled. I believe there is a generation of young people who think they can't get it and many people think you can't die from it anymore. That is not the right way to be thinking. We were glad to put that safe sex message in there. People can't die in the series but a lifetime of regret just gets longer.
Windy City Times: It ties back into the show because people think they can live forever.
John Barrowman: Absolutely. That is part of the message. You have to be cautious and careful. On the day of the scene I woke up with Scott, we have a condominium in West Hollywood, I was quite chirpy and told him I was off to have sex with a 24-year-old!
Windy City Times: [Laughs] He was okay with it?
John Barrowman: Of course he was. He wanted to come in and watch. It thought it was a little much because Dylan, who plays the character, would not want Scott leering over the wall of the set watching us have sex. That might not work for him. The poor boy was straight.
Windy City Times: Do the writers of the show have a fascination with death?
John Barrowman: It is not a fascination about death because if we were going to do a show about that then we would have annihilated the planet. They turned it around and it is a show about life.
If you think about it, we are living longer in our lives. They are saying that people who are born this year could live until they are 120. There are problems that arrive and it is how we as a society, if we woke up one day immortal, are able to cope with it. Would you be selfish and live only for yourself? How would the government react? We have big problems with health care in the United States right now. That is mimicked in our series. In the show if you are injured you still feel pain. The thing I love about our writers is they always approach subject matters that other shows are afraid to touch. Who would put a pedaphile as a main character?
Windy City Times: Good point.
John Barrowman: Not only that but at first people don't like him. I guarantee you by episode ten you are going to like him. You are going to be really torn with yourself for liking this man.
Windy City Times: Bill Pullman [who's on the series this season] is such a good actor.
John Barrowman: He is brilliant. I think it's in episode three when I climb into his dressing room. I had to pinch myself and say that was with Bill Pullman.
Windy City Times: Well, you have a huge background yourself from a self-titled CD, and to two memoirs. You have done a lot yourself, mister.
John Barrowman: Thank you. I have a bit of a varied career. I don't live by my head. I live by my heart. That is how I live with my career also. I only do things because I truly want to do them. I want to have a good time doing it. There are times I have been paid a lot of money for a job and I haven't enjoyed it and the other way around. I don't do things on the finance aspect of it. So my career has everything on it from musicals to books, children's television and concert tours.
On the show Tonight's the Night, I am currently co-producing with BBC and also the host of it traveling around the U.K. We make people's dreams come true on it. It is all performance- and entertainment-based. It maybe one of the most gratifying things I can do. I was able to give back to other people because in a way I am saying thank you for the success of Torchwood and everything they have given me. I wouldn't be standing here looking out at the beach if it wasn't for the people that watch the program.
Captain Jack is back and this time on the Starz Channel. Check listings and times at www.starz.com . For more on John visit www.johnbarrowman.com .