1 00:00:30,087 --> 00:00:34,956 l remember one of the first table readings we had... 2 00:00:35,047 --> 00:00:37,766 lt had to be the first one - we were all just meeting. 3 00:00:37,847 --> 00:00:42,159 And we sat at this long table in a conference room 4 00:00:42,247 --> 00:00:44,602 and had a read-through. 5 00:00:44,687 --> 00:00:49,238 Even before we started, some... 6 00:00:49,327 --> 00:00:53,240 l don't know if l can call them antics. Maybe it's nervous energy, 7 00:00:53,327 --> 00:01:01,120 maybe it's my absolute desire or need to make sure people have a good time, 8 00:01:01,207 --> 00:01:06,520 that there's an understanding that things shouldn't be taken so seriously... 9 00:01:06,607 --> 00:01:09,246 l certainly don't take myself that seriously. 10 00:01:09,327 --> 00:01:12,478 Fascinating behind-the-scenes stuff. 11 00:01:12,567 --> 00:01:17,083 There's been a rapport that has developed over the years, 12 00:01:17,167 --> 00:01:22,525 and l think an understanding or, if nothing else, an acceptance, hopefully, 13 00:01:22,607 --> 00:01:29,524 that old Rick has got a few loose cables and bolts and nuts and stuff. 14 00:01:29,607 --> 00:01:32,405 - My breasts are sticking together. - Argh! 15 00:01:32,647 --> 00:01:35,923 There are times l don't know what will come out of my mouth. 16 00:01:36,007 --> 00:01:41,001 Which leads me to believe that l really don't know what's going on in my head. 17 00:01:41,087 --> 00:01:47,481 My sense of humour tends to be irreverent, sarcastic, at times cynical. 18 00:01:48,127 --> 00:01:53,997 But the character, and l guess my general approach, 19 00:01:54,687 --> 00:02:00,159 had to have some humour in it. There had to be some levity to it. 20 00:02:00,247 --> 00:02:05,958 lt's worked out. People were pretty happy with what they saw in the pilot of the show 21 00:02:06,047 --> 00:02:08,800 and l've just been playing on that ever since. 22 00:02:09,367 --> 00:02:12,245 Well, my fellow cast members... 23 00:02:14,007 --> 00:02:18,319 They've had to endure not just my eccentricities, 24 00:02:18,407 --> 00:02:26,724 but l guess my appreciation for the absurd, the incongruous, 25 00:02:28,007 --> 00:02:30,123 the weird, l guess... 26 00:02:30,687 --> 00:02:35,442 lndividually: Amanda is funny in her own right - 27 00:02:35,527 --> 00:02:39,679 she's an extremely talented, l think, comedienne. 28 00:02:39,767 --> 00:02:43,601 She's got a keen wit. She's very perceptive. 29 00:02:43,687 --> 00:02:49,523 She kind of gets it. She's a very funny woman. 30 00:02:50,607 --> 00:02:56,318 Chris Judge is... big. l mean, he's... 31 00:02:56,407 --> 00:03:01,162 Aside from physically, he also has one of the biggest hearts, 32 00:03:01,247 --> 00:03:06,605 and his laughter is absolutely infectious. 33 00:03:06,687 --> 00:03:10,839 Or obnoxious, depending on where you might be. 34 00:03:10,927 --> 00:03:16,285 Chris has grown to appreciate, l think, my sense of the absurd. 35 00:03:16,367 --> 00:03:22,078 So l adore him - especially his heart. He's really a wonderful man. 36 00:03:22,687 --> 00:03:24,439 Michael Shanks... 37 00:03:24,527 --> 00:03:26,961 Oh, jeez... Camera guy again. 38 00:03:27,047 --> 00:03:29,766 Michael is there to race, 39 00:03:29,847 --> 00:03:34,841 and it's fun to have someone with that kind of energy and awareness of rhythms, 40 00:03:34,927 --> 00:03:39,842 and the abilities for timing, and that can click. 41 00:03:40,527 --> 00:03:47,319 Michael's also not afraid to try it, to try virtually anything, or work things out. 42 00:03:47,407 --> 00:03:55,166 All in all, l think it's important that in the time that is spent together 43 00:03:55,247 --> 00:03:59,763 there is levity and humour and laughter. 44 00:04:01,207 --> 00:04:03,198 Oh, my God! 45 00:04:03,287 --> 00:04:05,278 (laughter) 46 00:04:06,607 --> 00:04:09,041 Colonel O'Neill! 47 00:04:16,327 --> 00:04:19,239 My interests vary. 48 00:04:20,247 --> 00:04:23,080 l have a variety of interests, 49 00:04:23,167 --> 00:04:29,402 but my greatest interest is in the outdoors and things of nature. 50 00:04:30,287 --> 00:04:38,797 l've been involved in a couple of projects in the last five years or so, 51 00:04:38,887 --> 00:04:42,960 one of which was Earth River Expeditions. 52 00:04:43,047 --> 00:04:47,040 Eric Hertz is the proprietor of the company, 53 00:04:47,127 --> 00:04:53,236 and he asked me to be part of a renegade documentary film group 54 00:04:53,327 --> 00:04:59,926 that would essentially document about eight of the great rivers in the world. 55 00:05:00,007 --> 00:05:05,718 The one that looms right now as the most profound experience 56 00:05:05,807 --> 00:05:11,040 has been the Upper Yangtze trek to China and into Tibet. 57 00:05:11,127 --> 00:05:14,836 9,000 miles, get on the Yangtze River and l forget ChapStick. 58 00:05:14,927 --> 00:05:21,196 The upper part of it is rarely... ln fact, we're the first group to document, 59 00:05:21,287 --> 00:05:26,077 as best we could, the river itself, the physicality of it, 60 00:05:26,167 --> 00:05:33,517 but also visit as many of the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries along the way, 61 00:05:33,607 --> 00:05:35,916 and ask some poignant questions 62 00:05:36,007 --> 00:05:43,516 about the connection that the river has had - or has - with Buddhism. 63 00:05:43,607 --> 00:05:46,724 lt was one of those experiences 64 00:05:46,807 --> 00:05:51,961 that l've described as being a consciousness-altering experience. 65 00:05:52,047 --> 00:05:54,641 Because l still, to this day, 66 00:05:54,727 --> 00:06:00,802 don't have a really clear understanding of the tenets of Tibetan Buddhism, 67 00:06:00,887 --> 00:06:07,042 but my experience in just meeting the people, the monks... 68 00:06:07,527 --> 00:06:13,477 You know, l speak in terms of it being almost a revelation to me. 69 00:06:15,567 --> 00:06:18,764 And part of that has allowed me to look at the flip side of it, 70 00:06:18,847 --> 00:06:23,523 because in meeting these people there is that realisation 71 00:06:23,607 --> 00:06:31,036 that we are, for the most part, the first white humans these folks have ever seen. 72 00:06:31,727 --> 00:06:37,802 No one speaks English, or very few speak English where we were. 73 00:06:40,247 --> 00:06:44,604 So our mode of communication became through the eyes, initially. 74 00:06:45,167 --> 00:06:47,806 We all seem to be staring at one another. 75 00:06:50,967 --> 00:06:56,439 And then through physicalisation of some kind, and with tone of voice, 76 00:06:56,527 --> 00:07:02,841 or with nods of understanding or nods of misunderstanding. 77 00:07:04,407 --> 00:07:08,764 And l have to say that the thing that made it so comfortable 78 00:07:08,847 --> 00:07:11,486 were the Tibetan people themselves, 79 00:07:11,567 --> 00:07:19,247 who in general are the warmest, most beautiful physical humans l've ever seen. 80 00:07:20,607 --> 00:07:22,916 We got down to absolute basics - 81 00:07:23,007 --> 00:07:27,842 the basics of, you know, a handshake, an embrace... 82 00:07:28,967 --> 00:07:35,600 These are ways of communication that we relied on. 83 00:07:35,687 --> 00:07:38,076 - (hums a ditty) - (laughter) 84 00:07:40,847 --> 00:07:42,838 And... ha! 85 00:07:43,847 --> 00:07:45,838 What does she do? 86 00:07:45,927 --> 00:07:48,202 You don't know? 87 00:07:54,967 --> 00:07:56,719 Perfect! 88 00:08:06,727 --> 00:08:10,879 l'm sitting here doing three different things. 89 00:08:10,967 --> 00:08:15,483 Chatting with a camera, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway 90 00:08:15,567 --> 00:08:17,523 and eating a Subway sandwich. 91 00:08:17,607 --> 00:08:21,725 And also trying to explain the intricacies of the Challengers Club. 92 00:08:21,807 --> 00:08:29,157 When l married into its energy, it was literally a parking lot 93 00:08:29,247 --> 00:08:32,284 and, essentially, a gymnasium. 94 00:08:32,367 --> 00:08:34,676 Before, all this was playground. 95 00:08:34,767 --> 00:08:38,157 And then this was the main entrance right here. 96 00:08:38,247 --> 00:08:40,807 - This is the old... - This is the old side. 97 00:08:40,887 --> 00:08:43,003 We used to have everything in here. 98 00:08:43,087 --> 00:08:46,477 And a chain-link fence was erected around it - 99 00:08:46,567 --> 00:08:50,196 that was one of the first things that needed to be put in place 100 00:08:50,287 --> 00:08:56,237 because it's in a part of town frequented by crack dealers and gang members. 101 00:08:56,327 --> 00:09:03,677 l mean, it was really a bit of a clichéd inner-city type environment. 102 00:09:03,767 --> 00:09:08,124 And Lou Dantzler took it upon himself 103 00:09:08,207 --> 00:09:13,361 to start raising funds and sort of taking the reins in his hands, 104 00:09:13,447 --> 00:09:18,157 and essentially developed the club itself, Challengers Boys and Girls Club. 105 00:09:18,247 --> 00:09:21,284 Over the years it's developed, all through donations, 106 00:09:21,367 --> 00:09:25,838 and it's acquired some of the land around there 107 00:09:25,927 --> 00:09:31,957 and done further development for buildings and facilities. 108 00:09:32,047 --> 00:09:40,477 lt allows inner-city kids who attend to learn all aspects of commerce, 109 00:09:40,567 --> 00:09:43,206 what it takes to run a kitchen, 110 00:09:43,287 --> 00:09:47,075 what it takes to cook - something as simple as that. 111 00:09:47,167 --> 00:09:53,402 Computers have been donated over the years, so there's a computer lab. 112 00:09:53,487 --> 00:09:59,323 l think Lou's intention was to create a protected area in the inner city 113 00:09:59,407 --> 00:10:02,444 where these kids could be kids. 114 00:10:02,527 --> 00:10:05,758 Because it really was not a safe neighbourhood. 115 00:10:05,847 --> 00:10:11,922 He wanted the kids to be able to relax and be free to express themselves as kids 116 00:10:12,007 --> 00:10:14,919 and to have a recreational environment. 117 00:10:15,007 --> 00:10:16,918 For what little publicity l seek, 118 00:10:17,007 --> 00:10:21,956 l do always try to bring Lou's name and Challengers to light. 119 00:10:22,047 --> 00:10:27,838 And the bottom line to it all is it's been an absolute honour to know this man. 120 00:10:29,127 --> 00:10:34,360 l think Lou's got some things to show off today 121 00:10:34,447 --> 00:10:40,317 as part of the 35th anniversary celebration. That's where we're going. 122 00:10:49,327 --> 00:10:58,599 l've had fans who have been loyal to my career my entire life. 123 00:11:00,047 --> 00:11:03,119 l don't quite understand the attraction. 124 00:11:03,207 --> 00:11:08,839 And that's not meant to be falsely self-deprecating in any way, 125 00:11:10,527 --> 00:11:14,998 because l know that l've been lucky and extremely fortunate. 126 00:11:15,087 --> 00:11:22,482 l do know, pragmatically, that l've made the most of a limited amount of talent. 127 00:11:22,567 --> 00:11:25,365 l've done as much as l can. 128 00:11:25,447 --> 00:11:28,325 And for some reason people have been attracted to it, 129 00:11:28,407 --> 00:11:33,845 or willing to put up with it or tolerate it, or be supportive. 130 00:11:33,927 --> 00:11:41,242 And the experience in general has been - as a blanket statement - quite spectacular. 131 00:11:46,047 --> 00:11:47,799 Hi, Jack. Thanks for coming. 132 00:11:47,887 --> 00:11:53,644 l was told you said there were six Jaffa. Where'd you learn to count? 133 00:12:18,367 --> 00:12:20,005 And cut. 134 00:12:20,087 --> 00:12:22,317 Awesome. Perfect. 135 00:12:22,407 --> 00:12:24,637 And that's a day in the life... 136 00:12:24,727 --> 00:12:35,683 But l'd really be remiss if l didn't grab the opportunity to say the words ''Thank you'' 137 00:12:35,767 --> 00:12:41,444 from the bottom of my pancreas for all your support. 138 00:12:41,527 --> 00:12:45,440 Thanks for watching ''Beyond the Gate'' with me. 139 00:12:52,247 --> 00:12:54,556 See you. 140 00:13:08,847 --> 00:13:10,838 ENHOH