Actor Steven Strait has portrayed spacefaring captain James Holden on the small screen since "The Expanse" first aired on the Syfy channel in 2015. Now that the series has a new home on Amazon Prime, Strait and other cast members have quipped that maybe they can finally shoot on location.
In October, New York's Javits Center opened its doors for the highly anticipated, four-day long marathon of nerdom known as New York Comic Con. The convention grows each year; many projects, like "The Expanse," choose to unveil their latest news at the event.
Naren Shankar, executive producer of the "The Expanse," joined Strait and other cast members on a panel to answer fans' questions following a special screening of the Season 4 premiere. The new season kicks off the show's stay at Amazon Prime, the streaming service from billionaire Jeff Bezos, who also founded the private spaceflight company Blue Origin.
Related: 'The Expanse' Cast Visited Blue Origin. Here's What Happened Next (Video)
The overlap is not lost on the "Expanse" cast. Paraphrasing a fan's question, panel moderator Kyle Hill asked the cast, "How is it to act like you're in space? It can't be an easy thing, not many people do it, and there are lots of little tips and tricks you all have to make space feel 'spacey.'"
"We're hoping to shoot on location next year," Strait said. The crowd got hyped.
"Hey, do you know a guy who has a rocket company?" Hill teased, referencing Bezos.
"Yeah! Possibly, possibly," Strait replied.
Strait isn't the only cast member excited by the far-fetched — but not entirely impossible — idea.
In a video published by Amazon Prime earlier this month, the cast and creators visited a Blue Origin facility. "I do think it would be an excellent marketing opportunity to be the first show that shoots a scene in space," actor Wes Chatham — who plays the Rocinante spaceship's chief engineer, Amos Burton — said in the video.
Terrestrial acting will have to make do for now.
The panel conversation turned to some teasing.
"Steven crosses his arms a lot so he doesn't have to do a lot of zero-G acting," actor Dominique Tipper, who plays engineer Naomi Nagata on the series, said. (That pose is easy to hold when pretending to be in microgravity since less compact poses mean holding one's arms as if they are floating.) "We all want to get him in a headlock for [it] because he always picks the position first," she teased.
With a smile, Strait confirmed the strategy: Until a space show shoots in actual space, Strait will probably keep his arms crossed.
- 'The Expanse': Here's a Recap of Seasons 1-3 Ahead of Season 4 on Amazon Prime
- 'The Expanse' Season 4 Premieres This Week: Here's What to Expect.
- 'The Expanse,' New Season 4 Trailer Promises Exoplanet Action, Adventure and Intrigue
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