Who are you and where are you from?

Anthony Montgomery: My name is Anthony Montgomery, and I am from Indianapolis, Indiana. I started acting in college. I started acting when I went to IUPUI and I was not a child actor. The only acting I did as a kid was 'up'. I got into trouble. They called me "mischievous?. When I started college there was a professor that was casting a play called "East of The Sun West of the Moon?, told me I had a great look, and if I ever wanted to be an actor then I should audition for his play. Now I didn't know what auditioning was, but I had heard stories. So I'm thinking along the "casting couch? type of audition. I was like: "What do you mean, audition?? He was just like: "I'll give you a piece of paper and you'll read it, and however it makes you feel, you say it, just like that.? And I was just like "Okay.? See, I have that Indiana mentality so I'm thinking "Okay, I don't have to take my clothes off, I don't have to do anything that I would never do.? And he's like "No no no no no! What are you ?? No no no!? I auditioned, and I got the part. And I've been acting since. I've never looked back. It was a children's theater play, and I played the North Wind, had a big, frilly costume, and I ran around on-stage, and I loved it. You got the instant gratification from the kids, the instant adulation. They are genuinely excited, or they genuinely hate you. Because that's who they are. I love that most of all. I said: "Okay. If I can affect people like this, I'm going to do it for the rest of my life.? Started that in college and I've never looked back.

What did you do before you got cast on Enterprise?

My first job before Enterprise? You see, we don't call ours Star Trek. My first job before Enterprise was Popular. I was on a WB show called Popular and I played a character called George Austin and I was a high-school quarterback. But, I also had 3 regular jobs in between there. So I worked as a hotel security guard, I worked as an MC and DJ for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and I worked doing office data entry at a market research company. I've been working since I was 15 years old, so I don't know how to not work, quite honestly.

How did you get the job on Enterprise?

I actually auditioned for Voyager a couple of years ago, and that actually started a relationship with Ron Surma, the casting director, and that casting office. They brought me back in a year and a half later for a role as Tuvok's son. It wasn't even a physical presence ? he would have been a transmission. And I didn't get that one, and I was blessed. Third time's the charm. So I auditioned for this and got it.

What did you do when you got cast?

What did I do when I got cast? I screamed. I called my mother in Indiana and I told her that I had gotten a job, and she said "Well, that's good, baby.? And I said: "So, are you sitting down?? And I told her what my job was, and she screamed through the phone. It was great! I'm a part of something that's established.

What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part of this job is just having the job. Anyone in this town can tell you you can work your entire life and never get a job that's even close to being as incredible as this. So just the fact that I got cast, and I'm a part of history. Not just ? you know, this isn't a show where I wonder what's going to happen from week to week. We know what's going on with our show. We know that there's an established fan base out there. We know that we're loved world-wide. That's the best part to me ? that I get to go to work.

What is your favorite episode?

I can't really say because I'm really critical of myself. So I can't really say that there's a favorite episode the I have from the first season. I can say that I loved all of those times, as rare as they were, that they had the entire cast on-stage together. Where they had the doctor on the bridge, and they had the engineer on the bridge, and you saw the seven of us sitting there. I loved those times, and they're very rare, because you don't always have a reason for the doctor to be there, but he's there. You don't always have a reason for the engineer to be there, but he's there. Obviously my character and some of the other ones we have positions on the bridge. But whenever they can bring us all together ? And we're a family. I've got four brothers and two sisters now, so? it's great when we can all come together in what it is that is now our life.

What is your favorite part of the ship?

That would have to be the helm! Because that's where I get to do my magic. So I would definitely say my favorite part is helm. Now most people would say the captain's chair, but I don't sit in the captain's chair! Well, he did in the one episode, and the fans probably got to see that and that was fun for me as a person to be able to play something like that where everybody sees the taboo chair to sit in and Travis actually sat in it. But I would say just being at the helm. Knowing that I'm flying the NX-01.

Did the producers tell you how to fly the ship ? Or did you make it up yourself?

That's the beauty of being an actor! All of the buttons that you see me pushing, I get to create those. And I get to make you think I'm really flying a space-ship. There are five to six million people a week that will guarantee that I'm truly flying a space-ship. Yes. Period. No, I get to come up with all of those. I've brought friends onto the sets and they're like "These buttons don't work!? "No, but you think they do!? And then when our sound effects guys come in they make you think they work because I can "do do do do? and it'll sound like "do do do do? like I was really doing it! I love it! That's why I like my job more than actually being an astronaut. Because if something goes wrong on our show, I have writers that tell us how it gets fixed. If something goes wrong in space, you've seen! They have issues that they have to deal with. I'm good! I'm good! This is great!

How do you think Archer measures up to other Star Trek captains?

Obviously I'm a little biased so when you ask me that, this is me talking about Scott, and a character that's my own captain. So I'm obviously going to love my captain more than I love anybody else's. I will start by saying that. But, in general, our captain makes mistakes. He doesn't have all the answers. I love that human quality about him. Now, everybody's been commanding in their own right. Avery Brooks was obviously amazing as Sisko, and Kate Mulgrew as Janeway ? everybody has done their own thing. Patrick Stewart, obviously, we don't even need to say who he is as a person, the presence that he is. But I think Archer has definitely found his way and finding his place. He's carving his own, which we all are. Which we all are. I mean, I'm the new helmsman, but some could say I'm the first helmsman ? you could argue that. And so I'm going to bring my own little bit of excitement to this.

Where do you see Travis in the future?

I just see Travis growing as he goes. I can't really put in a defined box what my answer is, other than Travis will continue to grow as a person. Travis ? he's already seen a lot, and I still try to bring a lot of enthusiasm even to the new things he'd seen, given he's already seen a lot. Because it's kind of boring to watch a show every single week and to know that the people don't really care about what it is that they're going to see. And I never wanted to feel that. I don't ever want to see the show and feel like "Oh, Captain, there's another ion storm up ahead.? Never. Never. How are we going to make this trip better than the last trip. That's what I want to see Travis do. I just want to see him keep growing. I don't really have a definitive answer for that one. I want Travis to continue to grow. I want him to be a captain and to be able to sit in the captain's chair the right way! You know he got to do it in that episode but then he got in trouble for it. No, I want him to be in command. You will see Travis ? you got to see him as a wide-eyed helmsman, now we're going to see Travis grow. I guarantee you that.