By GustavoLeao / 20:25, 11 May 2005 / Enterprise

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TREKNews.de just posted an exclusive interview with STAR TREK ENTERPRISE actor Dominic Keating, which was conducted at FedCon XIV, the German convention that took place earlier this month (read the report).

Q: As a British actor, how is it to play a character in an American TV show?

Keating: Hmm, well, surrounded by many American actors I'm certainly the 'British Guy' and my role as 'Lt. Reed' was from the beginning written for a British man. But by now I've lived many years in the United States and I've acclimated myself very well. We're all speaking the same language, but there are still some minor differences and I've still got a close connection to my homeland, even after living for such a long time in America. I see myself more as a 'Citizen of the World'. After 9/11 I was very affected, not as a Briton or American but rather as friend and colleague.

Q: Lately there were elections in Great Britain and Tony Blair did it again, what is your opinion about that?

Keating: Unfortunately I can't vote, because I pay no tax in the United Kingdom, and I also can't vote in America, because I haven't got American citizenship. Currently I plan to request American citizenship, but now to the elections: I think Blair's victory was also a slap in his face. He had lost many sympathies due to his Iraq policy, at least in England. Americans love Blair, because most of them think he is a loyal ally. A few weeks after 9/11 I saw Blair in America standing beside George Bush and Collin Powell, and all the other powerful men, and I thought he relished that. But it was also a difficult situation for him, because since the Second World War the United States and the United Kingdom are deeply embedded. France could say no, Germany could say no, but not England. I don't know what his advisers have told him, but I thought he could hardly say no. He trusted in the American intelligence services, and today we all know how many Weapons of Mass Destruction Iraq had, but not at that time. It's a shame, because Tony Blair is a very good politician, he has done many good things for Great Britain but - due to his Iraq policy - I think he'll recede from his office within a year and Gordon Brown will do the job then.

Q: Is there a kind of exchange about experiences at conventions between the actors?

Keating: Yes, of course we are speaking about that. To be honest, I go to these events, because it is also plain sailing to earn money. It's not everyone's cup of tea. Jolene [Blalock] for example, isn't the kind of person who loves to entertain a crowd of three or four thousand people, although she tries, in order to thank the fans for their allegiance. I was the first from the ENTERPRISE cast to attend a convention, and then I told John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery and the others about that great experience which is to meet fans around world.

Q: For sure you heard about the fan campaigns. What do you think about people who donate money to get another season of ENTERPRISE?

Keating: I believe they collected about 3 million dollars, and I was really impressed by the gesture, that STAR TREK fans in the whole world come together and fight for one thing. But, sadly, 3 million dollars isn't enough for my salary [laughs].

You'll find pictures from the interview here.

The original report (in German) can be found at TREKNews.de.