Julia Benson

If you've seen the movie "Marley and Me" then you have a taste of what my life is like with my dog Bauer (my husband and I were huge 24 fans)! We have a 3 year old chocolate lab who keeps us on our toes daily. Often when we are out in the trails and people ask, " oooh...how old is your puppy?" After he bounds around them (and sometimes on them) we lie and say, " 9 months" which usually is enough to excuse his playful energy. There are so many funny (frustrating) stories I could share about my dog, but what outweighs the difficult times is that he makes me laugh daily. Which these days is worth its weight in gold. It has been said by so many in so many different ways, but I'll say it again- there truly is nothing like a dog's greeting after you have had a trying day. My dog doesn't care about mistakes made, money earned, money lost...if I have peanut butter in the cupboard and am up for a good game of SOCK (don't ask) then I truly am the best thing ever! And what feels better than that? I was never close with animals growing up..I am a people person, but since having Bauer my husband and I have vowed to always have a family dog. Funnily enough it is him that keeps us human!

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
Albert Schweitzer


In the last few years, I have become a TV addict! There was a time when I didn't watch any and now I find myself enjoying series, dare I say….more than movies. There are so many great stories being told in such creative and honest ways that I jump from series to series and still feel like there are so many great shows that I haven't seen. Right now I am hooked on Glee, so fun! I worked with Jane Lynch on a kids movie called “Mr. Troop Mom” which stars George Lopez and she was hysterical. So down to earth and fun to be around. She has me laughing out loud on this show. The whole cast is fantastic and listening to Lea Michele is unbelievable, she is incredible! Another standout for me is Matthew Morrison, it is inspiring to watch such talent. I am always drawn to different genres and each time I get swept up in the world. Right now, the music, and lightness of Glee are just what I need at the end of the day! So many great shows out there...next on the list to tackle is The Wire, or maybe The Shield!

Photo of myself, Aubrey and Peter after we pitched City TV! Toronto 2009

It has been a while since I posted and I am setting a new years resolution to post once a week....good to have goals, right! I have many for 2010 and to have an amazing second season of SGU is at the top of the list!!

The other goal is related to the series that I have in development. We just set up our production office and are in full blown pre-production. We will be shooting a pilot presentation in March and are very excited as this has been a four year goal. I created this series with my husband Peter Benson and our partner Aubrey Arnason. People have asked about our journey, so in a nutshell, here it is!

Four years ago the three of us came to the conclusion that we needed to create our own work! We had done many short films together and realized that we always had the most fun when we were very involved in the process and when we got to have a creative voice, so what better way to do that then to write your own show! After working on a pilot script in between acting gigs we felt ready to pitch production companies. It was in this process that we were told about the National Screen Institute Totally Television Program. (For all you Canadians with a series or film idea, I can not recommend this program enough, I can say without hesitation that we wouldn't be where we are right now had we not been accepted to this program...so if you are creating...check them out!)

I believe they had over 200 applicants and we were one of six teams accepted across the country. The program lasted over 8 months and involved a series of bootcamps in Toronto. Through the program, we were introduced to many of our countries top Showrunners and Executive Producers. After working with a story editor and Producing mentor, we were flown out to Toronto to pitch the networks. Two weeks later City TV called and offered us a development deal!

We have been developing the show with them since May. It has been so great to work with people that are so passionate about creating great work. To wake up everyday and work on something that you believe in, makes it play not work and that has been a goal of mine my whole life. I'll keep you posted as things move along in pre-production! Have a wonderful new years!

Here is the link to the National Screen Institute:
http://www.nsi-canada.ca/

Some photos from New Mexico where we shot Air Part 3! It was so much fun to travel with the cast and crew, we would set up BBQ'S in the motel parking lot where we were all staying. On the nights when we didn't have to get up at 5am any one of us could be seen salsa dancing and enjoying a few refreshments :)

On location, the view was incredible, this was shown so spectacularly in the episode that Andy Mikita directed.

It was HOT down there, mind you being in Vancouver right now with the rain pouring down, I would trade for some sunshine any day! I travelled to New Mexico a few days after most of the cast with Josh Blackmore (Spencer) and Andrew Dunbar (Gorman). They are in the picture above. We shot for two half days and you definitely had to stay focused to not let the heat overwhelm you, I don't know how everyone else did it for 5 days!

The picture of me in the dress is from a day trip we took to check out more sand dunes....

Good times all around!!

Looking forward to this weeks episode of SGU, hope you enjoy!

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, life has been crazy busy :)

Thanks for all the character comments and questions, I have responded to a few below!

Collin's Question:
Your profile says you're a producer as well. Would you mind doing a writeup on that? What kind of projects outside of SGU are you working on?

Please keep up the great work! And don't you dare let them kill James off!

Julia's Answer:
Life has been very busy since Stargate finished shooting! I have been working around the clock with my partners on a series that we have in development with a Canadian Network. We are moving into our 2nd phase of development, very exciting! I can't say much more about it at this point but I will dedicate a blog to it when I have more news to report.

Chris's Question:
Not sure if you were being sinister or sweet when you were talking to Chloe about Scott's situation on the planet in the "Water" episode.

Julia's Answer:
I love that the writers gave James this scene. It shows her humanity. James decided that Chloe had the right to know about Scott. I think this gives James strength of character, she was able to put her feelings aside and treat Chloe the way she would like to be treated. It doesn't mean that she is thrilled about the situation or that things will be smooth between them. She did the right thing, even though it was difficult for her. So.... neither sweet nor sinister :) On a side note- Elyse is a great actor to work with, and when things are strained between characters it is so great to work with someone who makes you feel a bunch of different things at the same time. You always go into a scene knowing where your character is coming from but the fun stuff is responding to what the other actor is giving you, and letting your character be moved by something unexpected!

Naddy Cat- I hope that you are enjoying UBC. As per your question- I grew up on the North Shore and spent three of my four years in University at UBC. My second year, I went to York University and was a part of their theater program. But alas, I missed Vancouver and knew that that is where I wanted my life to be. So I came home and graduated from UBC with a degree in Theater and Psychology! Good luck to you and thanks for being such a loyal fan!

I am excited about this week's episode of SGU, "Time", which was written and directed by Robert Cooper. This episode was such a page turner, I couldn't put it down when I first read it! Can't wait to hear what you all think!

PS- I don't spend much time on twitter- so I am more likely to respond to a post on my blog than a tweet!

By the way, I cut a quick demo reel and you can check it out on my website www.juliabenson.net
It is posted under videos!

-Julia

I would like to say THANK YOU for all of your thoughtful comments and for taking the time to read! You guys are great and I look forward to getting to know the fans for Stargate as the season (and hopefully seasons) go on! I really appreciate everything that was written and will try and answer as many questions as I can.

We are coming up on our last week of filming! It feels like it flew by and it is going to be weird to not see everyone each week. As most of you probably know from your interactions with the gang on twitter, we have all become pretty close over the past 9 months. (The photo above is of a trip we all took to Whistler early in the season) Each person on this show is not only a spectacular actor but more importantly a fantastic person!

I thought that "Light" was a beautiful episode. JIMI34 asked about Robert Carlyle. Isn't he so much fun to watch? That last scene with him and Colonel Young was my favorite moment in the episode. Robert brings so much depth to the character and is an absolute pleasure to be around. He is so kind and I am honored to work on a show with him.

Mike, as far as the Scott/Chloe/James situation- I would love to comment on it but all I can say is- you will have to keep watching :)

I do want to thank Ian Leblanc who made me an amazing website this week! Check it out at www.juliabenson.net. He's a web designer and did such a great job, so if you need a website for anything check him out at www.LittleFrogInnovations.com.

That's all for now! Oh, I just got a sneak peak at this weeks episode, "Water" and I think you are all going to love it, it has something for everyone. Hope you enjoy!

 In the last two days I have started a blog and joined the world of Twitter!  All year people have been trying to get me to -"start a blog, join twitter, get a facebook fanpage or a website" and all year I have resisted...and now after Stargate Universe's episode "Darkness" aired on Friday night, I find myself with something to say.  Something that people may or may not want to read.   As an actor, Stargate Universe has been the best thing that has ever happened to me.  The producers have created the best atmosphere! I love going to work.  I love the character I get to play, I love the people I get to act with, and I love the crew.  I am now introduced to the fans.  What an amazing franchise that so many people out there are so passionate about our show.  It is a gift to be involved in something that people have opinions about.  As an actor it is an honor for people to have opinions about you.  Better that then nothing at all, right?  I play 2nd Lt. Vanessa James and for all the talk about my natural (and believe me they are 100%) assets I promise you that there is much more to my character.  Who knew that a tank top could cause such a stir.  LOL!! Our show is about people and people have sexuality.  The creators are not exploiting it, they are exploring it.  That is what writers, actors and directors do.  I thank all of you for your kind words and excitement about the show- it is thrilling to be in this world and I hope that you continue to enjoy SGU as the season goes on.  You will get to see all of the characters grow!  Aaaah first blog done!  Thanks for reading...I promise to post again soon.

 Julia