Kenneth Culver Johnson was born in 1942 in Arkansas (Pine Bluff (Jefferson County)) to Kenneth Culver Johnson Sr. and Helene Maye Brown Johnson. Mr. Johnson is a graduate from Carnegie Institute of Technology. He wears many hats: director, producer, author, teacher and screenwriter. Mr. Johnson’s first important work was An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe in 1972. Soon after, he wrote, produced, and/or directed one of the most popular TV series of the seventies, The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-1978), based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, The Bionic Woman (1976-1978) and The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982). Before his aforementioned popular shows of the seventies, Kenneth Johnson was successful in NY and in the East Coast as a director/producer. In 1966, he was part of The Mike Douglas Show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a producer, and he directed most of the film work for the show. When he was only 24 in 1967, he took Roger Ailes’ position as executive producer of the show.

It is important to consider how The Bionic Woman was ground-breaking in the seventies. Jaime Sommers, who represented the bionic woman, was strong and feminine; in other words, she was not androgynous. Sommers was also astute, forthright, self-defined and intrepid. She carried herself with class and finesse without being ostentatious. Her beliefs and actions profoundly shook the status quo regarding how women were portrayed on TV. Kenneth Johnson provided to international viewers a broader definition of what a woman could be on television.

Jaime Sommers was the high school sweetheart of Colonel and astronaut Steve Austin, the bionic man. After a skydiving accident and restructuring surgery paid by the American government, she became a top-secret agent for the Office of Scientific investigations (OSI). She could run faster than 60 mph, it is even reported that her speech reached 100 mph. She possessed the ability to bend massive steel bars, jump from really high heights, and hear sounds from a long distance. A bionic dog called Maximillion was also created, and could run at speeds of up to 90 mph. Max cared about saving lives as much as the other bionics, Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers. Emmy Award winner Lindsay Wagner portrayed Jaime Sommers.

Sommers, the most famous female secret agent, undertook many missions where she did such undercover work as a police officer, a chanteuse, a nun, a professional wrestler, and so on to fight spies, aliens, crazy scientists, etc. Sommers was not the only powerful woman in the show; it happened from time to time that she had to fight Fembots, which were female robots who had superpowers similar to the bionics.

The name "Jaime" was mainly a male name (a derivative of "James") before the television series began. It is certainly not a coincidence that in 1976 the name Jaime became one of the 100 most popular names of the year in the U.S. The female name Jamie (a variant spelling) also became highly popular at the time. So, it was a cultural phenomenon.

Three made-for-TV movies were done between 1987 and 1994, which expanded the "bionic family" and covered a rekindled love between Jaime and Steve. The second film, Bionic Showdown, introduced Sandra Bullock as paraplegic Kate Mason, who became a next-generation bionic female. Sommers helped to train the novice cyborg. In August 2002, there was talk of a remake of The Bionic Woman, where Jennifer Aniston was considered for the title role, but the film never materialized. 

In the eighties, Kenneth Johnson became the creator of the famous series V from 1983 until 1985 that was inspired by Sinclair Lewis’ anti-fascist novel It Can’t Happen Here). This show is about power in which aliens were used as a metaphor and allegory. 80 million viewers in America tuned in to watch V. 8Later, Johnson adapted the Alien Nation franchise to TV from 1989 until 1997, and several television movies related to the franchise were made in the nineties. Alien Nation – starring Michele Scarabelli, a native of Quebec – concerned prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, and so on. Different ethnic groups related to these topics gave awards to Kenneth Johnson. Thus, he received prizes from Asian-Americans, Latino Americans, Jews, African-Americans, the Gay & Lesbian community, etc. 

In 1997, Johnson was in charge of Steel starring Shaquille O’Neal. In 1998, he directed the sequel of Short Circuit. Among other TV shows, he produced a 1993 pilot for a Sherlock Holmes series entitled Sherlock Holmes Returns. Many of his series could be enjoyed by an entire family and were Emmy Award Winning programs.  Kenneth Johnson has a strong visual sense that is conspicuous in his body of work. Many elements in his mini-series were ahead of its time. For instance, in the bionic shows on a regular basis viewers were exposed to computers and other new technologies which were not used at the time by people on a regular basis. Johnson is among the most creative filmmakers in America. He also has interests in music. In the past, he learned piano and was later credited as a composer for the Alien Nation’s theme music and for other TV shows.

In addition to producing and directing, Kenneth Johnson teaches filmmaking seminars at major film schools in America and Europe. More specifically, he gave courses at UCLA, USC, NY Film Academy, Columbia University, Universal Studios in L.A., English National Film School in London, State University of Moscow, and the list goes on. Johnson is the winner of the reputable Viewers for Quality Television Award. He received Saturn Awards, The Sci-Fi Universe Life Achievement Award, etc. In addition, he gained nominations for both the Writers Guild and the Edgar Awards. His shows have been translated into several languages: Korean, French, Spanish, German, etc.  Noteworthily, Kenneth Johnson wrote these novels V: The Original Miniseries and V: The Second Generation. It would be fascinating if Kenneth Johnson could write companion books related to his most successful TV shows (such as the ones of the seventies) like Spike Lee did for his movies. I am convinced that, in these books, future readers would discover new behind-the-scene stories, just like in the following interview. 

On a more personal level, Kenneth Johnson married Bonnie Hollaway on February 2, 1963, and they divorced in 1975. They had three children together. On June 19, 1977, he wedded Susan (Susie) Appling, and had one child with her. Kenneth Johnson has five grandchildren. One of Johnson’s daughters, Katie Johnson, is an aspiring novelist while Juliet Johnson, an authoress. The latter has published a volume of essays (http://somebodysalwaysungry.com). Kenneth Johnson’s oldest son, David Johnson works in theater in Oregon. The producer’s younger son Michael Johnson lives in Maryland and works in retail.

Overall, Kenneth Johnson is a veteran who has been active in the entertainment industry since 1968. He is the Spielberg of television. Kenneth Johnson masters the art of developing introspective characters for his series and is the only producer/creator with three series on “TV Guide’s 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends”: The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and V. Hence, he is most known for his cult television series in science fiction: the V science fiction franchise, The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman and the television adaptation of Alien Nation were dubbed in several languages. Mr. Johnson is one of the most creative and inventive executive producers/directors/screenwriters in America. On a continual basis, Johnson’s series are being remade, and this is a testament that his body of work is perceived as a classic one. For instance, the original novel of Caidin – as well as the TV series – will have a new adaptation of Cyborg, The Bionic Man, published by Dynamite Comics in 2011-2012, based on an unproduced screenplay by Kevin Smith. Before, there was a TV movie called Bionic Ever After? in 1994. In March 2012, Dynamite Entertainment had put The Bionic Woman comic book title into the market. This was based upon the revised continuity established in The Bionic Man comic (a reimagining of The Six Million Dollar Man), written by Kevin Smith, in which the character of Jaime Sommers was reintroduced. A crossover mini-series, The Bionic Man vs. The Bionic Woman, was on TV in January 2013. An eclectic approach was utilized in the bionic series with some humor, drama, and action. 

Kenneth Johnson’s shows added sunshine in my life during my childhood and to many other kids around the world. In fact, his shows provided something special to people, no matter what their age was. For instance, as mentioned, the bionic woman was instrumental in giving a broader perspective of what a female could be, and I am certain that it cast a great influence for women to enroll in non-traditional jobs in the seventies such as agents, cops, detectives, and so on. 

Mr. Johnson answered our questions with passion and humor. In fact, it was funny to notice that he is a person of dry humor. Talking to him made me realise that comedy is really a natural thing for him. I discovered that Kenneth Johnson is an unassuming man who does not take himself too seriously. We could reach out to him easily sans an entourage. He showed generosity with his time. It was a real pleasure to speak with him. Our readers will surely learn new things about his shows and his future project. We spoke to him from Quebec last September. This is his first interview from this province.

PATRICIA TURNIER TALKS TO KENNETH JOHNSON:

P.T. Who and what inspired you to become a director/producer? Did you have a mentor? In addition, who were the filmmakers you admired when you were young and why?

K.J. Well, I started acting in high school and I enjoyed it. In addition, I became very interested in theater. I began to do a little bit of directing and producing at the time. When I was in the eighth grade, I bought a tape recorder and discovered the copy of a script from a radio play of “War of the Worlds” that dramatist (and future filmmaker) Orson Welles did in 1939—an adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds (1898)—on the American radios before I was born. It frightened the world; it concerned a real invasion from Mars. I gathered with my friends from eighth-ninth grade in my living room and we did our own radio play with my tape recorder. I later took this to school to showcase it to the classes. Many people started to think of me as the drama guy [laughs]. I discovered that I really enjoyed it, and I did more theaters in high school. 

Later, I enrolled in the drama department of what is now called Carnegie Mellon University. During my youth, it was called Carnegie Institute of Technology. The drama department was the most prestigious in the country. You had to audition to get in. I decided to register as a major in directing because in this field in Carnegie you are exposed to a broad education that ranges beyond directing. More specifically, you acquire knowledge in acting, scene designs, costume designs, and the list goes on. It allows you to learn the work of an entire crew and cast. This made totally sense to me with what I was heading to in my career.

Another element which was instrumental to me as a future producer and director was a film society part of the institute called The Film Art Society where students could see practically for free, fourteen of the greatest movies every semester. They show the best cinema from around the world since the beginning of filmmaking up to the present time. I ended up taking over the film society. I replaced Bill Pence, who created the Telluride Film Festival, which recently celebrated its fortieth anniversary. Bill [Pence] was very knowledgeable in cinema and introduced me to classic films. I saw many films when I was a child. I was particularly fond of western movies like the ones with John Ford. I also enjoyed the science fiction pieces of George Pal. However, I did not have the opportunity before my involvement with the society to see la crème de la crème of movies around the world. This rich experience definitely increased my interest in cinema and, when I graduated, I ended up with a degree in theater which gave me a great opportunity to work with actors and get the performances that I wanted from them. At the same time, I got a cinémathèque training like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut from the Cinémathèque Française Film Center and Museum in Paris, France. This became the pivotal moment for me that made me realise this was what I wanted to do. I was a great admirer of Truffaut. My jaw dropped when I discovered La Grande Illusion by Jean Renoir (who had to exile and live in Hollywood in the forties), even if I am aware of the controversies surrounding this movie. These filmmakers had a big impact on me. I consider them my early mentors with Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa especially with his movie The Seventh Samurai. This is my favorite film, because Patricia [Turnier], we find in it absolutely everything [laughs]. There is love, romance, suspense, adventure, philosophy, with an incredible cinematography. I highly recommend this movie to my film students.

In terms of mentors again, I named people such as Welles, but on a more personal level, I received great support from Harve Bennett. He did the Star Trek movies (number 2 to 5) and became an important mentor to me. He was really available and flexible. I learned a lot from him. I will be grateful to Harve [Bennett] forever.

P.T. When did you know that you had what it takes to become a director/producer?

K.J. Two things happened in my senior year in Carnegie, in the drama department. During my curriculum, I was being trained in theatre, and not filmmaking. I did on my own a little film. My friend Bill Pence was running a film division in an air force base. He provided me a camera with a film; this allowed me to create a 30-minute movie. It was a dark thriller, and this experience made me realise that I had what it takes to become a filmmaker. It was a revelation because it gave me the opportunity to discover that I could embrace a new path. 

During this period of my life, I was also directing a theater piece in my senior year of Dylan Thomas, the great Welsh poet. He wrote a wonderful small play entitled “Under Milk Wood”, which is very complex because it involves sixty characters. I only had ten actors, so the roles were divided and the crew needed to play multiple characters. Putting all this together was a challenging task. When we played before the audience, the reaction was so strong that, later, when everybody left, I sat alone in the theater thinking I can replicate this [laughs]. I said to myself I really had the ability to become a director and producer. So, the combination of the short movie and the Thomas’ theatrical production were revelations that I had a new career in filmmaking ahead of me.

P.T. So, from what I understand, no members of your family worked in the movie industry.

K.J. You are correct; I did not come from an artistic family. My stepfather was in the insurance field and my mother was in the publishing domain. My biological father was a business man. I gravitated in the artistic sphere because it excited me. When I started acting in theater while in high school, seeing the reaction of the audience made me ecstatic. My heart would beat so fast [laughs]. I came to realise that my life should be in this field. I was not thinking of films at the time, but just theater. 

P.T. Did you come from a background that strongly encouraged you to choose what is considered a safe career such as a liberal profession?

K.J. My stepfather and my mother gave me the freedom to choose the career path that I wanted. I was lucky in this. I was an only child.

P.T. Likewise [laughs], I don’t have any siblings.

K.J. Here you go [chuckles]. I knew my own mind very well and I was pretty mature for my age. I don’t think that I got much more mature after I was 15. I still feel that my development sort of arrested at that time [laughs]. 

P.T. I read that someone advised you at the beginning of your career to be involved in writing because this would allow you to be in control of your destiny in the industry. Can you elaborate on that also? 

K.J. When I finished college, I knew that I could be in the movie industry. I had to create the opportunities to make it happen and writing opened doors for me. When I arrived in L.A., Steven Bochco, who was involved in the scriptwriting of the 70s TV Series Columbo (and was the creator of other big shows such as Hill Street Blues, LA Law, NYPD Blues), suggested that it was wise to write in the business if I wanted to achieve longevity. He explained to me that it represented a great tool to be in control of my projects and on my destiny.

I have to say, though, that writing came later in my professional pathway. Before that, I was doing a live television show for a few years in NY. It was the only job I could get to feed my family (nobody at the time was making many movies in the Big Apple). I was already married. When I finally went to California, I was sleeping on the couch of a very good friend of mine whom I had met in college, Steven Bochco, the man I mentioned earlier. At the time, he was just a fledgling writer at Universal Studios. He gave me the great advice to write because this is how I could get my foot in the doors as a director. Actors move up the ladder by portraying different roles with small parts and bigger parts until they are being noticed, as you surely know Patricia [Turnier]. Screenwriters pen until their work is bought. They write spec scripts based on speculation, hopeful that it will be sold. You can keep writing them. If you are solely a director, people may give you a big budget to make their movie, or they just might not do it. In this regard, you depend more on them. Until you did not do it for somebody else, they will hesitate to finance you. Steven Bochco dragged me into this. He had to kick and scream [laughs] because I always find writing really hard. I didn’t feel that it was my forte.

P.T. [Laughs] I am really surprised to hear this because I think that you are a great screenwriter!

K.J. Thank you but nobody was more surprised than me! [laughs out loud]. What I love the most to do until now is directing. I love to be with my cast and crew to bring everything together but writing is really hard. Maybe, I enjoy less this process because it is a solitary activity. Steven [Bochco] at the time made me laugh. He said that writing is not difficult; you just stare at a blank sheet of paper until blood appears in your forehead. For me, this is what it was like, very hard to write. I finally realised I could pen because my background was in classic theater, including Shakespeare, Sophocles, and the contemporaries. I read and saw many plays, so I had a good sense of what makes great dialogues and characters.

P.T. I strongly believe that when an individual starts discovering and studying classics at an early age, it really helps. I read authors such as Victor Hugo, Molière and Alexandre Dumas during my childhood. This is why writing is easy for me and I would not be surprised that you were exposed to similar authors early in your life.

K.J. This is an interesting point! Ironically, even if writing is not my favorite thing to do, I have many scripts on my shelves that I never produced. However, Steven [Bochco] introduced me at the time to several people from Universal. One of them was Steve Cannell who later created huge successful series such as The Rockford Files, and The A-Team. At this period, he was a story editor. Cannell and Bochco gave me breaks where my writings were bought, and I started to direct. Thereafter, through Steven Bochco, I met Harve Bennett (as mentioned), a big TV producer at Universal who read one of my specs. He was impressed by it, even if it had never been made. The story was about a stuntman. More specifically, it was about a cute adventurous comedy. At the time, he was producing his new show called The Six Million Dollar Man. The second season was starting and things were not going well. This is how I came on board in a regular show and I began to work as a screenwriter. 

P.T. Did you collaborate with the author of Cyborg for the writing of the script for The Six Million Dollar Man?

K.J. I think four different pilot movies of The Six Million Dollar Man were made before Harve [Bennett] finally filmed one that could be aired. I was not involved in the show when it started, and the creators of the series worked separately from the novelist since the beginning. So, when I was on board, I did not work with the author and I never met him. 

P.T. The Bionic Woman was revolutionary in many aspects, especially for broadening the roles of what an actress could do on screen even by today’s standards. How did the idea of The Six Million Man Dollar Man’s spin-off come to fruition?

K.J. I thought at the time it would be interesting for Steve Austin to have an equal partner. The role of Jaime Sommers was not part of the Cyborg novel. Regarding The Six Million Dollar Man, the staff was very short on scripts and needed material in a hurry. So, Bennett wanted to know if I had an idea for them, and I talked about the bride of Frankenstein [chuckles]. He asked what I meant by that. I explained that the six million dollar man was a cybernetic organism with weird arms, legs, and a special eye. In some ways, he is like a monster and he could have a mate like Frankenstein. I suggested the introduction of a bionic woman. Bennett really liked the idea. I came on board by writing a one hour script very fast. It was the only money I made that year, which was lean [chuckles]. The heads of ABC felt that my screenplay was too dense and wanted me to pen a two-hour script. I asked: “does that mean I will get paid again?” [laughs], and they said “yes”. So, I expanded the script and made a romanesque story out of it that I titled The Bionic Woman. It went into production almost immediately. It took three weeks.

P.T. The department of psychology of Boston University wrote in the seventies a letter addressed to the show, stating that the creation of Jaime Sommers was a wonderful female archetype and should not die after it was first introduced. This is not what you had in mind from the start, but you met oppositions. Specifically, in your first screenplay, she was supposed to stay alive in the spin-off. Do you think the change happened because it was too revolutionary, at the time, to see a woman with all the attributes Sommers had? In other words, was there a desire to maintain the status quo especially when historically few women have been superheroes?

K.J. As you noticed Jaime Sommers dies when she was first introduced in the original two hours. In my first drafts, she was alive but in a deep coma. However, the studio and the network wanted her to die. They wanted a love story like the famous eponym movie, because it was a trend at the time to see the heroin die. I don’t think that I met oppositions because it was too revolutionary to see a female trailblazer on TV or there was a will to hinder showcasing a pioneer woman. Although I told them it was a mistake to make her perish, this was not how they saw things. So, I added in the script that she was gone through cerebral hemorrhage [laughs]. And then, we received many letters and my favorite was the one you just brought up from the head of the psychology department at Boston University. He wrote: “how dare you killed this brilliant female archetype, this wonderful role model for young women and you just tossing her aside?” [laughs out loud]. He was furious. We got hundreds of letters like that. In addition, the network and the studio noticed that the ratings for The Six Million Dollar Man suddenly jumped through the roof like never before. 

P.T. Was it your agenda to create a broader female role? Are you a feminist?

K.J. [Laughs]I did not have an agenda in terms of exposing a female with more attributes than the public was used to seeing even if afterward it was fun to realise it was perceived that way. I was not thinking about it in those terms when I developed the character. It seemed logical and natural to me to do this. After Jaime’s accident, she had the opportunity to be rebuilt with artificial legs, and so on. At first, she freaked out because she saw herself as a monster. But after, thanks to Steve Austin’s support, who went through a similar procedure, she overcame this situation and showed a lot of resilience. She grew into an acceptance of who she was. She did not flaunt her superpower abilities. For the remake of The Bionic Woman, they didn’t grasp the essence of who she was. They made her very brutal, breaking people’s arms, engaging in fists fights and killing people. This is part of the reasons the show failed. It didn’t have the heart or core, the humanity, and humor. When I was involved in the series in the seventies, Jaime didn’t have to punch people with deadly force to showcase her fortitude.

P.T. Accomplishing this requires a lot of subtleties. It is very clever.

K.J. Hitting somebody when you are bionic is too easy. It was the same with Hulk. If people watch the series again, they won’t see anywhere Lou Ferrigno punching anybody’s face. There was a lot of property damage, people being shoved around and so on, but no beating up. Regarding the bionic woman, I believe that it opened a lot of people’s eyes about the possibility of having strong women in commanding but not ferocious roles.

P.T. This is because you introduced a really original and avant-garde concept with your highly trained secret agent who possessed special capabilities. In other words, she was the first female cyborg.

K.J. This is an interesting point! When the executives saw the increase in the ratings, they came back to me and were naturally inspired. They said: “we have to bring her back alive, why did you listen to us?” It was stupid to kill her [laughs out loud]. So, Patricia [Turnier], I had to come up with the story that Jaime was in the deep freeze. This was a top secret from the OSI and the key people kept this information from Steve Austin. They were about to get married. At that time, rerun shows were on TV during the summers. So, at the end of summer 1976, for the last rerun of The Six Million Dollar Man, viewers were informed that the following week there would be the return of The Bionic Woman. Patricia [Turnier], everybody in America, tuned in [laughs], and the week after the bionic man was catapulted among the top 10 shows for the first time. During that period, the series was presented on Sunday nights just after All in the family which was among the gigantic programs in America. The network decided to spin-off The Bionic Woman to a separate show.

I have to say that I don’t know if many boys read Wonder Woman (created by American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston), a very successful iconic comic book, but certainly few did. I believe it opened the door to create female characters that won’t intimidate males. If these women had a lot of heart and were accessible, the guys did not mind to see a strong woman in a commanding role who could fight. In fact, these females were accessible to both genders. This trend paved the way for The Bionic Woman.

P.T. The Bionic Woman was probably the first show in the history of American TV where several females were stuntwomen. Can you elaborate on that?

K.J. The stuntwomen have been a growing community but you are right, for many years you saw a lot of guys in dresses [laughs]. There was a scarcity of stuntwomen. We found Rita Egleston who was really bright, clever, and funny in addition to being a really good stuntwoman. She became Lindsay [Wagner]‘s stunt double for everything. She did all the difficult jumps, etc. That was good because Lindsay [Wagner] wasn’t particularly athletic.

P.T. This is hard to believe! I would have never imagined that.

K.J. I know but it is true. She could run okay but that was pretty much it. It is mentioned in the pilot that she was a tennis pro, among the tops in the world [laughs]. Lindsay [Wagner] could hold the racket but that was it. We made her look good [chuckles]. Rita Egleston constantly proposed great ideas for improvement. She developed her own methods for jumping and landing to make sure that it would fit perfectly with Lindsay [Wagner]. She created snappy techniques to make the special effects look real. She was the mainstay of the show. We were really lucky to have her. I am still in touch with her. I had lunch with her last year. She remained the same great woman she was during our youth. I was the youngest producer/writer/director of Universal at the time.

P.T. Amazing! 

K.J. I was the lowest paid also.

P.T. [Laughs]

K.J. [chuckles] It is true but it was a great time in my professional life.

P.T. Why do you think that you have a female audience which is unusual for science-fiction?

K.J. When I created my shows, I never did it in a way to aim or to pander women specifically. I think the way I can explain this phenomenon is the fact that there is often emotional content in my material regarding relationships and characters, instead of showcasing spaceships and blowing things up. I think it is harder and more challenging to develop believable, deep human characters to whom the audience will be drawn. This is what I always tried to do and I guess this is appealing to females. The largest share of my audience from the very beginning with The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk and so on is adult women, and after that, respectively men, teenagers and children. It is like the perfect demography. It makes me really happy to hear that especially in the world of science-fiction where it is often about boys’ stuff, particularly 14 year-olds as opposed to materials that inspire and connect with an adult audience. Over half of the e-mails that I receive from around the world are sent by women. I think that females deserve to be treated and respected as equals. I love to write good female characters because I think that there are not enough of them. 

P.T. The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman were amongst the most successful shows of the seventies. Were you involved in the casting process? If so, what qualities did you see in Lou Ferrigno, Bill Bixby, Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner that would bring to life the main characters?

K.J. First of all, I would like to say that when Universal approached me to inform me that they had just bought the rights for five comedic superheroes, they asked which one I wanted to do. I responded that I was not into this, I had a classical training and I wanted an eclectic career. I don’t want to become a superhero producer. I went home thinking of how to refuse politely without creating frustration among the staff of Universal. Thanks God, they didn’t listen to my stubbornness [Laughs]. What actually happened was I read the novel of Victor Hugo Les Misérables, given to me by my wife. I had all the characters in my head, Jean Valjean, and so on, with the fugitive concept. I realised that I could use some of Les Misérables’ concepts with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to turn the premise of the Hulk’s character (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) into a real psychological adult human drama. So, I went back to the studio and said I was willing to be in charge of The Incredible Hulk with these conditions: I would have the responsibility of the casting, I would write the screenplays and, finally, I wanted to use the Sir Walter Scott’s 19th novel, Ivanhoe, about King Richard I and Scott’s adaptation of Robin Hood. I had the desire to do a miniseries on these topics in return. Fortunately, they agreed to all my demands.

I am going to talk first about The Incredible Hulk. I wrote the script for the two-hour pilot of this show in seven days. Working twelve hours per day, I penned 43 pages.

P.T. WOW! You like to write! This reminds me you wrote the novel V: The Second Generation, for instance.

K.J. [Chuckles] In the past, I really thought I could not write.

P.T. I think I know where you are coming from. If at a very young age you read the greatest authors, like Shakespeare, you will definitely believe that you can’t pen. This was my experience; when I read Molière during my childhood, I could not picture myself writing.

K.J. [Laughs] I think it is also possible to learn from bad writing, bad dialogues in television or in the movies. In fact, the more you see, the more you can get a sense of your own writing. With time, I realised that I could differentiate great dialogues by Racine or Molière and so on from the bad ones. I learned that if my dialogue doesn’t work for myself, it also won’t for the actors. This means that more work is required from my part, and when it finally does work for the actors, it becomes rewarding.

The really amazing thing about The Incredible Hulk is when I tell people in the business that we shot the white pages from the start. This means we used the original screenplay I wrote. Often, in the movie industry, several rectifications occur after the first draft of the script is submitted.  Before the show, I met Bill Bixby only once in a social setting. I also saw him in a television play called “Steambath”. It was a wonderful drama about a group of people who ended up in a steam bath together where there was no way out. They realised they were in purgatory. Bill Bixby played the lead role in it and was just stunning. All the emotions, colors and the level of sentiments seen in The Incredible Hulk were in that one television play. So, I wrote the script with Bill Bixby in mind. His agent gave him my script. His first reaction was: “I am not even going to read something called the Hulk, [laughs out loud]. His agent responded: “Yes, you will” [laughs]. So, he read it and called me the same day. He was very enthusiastic and we met the day after. He stormed into my office. When he walks into a room, he really walks into a room [laughs]. He was bigger than life. He said we will make an adult drama out of it where my character suffers. During the series, I was impressed to observe the intensity he could bring in the character with his wide emotional range that was definitely needed for his role. I knew he could nail the Hulk persona.

P.T. You really know how to create shows that are appealing to children. I wasn’t even scared at the time to see this green giant humanoid (the alter ego of Dr. Banner) howl, but I was scared to see the witch in The Wizard of Oz. Go figure! 

K.J. [Laughs out loud]. This is interesting! I think that the Hulk was extraordinarily successful for several reasons. I did something for my pilot movie that nobody had created on television. I put a title card stating: “within each of us every so often, there is a mighty and raging fury”. Most of us, at some time in our life, felt very angry and wanted to explode. So, people identified with that. Secondly, the public identified with Bill Bixby because he was already a television star. He had several successful shows on the air. He was very warm, accessible and human. The audience caught the essence of what was going on, even without realising that this was based on my classical training regarding the Ancient Greece’s idea of Hubris, that false pride and overconfidence which leads the protagonists to think they are smarter than the Gods, and the latter get back at them afterwards. He brought down the curse upon himself, which is a classic Greek story. Dr. David Banner was not able to rescue his wife from his burning automobile. Consequently, he had a lot of guilt and, again, the audience related to this moving story. We needed an actor who could capture and deliver the complexity of emotions which were part of the character and Bixby definitely aced it. There are so many stories about frail little women who turned over their cars to save their children; yet Dr. Banner had not been able to find that strength to rescue his wife. I have to say that the Hulk comic book was not a huge success like Batman or Superman, which was ironic. 

P.T. This is surprising because, usually, when people make a movie or a TV show based on a book, most of the time it is a bestseller.

K.J. Exactly! The character and the book became successful after the series. The author Stan Lee, has wonderful praise for what we did with the show. There are things that we needed to do differently than the book to make it work. I always looked for worthy adversaries who were going against the Hulk, whom I called the creature. For one of the pilots, the audience loved to see Bill Bixby metamorphosed into Lou Ferrigno and fight a bear. I set out the show to appeal mostly to adults. At first, I wanted an actor for the Hulk role. When I met Lou [Ferrigno] at the time, he was 24 years old and 6’4. He was Mr. Olympia and had unbelievable muscles. His biceps were 26 inches around.

P.T WOW!

K.J. His arms were bigger than most women’s waist [chuckles]. Before the show, Lou [Ferrigno] didn’t do any acting. He had previously appeared in some documentaries about body building. So, it was his first experience in a TV fiction. He adapted pretty well. The actor we had before was Richard Kiel, who was in James Bond, etc. We even shot a week with him for the Hulk. He was 7 feet and a half tall. His hands are twice the size of mine and yours combined. If you stood next to him, you would look like a 7 year old.

P.T. [Laughs out loud]

K.J. [Laughs] I later realised with the studio that we really needed a muscle man. We decided that we would go with Ferrigno and that he would not speak like in the comic book because we felt it would be more suitable for an adult audience; this was not the case for the material written in the book. We kept the green color, which was part of the book, but at first I questioned it: because the color of rage is red, and this color is closer to humans. So, it is not like there was an audition where I could see how Lou [Ferrigno] would work as an actor while reading the script. We did some improvisations instead. I died in his arms and fell on the floor of my office [chuckles] to see how he would react. This was part of one of our storylines. It gave me a sense to assess if he had the acting level that I was looking for. There was another factor that you may or not know. Lou [Ferrigno] is deaf.

P.T. Unbelievable! I saw him in The Apprentice.

K.J. Well, he improved a lot since then. When he was about 6 years old, I think he got scarlet fever and lost 90% of his hearing. So, he wore big hearing aids and read lips. He also had fourteen years of speech therapy. He grew up in Brooklyn and many people there talk like this even if they hear well: “Hey Patricia, how you doin’ girl?” [Here, Mr. Johnson does the Italian Brooklyn accent] [laughs]. So, you couldn’t tell the difference because Ferrigno had the whole Brooklyn thing going on [chuckles].

P.T. This is amazing! Our webmag Mega Diversities loves to profile people who overcame obstacles and became successful. These stories are fascinating. Lou Ferrigno should write an inspirational memoir. I am convinced that a lot of people would really be positively impelled by his journey.

K.J. Yes, he’s terrific. At the beginning of the show, Lou [Ferrigno] asked me: “Kenny, why doesn’t The Incredible Hulk have any dialogue? [Chuckles] I answered: “Well, Lou he doesn’t sound like you and didn’t grow up in Brooklyn” [Laughs out loud]. It was very funny. On the set, we often had to work with hand signals and people had to cue him because he couldn’t hear me shouting directions or anything. It was challenging and it was an interesting experience. Over the years, as mentioned Lou [Ferrigno] developed his speech abilities. So, throughout the years his hearing and speaking abilities improved. Now, he works part time in L.A. for a sheriff’s department and does motivational speaking in schools and so on. We are still in touch and are great friends.

About Lee Majors, he was already in the show when I got involved. So, I was not part of the casting. Majors was great on the show. He knew how to get under the skin of the Steve Austin character in a way that captivated the American public. He was probably the biggest star on television at the time so, to accomplish this, you need to have a strong presence on screen with stamina. He had charisma, like Steve McQueen, who was called ‘The King of Cool”. He knew his forte and delivered it pretty well. I can say the same for Majors. For both actors, the audience was riveted toward them. I have to mention that Majors was a tremendous athlete in high school, college and thereafter. He was in excellent shape. In addition, Lee [Majors] was really pleasant to work with. We had a lot of laughs during the show. He was a little annoyed and jealous after I created The Bionic Woman, which became suddenly huge.

P.T. [Laughs] 

K.J. [Chuckles] I left The Six Million Dollar Man to be more involved in The Bionic Woman. That bothered him. He said: “Why are you leaving? You should stay with me to do shows together.” [Here Kenneth Johnson imitates Lee Majors’ voice]. I responded: “Lee, I love you buddy, but this is my baby, I got to go.” [Laughs out loud]. Seriously, he was generous with this and worked well in the spin-off, and so on. Majors was very smart. He knew his strong points in acting and used them at his advantage. America loved him.

P.T. And elsewhere in the world! He was huge in Canada and abroad.

K.J. Definitely! Going back to your question, about the casting of Jaime, we didn’t really audition anybody. We watched actresses in many films. Harve [Bennett] and I were looking for someone who could be like the girl next door. It was very important for us that the public didn’t feel she was inaccessible. We wanted the audience to be able to relate to her with her strength, vulnerabilities, and so on. So, when we watched the movies, we saw a couple of pieces from Lindsay Wagner's work. At the time, she had a contract with Universal. We saw a woman who was very pretty but not standoffish. She certainly could not appear haughty to the public. In addition, we discovered that she was a highly skillful actress, particularly when it came to spontaneity. She looked very natural in everything we saw. We liked her keen gaze with her freshness, and so on. It didn’t seem that she was playing a part. It was clear to us that she was the right lady after we met her. We knew that she would give a lot of layers and depth to the interpretation of Sommers. Lindsay [Wagner] is a great actress. She has the ability to bring life to lines by making them sound real with enhanced emotions and truthfulness.

P.T. I could add that she didn’t look like a bimbo. She appeared pretty and smart with her head on her shoulders.

K.J. Exactly! Intelligence was always the key factor. I wanted to write a character who was a strong and smart woman with great analytical abilities. She had to be very logical with great judgement. We felt that Lindsay [Wagner] was right for the part, and we were correct. She found all the best attributes to portray from the writing with amazing easiness and delivered a wide range of emotions. I spent a lot of personal time with Lindsay [Wagner] to listen to the way she spoke (her vernacular, etc.), observe how she carried herself, and so on, to adapt the future scripts so that everything could look as natural as possible. So, the character that the people saw on screen was very similar to what Wagner was really like.

Overall, Lou Ferrigno, Bill Bixby, Lee Majors, and Lindsay Wagner definitely brought out the best of the characters they were portraying. These actors were great to transmit the right emotional content. They could capture the essence and density of the persona. They brought nuances in their roles and humanised them.

P.T. Why were you not involved in the third season of The Bionic Woman?

K.J. I worked really closely with Lindsay [Wagner] for the first two years of the series. However, she entered into a bad marriage. She also had personal problems with substance abuse. It began to affect the work and our professional relationship became difficult. I knew that my collaboration with her would not work for the third season, so I asked to be off the show. I felt that we were on a cliff and that we would fall. This is how I was not involved in the final season. You called the show in Canada Super Jaime, didn’t you?

P.T. At the time I was a child and only watched the show in French because I couldn’t speak English. It was called “La femme bionique” which means “The Bionic Woman”. I am pretty sure that the title was the same in English Canada. We do not change it when it is the same language.

K.J. I was once in Charlie Chaplin’s house in Switzerland after he had passed away. His 7-year old grandson, who was also named Charlie, said to me when we met: “Oh my God, you did Super Jaimie [laughs out loud].

P.T. This is how the show was called at the time in France, so the same title was used in Switzerland.

K.J. Oh, I see. I never saw the third season of The Bionic Woman. However, people told me that the quality of the show wasn’t the same and went into a different direction. Lindsay [Wagner] and I reconciled with time. She acknowledged that she was kind of a jerk [chuckles]. Everything worked out. I was very happy with her during the two seasons. I had to leave The Six Million Dollar Man to focus on The Bionic Woman. There was a period when I was involved with the two shows at the same time.

P.T. This must have been crazy!

K.J. Definitely, Patricia [Turnier]!

P.T. You declared to the media that, surprisingly, your largest audience has always been women for your entire body of work. Earlier, we focused on your science-fiction shows concerning this topic. How do you explain the interest females have for all your series?

K.J. I like to incorporate emotional content into my characters and their relationships. So, I focus more on these elements than on the visual effects in my writing. I am not into gratuitous blowing-offs, bombings, and so on for no reason. I enjoy developing believable roles. In my opinion, women deserve to be presented respectfully and as equals. It is natural for me. As mentioned, I was not deliberately finding a way to attract the female audience. I guess incorporating emotional material into my series is how I can explain the female interests in my work. My largest audience is adult women. It has been the case for V and for my entire body of work. As I said, more than half of the e-mails I receive come from them, so they are definitely my biggest demography. 

P.T. The only science-fiction TV shows I watched in my life were yours. I was hooked on these series! I also saw from time to time X-Files.

P.T. What is your directing style and do you give actors freedom to provide some input in your projects? In other words, are you completely in charge of guiding actors or do you allow them to put their ideas on the table?

K.J. I am very prepared as a director, Patricia [Turnier]. It is funny because, as a screenwriter, when you put a line on paper, you hear in your head the way you want exactly the actor to say it with its intonations, nuances, and timing. You have a clear idea of how it should sound. When I was on set, I often heard actors say one of my cherished lines in a 180 degrees opposite than I thought it up myself, and it was much better that way [laughs]. So, I say, this is really great, you really captured what I was looking for [chuckles]. 

P.T. So, you are not rigid.

K.J. Not at all! I consider myself flexible. However, I have a clear vision of how every scene is supposed to be shot and staged. I know in advance how the dramatic points have to be played, the number of camera angles I need, and how many shots are required. Usually, I conversed before with the actors; we look into the scripts together and they know how things will happen on stage. I am open to hear their suggestions. Sometimes, I leave room to improvisation on stage. For instance, it happened that I asked an actor to walk from a specific place in order to observe how it would work. 

It is interesting to see when actors add something new, a movement, for example, which brings some value in a scene that I had not thought about. It provides wealth when the cast and crew share their creativity. I am open to making rearrangements in these cases, or to hear what some actors have to say if they want to expand their characters. Usually, this works with experienced actors. However, for example, if I see an actor walking in a direction where the lighting won’t look good, I will let him know about it. Overall, it is team work, and I like to challenge the group of people I am working with. I have an ear for other people’s ideas. So, I also like to be pushed further in certain areas, it is fun to be challenged by the cast and crew.

P.T. What advice do you have for those who want to follow in your footsteps on television? In other words, what skills are required to become a successful director and/or producer and actor?

K.J. I am trying to hold them back because there are already too many good people in the business. There is too much competition, I don’t think they should try [laughs out loud]. Seriously, I am asked this question a lot through my website www.kennethjohnson.us, which you know about of course. When I did the DVD commentary for V, I invited people to write me through my website, and I received thousands and thousands of e-mails from people all over the world.

P.T. I can imagine!

K.J. It is so gratifying and it is a pleasure for me to answer all of their questions because I feel that if someone took the time to write, I should at least have the courtesy to answer.

P.T. I think it also shows you enjoy writing.

K.J. [chuckles] You may be right. People often ask me for advice and the first thing I tell them is to get an education. If you want to be an actor, a director, a screenwriter or anything, go to school.

P.T. And to the top ones if this is possible. I think it was very interesting to learn in your pathway this is what you did before you became a filmmaker.

K.J. Absolutely! I went to a great theater school to get a solid training. Take this as my recommendation to be involved in the filmmaking industry. Theatrical skills are definitely required, including acting and writing classes because the more you know about the craft, the better you will be. So many people want to go to Hollywood and say: “here I am, I want to be a star” [chuckles].

Occasionally, it may happen that someone out of nowhere will become famous; yet, to achieve longevity in the business you really need to be prepared, it is important to have a strong work ethic and to constantly improve, otherwise you will reach a plateau. So, lifelong education is crucial. I recently saw with my daughter, Katie, a Greek piece entitled “Prometheus”. None of us had seen it before, so it was a learning experience. We often see Shakespeare’s plays, I also frequently go out for movies. I don’t watch that much television because I enjoy more films for hobbies and reading. Fortunately, I married the most literate woman I ever met. She has constantly supplied me with new material and I strongly believe she was instrumental in my career. So, my advice for aspiring filmmakers is to read. This includes the other profession in the movie industry. For instance, an actor who is well-read will have a wide range of roles he/she can play. In this case, the person won’t be limited.

It may sound clichéd, but I often ask young people when I speak to them in my classes or as a motivational speaker, if they love to act. I am not talking about the fame, the glamour, the money, the prestige which can come with it but: is it your real passion? In other words, is it what makes you breathe? This concerns a deep commitment for oneself. This is very important, especially for people who want to achieve longevity in the business. Many people think they love it and believe they can do it. The reality is that several do not have the skills, the dedication, the passion to pay their dues to achieve the level of success they wish to have.

P.T. In any careers, to be among the tops a minimum of 10, 000 hours of work and practice are required, and to do this you definitely need to be passionate about it, otherwise you will surrender.

K.J. Interesting! The glamour is ephemeral. You really need to be serious about what you want to do in the movie industry. You often get rejected in auditions. You need to have a thick skin to stay in the business.

P.T. Having confidence is very important. I love to hear the story of Academy Award winner Sally Field. Before her big break with The Flying Nun, she had an agent who told her she didn’t have what it takes to make it in Hollywood. She fired the agent!

K.J. It is interesting that you are bringing her up because she was actually one of the actresses we thought about for The Bionic Woman.

P.T. Really? I had no idea.

K.J. It is true, but Lindsay [Wagner] seemed to be a better fit for us at the time. I have to say that what you are raising happens to so many people in several fields. Novelist J.K. Rowling for Harry Potter was rejected by many publishing houses when she submitted her manuscript. They thought nobody would buy her book. So, this is definitely another piece of advice for aspiring people who want to make it in the film industry. You need to believe in yourself while taking professional advice from individuals who succeeded in the realm that you are embracing. Lindsay Wagner was under contract when we shot the spin-off. After it was over, Universal let her go because the contract was finished. The studio did not believe that she had the physical attributes to justify a big salary. However, the ratings were huge and Universal called the agent to have her back. Fortunately for Lindsay [Wagner], he knew how to negotiate her salary in a worthwhile manner. The studio wanted to give her $5,000 per episode and the agent asked $25,000. At first, they were angry but they agreed quickly. It was finally positive not to be under contract anymore because the salary would have been much lower. She is a very talented actress and got the money she deserved.

P.T. This proves the importance of having a great agent to make it in the industry. I guess this is more advice for the people who want to espouse this field.

K.J. Definitely! Another recommendation I can give is to always be prepared and do your homework. For example, regarding actors, if they need to make research for their parts, they should take the initiatives to do it. Actors need to know their lines, and so on. Be pro-active, don’t wait for people to tell you what to do.

More specifically about filmmakers, you need a vision and you have to know the approach you will use. For instance, as a screenwriter and director, it has to be clear whether you want flashbacks in your movie or if you will employ a linear storyline. It has to be presented in a way where everything flows. There are a lot of things to learn as a filmmaker: how to create fantasy sequences, how to cast, rehearse, utilize locations, create storyboards, dub the musical scoring, play with the tempo of the dialogues, etc. 

You have to be really knowledgeable and articulate because you need to present your budget effectively with strong arguments to justify the costs of your films for example. Your vision of the movie has to be clearly defined. You need to be able to negotiate diplomatically with key people, those who have the power to green-light your movie. You need to be flexible because, sometimes, you will have to present a revised budget of your film. As a screenwriter, you have to know how to develop characters with their psychologies and dynamics, their history, and so on. Again, reading a lot will be really beneficial to upswing your career. 

It is also important to mention that there is no school teaching how to deal with fame. That was Lindsay Wagner Achilles’ heel. It ate her up. When Lou Ferrigno, after the beginning of the Hulk, suddenly ended up on the cover of TV Guide and all the press, he started to have a big head [chuckles]. I took him aside and told him, “Lou [Ferrigno] don’t screw yourself up”. I explained to him that the warm wind can blow beautifully for you and then, all of the sudden. it can become cold and you are history. He finally listened and understood that fame can be fleeting.

To conclude, confidence is very important in this business. You need to have the fortitude not to give up. It is easy to forsake and hard to keep going. This is why it is important to be passionate because it comes in handy during hard times. Don’t underestimate the importance of being as knowledgeable as possible. For instance, if you are involved as a filmmaker in a historical movie which covers several decades, you need to be aware of the language of the time, the attires, the cultural codes of the epoch (to avoid anachronisms), etc. It requires research to get a clear understanding of the time. As a filmmaker it is crucial to have an overall grasp of the business: how you can get percentage points per movies, etc. I mentioned earlier that I saw many plays, movies and I read a lot of classics. This built an important foundation that I would recommend to any inspiring filmmakers. 

P.T. Do you think it is true that there are many more opportunities now for young filmmakers to create movies with the new technologies by utilizing their laptops, digital cameras, and so on for editing, scoring, creating visual effects, etc.?

K.J. Absolutely! There are so many more options now. For example, when I wanted to make a short film while I was in college, as mentioned, my friend had to borrow the camera from the air force. It was a 16mm film camera. After using it for shooting, I had to pay to have it processed and I needed to find a place to edit it. I also had to see how I would pay for the score. I did not have the financial resources to pay an orchestra [chuckles]. We didn’t have computer CGI programs, etc. So, as you can see, the procedure is much easier now. It is more accessible, it democratised. In 1983, when I did the miniseries V, there were a couple of shots that lasted twenty seconds on the screen Patricia [Turnier]. Many of them cost $75,000.

P.T. I am not surprised. I know special effects are very expensive. 

K.J. I was not even happy with some of the results. Now, it is possible to make the same special effects using a cell phone and they look better than what we did back then. It doesn’t even cost anything. I often receive mini clips of work that people did and I am astonished to see how the technology evolved. Their material really looks sharp and professional. Young people should really be appreciative to have access to this high level of technology, they can work with tools I did not have growing up. They should follow their dreams. The young filmmakers have more opportunities to practice and get the required experience. This is how they can get better. I will never forget the feeling I had when I saw my first short film on screen. It was different from what I had envisioned. It made me realise that there was still a lot to learn. I work with children in the inner cities of L.A., and I explain to them how to approach filmmaking with the equipment they can utilize.

P.T. I would like to add the fact that it is a myth to some extent to believe it takes a lot of money to create a great movie. I think that when a filmmaker uses talented actors and his/her movie is done professionally with a great concept, the sky can be the limit. For instance, in 1965 the crew for the film A Patch of Blue, a jewel which ages well, starring Sidney Poitier, didn’t have money at the time to make this movie in color. Yet, the film got noticed and was nominated in the Oscars along with other much bigger movies in terms of budget, such as The Sound of Music. Making A Patch of Blue in black and white, gives more depth and authenticalness to the darkness of the storyline (like The Schindler’s List). In other words, it conveys the essence of the somber plot. Another more recent example that I can give is Black Swan, where talented actors and dancers were hired. The film which had some special effects, cost $13 million and grossed $329,398,046 at the box office.

K.J. This is a really interesting point! I knew the leading lady of A Patch of Blue, Elizabeth Hartman. She used to call herself “Biff” when we were in college together at Carnegie.

P.T. It is sad that this talented actress, nominated for an Academy Award, killed herself.

K.J. Yes, it is. 

P.T. What other surprises are you preparing for the public as a director?

K.J. I own and control the motion pictures’ rights for my original miniseries V. All the major studios wanted to buy the rights from me for an obscene or ludicrous amount of money with a lack of control for creativity. I mean, it was not sure if I would be allowed to direct, write, and/or produce it. I was worried I’d lose the creative control of the piece. Finally, I literally said no to all the major studios, one at a time. They asked me how much money I really wanted. I responded that it was not about the money, it was about protecting my project. It is like my baby and I don’t want it to be messed up. People tried to remake The Bionic Woman, to redo The Incredible Hulk, and frankly we all saw the results. I don’t want to see the same thing happen with V. I am very proud of it. 

P.T. Unfortunately, there are many remakes (for series and movies) which incorporated more violence with less elliptic elements compared to the originals. In addition, the results are different when the original actors and/or the producer, director and screenwriter are not on board.

K.J. It is true. With V, I had to make a conscious decision: will I be okay if the movie never got made at all, rather than let people who don’t understand it create it? My answer was positive. So, I moved away from the studios and we are trying to find an equity partner who will bring the 60 million dollars that are required to make the picture as an independent one. It will still be released through a major studio, but this way they will give us the total freedom to make the movie as we wish. I won’t have a studio looking over my shoulder. I will be able to hire the cast and the production that I want. We will find the distributors later. Working independently, will allow us to have the liberty to make the best deal for our investors with transparency. They will get the money directly when it comes in and it won’t end up in mysterious Hollywood bookkeeping. However, it is not an easy process. It makes me think of the old fairy tale saying: “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet the prince”. 

P.T. [Laughs]. 

K.J. [Laughs out loud] We kissed many frogs. We came several times really close to completing a deal, which is the case right now again, but the money is not in the bank yet. Many television projects came to me, but I really want to be involved in a motion picture. So, I am focusing onto finding the right deal to adapt V into a movie. When this materializes, it will be really exciting because we will use new technologies that we didn’t have access to the past. In addition, VTSG (V: The Second Generation) will provide material for two motion picture sequels. 

P.T. Big thanks for this great interview; I am sure it will inspire a lot of people. It was an honor to speak with you! Please keep surprising us with other fictional work.

K.J. It was my pleasure and stay in touch with me.

P.T. I definitely will and big thanks again.

Films and Television Work:

An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe 1970

The Six Million Dollar Man 1974-1978

The Bionic Woman 1976-1978

The Incredible Hulk – Pilot 1977

The Incredible Hulk – Series 1977-1982

Cliffhangers! 1979

Senior Trip 1980

V - The Original Mini-Series 1983

Hot Pursuit 1984

Shadow Chasers 1985

Short Circuit 2 1988

The Liberators 1989

Alien Nation 1989-1990

Sherlock Holmes Returns 1994

Steel 1997

Don't Look Under The Bed 1999

Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century 1999

Seven Days 1998-2001

Others:

"The Alien Nation TV Movies":

Dark Horizon 1994

Body & Soul 1995

Millennium 1996

Enemy Within 1996

The Udara Legacy 1997

The DVDs are available on www.amazon.com, .ca, .co.uk and www.barnesandnoble.com