FarscapeWeekly Farscape Interview Melissa Jaffer Noranti Old Woman

Interview: Melissa Jaffer
Joan Hedman ¤ 21 September 2002

Many thanks to Melissa Jaffer for participating in this email interview. She provides some wonderful background information and discusses Noranti's motivations and inspirations, along with some glimpses of life on the set.

FSW: You have an extensive resume, but Farscape seems to be your first outing in the science fiction/fantasy genre (I'm not counting The Cars that Ate Paris). Are you a fan of science fiction, and can you elaborate on why, or why not?

MJ: My interest in science fiction began in 1992 when I played my first alien in the Robert Bruning feature film The Distant Home and in 1994, when I appeared in Sally Marshall is not an ALIEN! taken from the Amanda McKay award-winning children's book.However, as an actor born with a lively imagination, my mind, in its passionate search for truth, has always been open to all possibilities.

FSW: Noranti isn't the first character you've portrayed on Farscape. In your first appearance you played the dying Luxan Orican, Nilaam, in the season 2 episode "Vitas Mortis". How did you first hear about Farscape, and what made the show attractive to you? How did you come to take that role?

MJ: I was working on the feature film Cheek to Cheek here in Sydney when my agent rang and said that a script was on its way from Farscape, a series being shot at Homebush Bay and if I liked it they would need to see me ASAP for a makeup and wardrobe call. I loved the character of Nilaam and so I went to see them during my lunch break. After arriving, I had a life cast done in 35 minutes by their brilliant Creature Shop artists and was whisked back to the set. I only ever take a role if I like the script and believe that I am right for the role.

FSW: Playing Nilaam required the extensive use of prosthetics (not to mention wigs!). Did that experience prepare you well for your day-to-day life portraying Noranti? Do you spend much time in the makeup chair each day?

MJ: Good Question! The prosthetics for Nilaam were not only extensive but I remember that at that time Sydney was experiencing a heat wave. One of the days the temperature climbed to 42 degrees celsius (note: 107 degrees farenheit) and the only way I could stay sane was to walk along the river which flows beside the production office. The piece that covers my head and almost all of my face is extremely light. The make up takes two hours to apply and about one hour to remove.

FSW: Can you tell us how Noranti's Third Eye is manipulated? It seems like most times it's "sleeping"; other times it's wide open, sometimes glowing, sometimes not. Attentive viewers have noticed the involvement of the Third Eye during "mystical" moments. Technically, how does all that work? Character-wise, is the Third Eye the key to Noranti's "magic"? Noranti

MJ: Noranti's third eye is " noetic " which, according to the Oxford Dictionary is " an adjective pertaining to the mind or intellect ". I'm sure you are familiar with the expression "in my mind's eye". We all have this unseen eye which we use to recall things, to foresee things, to imagine things and so on. However, Noranti is from the planet Traska where the third eye is earned after many, many cycles of life experience and becomes visible only when the individual spirit is totally receptive to Wisdom and in this regard it is similar to the spiritual Third Eye. Noranti certainly has the ability to receive messages from the Divine Eternal but her "magic" is more to do with her herbal and mineral mixtures.

[On set,] the eye is connected by wires in my prosthetic piece, to a battery in my pocket, and operated by remote.

FSW: Both Nilaam and Noranti are very much in touch with things spiritual; Noranti, as a recurring character, has added dimensions with her knowledge of herbs and drugs. How do you prepare yourself for portraying characters so deeply rooted in alternate planes of reality? Is Noranti, or your portrayal of her, modeled after a specific character or characters from history or mythology?

MJ: Noranti is modeled on me, Melissa Jaffer. My life is deeply rooted in Body and Spirit. I have been passionate about the marriage of these two elements all my life.

FSW: Noranti always seems to have the right drug available to help the mind see more clearly, cause confusion, or even deaden the senses. Is she a "pusher"? How do you get beyond her familiarity and dependence on the use of drugs (albeit, by others), and give her more depth? Can you give us some insight into the character's motivations?

MJ: Noranti is a doctor, Utu means doctor. I am Utu Noranti Pralatong. Noranti only ever suggests drugs for the relief of pain or suffering.

FSW: When she's not stirring up trouble with her potions and palliatives, Noranti always seems to be stirring up something in Moya's galley. Can You tell us, what is that stuff, really? And what's it supposed to be, from the scripts? From the viewer's perspective, I'm not sure that anyone would ever want to eat any of it..

MJ: The ingredients in Noranti's cooking are predominately of Asian influence and all edible. The Farscape props department goes to great lengths to ensure the safety and comfort of the actor at all times. Indeed, some of it is quite tasty!

FSW: As viewers, we really don't know all that much about Noranti -- why, for example, she was aboard the Command Carrier in the first place, and how she came to be rescued. Obviously she has lived a long and interesting life. I know you can't reveal any spoilers, but can you tell us, does Noranti have a backstory? Will we learn anything more about her this season?

MJ: Noranti was rescued from the Peacekeepers by John Crichton and is staying on Moya to repay him. Also, she lives entirely for the present moment. The past is sleeping in the memory bank: the future does not exist.

FSW: There's a lot of discussion about Noranti in the online fan forums; some people love her, some... don't. What's your take on Noranti? How do you see her as a person? Would you go on an extended cruise with her?

MJ: As an actor I am thrilled that some people love Noranti and some hate her. I do love her and in despite what some may think, actors don't always love the characters they portray. I'd take her on a cruise on the QE2 if she had a bath!

FSW: Is there anything that Noranti has done that you wished she hadn't? How do you, as an actor, deal with conflicts like that?

MJ: " Non, je ne regret rien ", so far. I will always go to bat for Noranti if she's asked to do anything completely out of character. For me the only premise is the writing. If it's good enough, there is no conflict. Noranti's main concern is for Crichton's well being. Her interest is more maternal than anything else.

FSW: Each character on FARSCAPE has either been transformative, forcing others around him or her to change, or undergone his or her own transformation. Some characters have done a little of each (and some would argue that Rygel hasn't changed a bit, but that's debateable). Is Noranti an agent of change, or do you see her character developing and changing over time, as well? Where would you like to see her go?

MJ: Wisdom is never closed to change and Noranti is wise. Her horizons are limitless. A Traskan's life is evolutionary, Noranti has come 293 cycles and she will go where the Divine Eternal takes her, which is where I also want her to go.

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Thanks to Tracy Gilbert at Jim Henson Co. for facilitating this interview.
Images courtesy of SCIFI.com, Dallascaper's FarscapeFantasy, and Alliance Online's Cheek to Cheek cast page.