Stargate: 10 Behind The Scenes Secrets You Never Knew About Children Of The Gods
9. The Studio Wanted A Different Type Of Actress For Samantha Carter
The initial pitch for the character who would become Samantha Carter was quite different from what the audience ended up seeing. First of all, although she was always a serving member of the military, she was to have been very disdainful of the service. Her true passion was in theoretical astrophysics, which did manage to remain part of the character, to a point.
She was written as 'pushy' and abrasive toward O'Neill and Jackson. The studio was also hesitant to hire Amanda Tapping. According to Jonathan Glassner, it was far more interested in hiring an actress based on her physical attributes. He said that they had their eyes on another actress, one who was closer to the typical beauty that would be seen in Hollywood films.
Tapping wowed Glassner and Wright when she came in to read for the part and put her own spin on Carter straight away. She saw the potential for humour in the part, adding this to her audition. It secured her the role. While some of her lines in Children Of The Gods are truly dreadful, such as the reproductive organs gag, she is immediately established as one of the major players.