'Bred Crumbs

*** FARSCAPE OBSESSION ALERT ***

The suddenly burgeoning brood of female Farscape babes has been acknowledged with the elusive "It" of Entertainment Weekly. While it brings joy that the mag is finally starting to notice the show, it's unfortunate that the womenfolk get all the attention with no mention of series star/writer/fanboy/hottie Ben Browder. Had EW given Browder his due (and written twice as long as usual) it might have gone something ... like this ...

 

BEN BROWDER

It Space Cowboy

AGE 39

WHY HIM? As lost-in-space astronaut John Crichton on the Sci-Fi Channel's Farscape, a show known for being both smart and sexy, Browder is an all-around contributor. While battling extraterrestial evil in black leather, he ad-libs some of the funniest lines and has become a creative force on the series, writing two episodes so far.

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES "Farscape has a wonderful anarchy about it. It's evolved radically since the inception, taking on a life of its own," Browder says.* "[I]t's a fantastic journey to play. I got to start out as the guy who couldn't open a door, then get to a certain level of competence, then they sort of stripped it all away."**

WARNING: SPIT-TAKE DANGER Farscape illuminates its darkness with ongoing bursts of hilarity, many provided by Browder's quirky character. "No drinking while Crichton is talking," Browder warns. "It's dangerous for your furniture."***

HUMBLE HUNK Browder downplays his sex appeal, even though castmate Gigi Edgley (Chiana) has precisely pegged him as "the Ultra-Cool American Handsome Hunk Boy." "That's all makeup and hair," Browder says. "That's all lighting."****

CHEMISTRY TEST "I love John and Aeryn. It's a great relationship – a strange one but a great one." Joking about his off-screen rapport with Claudia Black, who plays his on-screen romantic combatant, he adds, "We fight well. It's just a natural extension of what Claud and I do all day long. Ours is a classic Hollywood rivalry – the trailer war we're having is humongous. Hers is six inches longer than mine. I'm out there with the tape measure! She's got a bigger trailer!"**

ON SHOOTING IN AUSTRALIA Though the American South will always be home to him, "Sydney is a fantastic place to live and we are very well settled into life here. ... And two of my three surfboards are here."***** On the other hand, "Let's be honest, they do not have Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch in Australia. If I'd known, that would be in my contract.**

THE WRITING LIFE Browder wrote Season 3's excellent "Green Eyed Monster" and a Season 4 episode, "John Quixote," set to premiere on July 26. "I thought it'd be easier the second time round but it's absolutely nerve-racking, because you're shooting stuff and you're thinking, 'Oh God, is this gonna work, is this not gonna work?' and you're hung out to dry because you wrote the script. And when you're shooting a scene and there's something wrong and I'm in it, I'm going, 'All right, the script sucks. No, wait, maybe my acting."******

EARTHLY ROLES Browder played a house-building boyfriend of Neve Campbell's character on Party of Five as well as "the last geeky guy on Melrose Place. ... I was [Allison's] old boyfriend. Billy came along and got jealous, so they had to make me geeky. I had clothes that were ten years out of date. And I was dumb – I made Billy look smart in comparison."**

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