"Highlander: The end of the Game"
by Grant Kempster
Starburst
#266
5 October 2000
[excerpt]
Destiny beckons
... [Adrian] Paul isn't the only character migrating from the series,
and as I stand around the set, trying desperately not to lose all
feeling in my legs thanks to the wicked November weather, I spot
a familiar face getting out of a car.
"The fact of being in the movie is important to the character,
because this film is about tying up the two worlds, the world of
Connor and the feature films and the world of Duncan and the TV
series." So says one of the TV series' greatest successes —
Peter Wingfield — who became one of the linchpins of
the show under the enigmatic guise of Methos, the oldest living
immortal.
"To have Methos and Joe in the movie I think is an important
factor in solidifying that world. Methos is not crucial to the plot,
but there are ways in which he drives the story forward and allows
certain things to be moved along. That thing that's great for the
world that is created is that MacLeod has this relationship [with
him], so there's the sense that the world has texture and depth
to it. To be able to have these two characters that are sitting
in the car and bring a whole world with them, I think is very poignant."
The old team
As Peter mentioned, he isn't alone, as his on and off-screen buddy
Joe Dawson, otherwise known as actor Jim Byrnes is also appearing
in the movie, a fact that Wingfield is very happy about.
"It's great, we did a scene on Wednesday last week and it
was just like old times," Wingfield enthuses, "me and
Adrian and Jim just larking about, rewriting the script. It was
like the old team back together again, except this time, watching
it on the monitor you see this huge letterbox, it just looks like
a movie, it's fantastic, it just looks so beautiful."
I evade the cold by slipping into the backseat of the limousine,
which will later be appearing onscreen, and chat to actor and blues
singer, Jim Byrnes, who isn't daft enough to leave the warmth of
the car and agrees wholeheartedly with his friend.
"It's great to see Pete and Adrian, you know it's been so
many years and we've build great friendships and working relationships
so you know, it's been a lot of fun," enthuses Byrnes, who
since the second season, has become an inextricable part of the
Highlander ensemble thanks to his status as a Watcher, part
of an organization who observe and document the immortals.
"I suppose that Joe, like all the fans, is a watcher, you
know, I'm like everyone's representative. The fact that those who
are fans are aware of the existence of the immortals and I'm kind
of like their stand-in, I'd say that really is the appeal of Joe."
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