Actor Dirk Benedict speaks about Angelou film at SEMO

Actor Dirk Benedict visited Cape Girardeau this week to discuss the Maya Angelou movie "Georgia, Georgia," in which he starred.

Best known for playing Lt. Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica" and Faceman on "The A-Team," Benedict's appearance was part of Southeast Missouri State University's "See Me Series," a new initiative to allow the university and surrounding community the opportunity to explore and discuss diverse creative works.

Benedict thanked the gathered attendees for coming and estimated more than 50 people were in the auditorium.

"This is great," he said. "It's a 50-year-old movie, I thought there would be one person for each year."

Benedict then recalled organizer Dr. Karie Hollerbach's efforts to secure his appearance.

"Professors don't call me -- well, nobody calls me," Benedict said, to big laughter. "I was intrigued because it was academia reaching out. Academia terrifies me ... but I was very pleased that somebody finally noticed this movie. It [the movie] never went anywhere. ... I only wish that Maya was here instead of me."

Reading from a journal titled "Dates to Remember," Benedict selected an entry from April 2o, 1971, at 12 o'clock, the first time he recorded his audition for the film. Benedict said the casting director made fun of his audition picture, allegedly saying "it's a stupid picture, and it doesn't look anything like you," Benedict recalled, chuckling at himself.

Benedict explained how he started in theater and described himself as a very successful stage actor. He mentioned a few women he used to have a crush on, adding ,"I did have a crush on Maya [Angelou], but that was a spiritual crush."

Benedict said he felt his character in "Georgia, Georgia" was "underwritten" and lacked a backstory.

"Why did I take the job? Because I'm an actor. If there's a job, I'll do it. I don't care if it's $35 bucks. In my whole career I never said no to a job," Benedict said.

He clarified that Angelou's script was dealing with subject matter that had "really not be dealt with much" in the 1970s.

"I liked that aspect, that it has this racial component," Benedict said.

He contended the movie should have gotten the kind of attention normally given to a Martin Scorsese film. He recalled feeling that participating in Angelou's play meant he was in "something that was big news, something that was about something."