The Orville: Mark Jackson and Kelly Hu talk Scripts

Cast L-R: J Lee, Halston Sage, Scott Grimes, Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Mark Jackson, Peter Macon in Season Two of THE ORVILLE premiering Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), following the NFL ON FOX doubleheader. ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co. Credit: Tommy Garcia/FOX

During Wizard World Chicago, Mark Jackson and Kelly Hu appeared during a panel to discuss The Orville and answer fan questions. Unfortunately, Scott Grimes couldn’t attend the Friday afternoon panel, which was hosted by Freaks and Geeks cast member Samm Levine.  While the panel lasted for about 45 minutes, I’m only choosing to cover their answers to the question that I asked.

What do you generally look for in screenplays when selecting projects?

Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, and Kelly Hu in the "Krill" episode from The Orville airing Thursday, October 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, and Kelly Hu in the “Krill” episode from The Orville airing Thursday, October 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Kelly Hu: How much they are paying.

Samm Levine: An honest answer, ladies and gentlemen. Sometimes it’s about the Benjamins.

Kelly Hu: Well, sometimes, it really is. I often get handed scripts a lot. I get asked to look at scripts all the time. My first question always has to be: is it financed? Because otherwise I’m reading scripts all day long for a film that’s never even going to be made. There’s so many people. My dentist has actually passed me a script. The guy can hardly even speak English. He doesn’t even have command of the English language, right. (Mark Jackson pretends to be in the dentist chair.) Exactly! Alright. So I mean seriously, you get handed projects all the time. So the first question always has to be does this project already have financing or are you thinking that my name is going to help? Because it’s not.

Samm Levine: So that’s what Kelly looks for.

Mark Jackson in the "Happy Refrain" episode of THE ORVILLE airing Thursday, Jan. 31 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Mark Jackson in the “Happy Refrain” episode of THE ORVILLE airing Thursday, Jan. 31 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Photo credit: Jesse Giddings/FOX

Mark Jackson: I’d say a more satisfying creative answer to that would be a character arc. That’s something I look for.

Kelly Hu: Dialogue.

Mark Jackson: Yes, some dialogue is good.

Kelly Hu: Although I have been given many roles that have no dialogue.

Mark Jackson: After this show, no masks. Character arc is good because there’s nothing more boring than playing a character that just does the same thing for the entire movie and doesn’t go anywhere, and doesn’t change. If you have a character that goes through a change and becomes a different a person by the end of the film, that’s a winner—I think.

Kelly Hu: Oh yeah, for sure, that helps. And money.

Mark Jackson: And money.

Wizard World Chicago will return on August 20-23, 2020. The Orville moves to Hulu for Season 3, returning in late 2020.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.