Axon, once an outspoken skeptic, has changed immeasurably over his four-year career with the OSIR: In season one, he was Case Manager Connor Doyle's right-hand man, always there for Doyle when he needed him. Although sometimes fighting to understand the case matters, Axon has always been a dedicated employee to the OSIR. Aside from the one instance of misunderstanding, Axon's trust in Doyle was always genuine. Yet, Peter's faithfulness was put to the test in the season finale, Perestroika, where Axon was commanded to leave Doyle in the explosion that took the Case Manager's life. Axon, as well as the other team members, has never forgotten the incident. In season two, Axon was pushed toward the limit of staying with or leaving his post at the OSIR, reassessing his rocky relationship with Matt Praeger and considering a job offer to head the physics department at Wellington University. Thankfully, for all Peter Axon fans and for the future of the team, he passed up the career at Wellington. Peter soon found himself working around Matt Praeger, and although they shared respect for each other, Axon often crossed the line between working with his colleagues and losing their respect. But he was forced into seriousness with the realization of Matt's disbelief and skepticism of the paranormal, and has become a much more agreeable friend and colleague to the team as a result. In the third season, Peter rebelled further against the Case Manager, choosing to work privately for Director of Operations Frank Elsinger. His work is his life, and he proved that once again by bringing his friend and colleague Anton Hendricks back from the edge of oblivion. However, he was a changed man - not only had he gained a certain respect from Elsinger and the rest of the OSIR, but his attitude towards everything changed as well. Even as the format of the OSIR changed with the start of the new season, Barclay Hope admits that he is happy with his character's personality. "He was once a true skeptic who, since joining the OSIR, has had to grapple with his scientific beliefs and his own personal values. "Axon is a highly ambitious person and was devastated when he was passed over as Case Manager," says Hope of his on-screen counterpart. "He's come to realize that his former attitude toward his work has to change and he's more willing to walk a dangerous line to prove himself." In an interview for Cult Times magazine, Hope states, "They tell me the OSIR is a real organisation. I've met the guy who's supposedly the head of the organisation. And I know the writers went through their case files looking for ideas they could use in episodes." Hope remains optimistic about the future of the show. "In the first year, the plan was to do a kind of docudrama about the paranormal," he says. "Each episode consisted of two half-hour stories and was very scientific, so we didn't have much time to develop the characters. We were basically robots. "But as soon as we changed to hour-long episodes, we could develop the stories and characters much more. We could do more with the characters and their relationships.
"I think that season three definitely builds upon the show's earlier seasons," he notes. "It's more of a human drama than seasons one and two, and I think that makes the show far more interesting and gives it a broader appeal." When Hope was originally cast in Psi Factor back in 1996, the prospects for character development looked slim at best. His screen counterpart, Peter Axon, was just one of 15 specialists who participated in the OSIR's investigation and only appeared in the show on a recurring basis. "I got the role after two auditions," he recalls. "I was shooting all night before my second audition, so I just went in and said the words. And they said 'That's it!' If I had actually been trying, I probably wouldn't have been hired!" Later on, Hope talks more about Peter. "My character became the guy who likes the danger element. Axon has become the guy who won't put up with red tape; he wants answers. And he's become less of a subordinate character in the show. I'm happy with where my character is going." He points to the show's pilot 'Dream House/UFO Encounter', 'The Labyrinth' and season three's superlative Peter Axon showcase 'Solitary Confinement' as his favorite Psi Factor episodes to date. "I see Psi Factor as a learning experience," he states. "I don't expect to become a star from the show. But Psi Factor has given me a lot of experience at being in front of the camera. And it could be a stepping stone for me to go into directing or producing." Clearly, Barclay Hope's tour of duty with the OSIR hasn't cost him his sense of humor. Nor has it made him a dyed-in-the-wool believer in all things paranormal and extraterrestrial. Instead, the actor continues to look at Psi Factor's subject manner with a healthy degree of curiosity and an open mind. "I do find some of the scripts quite unbelievable," he admits. "But it's the paranormal. Some people might say a man coming from 1644 might be a bit far-fetched, or that the episode about a creature who was a cross between an alligator and a bear sounds unbelievable. But who's to say it couldn't happen? You never know." Hope, a veteran actor, has appeared in films such as 'Dead Silence', 'Remembrance' and 'The High Price of Passion.' A complete filmography: -----------------> In addition to small- and big-screen productions, Barclay Hope appeared in 'The Heidi Chronicles' at Toronto's Royal Alexandria Theatre and the Manitoba Theatre Center. He also appeared in Theatre Direct's 'Getting Wrecked' and the Stratford Festival's 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Country Wife.' As well as an admitted sports nut, Hope is a devoted family man, raising three children with his wife, actress Lindsay Collins (Dr. Sandra Miles on Psi Factor seasons two and three). Their children, Sally, Maggie and Charlie, are ages 7, 5 and 3 respectively. |
