Deep Space Nine Actor James Darren Talks Playing Vic Fontaine and Acting with Avery Brooks
“I remember the good times I had hanging out at the lounge at the Sands with Frank, Sammy, Nancy Jr.”
James Darren, who is known for portraying Vic Fontaine on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, recently caught up with the official Star Trek franchise website, StarTrek.com, to discuss his experience filming Season 7, Episode 15, “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang,” in which holographic mobsters’ takeover Fontaine’s lounge. Written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler, the episode is an ode to classic casino heist films and a favorite among fans.
Although the Las Vegas-inspired episode is now a fan favorite, it was considered a risk at the time and surprised the cast of DS9. The Vic Fontaine actor told StarTrek.com interviewer Jay Stobie, “The idea of doing ‘Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang’ came as a surprise to the entire cast, but Ira is never short on surprises. He comes up with these wonderful ideas that you just can’t believe. I learned about that show when everybody else did, maybe a week or so before we received the scripts. The concept was thrilling to me, I loved it.”
Darren continued, saying it “brought him back” to an era he knew well. “Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. — they were all friends to me,” he added. “I remember the good times I had hanging out at the lounge at the Sands [Hotel and Casino] with Frank, Sammy, Nancy [Sinatra] Jr., and lots of Frank’s other friends after his show. I’d give up a year of my life to spend just a week back there, that’s how special those times were.”
James Darren: ‘I Loved… Everybody.’
Darren also discussed his experiences on set with the cast and crew of DS9, saying that the crew showed their appreciation for Vic both on and off the screen. The actor said that the entire cast and crew made him feel as if he “had been there for years,” from the moment he stepped foot on set to film his first episode, “His Way.” From there, Darren continued to develop deeper relationships with the rest of the cast. “I loved… everybody,” he told StarTrek.com. “There wasn’t a single person who I didn’t have a good relationship with, whether it was on the set, on screen, or off. They were all incredibly considerate and kind, to say the least.”
Darren continued, opening up about his relationship with the actor who played Commander Benjamin Sisko, “Avery [Brooks] was very private and kept to himself, but I [like to think] he could feel from me that there was not an iota of prejudice in my body. You read people by talking to them and being with them, and I think that’s why Avery opened up to me. Avery had a lot of say in all the shows — he was the main star. He could have really resisted [doing the episode] due to all of the horrible racism.”
“Avery is an incredibly talented guy,” Darren added. “His roots as a singer are in jazz, but he’s also a wonderful pianist and a terrific musician. My favorite performance that I got to do on DS9 was the duet with Avery. I really had fun singing and interacting with him. Every feeling you saw on screen was real. It wasn’t our characters, it was Avery and me.”