How Christopher Judge Really Felt About Working With Louis Gossett Jr. On Stargate SG-1

"Stargate SG-1" had some impressive guest stars throughout its 10 season run. Take Louis Gossett Jr., who passed away in March 2024 at the age of 87, for example. The veteran star played Jaffa politician Gerak in five episodes during season 9 but had been acting for decades by the time he debuted on "SG-1." 

Appearing in plays throughout the 1960s, Gossett Jr. came to prominence in the 1970s, landing the role of Fiddler in 1977 TV miniseries "Roots" and earning himself an Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series. After that early triumph, he continued to appear in films and TV series, most notably playing Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in Taylor Hackford's 1982 romantic drama "An Officer and a Gentleman." For his performance, Gossett Jr, won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the first Black actor to win the award in that category (according to Matthew Modine, he also cost R. Lee Ermey his Oscar for "Full Metal Jacket.") Gossett continued to rack up awards nominations in the years after, too, receiving significant recognition from the Emmys for multiple performances all the way up to the 2019 HBO "Watchmen" series in which he played Will Reeves/Hooded Justice. His TV credits also include "Bonanza," "The Jeffersons," "Boardwalk Empire," and, of course, "Stargate SG-1."

By the time he came to that sci-fi series, then, he was a veteran actor with an esteemed filmography to his name. While his role as Gerak "SG-1" won't be remembered with quite the same reverence as his Oscar-winning portrayal of a drill sergeant or his multiple Emmy-nominated performances, it certainly meant a lot to "Stargate" cast member Christopher Judge, who had known Gossett for some time before he appeared on the show.

Christopher Judge's Teal'c was always a fan-favorite character. The Jaffa warrior actually had the most appearances in "Stargate SG-1" which alongside his memorable forehead symbol made him the de facto face of the series. Judge seemed to genuinely love playing the character, too. In fact, he seemed to love simply being a part of "SG-1" and has spoken fondly of his favorite episodes and the good times he had shooting them. The series also allowed him to work alongside his longtime pal Louis Gossett Jr. for the first time.

The trailblazing actor played Gerak, leader of the new Free Jaffa Nation — a group of Jaffa who formed a nation on the planet Dakara after the Goa'uld were defeated. The statesman had several disagreements with Teal'c over how the new nation should be governed, though he ultimately proved himself to be a true ally, sacrificing himself to help Stargate Command. Throughout the storyline, there was clear tension between Gerak and Teal'c, but Gossett Jr. and Judge were actually quite close.

In an interview with IGN, Judge revealed that he'd known Gossett Jr. for around 13 years prior to his appearance on "SG-1." In that time, however, the two had never worked together. As such, Judge was absolutely delighted to finally share the screen with his buddy, and had nothing but praise for Gossett Jr. Asked what it was like to finally work with the actor, Judge said:

"Lou casts a very large shadow, you know, and he is just a spectacular human being — caring, loving, giving. It was wonderful to work with him, but not only to work with him, but see how he interacts with people, to see the reverence that he gives everyone, just such a great model of how we should treat people on set and everyday life, wherever you are, the way that he respects and truly loves and cares about every person he comes across. He's a really, really deep man."