The Nicholas Lea Task Force

Updated December 6, 2000

 

News (updated December 6, 2000) Guidelines & Sample Letter

Mailing List Newsboard Other NL Links Disclaimer

Welcome to the NLTF webpage, created March 21, 1999 to build on the momentum
built from the Nick Lea/"Harsh Realm" letter campaign.

The goals of the Task Force are long-term. The NLTF was founded
to promote and support the career and talents of Canadian actor Nicholas Lea
in the roles he already plays (such as Krycek on "The X-Files"),
and those for which he is being considered.

 

To link to the NLTF - http://bounce.to/nltf

If the alias doesn't work:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Hollywood/Lot/8254/xfnltf.html

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News

December 6, 2000: Nick's latest film, "The Vertical Limit," will be released in theaters Friday, December 8. See it early and often.

August 24, 2000: "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" finally aired. Looks like our letters worked after all! :-D

May 26, 2000: Interview with Chris Carter sounds promising.

Spoiler alert: Haven's site was updated today with an article from this week's Entertainment Weekly transcribed by alfornos for which Chris Carter was interviewed. It is said that the producers "will also bulk up the roles of supporting characters like Skinner and Krycek (but not the Lone Gunmen, who will be starring in their own series)." We'll hold them to that. ;-> Of the contenders to replace Mulder, EW says, "NICHOLAS LEA UPSIDE The man behind Krycek- Cancer Man's former henchman - is a fan favorite to replace Duchovny."

May 16, 2000: X-Files to return for a eighth season

From the Hollywood Reporter: "X-Files" creator Chris Carter closed a deal late Monday with 20th Century Fox TV to return as executive producer of the Fox mainstay drama for one more season. "My preference is to shoot the show in Los Angeles, and I am currently working with the studio on that arrangement," said Carter. With Carter now on board for an eighth season, contract renewal and lawsuit settlement negotiations with star David Duchovny are expected to go down to the wire, prior to Fox's Thursday fall schedule unveiling in New York. In addition to settling his profit participation lawsuit against the studio, sources said Duchovny is negotiating for a big-bucks deal that would allow him to appear in six to nine episodes over the season. Co-star Gillian Anderson will return for a full season. (Anita M. Busch and Cynthia Littleton)

April 28, 2000: From NickLea.com - Nick was mentioned in the Friday, April 28 issue of USA Today:

Action: Tell us your movie hero:

Here's a chance to flex some muscle and tell Hollywood who should be the next big action hero. The old guard (Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone) don't quite have the same grip on the box office that they used to. And the action genre could use some fresh blood. So far, readers have sounded off about Asian martial-arts whiz Jet Li (Romeo Must Die), Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Angelina Jolie (video vixen Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider) and Ashley Judd (Double Jeopardy). A couple of TV newcomers also are coming on strong: Nicholas Lea (Krycek on The X-Files and the fall mountain-climbing thriller Vertical Limit) and David Boreanaz (the star of Angel). Let us know what fresh face you think would make a great action hero and explain your choice. May 11, 2000: Nick won the poll. His reaction and news about his next project are in today's USA Today (Page 5D of the print version).

April 21, 2000: Chris Carter gave a talk at the University of California at Santa Barbara. When asked about his favorite secondary characters he said, "Krycek because he's such a weasel." No one followed up to ask why he doesn't use his favorite secondary character more often...

Feb. 7, 2000: The following are excerpts from the online chat with Frank Spotnitz.
Transcript compiled by Dennis M. Wittig.

Q: is there a particular character you want to bring back before the series' end?

FS: "Krycek."

Q: Can we expect to see more of AD Skinner and Krycek regarding their strange tie?

FS: "I don't know what tie you're referring to, other than the fact that Skinner hates Krycek, but I would hope you would see more of both these characters. But again, if this is the last season, we only have a few more episodes to go.

Q: What about the nano-virus? Krycek has a tie to Skinner that way?

FS: "That is correct. A behind-the-scenes secret is that the actor who plays Krycek, Nick Lea, was in a feature film shooting in New Zealand for most of the last year. So that's a plot thread we've been unable to weave into our stories but now that the film is complete, we expect to pick it up again."

• Be polite. Yes, we're all disappointed that we haven't seen as much Nick this year, but statements like "The hell's the matter with you?!" probably won't win anyone over. SO
• Be positive. Emphasize that you've been making a point to watch Nick's episodes on the X-Files and that you definitely will watch anything else he's in.

Focus on what Nicholas Lea has brought to Krycek and Krycek's importance in the development of the mytharc. Right now there are rumors that the next movie will be an MOTW, but as far as I'm concerned, until shooting begins, we don't know that. And, think about it - "SR-819" fell into a gray area of stand-alone/possible mytharc, so who knows what Chris Carter has in mind for the next movie? So, I know in my letter I'm certainly expressing my hope to see more Krycek in Season 8, the Lone Gunmen series and/or the upcoming movie franchise.

• Mention Nick/Krycek's demographic appeal. Nick's got more than his share of female fans, but a great number of that all-important 18-49 male demographic think that Krycek's one of the best villains "The X-Files" has, and you should stress that. If you have a male spouse, partner, friend, what-have-you, print out a letter for him to sign, too.
• If you own a Nielson-box, mention that. 'Nuff said.
• Persuade other X-Files fans to send in their letters (especially the males!). Write your letters and get your friends and spouses and co-workers who watch "The X-Files" to write or sign letters too!
• Do not mention any Internet affiliations. Executives are known to ignore Internet campaigns, so represent yourself and yourself only - no mailing lists, no fanfic affiliations. Especially do not mention the NLTF!

Dear Chris Carter,

I am writing to tell you how much I enjoy the X-Files. It is not often that a television series can maintain the level of quality that the X-Files has for as long as it has. In my opinion, the last show that did so was Hill Street Blues, and it did it through solid plots, good character development and interaction. The X-Files manages this but also has the extra element of mystery.

It is extremely difficult for any genre to carry a plot based on a mystery for a long time, only certain novelists have been able to do it and certainly, no original television series ever has; until the X-Files. You should be proud of the achievement because it is phenomenal.

I think a large part of this phenomenon is the excellent work done by the actors/actresses who work on the show. Moreover, I feel that the character who most personifies the mystery that is the show's trademark is Alex Krycek as played, perfectly I might add, by Nicholas Lea.

Krycek is a character we know very little about, but Mr. Lea has made him one of the most intriguing, enigmatic and darksome character ever on television, I think. We never know what Krycek will do next nor have we ever known what his motivations are. In most characters, this would have become boring probably wooden and very annoying after all this time. However, Mr. Lea has kept the character fresh and alive for us. I hope that in the future we will see more of Alex Krycek - perhaps even in an episode of his own - and the very talented Nicholas Lea who portrays him so brilliantly.

Sincerely,

XXXXX

"Out of a cloud of dust, Krycek will walk," predicts Dean Haglund of the show's ultimate rogue, the one-armed Rat Boy. Bruce Harwood agrees: "He might have only one leg left, but he'll be the last one standing." - Entertainment Weekly, February 5, 1999

"My theory is that the world will collapse. Armageddon. And there'll just be Krycek standing there with a cockroach on his prosthetic arm." - Chris Owens,The Toronto Sun

"'There are no bigger fans of Nick Lea than us, as evidenced by our long association with him on "The X-Files... We're still hoping that we will find another project for Nick because we think he's a star. Hopefully that project will come up before somebody else snatches him away from us." - Frank Spotnitz, The Official X-Files Magazine, No. 10

• Post - I'm not sure how high this ranks on the visibility totem pole, but you can show your support and talk up Krycek. Posting on newsgroups like alt.tv.x-files (which is widely known to be read by employees of Ten Thirteen), which you can access through Yahoo and Deja News.
  
• Email Fox - The easiest, though not necessarily most effective way, would be to email Fox. The address at FOX Broadcasting is askfox@foxinc.com. But it has been said that emails tend to be ignored since they're too easy to send and not exactly verifiable (not to mention easily discarded!). And really, if you're going to take the time to write an email, you might as well take the time to print it and plunk down 33 cents to send it.

Disclaimer: The Nicholas Lea Task Force is not affiliated with or authorized by Nicholas Lea, Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions or 20th Century Fox in any way. This is solely an individual, unofficial and non-profit endeavor. The acronym NLTF and its associated definitions are the property of Emile St. Claire. All rights reserved. Copyright Emile St. Claire ©1999-2000.