As it happens, Joan Chen was considered, but not available.

And as stated above, we are going to have a mix of things on the
show...older women, older men, as much as possible. (I have yet to hear
anyone complain about the drop-dead *guys* on the show, btw.) My own sense is
that they look good, but they're neither hunks on the one hand, or bimbos on
the other. Yes, they're attractive, sometimes in quirky ways. Sinclair has a
dent in his forehead, his nose has been broken, he's craggy looking...but it
works, and comes across attractively.

One thing that I want to reinforce here is that this is a *pilot*, and is
not intended to represent what will be done in every single show. It's
intended mainly to get the ball rolling and introduce the main characters and
the world they inhabit. And, one hopes, tell a story. Be assured that over
the course of the series, there will be PLENTY of diversity. What you're
asking for is something that's already been considered, worked out, and
implemented.

(A pilot also exists, btw, so you can fall on your face in some places,
learn from the error, and move on, correcting them in the series.)

Overall, I think we came out quite well. Most of the concerns that I've
heard are more along the lines of seeing MORE. And one can't get a five-year
story into one movie, you have to spread these things out. That it makes
people want more of one thing or another, I think, speaks well.

Two last points: to the implied question above, yes, I compose all of my
replies on-line, off the cuff. If I didn't, I'd never reply at all.

Also, I just want to make sure that our director, Richard Compton, gets
sufficient credit for what has been seen. Much of the visual style and
sensibility _ the majority of it, in many cases _ is his. We absolutely
could never have done it without him.

jms