From Helena, "queen of denile and useless trivia"

Did you know (and probably you did) that one of the runner ups for the role of Galen  AND Maximilian was ..........

Wayne Alexander?

From the TNT Crusade web site:

"As an employee of InterPlanetary Expeditions, Eilerson has only one real question: how much money can an artifact bring on the open market? He is mercenary, cynical, self-serving ... and those are his more pleasant qualities. But, as an archaeologist and as a linguist beyond compare - Eilerson often translates as he hears a spoken language! - he is a necessary evil whom Capt. Gideon is willing to put up with."

From JMS himself from the Babylon 5 Magazine:

"Max Eilerson, attached to the Excalibur by Interplanetary Expeditions (which as a multi-planetary corporation, certainly mourns the situation in which Earth finds herself, but life goes on, business goes on, and listen, while you're out there on the edge of what's known, if you happen to find anything we could turn to our own profit, you know what to do)..."

Exerts from the Sci-Fi Talk interview:

When asked what inspired him to play Max, his answer was: "I basically went between a combination between a fashion designer and fascist."

From the same interview:

"He's described as brilliant. Which I'm not. Don't tell anyone though. The fact that he was so satiric. He was in to this beat language mysticism. He was really much the linguist and very much the archeologist and very brilliant and that should be enough. And people should make way for this and when they didn't, the social skills obviously fell down. I think that the fascist part was mainly ... I'm telling you stuff you already know ... The fascist and the fashion designer ... He was like elegant, he had his own sense of things. He wasn't socially skilled. He wasn't a nerd. That wasn't how quite I saw him. I saw him as just offended as Hell."

And more:

"There's a leak in the volcano of my life and that is my wife. Maybe a relationship that I had with a pet. Basically she see what was inside and basically got through the armor. That was one of my meltdown points. But ninety percent of the rest of my world is pretty much functional. Because I'm an agnostic and because of my point view on things. Get as much as you can done for yourself and maybe for others if it works and pays for itself. Live your life to the fullest in that context. He's pretty much a capitalist in space."

Carrie Dobro answers a question on a TNT chat:

Iocane: Carrie, Do you think that, if the show continues, there's potential for Max and Dureena?
Carrie Dobro: Max and Dureena have such an interesting relationship ... they seem to be at odds with everything they do, believe in etc.... their relationship fascinates me because underneath it all they do have some respect and admiration for each other ... very interesting relationship. somehow, I don't see Dureena getting romantically involved with anyone on the ship except maybe Dr. Chambers (that would be a joke, of course). but who know, it's a bold new universe out there in JMS's mind and anything is possible.

Carrie Dobro's comment on the Tango scene in "Ruling from the Tomb" and Dureena's relationship with Max ... Taken from Sci-fi tv August 1999

"This episode of Crusade, shows a very different side of Dureena, as she finds herself caught up in a series of misadventures with Max Eilerson.  It's a big deal for her, because you see her lightening up a little bit, you've never seen her light before.  She always been intense."

"I think she likes everyone, even Eilerson and what she sees as his cowardice, so
they quibble a lot, but deep down, she does care about him."

Comments on Max and the drunks ... Taken from Sci Fi Tv October 1999:

"That was one of shows that very specifically went in a different direction.  It showed Max getting drunk and hanging out with his friends and then dealing with those big guys- obviously he wasn't going to get anywhere physically even with what he knew about martial arts.  This was definitely a time to use his social skills, which are minimal but he made these guys content enough to start dealing with him.  He got to be friends with them, so that was an interesting turnaround."