Joe Morton is best known as an actor, but every once in a while he likes to step behind the camera, too. And so it is that the Eureka star has called the shots for the first time on an episode of the popular Syfy show. His episode, "Have an Ice Day," will premiere on Friday, Sept. 11, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

"Basically the story is there's a virus, a very particular kind of virus that takes over the town, and when this virus comes along it causes an ice age," Morton said during an exclusive telephone interview late last month. "I loved directing the episode. I've directed before; not our show, but I directed an episode of TriBeCa when I was on that, and I'd also directed a small independent film [Sunday on the Rocks] a few years ago."

Morton added, "I was very happy this opportunity came up, and actually I'm trying to put myself in a position to do more. It's a very different thing when you're creating the world as opposed to when you're just part of the world. I love the detail of it, the problem-solving of it, and I love working with actors. So it was a real joy. I had a great time doing it on Eureka."

Discussing his episode in more depth, Morton explained that the series has an established look and a certain feel that carries across each hour. As a result, it was his mission to push and pull things where he could, but also to hand the producers and editor something that would still be recognizable as an installment of Eureka.

"I wanted to make sure there was a lot of movement, in terms of use of the camera," he said. "The idea of entrances and exits [from scenes] was very important to me. I found a new way for Colin [Ferguson] to get up to the main office in Global Dynamics. The story we connected the same sort of way, where somebody's in jeopardy and Colin's job is to save them. We had a great deal of fun because of all the ice. And Taggart [the recurring veterinarian character played by Matt Frewer] is reintroduced in my show, and that was a lot of fun."