Julie Benz’s work ranges from the bloody-entertaining Dexter to female leads in action films such as Rambo and Punisher: War Zone. She’s now adding another action film to her resume with The Boondock Saints: All Saints Day. She’s a new character for the Boondock world, but is connected through Willem Dafoe’s character from the first film. Benz declares this as new territory for her and yet it will still go down as another geek-friendly film under her filmography.
The Film Stage: So how did you get the part?
Julie Benz: They sent me a script and I had an audition for a movie called All Saints Day, but I was not aware about Boondock Saints at all. I didn’t even know it was a sequel. I went in auditioned for it, got to meet with Troy and I really liked the character a lot. I thought Eunice Bloom was a very rare character to come along — at least in my career. She’s a woman in a movie that isn’t a victim or a love interest. She’s a total bad ass and that for me was a huge reason why I wanted to play her and work with Troy as well. He has a very clear vision for what he wants and what he was expecting. He just made it easier to walk into the role. It wasn’t until after I got the part that I started telling people I was doing the sequel to Boondock Saints and people started freaking out. I started to realize the insanity of it all (laughs).
TFS: Can you talk about how it was on set? I’ve heard that it was very family-like environment.
JB: Well yeah, everybody has known each other for a very long time. I think for like almost ten years except for me. (laughs) I didn’t know anybody. I was a total Boondock Saints virgin coming in. It was a very warm set. They all enjoy working together and they all have great friendships. I don’t understand all the inside jokes, but thats OK since they made me feel very much included and apart of the family.
TFS: I don’t want to say your role is intended to fill the shoes of Willem Dafoe since some people are saying that…
JB: I know right! (laughs) Except he’s got big feet and I don’t. You know, I seriously hope people don’t look at it that way since I can’t fill those shoes. He’s Willem Dafoe and I don’t know anyone who can fill them. Eunice is a protege of his and at the end of the day I think she stands all on her own about the way she is and how she fits in the story. Thats how I kind of try to look at it and separate her from that, because if I focus too much on trying to fill Willem Dafoe’s shoes I would probably have died of a heart attack by now. Probably the second day of filming. (laughs) So yeah, I think Eunice stands on her own, serves her own purpose in the story and has different purpose than the one Smecker had.
TFS: Would you say this role differs from your past roles?
JB: Definitely. I think this is my first role where you don’t see any of me in it at all. Nothing, absolutely nothing of Julie Benz is in this role. This is the fantasy me. (laughs) She’s funny and she’s got these funny little physical quirks. She’s just a total sex pot bad ass and it’s a lot of fun to play that. I’m usually the love interest or the victim so it was nice to just play a man as a woman.
TFS: Can you talk about the challenges of TV to film? I don’t want to sound like a suck up, but I think you’ve done a good job by moving into film.
JB: Thank you. I don’t see much of a difference between the two. My work is the same whether I’m being captured for television or film. I’m still doing the same work as an actor. I’m attracted to really great roles and I think I’ve been very lucky — especially in television. From going to play Darla in Buffy and Angel to playing Rita on Dexter, I feel like in many ways I must have sold my soul some where along the line (laughs) to be able to go off and do movies during hiatus is great. The great thing about working on a television show is we have eight months off so I am available to do movies. I did five movies during the last hiatus. It’s exciting and fun being able to do both while being able to change it up.
TFS: How do you usually prepare for a role? Do you just get it on the spot or do some prep beforehand?
JB: Um, it’s a mix of both. It’s a mix of doing prep and sometimes just jumping in and doing it. There was a lot of technical prep I had to do playing Eunice — the accent specifically and as well as the gun-twirling. So that’s something that had to be worked on almost every single night. I had to work very hard on the accent and I Skyped every night with my dialect coach. The gun-twirling as well — those things are unavoidable and I couldn’t just wing it. I mean it was really just being able to be so relaxed on set so you can really deal with what’s going on in the given circumstances. For me, I had to be so on it so the accent didn’t seem like an accent. You know what I mean?
TFS: Yeah, so it wouldn’t seem like a caricature.
JB: Yes, exactly. The accent had to seem normal and not like as if I’m just talking with an accent. (laughs) So this movie definitely… I know that everybody in the film was going out and having a good time while I was in my hotel room studying, studying and studying. That’s what this role required from me and to me that was a challenge — which is what I love about filmmaking.
TFS: You seem to be a very geek-friendly actor in the terms of your genre work, are those roles you try to seek down?
JB: (laughs) Yeah I love being a part of genre cult projects, I don’t know how exactly to refer to them. I find for me as an actor that the roles are actually much richer and creative roles. I don’t necessarily go out and seek out this genre, but what I find is the type of roles I’m attracted to and the things I like to do as an actor happen to be in this genre. What I love about it is the community thats created outside of it and that the fans are as just passionate about the product as we are making it. Then this whole community can arise out of it and people can come from all around the world to show their love for a television show. I’ve been to those Buffy and Angel conventions and it’s insane. To be a part of that over and over again I also find that the fans are very loyal and will follow you anywhere. (laughs) I love that, I love that they’re just into it and not your regular jaded viewing audience. They’re into it and they ask smarter questions than most journalists ask.
TFS: Ah (laughs).
JB: (laughs) Not to insult you, but you know what I’m saying. It’s a very intelligent crowd and group who’s just passionate and into it. They’re just very thoughtful about what they want to ask and what they want to hear. It’s a really amazing community. I love the feedback and being able to go to a place like Comic-Con to meet the fans and to have that… You get so much from that energy.
TFS: So going in you didn’t really know how big the fan base was for this?
JB: No, I didn’t going into it — no. I see it more and more with how much I told people about it and with being asked for tickets to the premiere. (laughs) So I’ve learned more about the insanity of it and at Comic-Con, that was like the craziest panel. I’m a Comic-Con pro and I’ve gone there for many years and that’s the first time I’ve seen people just frosting-up the mouth. I thought a lot of them were going to pee their pants. (laughs) That was insane to be a part of that energy created in that room.
TFS: What was the toughest scene to shoot? Did you do your own stunts?
JB: I would say the toughest scene to shoot… I would mean the cowgirl scene with the pistols and stuff I had to work very hard on how to twirl those pistols. They handed the pistols to me and I’ve never fired one before. I didn’t know what type of kickback the gun had and I had to cock the gun back fast as things are exploding by my feet. There’s a lot going on. You only get one or two takes so you don’t get a lot of time to mess around. That was pretty nerve-racking.
TFS: I’ve heard actors say when they do scenes like that they think it’s most likely going to make them look silly. Is that the case with you?
JB: Yeah, I mean I always trust… Maybe I’m just always naive, but I trust that the director is not going to make me look stupid. There were a few moments where Troy did push me out of my comfort zone in this movie and there were moments where I knew I was either going to love it or hate it. I’m actually glad he did push me out of my comfort zone.
TFS: Is that something you find refreshing though as an actor? Being pushed out of your comfort zone?
JB: Yeah, I think thats how you grow as an actor as well. I think for the first time with Eunice Bloom you don’t see Julie Benz at all. I can’t say that about my other characters. With my other characters there’s always some sort of habit or movement that’s just me. In Eunice, there’s nothing about Eunice thats me. No tick or nothing.
TFS: You’ve also done a good amount of action films with Rambo, Punisher and now this. Is that something you want to continue doing since it seems like you’re an action fan?
JB: Yeah, I actually really enjoy working in action films because I enjoy challenging myself physically as well as emotionally. When I was doing Rambo I would come home every night completely exhausted, wounded and not knowing how I was going to pull myself together for the next day. Then I would pull myself out of bed so excited to go to work and do it again. I would come home every night dirty, smelly and exhausted but I’d wake up the next day excited about getting dirty, exhausted and smelly. It challenges you on so many levels physically and emotionally.
TFS: I actually like Rambo. It’s a really well-made action movie.
JB: Yeah, I actually think they shot over a million feet of film. I don’t know how they managed to edit it all down to what they did. It was insane. We were working insane hours and towards the end we working almost everyday as much as we could possibly work. When you shoot an action film you just need to get all those pieces otherwise it looks cheap.
TFS: You know he’s working on another Rambo right?
JB: Yes.
TFS: I don’t know if he could fit your character into the new story, but would that be something you’d want to do?
JB: I would do it again in a heartbeat. There’s a rumor floating around that I’m in it and I have not been approached. (laughs) I wish it was true and I wish I could say,”yes I’m in the next Rambo,” but I have not been approached. I would do it in a heartbeat to work with Stallone again. He’s a great director to work with and is an amazing filmmaker. I would do it in heartbeat.
TFS: You also did The Punisher which was a fun movie that a lot fans liked. What do you think of that one looking back?
JB: Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed the whole experience and I felt like I was in a comic book. It’s just such a cool feeling when you feel like you’re in this whole other world. I thought it was really well done. Unfortunately, it didn’t open very well. It was kind of the wrong weekend to open it.
TFS: I didn’t understand that December release date.
JB: Yeah I didn’t understand it either. But overall, I thought it was done very well. I think Ray Stevenson is great and Dominic West.
TFS: What can fans expect from Dexter coming up?
JB: Yeah, we have a really great season this year. It goes up into this great crescendo of a finale which is very shocking. It’s amazing and our best season.
TFS: I’ve heard this season is going to end with a pretty big cliffhanger.
JB: There is a cliffhanger this season. Yes.
TFS: (laughs) Can’t give away too much?
JB: I’m not allowed, they’ll shoot me! I can’t reveal.
Check out previous interviews here and come back for more leading up to The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, which hits theaters October 30th.