Julie Benz

Most people remember Benz as Darla from Buffy and Angel, but she’s moved on to the glamorous world of premium cable, where curse words and mature themes know no shame! I, for one, applaud her, and so should you, because she is absolutely killing it as Rita, the title character’s timid and sexually dysfunctional girlfriend on Dexter, the best show on TV about a blood-spatter expert for the Miami PD who moonlights as a serial killer. Yeah, okay, it’s also the only show about that, but it still rules!

Lucky for me (and, dare I say, Ms. Benz as well), I was able to have a chat with her last week about her role on the show and how it compares with other work she’s done, as well as upcoming roles she has on the horizon — including a potential music video starring her and my buddy Allen. "Potential," I said. She hasn’t gotten back to me yet. Maybe she changed her number again, that rascal!

Mr. S: Hello?

Julie Benz: Hi, is this Dave?

Mr. S: Yeah, this is Dave.

Benz: Hi, it’s Julie Benz.

Mr. S: Hi, Julie, how are you?

Benz: I’m good, how are you?

Mr. S: I’m good. What’s going on? [pause] Can you hear me?

Benz: Oh, yeah, I can hear you.

Mr. S: Okay, sorry about that.

Benz: Hold on a second. I have a little dog that is barking. Stop it!

Mr. S: [giggles]

Benz: He does this when I get on the phone.

Mr. S: All righty. So how are you?

Benz: I’m good, how are you?

Mr. S: I’m good. First of all, thank you for doing this. It’s really great to be able to speak to you.

Benz: It’s no problem! I’m a big fan.

Mr. S: Oh, really? Great!

Benz: Yeah!

Mr. S: Also, congratulations on your Golden Satellite Award. That’s pretty exciting.

Benz: Oh, thank you!

Mr. S: I’m sorry I didn’t get to congratulate you until now, but you know...maybe if you returned some of my messages...

Benz: Yeah, my number changed.

Mr. S: Yeah, okay. Whatever. So, yeah, let’s just get started. So, what was it that drew you to Dexter in the first place? I don’t remember seeing you on Oz, so how did you get the gig?

Benz: [giggles] No, you know what? They sent me the script and I read it and it’s the type of material that I love to read, and I knew it was going to be the type of show that, as an audience member, I love to watch. I love the whole moral ambiguity about it, and how you just find yourself rooting for this guy who’s, you know, a serial killer. It really calls into question your own moral code. And that really...that kind of dark element really attracted me to the script.

Mr. S: I’ll bet. Definitely one of my favorite aspects of the show is the moral ambiguity that you just mentioned, you know, how —

Benz: I think, you know, that...I mean, I love watching television, I’m a big fan of television, but I don’t like shows that tell me how to think.

Mr. S: Right.

Benz: You know, I don’t like being manipulated into having...I mean, there are a lot of shows that do kind of do that, but I like to be mentally stimulated and challenged when I watch TV, and I think Dexter really challenges you.

Mr. S: Absolutely. I could not agree more. It’s also pretty clear that Dexter has become of Showtime’s flagship shows, and it’s a great example of how the network is stepping up its game in terms of original programming. Did you know as soon as you joined the cast, or even beforehand, that it was going to as...I guess, sort of, important as it is?

Benz: Well, I’ve been a fan of Bob Greenblatt’s for a long time, and when he took over Showtime, I was very excited. I think he’s a brilliant man, you know, as far as picking programming and the shows that he has ushered through. I was a big fan of Six Feet Under, which was his show, so yeah. I thought it was going to be good, I really did, from day one. I really did think it was going to be as big as it is. But, then again, I think that about a lot of shows.

Mr. S: Right. Had you read Jeff Lindsay’s novels — I mean, when you got the part, did you read the novels before you started shooting, or...have you still not read them? I’ve always been curious about that.

Benz: We were actually told not to read them, but, of course, I don’t listen to authority, and I did read them. I read both of them, and I really liked both of them a lot. I actually can’t wait for the third one to come out.

Mr. S: Yeah, that’s coming out pretty soon, isn’t it?

Benz: Yes.

Mr. S: Like, I think next month?

Benz: I think so, yes.

Mr. S: Okay. Um, now, obviously, in the adaptation of the novel to at least the first season, there’s going to be some differences. I personally haven’t read the novel yet, it’s actually sitting here on my nightstand, but I’ve got about five other things I need to read first. In your perception, what were the main...what were the biggest differences between the novel and how the first season ended up?

Benz: Um...the first season used the novel as a guideline, and there were a lot of similarities, but also, I mean, everything that happened to Rita in the novel is what happened in the pilot. So, basically, Rita’s whole storyline was created by the writers of the show. So, that’s a big difference. I mean, the basics were there: the abusive ex-husband, the kids, and her sexual dysfunction was all a part of the first novel, but pretty much all the scenes that took place in the pilot episode were taken from the first novel. From Episode Two on, it’s all created by the writers.

Mr. S: Oh, okay. That’s pretty interesting. I’ve actually heard that Paul, the ex-husband, doesn’t really have much of a physical presence in the novel at all.

Benz: No, none at all. No physical presence. And also, in the novel, Rita’s an exercise fanatic, and they didn’t use that at all in the series. Although, I am an exercise fanatic, so it’s kind of weird.

Mr. S: Speaking of Paul again, you know, at the end of the first season there’s a bit of a cliffhanger when Rita’s character finds Paul’s shoe out in the driveway. Um, is there anything you can tell us about what that development leads to in this season?

Benz: Um, we definitely deal with it at some point... [laughs]

Mr. S: Okay, well, if you can’t spoil anything, I’m not going to ask you to.

Benz: Agh, my dog just bit me, I’m sorry.

Mr. S: Oh, that’s all right.

Benz: Um, no, I don’t want to spoil it, but it definitely gets dealt with in a very creative way.

Mr. S: Okay. Yeah, I’ve always been very curious about what Rita’s reaction would be if she were to find out what Dexter does. You know, going back to that sort of moral ambiguity discussion...just because she’s someone who’s dealt with so much violence in her life, I’ve always been curious about how she would feel. I would imagine she would be a very conflicted character when it comes to that sort of thing, because Dexter is obviously someone who is...he "takes out the trash," but he’s still killing people, so I’ve always thought that she would have the most interesting reaction to finding out what it is that he does.

Benz: Yes, and Rita’s driven now by protecting the children, at this point, and I think she would do whatever it took to protect her children.

Mr. S: Right, no, I totally agree. That always seems to be her biggest motivation, especially, you know...even early on, in the first season...it’s the first time we see Paul’s life seeping back in, when one of his, I guess, "cronies" comes by and he needs money for some cocaine, and it’s a very sort of...you see Rita very on edge, and her first instinct is to, you know, just make the situation go away. She just doesn’t want to have that be a part of her life anymore.

Benz: Yes, and she does suffer a lot of guilt for exposing her children for as long as they were exposed to the violence of Paul. I mean, they witnessed the beatings and the rages and all of that, and she does suffer a lot of guilt from that.

Mr. S: And you definitely play that very well, and it’s something that comes across perfectly.

Benz: Thank you!

Mr. S: But it’s also subtle — I mean, I’m not trying to kiss your ass or anything, but it’s a very delicate performance and it requires that because there are a lot of layers to her emotional range. …Continuing on with the theme of violence, there’s a scene in the pilot episode where Rita and Dexter are sitting in the car, and they’re discussing the Ice Truck Killer, and Dexter, who’s clearly excited by the conversation, grabs Rita’s thigh very sexually and aggressively. I was hoping you could discuss your perception of the role of violence in the show, not just in terms of what Dexter does, but really as it pertains to Rita and Dexter’s relationship and love life. You know, if you wanted to elaborate on that at all.

Benz: Well, I think in that scene especially, um, he...his perception of what’s going on is...he sort of...sees her thigh, there, and he still fascinated with how the Ice Truck Killer was able to make such clean cuts, so in a way, she becomes this sort of inanimate object and he’s just trying to figure out how the killer did...that. Rita just sees it as a sexual advance.

Mr. S: Right. And at that point, I believe, you say, "Oh, dammit, Dexter," and you sort of exit the car rather...briskly, and, you know, it’s just interesting to see Dexter sort of processing that, as his real connection to sexuality is through...his fascination. It’s a very cerebral connection with this kind of violence.

Benz: What’s fantastic about it, in a way, is...Dexter has been, um... It’s hard to talk about other characters, but Dexter’s been kind of asexual up to this point. He’s had sex, but his focus has been...I perceive it almost as if his focus has been...his sexual focus, his sexual energy has been channelled into killing, and so that kind of makes him asexual as far as actual sex goes. And then, all of a sudden, here’s Rita, and she feels like he wants to take their relationship to the next level, but she’s not ready. There’s really that conflict of, like, all of a sudden he’s being faced with, "Wow," you know...it’s so hard to explain.

Mr. S: I know, well, there’s a lot of murky areas, that’s why the show is good. You know, it’s kind of hard to discuss in depth without sort of fumbling on your own words because you’re still trying to figure out what’s happening inside some of these people’s heads.

Benz: Yeah, and you know, she really...I think in the pilot episode you really see her struggling to take their relationship to the next step even though she’s not really ready. He’s not even asking that of her, but she doesn’t know. She thinks that’s what he’s asking of her, but he’s not. It’s that delicate balance between the two of them in that relationship: her perception of what he wants, and his perception of what she wants that are sort of coming from different sides, as he’s just trying to keep her, you know, from early on as sort of the perfect cover, and thinks that, you know, God, they’ve been together for a while now and this is the next step, but she’s not ready because, you know, the last time she had sex, she was raped. But she wants to keep him because he’s a good man, and he’s good to her kids, and she does have feelings for him, so she’s kind of willing to go there for him, even though she’s not ready. And he’s like, "Whoa," out of left field.

Mr. S: And there’s a lot of stuff that seems to be pretty unspoken between the two characters, that you guys really play so well. You and Michael C. Hall really seem to share an enormous chemistry on-screen, and I’ve always wondered...it seems to me, and I’ve had trouble trying to word this question before this interview, but I’m going to try to kind of wing it right now. It seems that, in order to forward the plot, in certain ways, you need to have certain reactions caught on-screen. But I can imagine it can get rather exhausting on the set, you know, doing take after take of the same scene and trying to reach the same emotional level that’s required for some of these reactions. How do you stay in it after so long, especially after a long day at the set — what are some things you do to keep yourself in the scene without exhausting yourself emotionally?

Benz: Well, I keep things pretty light in between takes. I like to joke around, and have a little bit of fun, and that, for me, helps to diffuse any type of, um, heavy emotional crap I have to dig up. I mean, it helps if I make a lot of jokes with the crew and other cast members all the way up until they yell, "Action," pretty much. And then, it’s like, "Whoosh, focus." Hold on, I have a puppy and he’s biting me.

Mr. S: Okay, take your time, it’s fine.

Benz: So, that’s pretty much how I handle it. I feel like, when you work with someone like Michael C. Hall, who really is...I mean, he’s a maestro, he really is. He is just...he’s so brilliant. And to have him as your scene partner...all I have to do is to be relaxed enough to really just be in the moment with him.

Mr. S: Right, and to react honestly.

Benz: Yes! And it’s amazing how things just naturally happen, and the emotional shifts just kind of flow, and it’s all pretty much because of his performance. He’s just so present as an actor in a scene, I mean, he really connects with you, and you feel it, and it’s very rare to work with an actor like that. I feel like he does ninety percent of my job. I mean, I come into it with my ideas and my thoughts and feelings, but I have no preconceived notion of how the scene’s going to play out until I start working with him, and I can just let it flow the way it’s naturally meant to flow.

Mr. S: Well, that’s the best way to do it, it seems.

Benz: Yeah, well, no amount of preparation prepares me for when I arrive on set and get to work opposite him, because I’m constantly discovering surprises in each and every scene with him.

Mr. S: That’s great!

Benz: It’s such a joy to be able to work with someone of his caliber. He’s so dedicated to the role, and so committed in the way he approaches a script...I mean, in that scene we were talking about, where he slices my thigh?

Mr. S: Right.

Benz: Originally it was written that he grabs and kisses me, and it wasn’t working in rehearsal. We couldn’t make it work. And finally, he stopped and he said, "What if I just...sliced her thigh?" And it just opened the scene up in a whole different way, and all of a sudden, it worked.

Mr. S: I can imagine. I feel, just thinking about that scene right now, if you guys had actually done the kiss, it seems like that would have been overkill, in a way. It’s almost like it’s grabbing for too much, when it’s really not about the kiss.

Benz: You know, it was just one of those scenes where neither one of us could make it work. Something just didn’t feel organic about it. And then he just said, "What if I sliced your thigh?" And all of a sudden it just opened up and flowed. That’s the brilliance of his mind, how well he understands Dexter...I just look to him as my leader.

Mr. S: Well, that’s really great, but I gotta tell you, it’s not like you’re phoning it in, I mean, I’m immensely impressed with your performance as well.

Benz: Ooooh, well, thank you! No, I definitely don’t phone it in, I mean, you can’t phone that in. I mean, Rita...she definitely is...close to me as far as the vulnerability of her, and the insecurity of her. It is definitely, I mean, it’s magnified in her, but it’s things that I struggle with on a daily basis, and living within that vulnerability. Now, I have great coping mechanisms to kind of cover that up, which Rita doesn’t really have...I mean, she’s been through a hell of a lot more than I’ve ever been through, but once I’m able to tap into that side of myself, you know...and when I work on the show, I’m a lot more emotional and vulnerable in my real life! [giggles]

Mr. S: Right. Well, you have to sort of get yourself up to that level in order to really convey those depths of emotion.

Benz: Yeah, so I find myself, you know...crying...at commercials. Living in that vulnerable state all the time really does make you more vulnerable in real life.

Mr. S: I’m sure. As you mentioned before, you like to keep the mood on the set generally pretty light. The show itself can be pretty dark, but it can also be pretty comical at times, the tonality of it. How has working on Dexter been different, for you, from working on shows like Buffy and Angel and Roswell and things like that?

Benz: I think the biggest thing for me working on Dexter is the fact that I’m a woman. I mean, I feel like I’ve finally grown up. You know, working on Buffy and Angel, I was still, you know, emotionally young, still learning my craft, struggling with the pressures of it all, being overwhelmed by certain aspects of the business...all of that. At this point, I feel that...on Buffy and Angel, I was half-woman, half-child, approaching the work. Now I feel like a grown-up.

Mr. S: Do you think that has something to do with the freedom that being on a premium cable show can allow you? I mean, you know, there’s obviously...again, just the thematic content of the show is a lot more deep, in some ways, than most major networks are going to allow their shows to be. Obviously, there’s more freedom in terms of the language. Do you think it has something to do with that as well, or that you, yourself as an actor, are also reaching a more mature place for yourself and you feel a bit more confident in your ability to traverse the landscape of show business?

Benz: It’s a mix of both. I think I did grow up. A lot. I also think when you work...I mean, I loved my work on Buffy and Angel, they were great shows to work on, and a great place...a very safe place to really hone your craft as an actor, and they constantly challenged you creatively, you were allowed to make choices, and if you fell on your face, nobody ridiculed you. It was a very safe environment to grow as an actor. However, it was on The WB, so there was a lot of pressure about how you looked and all that, so you couldn’t go as far as maybe you wanted to. I did get to go pretty far with Darla as far as, you know, like when she’s dying of syphilis and stuff, I could kind of get to, you know, look bad. But there’s still the designer clothes, this and that...the push-up bras and all of that. On a Showtime show, where they really want reality, there’s none of that. You know, I’m on camera with no makeup on, my hair unwashed, looking how I really look when I run around and am running errands and all of that. They don’t want the glamour side, so that pressure is completely removed, which, in a way, makes you a little more vulnerable. You don’t feel as though you’re hiding behind a mask. You’re able to strip away that outer layer and just sort of be raw. It’s one of the joys of working on a cable network. It really is like doing a really great film.

Mr. S: Totally, and you can also see it because the show isn’t just filmed in HD, which it is, but it’s also treated in a way that gives it a unique look. The actual aesthetic of the show is wonderful.

Benz: You see everything. If I have a zit that day, you see it. If I didn’t get enough sleep, you see it. It all adds to the humanity of Rita. They don’t want the glamour side. They want the realness of it. I find that some actresses would probably be intimidated by it, but for me it was freeing. I was like, after coming off The WB, it was nice to be able to kind of shift gears and not have to worry about that. Plus, I got to sleep in, because my hair and makeup call would be ten minutes!

Mr. S: That is probably pretty nice, I can imagine.

Benz: Rather than two hours! [giggles]

Mr. S: Now, the character of Rita’s son, Cody, is being played by a different actor this season, right?

Benz: Yes.

Mr. S: Was that a big adjustment for you?

Benz: No, not really.

Mr. S: No?

Benz: No.

Mr. S: Do you know why he was re-cast?

Benz: I don’t, actually.

Mr. S: Huh. Are there any, sort of, subtle nods in the show to his replacement, like when Becky was replaced on Roseanne?

Benz: No...

Mr. S: Okay, I figured probably not. I had to ask.

Benz: [giggles]

Mr. S: Speaking of casting, there seems to be a casting conspiracy at Showtime, because they keep poaching actors from HBO’s talent pool. You have pretty much half the cast of Oz over there, you have, obviously, Michael C. Hall who was David on Six Feet Under. Is that something that people joke around about on the set at all?

Benz: No, not really. I think it just turned out that way. I think it’s great, especially because you see Lauren Veléz and David Zayas and Erik King, who all came from Oz, and they all have an immediate rapport amongst each other. I think it adds to the fact that you really believe that they’ve worked together for a long time as cops. I think it’s a great inner chemistry that they have, because they have worked together before and they know each other really well. I don’t think they really go out and try to "poach" actors from HBO...

Mr. S: No, I know — it’s just something I said to try to be funny. Now, about what you guys shoot...obviously, the second season’s going to be different, or has been...have you guys wrapped on shooting? Is it in post-production yet?

Benz: No, we’re still filming. I think we’re on Episode Ten? No, Episode Nine.

Mr. S: Oh, okay. So, when you were starting the first season, you probably knew at least a general outline of what was going to be happening with your character throughout the season. Is it the type of thing where...for this upcoming season, since they’re pretty much departing from the novels entirely...how much do you know about what’s happening with your character in advance? I mean, is it the type of thing where you guys sit down for a table read, before you even start shooting for the season, and you already sort of know what your arc is going to be throughout the whole season, or do you find out episode by episode, or somewhere in between?

Benz: This season we find out episode by episode, which I love. I love the journey and the excitement of it all. I enjoy not knowing what’s going to happen, because I don’t want to shade my performance. I knew the vague outline of Rita’s storyline last season. It was nice to know in advance, but at the same time, I couldn’t help thinking about it when I got scripts, like, "How is this going to lead into that," and blah blah blah. This way, when you’re really on the roller coaster ride and the journey of these characters’ lives, you just have to make choices based on what you know, rather than what you’re told is going to happen in the future. I love working that way. And of course we all want to know. We all try to find out what’s going to happen from the writers and the producers, and of course they won’t say anything. But it makes it more exciting as an actor when you don’t know, when you can take the ride like an audience member. We usually find out, like, an episode before what we’re doing in the next episode.

Mr. S: Totally, that’s awesome. It’s like back in the day when novels used to be serialized and people would only get them a chapter at a time.

Benz: Yes, and it’s so exciting when we finally get our scripts, it’s like, you drop everything to read it because you want to find out what happens. I’ll call David [Zayas] or Jennifer [Carpenter] like, "Oh my God, did you read what happened? That’s so cool!" you know? When I worked on Buffy and Angel, that’s how it was, too. We never knew what was going on. Half the time, they didn’t even know, I mean, we’d get half-written scripts that we’d start shooting without knowing how the whole storyline was going to play out or how the episode was going to play out. But it always made it that much more exciting.

Mr. S: Did you ever find that you’d see an episode later, down the line, and it was edited into something you didn’t even know you were shooting for?

Benz: No, that never really happened. I mean, there was a time on Angel where I was playing...Season Two of Angel when they brought me back to life, and I was still playing Darla as a vampire, and then they came to me and said, "No, we’re going to make you a human" [giggles], and I was like, "Oh." I was making choices as if she were still a vampire, but it was still the same, performance-wise, so it didn’t really matter.

Mr. S: As long as you’re coming from the same place emotionally, it doesn’t really have much bearing on the final outcome. It’s still the same performance.

Benz: Right.

Mr. S: So, you mentioned earlier that you really enjoy watching television. So, what are some of your favorite shows?

Benz: Well, I love Weeds, I love Californication...I love Californication so much that I think my dog actually looks like David Duchovny. It’s bizarre. I love watching that show. I’m a big fan of Entourage. I love Nip/Tuck. I love Grey’s Anatomy. Desperate Housewives is fun to watch. I’m looking forward to some of these new shows. Dirty Sexy Money looks good. I love TV so much. My TiVo is stuffed with TV shows. Some people sit down and watch movies, I sit down and watch television.

Mr. S: Right on. Yeah, I used like Nip/Tuck a lot, but I feel this last season may have jumped the shark a little bit. I don’t know what happened, but it became a little too soapy for me. Hopefully they’ll get it together this season.

Benz: I just think Julian McMahon is brilliant on the show. I could watch him read a phone book, pretty much. I just think he’s great. I love watching what choices he’s going to make, and I just think he’s a really great actor.

Mr. S: I’ve always been curious — if you’re sitting at home, watching TV, you know, flipping through the channels and you come across an old Buffy, or an episode of Dexter, will you sit and watch it? I’ve always wondered whether actors still get psyched if they see their work on TV, or if it become par for the course at some point, and you’re just like, "Oh, yeah, there I am on TV, whatever, blah." You know what I mean?

Benz: Um, I can watch some really, really old stuff of mine, but...you know, just to say, "God, what was I thinking having bangs?" or "I look so young, there!" As far as the newer stuff, I will watch my work, because I learn from watching, you know, like, "That choice worked there, but that one didn’t work as much." I’m fascinated with directing and how they edit a show and I like to watch to see what perspective they’re actually putting forward. When you shoot a scene, they shoot from all different angles and all that, but when it’s all edited together, each scene is from somebody’s perspective, so it’s interesting to see whose perspective they pick, and I’m fascinated by that as well. So, I’ll watch to see how they do that on our show. It is hard to get past the vanity of it all and really watch the performance. I do have to put some time between filming and watching it, because it can be a lot like watching a family movie, where I’m like, "That day, when we shot this scene, this happened," so it’s more about what happened in my life than it is what’s happening in the story, so I have to put a good six months to a year to forget about that day when we shot that scene. But I do use it as a learning tool. And with Dexter, especially, I don’t get to see a lot of crime stuff, because I’m never there on those days, so I love to watch the show for that aspect of it, like, to see how the other actors work and how they play out the storyline and everything. I am a fan of the show, you know.

Mr. S: Well, Rita sort of exists in her own little insular world on the show, at least right now. Now, I understand you used to be quite a figure skater, and were ranked pretty high in the nation, I think thirteenth?

Benz: Yes.

Mr. S: But you suffered a stress fracture when you were fourteen. Was that around the time you started getting into acting, or was it later on?

Benz: It was around the same time. I had the injury, and I had to be off for a year, and my mom didn’t want me sitting around the house moping, so she dragged me to auditions, kicking and screaming, to a local community theater. I didn’t want to do it, but she made me audition, and I got the part, and I have to say it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, to gain that interest for acting. I mean, I had it before, but I was too afraid of failure.

Mr. S: So that just sort of made you face it and give it a shot?

Benz: No, I mean, being an ice skater, I grew up performing and I always had that performing aspect in me. My mom knew that, and so...there’s always that fear of failure, like, "What if I audition and don’t get the role?", so it was fortunate that I did get it and was able to really start pursuing acting at that time.

Mr. S: Do you still get out on the ice occasionally?

Benz: No.

Mr. S: No?

Benz: No.

Mr. S: I only ask because my wife used to be a figure skater as well, and she doesn’t really either. But she was excited to hear you used to do it.

Benz: Well, it’s hard. I did it for thirteen years, eight hours a day, seven days a week, two weeks off a year. It was like having a career. For me...I just walked away from it because I found something I loved more. I love the fact that I grew up doing it. I learned a lot. It definitely has added to my dedication to being an actor, but I don’t miss it.

Mr. S: Right. So, you are co-starring in the new John Rambo film, which is pretty exciting, I can imagine. You worked with Sylvester Stallone and Paul "Father Intintola" Schulze, another Oz alum. I saw the trailer and it looks pretty intense, and the role you’re playing certainly looks like a departure from Rita. Can you tell me a little bit about Sarah Miller?

Benz: Yes. I’m a missionary from Colorado, and we want to go into Burma to bring medical supplies...I don’t know if you know this or are aware of this, but in Burma right now it’s the longest-running war and longest-running form of genocide going on. It’s been going on for over fifteen years, and it’s the most underreported war in the world. And what they’re doing is, the Burmese government is actually killing off all the Christians. So, we’re a bunch of missionaries who hire Rambo to take us in. He doesn’t want to at first, but I convince him to take us, and once we get there he leaves, and we end up getting captured by the Burmese military, and tortured and all this stuff. So he comes in with a bunch of mercenaries to help us out.

Mr. S: That sounds like a good time.

Benz: What attracted me to the script is that it’s not just an action movie for the sake of an action movie. None of the Rambo movies have been. They’ve all had messages behind them, and this one especially, dealing with the issue in Burma, which most of the world doesn’t even know about. There’s a huge social message and responsibility, so I was really attracted to that aspect of it. And also, to be able to hold my own against a film icon like Sylvester Stallone, I mean...

Mr. S: Totally, who would pass that up?

Benz: He’s so brilliant. He wrote and directed it, as well as starring in it, and you really get an understanding of why he is as big as he is. His level of commitment to his work is astounding. I’ve never seen anybody so committed. He lives and breathes every element of the movie. Every aspect of it. And he demands that level of commitment from everyone that works with him. He inspires it out of you, because you see him deliver 150%, and you want to deliver 150%. It was the toughest job I’ve ever had, both physically and emotionally, but also the most inspiring job. Literally, I’d get back to the hotel, and I’d feel so beaten up and so emotionally drained that I would be like, "Wow, what a day! This is work." I would be so excited to wake up the next day and do it over again. Not every job demands that intensity. We were working in Thailand, and I didn’t get to see any of it!

Mr. S: Well, that still sounds like a great experience, and congratulations again on all of your success.

Benz: Thank you!

Mr. S: There are a couple other things... We’re about to wrap this up, uh, first of all, I have to tell you that my friend Allen loves you. I promised him I’d tell you that.

Benz: Well, you tell Allen I love him, too.

Mr. S: Okay...well, I’m going to hold back on that because you never really know...with Allen...totally kidding, he’s a good guy.

Benz: All right, well, tell him that I like him a lot.

Mr. S: Okay, deal. [laughter]

Benz: [laughter]

Mr. S: And also, you know you don’t have to commit to anything right now, but I’m in a band, and the guyz wanted to know if you’d be in one of our videos. I’m just floating that out there, obviously I’m sort of partially kidding, but, uh...yeah. You don’t have to answer right now, I totally understand if you need time to think about it.

Benz: ...Yeah...sounds cool!

Mr. S: Anyway, Julie, thank you so much for talking to me, it’s been really great. Again, congratulations on your continued success. You’re really doing a great job, and, you know, just keep it up!

Benz: Thank you!