Science Fiction Filme) First of all, I would like to thank you for your time doing this Interview. I think you´re work have got a huge fan base here in Germany. Especially because for films like HEAT, TERMINATOR   and the tv-series 24 and THE WALKING DEAD of course.  A lot of movie maniacs know the films you´re involved.  Could you please tell us what you did before you come into film business. Why have you chosen the way of being into acting?

 

X.B.) Went to college. Got my first job in repertory theatre at 19. Waited tables very briefly in Los Angeles after my NY agent brought me to LA when I was 23.

 

SFF) Before we get to your fantastic work in the field of film (but not only there), a question first. Where does your love of acting come from?

 

X.B.) My love of acting seems to have been with me since very early childhood. My mother knew how more than anything I wanted costumes for characters like Robin Hood and Dr Doolittle and Superman and she could sew very well and kindly made me these costumes. I would disappear into the woods for hours, transported through time and space as if fueled by the magical powers these costumes seemed to give to my imagination.

 

SFF) What was your first film/series you were working on and how did you get the job?

 

X.B.) My first film role was as Christopher Crawford in MOMMIE DEAREST which came towards the end of my first year in LA (on my 24th birthday). I quit the restaurant the next day, and by the grace of God (and a lot of near obsessive hard work), have been able to make my living as an actor ever since.

 

 

SFF.) I love movies a lot. One of my very first experiences was ALIEN and JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. Is there any special event or movie which made you think: “Alright, I want to do the same thing?” Do you have any personal idols or favorite movies in your business?

 

X.B.) Funny you mention JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS.  I remember the young artist in me being extremely inspired by that one. Clearly Robin Hood and Dr Doolittle left a strong impression on me at around 3 or 4 but no real memory of them now. I think DR. NO was the first time something clicked in my young brain about the power and magic of cinema. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA  around the same time I suppose.

 

I was raised on a farm in New Jersey which had a number of ex-patriot Brits who had come over during the war. I was fascinated by the range of British accents, from Lords and Ladies to Cockneys, as well as Irish and Scottish. So actors like Alec Guinness, Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery and Peter O’Toole were indelible early impressions, inspirations and influences.

 

SFF) You started your career with supporting roles in TV series such as THE A-TEAM (which I still love today because of its wonderful naivety) or TALES FROM THE GOLD MONKEY (a series that should definitely be released in this country). Looking back, can you explain to us how this kind of art is perceived as a young actor? Did you see it as just a job at the time or as a way to get your foot in the door to achieve more?

 

X.B.) After getting MOMMIE DEAREST I asked my agent to focus on bad guy roles on TV. I figured every show had a different bad guy each week, so it looked like relatively steady work, guest starring on episodic tv to me, while building techniques for film acting. Testing my range of characters, learning about cameras and preparing for opportunities in film.

 

SFF) You started in television in the early 80's and to this day you are always switching between series and movies. Is there a difference in the way they are produced? Not only between these media but also in the times in which they were created? I can well imagine that working in television in the 80s was different to working in the 90s, the 2000s or now.

 

X.B.) I had come from an extensive theater background but I needed as quickly as possible to become acquainted with the process of working with cameras. And I pretty much sussed out straight away that my theater training could hep me get these roles.

 

I mean every episode had to discover a bad guy and bring him to justice by the end if the show. I figured that was good steady work and paid training at the same time. I kept my sights on movies because there were just better stories being told by better directors. But it was still a thrill to get a quick cynical earner you could practice your moves on.  They would air a few weeks later so you could watch and see how much further you could have afforded to go in one direction, and maybe tone this of that down in another.  But always an affirmation that you were working and making a living at this while getting better.

 

A way to learn on the small screen what might or might not work on the big screen. I looked at it as a work/study program which would pay bills while learning how not to screw up when projected larger than life on movie screens.

  

Film remained the aim, because television in the 80s was, for the most part, pretty terrible. And at the time there was definitely a distinction between tv actors and movie actors. I steered clear of series commitments to remain available for films. Even though ’brand recognition’ and large sums of money were always more likely to be had with tv series.

 

SFF) Please don't misunderstand me. I mean that with complete respect and esteem, because you have to achieve that first. You're one of those actors that a lot of people think: “Damn, I know him from somewhere. “He's been in this and that.” Does it bother you that maybe not everyone knows your name but everyone knows your face but can't recognize you?

 

X.B.) Rather than feeling like any kind of failure for not having become a household name, and even my face (especially when bearded) only triggers the occasional recognition.

 

I feel free to be the observer and am less a slave to my ego. Egos are important, but need to be maintained and kept in their place imho. Fame can frequently overfeed an ego and create a narcissist or a psychological eating disorder (not literal food, but the food of attention). 

 

I won’t pretend that I don’t suffer envy that more famous actors have access to roles I would love to have played. But it’s a trade off. I have my relative anonymity and privacy that they too might envy occasionally. I take responsibility for having sabotaged success at that level by having played parts that I felt required the sacrifice of vanity. And I played smaller roles than are generally advised (the whole game of “perception” is key to a certain level of fame).

 

And also, Studio Executives and executive producers on film are primarily money people, not creatives. They’re looking for reliable commodities. Actors who develop one persona that is found to be marketable, reassure money people. I always tried to make each character different and find a different look, manner way of talking and behaving that was specific to the character in each film and distinct from others that I had already played (no two people are that alike, right?). But I think that sent a worrying or unclear message to money types along the way.

 

SFF) I just have to ask a few questions about certain roles in films. There's no other way. In TERMINATOR 2 you played John Conner's stepfather Todd Voight. The famous scene where Jenette Goldstein pierces your head as the “transformed” wife. Can you tell me how they shot those scenes? Did you have a dummy, was it a mixture of CG and practical effects? How do you behave on a shoot like that? What were the challenges?

 

X.B.) Cutting edge FX literal and figurative. It was a challenging sequence with much preparation and post production work. A combination of practical effects and computer generated imagery. They made a mold of the back of my head so that a retractable blade could be operated by puppeteers below the frame. The blade that is seen coming out of the back of my head, and going into the kitchen cupboard. It retracted sideways away from camera creating the illusion that it was coming out through my head.

 

I was given a blunt blade to practice sword swallowing with for two weeks, so that I would be able to stick it far enough down my throat that it would sell the gag. Also so I could restrain the gag impulse on the day of filming.   There were many further complications and  efforts that were required on my part and many others, but here I am writing about it how many years later? So i guess it was worth it.

 

SFF) Also incredibly outstanding is your scene with Al Pacino and Diane Venora in HEAT. I remember when I saw that movie in the theater and when that scene came on, everyone laughed out loud (because of your reaction to Pacino's screaming). What was it like for you shooting that scene? Did you have to pull yourself together not to laugh or was it a great respect for the actors' performance?

 

X.B.) Heat was a pretty serious set. I was the only actor who had been in LA TAKEDOWN  which was a movie of the week Michael Mann did as a tv pilot after Miami Vice. It was the same script as Heat. Michael didn’t get the time slot he wanted so he pulled the show and aired the pilot as a film in Europe briefly and buried it. A few years later that decision paid off for him when he landed Pacino and Deniro.  Al was lovely to work with and I’ve worked with him since in the theater, but he was focused aaa was I. Playing it intensely, for real is what made it funny.

 

SFF) You were also in A FEW GOOD MEN  and delivered a memorable performance (as did everyone in this terrific movie). What do you think we can still learn from this movie today?

 

X.B.) What might we still be able to learn from A FEW GOOD MEN  today? Well perhaps to be wary of people in positions of power who justify breaking the rules or the law, as if their sacrifices or positions justified it? That no one should be above the law? That we have to be ever vigilant of racial discrimination and the prejudices both deliberate and unconscious which can come into play with law enforcement? Many things.

 

It was an honor and a pleasure working with Rob Reiner. And so fun attending the big table reading with all the actors present. Rehearsals were great. And they gave me a pass to get onto the naval base to interview the men who’s job I was portraying in the film (a combination of a Captain in the Navy and an officer who was a law professor at that base.

 

SFF) You have acted in so many movies and series. What criteria do you use to decide your choice of role? Sure, the script. But isn't there perhaps also a far-reaching significance to many decisions? What remains as a statement from me? What memory do I leave behind?

 

X.B.) The quality of a script in general remains a determining factor over my desire to become involved. Any time one can find meaning or substance in addition to or beyond good writing and storytelling, then of course, that’s a plus. I made a lot of my choices as an actor to work with the best directors I could so that I could learn about good filmmaking by observing it in action. Also because you know it stands a better chance of standing the test of time. And great directors have great cinematographers and editors too.

 

SFF) There are an incredible number of actors who have left a lasting impression on me. But your role as George Mason in 24 is always in my top ten. The way you portray your character in such a way that you hate and love him at the same time and at the same time have such a highly emotional farewell in a TV series is unique. Did you know from the beginning where your character's journey was going? How were you able to prepare for it?

 

X.B.) With 24 we knew very little from the beginning. My role was a guest star role in the pilot. They liked the gravitas in combination with the dry ironic humor I brought (neither of which were on the page) so they asked me back when they show was picked up, and kept writing Mason for me in the vein I had established. The pilot was so close to events that unfolded on 9/11 that the writers had to rewrite a lot of the story lines to steer clear. So we were give the rare opportunity to flesh the roles out as we helped them massage the lines into place. At one point I felt they were making Mason a bit of a gratuitous asshat. And I can remember Joel, our show runner pushing back and saying that “we have one rule on this show, Never Bore!”  But during the break between seasons one and two he called me and told me his idea.

 

“Look, Xander, I know you don’t wanna commit to a series regular, but what if we had you inhale air born plutonium on the first episode and you only had 24 hours to live? One more season?” And he described the whole redemption storyline of a guy who knows he’s gonna die, trying to make up for a life misspent. I was like, “ Hell Yes!!”  Brilliant idea and so deeply satisfying to play out.

 

SFF) Speaking of George Mason. I read that you did your own make-up for the character in the last season you were in. Is that true and if so, how did you go about it? It's very reminiscent of Lon Chaney.

 

X.B.) It’s the one time the makeup department insisted I get credit. But I had been doing my own makeup effects for years. I started as a kid in fact before I started acting at 15. Then I combined it with a passion for transformation. I would be hired in the theater to do the make up for others in the production or brought in to do stylized makeup of special effects makeup in the theater. When I transitioned into film I would be cast by having altered my appearance with subtle makeup transformations. And then would show the make up team what I had done to help convince the director and there began my education on film makeup as distinct from the theatre. I’ve been working at it ever since with generous tutelage from the very best. It’s always been a love of mine and a way to shoehorn myself into a role.

 

SFF) You also played Gregory in THE WALKING DEAD. Film or television is a different medium than a literary model. You can't compare the two. That's not possible. How do you see the critics who are always comparing and criticizing?

 

X.B.) Okay, I would just say that I agree. But in the case of Gregory from The Walking Dead, I lived having the comic books to refer to to establish the look of the character and his basic repertoire of gestures and body language to incorporate into the character.

 

SFF) With CANDYMAN, AIR FORCE ONE (1997), GATTACA, KICK-ASS and TRANSCENDENCE, you made several genre films. Do you like these genres and which is easier to play: Action, science fiction, comedy or drama?

 

X.B.) In terms of genres, I love doing as many different genres as I can. Each have their own challenges and joys. I resisted the temptation to do too much horror. Ididn’t wanna get too much splatter in my otherwise fairly dignified (however obscure) career, but made an exception, ‘smart art horror’. Candyman definitely fell into that category. I actually have a couple more that qualify, about to come out.

 

SFF) After many years in the business now: how do you see your work of acting in the context of your other creative work?

 

X.B.) I love seeing the relationship between different creative pursuits. Finding principles which apply to acting and to visual artwork (my other primary, creative pursuit). And also to music or writing. And as a visual artist I have always been drawn to the human form and the face in particular. The confluence of emotions which can be found in any face and facial expression. 

 

Film is such a visual medium, that I like to think of ways to communicate the story visually. Finding activities that the character might be engaged in that might make the scene more visually compelling and interesting to watch. Tempo. Rhythm. The human psyche is endlessly fascinating and the fact that I have been able to devote this lifetime to finding creative ways to explore it in different mediums has been infinitely rewarding.

 

SFF.) Do you have a project you always wanted to do or are there something in progress we can enjoy in the future?

 

X.B.) Many new projects in the works several films and a very exciting series about to come out. But what I am most intent upon is finally getting it together to direct a film. It will combine all of my interests and abilities and put into action a lifetime of learning from many of the very best.

 

SFF.)  I held up with the most important question to the end: What was the most difficult engagement you were working on and why?

 

X.B.) Finding the right script or writing the right script that would most effectively showcase my abilities as a director, while communicating something important/of value, and finding a new way of working while assimilating all the many different ways I have learned to work with others… that has been the greatest challenge. All films and shows have their challenges and rewards, some are more physically grueling than others. Some are more emotionally demanding or involve a more precarious dance of egos or tempers. But all in all, no regrets and infinite gratitude to toil in fields I love.

 

SFF) Thank you Mr. Berkeley for taking the time for this interview. I wish you all the best for the future.