Interview transcript featuring Julie Benz
Original interview can be found at www.musicfashionmagazine.com
Have you ever dated someone with a hidden alter ego? Julie Benz's character on Showtime's Dexter knows this situation all too well. Benz plays Rita Bennett, a woman moving on from an abusive marriage, who just happens to fall in love with someone who is secretly a serial killer. Not to worry... Dexter is a serial killer who chooses to satiate his urge to kill other human beings by killing other criminals. Dexter is on its fourth season and manages to consistently keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The viewer is always wondering if Benz's character Rita will ever find out about Dexter's dark side and whether or not Dexter will ever get caught. Benz had been acting since age 16 and has appearing in films such as Rambo IV, Boondock Saints II, Saw V and Jawbreaker. Benz's drive and dedication could be seen at a very young age when she was a nationally ranked figure skater. her figure skating career ended at age 13 and left her time to pursue other interests such as acting and modeling. I chatted with the lovely Julie Benz about her career as an actress, her day to day life, and what it's like to learn how to twirl a pistol.
Can you describe Dexter to our readers and how your character, Rita, has evolved through the seasons?
Dexter is a serial killer with a heart of gold. He is a serial killer that kills other serial killers. He lives by a code and only kills bad people, although, he wants to kill everybody... so he is very much a sociopath. I think the show is a bit of a dark comedy. There is a lot of comedy in it. If you listen to his voice-over, you get to hear what he's thinking and there is a lot of humor to the show. It's not just violent. It's not just about murder. I play Rita. I am now Dexter's wife and mother of his child. In Season 1, Rita started out as this very damaged, fragile bird who was coming out of a very abusive marriage and now she's the love of Dexter... the love of a serial killer. She has become stronger and stronger and stronger, and now she's got everything she has ever wanted in her life. From the outside, everything is perfect. She's got the house in the suburbs, a new baby, perfect kids, pretty clothes... everything is perfect. But not everything stays perfect on Dexter.
What has it been like working with Michael C. Hall on Dexter? Were you a Six Feet Under fan?
I was a huge Six Feet Under fan. Me cell phone ring used to be the Six Feet Under theme song, until I got cast in Dexter and I had to change it. I was a huge Michael C. Hall fan. I think he is so talented. He is an amazing actor and is an amazing person to work opposite of. I could just be relaxed on set and just really listen to him and he had the ability to affect me on a very deep level.
What has it been like having a romantic role with Michael C. Hall when Jennifer Carpenter [his wife in real life, and sister on Dexter] is acting on the same show?
They met and fell in love working on the show, I always thought they should be a couple. It's not weird at all. Jennifer is one o fmy best friends and it's just very natural that they're together. Michael adn I, it's our job to play love interests... it's a job and it doesn't carry itself over. I have been acting for a very long time, so love scenes and all of that stuff doesn't seem odd to me.
There have been more love scenes and nudity in the more recent seasons of Dexter! Are you comfortable with that?
Any time I have had to do nudity or had a love scene on the show, it has not been gratuitous. It has been a story point, to move the story forward in some manner. So, for me, it's only been a handful of times throughout the four years that I've had to do nudity and it has always been handled very delicately and with the utmost respect to the character as well as to me, the actress. Do you ever really get comfortable getting naked in front of a group of people? Not really. it's amazing where you can stick double stick tape. It is part of the job, and when it's an important story point and the character is being treated with respect, you're more than willing to do it as an actor. Every time Rita has gotten naked on the show it's been for a very specific plot point and it makes sense. We have an amazing VP, Romeo Tyrone, and the few times I've had to get naked, he makes me look so gorgeous and stunning and beautiful that I would do it again for him any day.
When did you start acting?
I started acting when I was about 13 years old. I was a figure skater growing up and I had an injury that put me off the ice for about a year and my mum didn't want me to be lazy sitting around the house, so she dragged me to an audition of a play and I got the role. I really liked it and I started doing some modeling and acting at that time. I started going to New York for auditions and then I went to NYU and then moved out to LA.
What is the most challenging role you've had to date?
I can't say that there was just one [role] because they all offer challenges in different ways. I would say that the most physically challenging and the most difficult project that I worked on was Rambo IV because of the conditions we were shooting in. We were in the jungle and it just made me realize the physical intesity as well as the emotional intensity that goes into an action film. The stakes are so high in every scene and you just throw yourself into it. You are physically and emotionally drained at the end of the day, but it is also exciting to go back to work the next day. We were shooting in 120 degree heat in the middle of the jungle in Thailand... spraying myself down with 100% DEET every day, taking malaria pills every day. The conditions were just difficult, and it made it difficult, but to me it was like, 'Wow, this is what movie making is all about.' The other film that was difficult was when I worked on The Boondock Saints becuase I had to learn how to twirl a pistol and I had to do a very specific southern accent... and I worked my ass off on both of those. I'm not one of those naturally accent talented people. I have to really work at it, and study it, and I get it... but I have to live with the accent. I end up talking the whole time with the accent while I'm working on the movie. It does take a lot of work because you have to get to the point where it just comes out naturally. Because people who are speaking with an accent aren't 'speaking with an accent,' they're just speaking... so you can't make it look like you're speaking with an accent. You have to make it look natural and the mouth moves differently and it feels foreign. In Boondock Saints, I had a ton of the dialogue and giant monologues. It was a lot of work... but the pistol twirling, too, was difficult. I never twirled a pistol before, and now I can.
Did you watch the original Rambo movies as a kid?
I did. Not when they first came out. I didn't really watch them at all until I started studying acting and working in film. I think they are great film making. When they first came out I was a kid and I was more prone to watch Rocky than I was to watch Rambo. I'm a bit of a girly girl. I wasn't necessariily wanting to watch a male action movie. I saw every Rambo except for Rambi III. We were actually told not to watch Rambo III. [Sylvester Stalone] said it was a vanity piece and he said he wasn't proud of Rambo III.
Were your parents supportive of the idea of you becoming an actress?
My mom was. My mom always kind of put it in our heads that we could be whatever we wanted to be, we just had to work hard at it. My dad I think was a little more skeptical. I remember when he sent me off to college, he said, 'I hope you find a rich husband.' I just think that he is very much a man of science and not art and he didn't think it was possible to be able to make a living as an actor. I laugh because I have been doing this for a very long time and I've been working for a very long time and they still to this day offer to pay for my airline ticket home to visit them. They still worry and they're still fearful of the industry. If I go through a short time where I'm not working, they freak out, but I don't.
Do you get recognized a lot when you're in public? Do you have any stories about that? Does it bother you at all?
I don't mind getting recognized. It's a part of the job. It gets a little uncomfortable when you are in an uncomfortable situation. Like if you're in the middle of an argument with someone. A couple of times I have been buying some underwear at Target or something. Sometimes people just follow you and they don't say anything. One time this lady was following me and I got really scared. She was just following me and I didn't know what to think. And then finally she came up to me and said something and I was so relieved. Another time I was walking down the street with my dogs and some guy pulled his car over, left it running and jumped out and came running towards me. I freaked out. I thought he was trying to mug me or something. He was a fan and when I found out I told him the he almost gave me a heart attack. The rest of the time, it's always very lovely to have a fan come up and appreciate your work. I don't know anybody that doesn't enjoy that.
What are some of your hobbies and interests?
I love to cook and I cook a lot. I cook a lot of food all the time. I love having people over for dinner. I love reading cook books, buying cook books and trying out new recepies. It's kind of like my obssession. I also work out a lot, and I know that most people don't think that's a hobby, but for me it really is a hobby. I love working out and I love training. It just clears my head. That's pretty much how I spend my day. And since I love to eat, I have to work out. I read a lot, too.
What are some of your favorite books and what are you currently reading?
I just bought a Kindle and I love my Kindle. Right now I'm reading The Wolf of Wall Street. It's a memoir about this guy who works on Wall Street and it's so good. I love reading memoirs. Some of my favorite books of all time... The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B that whole series of historical fiction about Josephine Bonaparte. I love Ayn Rand. We the Living was one of my favorites.
What are some of your favorite bands and what is some of your favorite music you are currently listening to?
[I recently] saw Ghostland Observatory and those guys are pretty crazy. There is this new song called Firflies by Owl City and I'm obsessed with it. I've been playing it non-stop. I listen to a bunch of different stuff. When I'm working out I like to listen to pop music because I like to pretend I can sing. I love Empire State of Mind. I listen to Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, which is like the best movie ever. I warm up to that song when I'm on my spin bike.
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