MICHAEL BIEHN is one of those actors who might have arguably (and quite bizarrely) missed out on what pundits refer to as an 'A-List' career, but there's no doubt of his acting talents and also that his is a name solidly connected with some of the most famous action movies of all time. The Fan, Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Navy SEALS, K2, Tombstone... several movies in there that stand up to repeated and repeated viewing and which showcase his abilities in diverse ways. Hero. Anti-hero. Villain. Biehn has played them all and in a career that spans three decades in the business, he's never had any shortage of work.
So it's somewhat remarkable that it's taken him so long to also step behind the camera. But 'The Villain' sees him take a small budget and squeeze every ounce from it. Yes, it won't take on its big-screen CGI-ridden cousins, but it's clear that Biehn has had tremendous fun in flexing a new set of muscles, working alongside wife - Jennifer Blanc - and seeing where the journey takes him. In the case of The Victim, that destination was solidly in the middle of the grindhouse genre... blood, horror and suspense by the bucketful. Impact caught up with the actor to ask him about his career and further apsirations...
Michael, there's the old adage (true or not) that every actor wants to direct, but we are now seeing more opportunities for people to fulfil that side of their creativity - thanks to better technology, distribution, costs, etc. Can you explain some of the reasons that drove you to step behind the camera on this occasion?
Michael: I thought it had a good story and thought I had enough money to tell that story. I didn’t want to go to my grave without ever giving it a try and plus they paid me.
You've worked with some top-name directors throughout your career... can you remember the best (or most memorable) piece of advice you've ever been given that you're applying to your director's role?
Michael: Yes, Robert Rodriguez told me not to think about doing it, just do it!
It's interesting that the 'Grindhouse' genre is making a comeback, but from your own perspective, how do you think the industry itself has changed over the years?
Michael: That is a question that could be answered in book form. It’s changed so much that we don’t have time in this interview to even scratch the surface of it since I started n this business. But digital movie making is the number one change by far! (Grindhouse) lies with the fact that people who want to make money don’t have enough to make big movies. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are responsible for bringing back to the name grindhouse to what we all used to call a b-movie. Low budget exploitation, sex and violence, vampires, monsters, drugs etc
You made 'The Victim' on a small budget. Can you explain the genesis of the project - and the pros and cons of that? Some directors/creators say lower budgets help them be more creative, but what are the pragmatic/stylistic choices you had to make?
Michael: I had three weeks of preparation without a script and wrote it in three weeks and shot it in twelve days. Forty set ups a day, it was total madness. Not the way to make a movie usually! A good script and time is always the way to make a good movie. We had a fun script but no time and no money...
Obviously, thanks to the power of the projects and the wonders of DVD etc, generations of fans continue to see you as iconic characters such as Aliens' Hicks or The Terminator's Reese. But what are the roles, to date, that meant the most to YOU over the years and why? Is it more fun to be the bad guy or the good guy?
Michael: Bad guys! As for the roles... Kyle Reese because he was a loner and a fighter, and Hicks because he was so unflappable in combat situations, and also Johnny Ringo because of his death wish.
At this point you've directed two movies and you continue to have a prolific acting career - what can we expect in the immediate future?
Michael: I didn’t direct The Blood Bond – Bey Logan directed it and he thought with my name on it that it would sell better. Hmm, long story! But The Victim is my proper debut. We have a big slate coming up but I would love to look forward to an early retirement. Saying that we have The Farm with Xavier Gens coming up which will be great fun and a reunion for us all.
