Recently I had the chance to speak with Victoria Bidwell about her much talked about role in the film “Aliens VS Predator: Requiem” I want to thank Victoria and Sara Mc Intyre for arranging this interview for Skewed and Reviewed.
GVK: What drew you to acting and whom are your greatest influences?
VB: I always loved participating in school plays and making believe, I
think it’s always been in me to be an actress, something I can’t
really explain. My greatest influence has always been Meryl Streep.
She has so much incredible range and works so hard. I also love
Juliette Lewis, she came out and blew everyone away, she was just
different and had her own style. I also love Marlon Brando, Vivien
Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo. They were what
made me want to be an actor.
GVK: How did you get cast in the film and were you a fan of the Alien or
Predator series prior to being cast?
VB: I was brought in for the part of Pregnant Sue and I had a great
scream, I think that’s what got me the part, I think all of Vancouver
heard me. I hadn’t watched many films in the Alien or Predator series,
but now I’m really into them and see what I’d been missing out on!
GVK: What sort of background were you given on your character and if so,
what was it as we did not even get her name.
VB: I wasn’t given much background information, I don’t think anyone was.
The script was very hush, hush, so I created a character from myself,
which is always fun. I was given a name though, Sue, so I went with it.
GVK: Had you ever been in a production with two directors prior to AVP R
and how did it work on set in terms of whom gave the directions for
your segments and what can you tell the readers about how the two
brothers worked?
VB: I’ve never worked with two directors before. They really work well
together and seemed to be very connected in their vision for the film.
It was funny because Colin would come in after a take and give a
direction and then Greg would come in and give a direction and both
were very excited about what they were doing. It was a very relaxed
set, they knew what they wanted.
GVK: Your scene has been one of the more controversial moments in the
film and has raised some eyebrows amongst fans who thought that
endangering a birthing mom was a bit much. What is your take on this
reaction?
VB: I work in the reality of the piece that I am given, so I never went
into it thinking, “this is controversial,” I went into it thinking,
“If this were reality and the Predalien and the Predator existed, this
is how they would act. They do not have human emotion, so they
wouldn’t take into consideration the importance of a birthing mother,
they just want to survive and pro-create.”
GVK: How much of the birthing scene was makeup and prosthetics and how
much was cgi?
VB: I was amazed at what they can do in special effects, I’d never done
anything of this genre before and it was brilliant! From what I saw,
they used prosthetics and puppets. I wasn’t aware of any cgi when I
was working, it was the real thing and it was so scary I can’t even
tell you!
GVK: The implantation scene must have been very tricky as it looked like
the Predalien was smothering you. How did they do that scene and what
can you tell the readers about your reaction to filming it?
VB: The scene I did was so incredible, the alien had to have been eight or
nine feet tall, he came in and I just about lost it. For the close-
ups, they had people controlling a mechanical head from the side, but
it looked so real, I felt like I wasn’t acting at all, it was
frightening.
GVK: As a follow up, was the Predalien CGI or mechanical and how tricky
was it to get the timing and intensity of the scene down?
VB: Well, when the Predalien actually latches onto my face, we had to do
the scene backwards, which was a challenge. I was terrified and got my
face hugged and had to act it backwards so the mechanical Predalien
wouldn’t latch on too quickly. When I heard the direction, I thought,
okay, I didn’t rehearse it backwards, but let’s do it. So, we filmed
it backwards and then put it forward and on the monitor, you couldn’t
even tell, I was very impressed at the whole process.
GVK: Were there any additional scenes with your character that did not
make it into the final cut and if so, what were they?
VB: No additional scenes, that was it.
GVK: What were some of your fondest memories working on the film, and
what were some of your biggest challenges?
VB: My fondest memory of working on the film was getting to work with the
eight or nine feet tall Predalien, I’ve never experienced that before,
it was so real, they did an amazing job on the detail of the body. The
crew was so fun, we were like kids again, playing with all these
mechanical and human creatures, this is why I love making movies, the
experience of creating make believe.
My biggest challenge was doing my reaction backwards and really being pregnant.
GVK: Moving forward, what can the readers look forward to watching you in
next?
VB: I’m not sure yet, but hopefully another film, that’s what I love to
do, so we’ll see. I think 2008 is going to be one hell of a year!
Thank you,
