Ship Wrecked
Based on a real-life explorer and treasure hunter, Adventure Inc shows us that finding lost riches is not all glamour. Steven Eramo spoke to star Michael Biehn
He's matched wits with a hulking cyborg from the Future, battled face-hugging aliens, and even helped protect the Old West from outlaws. In over 25 years as an actor, Michael Biehn has become known for the intensity he brings to the heroes and villains he has played in countless feature films and on TV. This autumn, Biehn's talents can be seen again on the small screen in his portrayal of legendary explorer Judson Cross in the new action/adventure series Adventure, Inc. Judson's reputation as the man who can find anything has led to business deals both dangerous and exciting. In his quest to unravel mysteries of the past as well as the present, the street-savvy adventurer has brought more than his share of criminals to justice.
Adventure, Inc. is the brainchild of its executive producer Gale Hurd, whom Biehn worked with on such films as The Terminator, Aliens and The Abyss. "After we did The Abyss, Gale and I would sometimes run into each other at various social functions," says Biehn. "However, we hadn't had a chance to work together again until the beginning of last year. She produced a movie for Paramount called Clockstoppers, which I was proud to appear in and thought turned out very well. It was around the time we were working on this movie that Gale began to tell me about a new project, which was a TV series based on an old friend of hers, Barry Clifford. He's a diver/treasure hunter/professional explorer."
In 1984, he discovered the remains of one of Captain Kidd's boats [Whydah] off the coast of Cape Cod, which he'd spent years searching for. At the moment, Barry is headed for Port Haiti. He's going to be diving for the Santa Maria, which sank somewhere around Haiti while sailing back home to Europe after its original voyage to America with Christopher Columbus.
"So the series, or should I say its lead character more than anything else, is based on Barry," continues the actor. "As for the stories themselves, they're a bit bigger and a bit more Hollywood, if you know what I mean. After Gale told me about the show, we met to discuss it further. It was probably nine months or a year later that I got a call offering the part to me. I jumped at the chance because the role is really quite different from those I've played in the past. Judson Cross is a little closer to who I am. I'm a guy who's been married for 15 years and comes from Arizona. I've always considered myself someone who's pretty laid back and fun-loving and who tends to look at the world kind of optimistically. I also like to think I've got a good sense of humour and can enjoy laughing at myself.
"People really haven't seen those sides of me in, for example, The Rock, Art of War, The Terminator or The Abyss. I've been sort of pigeonholed into playing the villain or tough, no-nonsense good guys likes cops, district attorneys, military sergeants, etc. While I enjoy those types of roles I've always wondered what it would be like to try something lighter. For years, my family, friends and even my agent have been saying that they wish I could play a character that shows audiences more of the real me. Judson Cross gives me the chance to do just that. The writers are trying to imbue him with a sensibility similar to James Garner's character on The Rockford Files or Tom Selleck's on Magnum PI which, again, is that fun-loving attitude. It's taken a few episodes but I think we're finally getting a handle on it, so I really couldn't be more pleased."
Judson's base of operation is his expedition yacht, The Vast Explorer, which is moored in the fictional seaside town of Beau Harbor, South Carolina. After being salvaged, the old Coast Guard ice-breaking cutter was refurbished and outfitted with a lab, diving centre, submersible dock and engines powerful enough for a ship twice her size. On-board with Judson is Mackenzie Previn, a beautiful woman who, despite her mysterious past, is the one person he trusts with his life. Rounding out the team is Gabriel Patterson, a young man who gave up a promising political career for a less-structured lifestyle.
"Mackenzie, or Mac is played by an actress from Montreal named Karen Cliche [pronounced Kleesh], who is just fantastic," notes Biehn. "Mac is someone who grew up around the world as an army brat and at a very young age became interested in being a soldier. Of the three of us, she's the muscle. Although there are times when Judson has to get himself out of tight spots, when it comes to somebody really taking care of business it's Mac. I liken the character to the one Demi Moore played in the movie GI Jane. Mac became the first woman to graduate as a Navy SEAL but was then told she couldn't go into combat with her fellow male officers. She was granted a transfer and fought for a while alongside the Israeli army. Mac recently retired from the military and she hooked up with my character.
"I'll admit I was slightly nervous when I first came up to Toronto to start filming the show and saw Karen involved in all the on-screen action stuff that I'd normally be doing. Well, I needn't have worried. Karen is a beautiful actress but, man, can she hold her own when it comes to the kick-ass stuff. She can be one of the guys when she has to. Having always been the one running out in front of the woman and carrying the big bazooka or machine gun, it's kind of nice to let a woman take charge of some of that for a change," chuckles the actor. "So I really enjoy working with Karen.
"As for Gabriel, he's played by Jesse Nilsson, who's another fine young actor. His character is loosely based on John F Kennedy Jr who did some work with Barry Clifford one summer. Gabriel was on a treadmill towards a career as a US senator. He went to all the best schools and everyone was talking about his political aspirations. One day, though, he decided to walk away from all that and, instead, follow a more adventurous path with Judson, who becomes very much a mentor to him. Thanks to his education, Gabriel can speak several languages and knows a great deal about computers. So he's the brains of the operation, Mac, as I said before is the brawn, and my character is the experience."
Judson's name became known around the world after a series of amazing finds including The Lost Dutchman mine in Arizona, Amelia Earhart's plane, and a Nazi art trove in a Bavarian cave. His discoveries have not only netted small fortunes for private investors but also adorned the walls of museums for all to enjoy. While he is not one to pass up payment for his services, the real enjoyment for Judson comes from the thrill of the hunt. According to Biehn, audiences can expect plenty of thrills as well as surprises in the show's first season.
"Along with pulling off capers, our characters become involved in trying to protect the environment and preserving shipwrecks on the ocean floor as well as other important historical artifacts. It's very much the good guys versus the bad guys. However, it's not what I'd call a reality show by any stretch of the imagination," he explains. "There's of a kind of supernatural element to every story that we walk a fine line with. One episode might be about possession and whether or not a girl is really possessed. The next week it might be about a ghost and does this ghost exist or not. I mentioned before that Barry Clifford is down in Haiti, so we might even do a story involving zombies and witchcraft. We're currently filming an episode that has to do with experiments on ESP that the Russians used to conduct during The Cold War. So the show has all these different twists that I hope will make it even more interesting and fun for viewers to watch."
Born 31st July 1965 [note:1956] in Anniston, Alabama, Biehn spent his childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska. At 14, he moved with his family to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. An avid sportsman, the idea of becoming an actor never occurred to him until he enrolled in college. "I wasn't the greatest athlete, but I thought I might be a sports photographer or maybe a high school sports coach," says Biehn. He won a drama scholarship to the University of Arizona, but after two years dropped out. The actor moved to Los Angeles to re-think his career aspirations.
"It wasn't too long before I hooked up with some people in the [acting] business who thought I might have some potential," recalls the actor. "One thing led to another and within a year I was modelling and doing some commercials as well as small TV roles. The job that got me into the Screen Actors Guild was on a series called Logan's Run starring Gregory Harrison. I had one line that I had to say twice, which was, Alert! Runner headed towards quadrant four. My memory of that is being in front of the camera, saying the line, and thinking, Oh, my God, what's my next line? I froze! Thankfully I was finally able to spit it out," he laughs. "It was a scary experience but still a good one.
Biehn's film debut was as a crazed admirer who stalked Lauren Bacall's character in the 1981 feature The Fan. He then portrayed a member of a secret racist society in The Lords of Discipline, before hitting it big with his role of Kyle Reese in The Terminator. Besides his movie work, the actor has appeared in a number of made-for-TV films and had regular roles on two TV shows, The Runaways and The Magnificent Seven. "Even when I first thought I could make a career out of acting I had no expectations that I'd be doing what I'm doing today," says Biehn. "Things have gone quite well for me and I'm very grateful."
Given his popularity with the public, it would seem that Adventure, Inc. has a good chance of becoming a hit but Biehn is not about to take anything for granted. "No matter how much action a show has or how well it's shot, the bottom line is it has to have people in it that viewers can identify with and care about," explains the actor. "So it's up to us to make these characters ones that audiences will enjoy spending an hour with each week."
Companion article on guest star Steve Bacic
© 2002 TV Zone Visual Imagination Ltd
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