Read our exclusive interview with Danielle Nicolet, who plays Tess De La Vega in the upcoming Syfy Channel Original Movie ‘Red Faction: Origins.’ The highly anticipated movie, which premieres on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 9 pm, is the first film based on the Red Faction video game series. The movie’s being released to help promote the new Red Faction video game Armageddon, which is hitting stores on Tuesday, June 7. ‘Red Faction: Origins’ is set twenty-five years after the events of the popular 2009 Red Faction game Guerrilla, and follows Jake Mason (played by Brian J. Smith), the last remaining son of protagonist Alec Mason. Jake discovers that his sister Lyra (portrayed by Tamzin Mechant), who was kidnapped 12 years ago, is still alive, and he sets out to save her. Nicolet discusses with us, among other things, what attracted her to the story, and how she prepared for the role.
Shockya (SY): ‘Red Faction: Origins’ is based on the video game franchise Red Faction, and is being released to coincide with the new game that’s coming out, Armageddon. Were you a fan of the games before being cast in the movie?
Danielle Nicolet (DN): I’ll tell you what, I didn’t play the games before I was cast, but I did get very hooked on them after I got the job. I’m a pretty big gamer, and I play quite a few games at my house, but I hadn’t had the opportunity to play Red Faction. When I got the job, I was sort of glad that I hadn’t (played the game) because it wasn’t in my head to paint my vision of what the movie was going to be like. Of course, as soon as I got (the job), I went out and got Guerrilla. It was really neat for me while we were shooting to poke around the set and see the different things that were pulled from the game. It’s really interesting when you watch the movie, you can see little pieces of the game, it’s like an Easter egg hunt.
SY: So what attracted you to the movie?
DN: The script. The writing is so good. It’s a rare experience of an actor that you read a script and you don’t say to yourself, well, it’s pretty good, but man, I’d change those lines if I could. I read the script, and there wasn’t one thing about it that I would change. I loved every single line that I got to say. So most of all, that’s what attracted me. When I read the script, I said I absolutely have to have this job.
SY: How did you prepare for your role of Tess?
DN: (laughs) Well, nothing really would have prepared me for the experience of being in Eastern Europe in the dead of winter. That actually was really helpful, because inherently, Tess is a fish out of water in the movie. She does not do well outside of her comfort zone. She is much more of a girl who would prefer to be at home, safe and warm, in front of her computer screen. In ‘Red Faction,’ she’s pulled entirely out of her element and dragged along on this mission to save Mars, functioning as this really tough guy, reluctant side kick. Danielle in Bulgaria was not all that different from Tessa because it was entirely different for me. I was as much a fish out of water in Eastern Europe as Tess was in the movie.
SY: While filming ‘Red Faction: Origins,’ did you feel any pressure to please the fans of the video games?
DN: I think we all felt a real responsibility to provide the fans of the video games real entertainment as well as a backstory. I know when I play a game, I get really involved with the characters. I don’t get to learn anything about them. I know who I’m playing. You get small pieces inside the game, but you never really get to explore why the characters are the way they are, and that’s what we felt that we had a real opportunity to do with ‘Origins’ for all those game fans. Our movie takes place in the 40 years that take place between Guerrilla and Armageddon. It was a chance to fill in a lot of those blanks, to figure out who Alex Mason was, who he became after Guerrilla ended, what his children were like, what his life became, what Mars became. I think we all felt a responsibility to do that well and create a well-rounded experience. But if someone never heard of Red Faction the game, they’re still going to get a good TV show out of it.
SY: Since the movie is a sci-fi film based on a video game, did you have to perform any stunts while performing the movie?
DN: Fortunately, Tess doesn’t have to many stunts to do. But I did have one little scene where I throw a pretty solid punch. I have to say, it looks great in the movie, because I accidentally did punch the stunt woman. It was the one and only punch I’ve ever thrown in my life, and I knocked her clean out! (laughs)
SY: Michael Nankin directed the movie, and he is mainly known for working on television series and mini-series. What was it like working with him on ‘Red Faction: Origins?’
DN: It was incredible. Michael Nankin is hands-down the best director I’ve ever worked with. He’s incredibly sensitive to the characters, and at the same time, has a real twisted vision of what he wants science-fiction environment to look like. It comes across so well in the movie. When you see the cities in the film, all of the craziness, the music, the chaos in the streets, it all comes from Michael Nankin’s mind. That craziness in the environment just flows with the serious situation the characters are in, which makes a really compelling story. It’s all due to him.
SY: There have been reports that if ‘Red Faction: Origins’ receives good ratings, it will be turned into a television series for Syfy. Would you be interested in reprising your role of Tess if it is turned into a series?
DN: I have heard that, and would love to get back together with this group of people and do some more of this.
SY: You have appeared in over 20 television show throughout your career. How is filming shows different from filming movies?
DN: Filming a series is different than filming a movie in the sense that because you work at a faster pace on a TV series, you don’t have as much time to explore characters at times. But when you’re doing a series, that character does sort of becomes your own. It gives you a lot more latitude to make whatever choices you want for her. There is the factor of staying in the same place for a long time. Like on ‘Red Faction,’ we were traveling to Eastern Europe and holing up in hotels for weeks on end. Sometimes life is a little more comfortable on TV.
SY: The movie is premiering on Syfy on Saturday, June 4. Are you a fan of the Syfy original movies?
DN: Yes. I think our Syfy movie is one of the best ones they’ve ever made. But I’m a big fan of the network in general. The genre is one that I’ve always loved. I love the network because they show a lot of my favorite movies and a lot of my favorite TV shows. I’m a big fan of ‘Warehouse 13’ and ‘Being Human.’ I feel privileged and honored to be on the network. I’m the biggest ‘Battlestar Galactica’ fan ever.
SY: So you like the Syfy shows as well?
DN: I do. The crazy part is, Andrew Kreisberg, our writer, who wrote ‘Red Faction: Origins,’ is one of the writers of ‘Warehouse 13.’ So if you like the writing on that show, you’ll love our movie.
SY: What do you feel are the biggest misconceptions of television movies?
DN: Well, I can only speak for ours. I think the biggest misconception that’s out there on the Internet is that people are assuming that because we’re a Saturday night movie on Syfy, that it’s tongue-in-check, and not serious. We’re not the regular Saturday night movie. We’re definitely something you wouldn’t want to miss, no matter what night of the week it’s on.
Written by: Karen Benardello
