{"id":105251,"date":"2018-09-10T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=105251"},"modified":"2019-05-01T12:17:46","modified_gmt":"2019-05-01T17:17:46","slug":"interview-actor-julie-benz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/interview-actor-julie-benz\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Julie Benz on Work Ethic, Challenging Roles, and Paying it Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

From her first role to today, Julie Benz has played a number of unforgettable characters. We sat down to talk shop and get some insight.<\/h2>\n

Julie Benz<\/a> is known for breaking hearts, and she has brought depth to many of your cult favorite shows, including Rita in Dexter<\/a><\/em>, Darla in Angel<\/em><\/a>, and Robyn<\/em> in Desperate Housewives<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 to name a few. We had the opportunity to find out what she\u2019s learned and what its all meant to her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/a>

Image via Julie Benz<\/p><\/div>\n

PremiumBeat:<\/strong>\u00a0I want to start with\u00a0Hi Honey, I\u2019m Home<\/em>!<\/a>\u00a0YouTube is a gold mine, and I watched the pilot, which was super charming. You were cast as the na\u00efve-yet-nubile daughter of a 1950s TV family living in the ’90s. It\u2019s your second credit on IMDB, and you are a series regular \u2014 and that wasn\u2019t an easy role. You had to emulate a very particular style and vibe. What was that experience like for you both artistically and emotionally, being so young with such success and responsibility?<\/p>\n

Julie Benz:<\/strong>\u00a0I was 18-yrs-old when we shot the pilot, and we went to series almost immediately. The show filmed on location in Orlando, Florida, and it was the first time I was living on my own. I remember showing up five minutes late one morning, and Gale Gordon<\/a> (from I Love Lucy<\/a> \u2014<\/em>\u00a0he was the guest star that week) pulled me aside and said “Honey, when they give you a call time of 10 am, that means you arrive at 9:30 am, get your coffee, eat your breakfast and be ready to work at 10 am.”\u00a0That rule has stuck with me ever since. I\u2019ve been nicknamed the Benzinator on set because I\u2019ve become such a stickler for time.<\/p>\n

To be honest, it wasn\u2019t easy; I was the only 18-year-old on the show. Everyone else was a lot older or a lot younger. The work part was fun, but the life part was hard. The older actors would go out to bars (and I was too young to join). I didn\u2019t really fit in anywhere. I spent most of my time alone, which was tough. \u00a0And in terms of how I was treated on set, the production got away with a lot of BS. I didn\u2019t know any better, and I didn\u2019t have anyone there physically looking out for me. When I look back, it was valuable. I learned how to advocate for myself and also learned the importance of reading contracts and making sure I\u2019m not being taken advantage. Also, I learned how to be alone without being lonely.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s made me empathetic and more aware now. I make a point of letting any of the younger actors I work with know that I am there for them if they need anything. And I make sure that they are included in dinners, movie outings etc. To make them feel included. It\u2019s so important.<\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/a>

Image via Buffy The Vampire Slayer<\/em> (20th Television).<\/p><\/div>\n

PB:\u00a0<\/strong>Two series I think you probably get the most buzz over are\u00a0Dexter<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Angel\/Buffy<\/em>.\u00a0Darla was supposed to only be in the first episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Clearly you made an impact. What has been the impact on you of playing such a fun, dark, and tragic figure?<\/p>\n

JB: Darla was epic<\/em>! What a wonderful gift I was given to play her! I always say that playing Darla was like going to the best graduate school for acting. Joss<\/a> and the writers challenged me on every level in every episode (emotionally, physically, spiritually). I had just graduated NYU with a BFA in acting, but I didn\u2019t really learn to act until I was on set playing Darla.<\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/a>

Image via Dexter<\/em> (CBS).<\/p><\/div>\n

PB:<\/strong>\u00a0One of your great strengths is your vulnerability as an actor. So many of the women you\u2019ve played have been broken in some way. Rita in\u00a0Dexter\u00a0<\/em>is a terrific example. I\u2019ll credit the writing, but honestly you elevated a woman who on paper is victimized by men (her first husband physically and emotionally abused her) and Dexter (serial killer) to strangely being quite empowering and inspiring. How did you see Rita\u2019s evolution, and what was the most challenging part of playing her?<\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>I loved Rita. Season one Rita was my favorite. She was a fragile bird with a broken wing, but she still believed in love and in the good of others. I think the hardest part for me was her evolution. I loved how damaged she was in season one, so it was hard for me to let go of that and allow her to grow and change.\u00a0 At times I felt she lost her depth, but she needed to grow in order for the story to evolve. \u00a0At her core, Rita was pure light, pure love. She was innocent and the vehicle that allowed the audience to fall in love with Dexter.<\/p>\n

Through Dexter\u2019s lens (and some of the fans!), she was the villain to his serial-killing ways. People come up to me all the time to say Rita was so annoying. It\u2019s all I can do to remain calm because sometimes I can\u2019t believe I have to remind them she was unknowingly living with a psychopath and that Dexter was the villain, not Rita.<\/p>\n

\"Interview:<\/a>

Image via Desperate Housewives<\/em> (Disney-ABC).<\/p><\/div>\n

PB:\u00a0<\/strong>You are often cast in sexually provocative roles \u2014 from\u00a0Training Day<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>to\u00a0Desperate Housewives.<\/em>\u00a0Is this something you embrace or find frustrating?\u00a0Are there roles you wish you\u2019d be considered for, but feel you may get passed over because of how you\u2019re branded?<\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>I embrace the good, the bad, and the ugly, and to be honest I don\u2019t see myself as branded. I\u2019ve been known to go to auditions with no makeup on and not having washed my hair in three days because that\u2019s where the character lives. In fact, as Rita in Dexter, I would go on camera with no makeup. I remember when Dexter season one came out, every interview I did was about how brave I was to go on camera without makeup on. Honestly, I didn\u2019t think about it that way, I was just trying to reveal where Rita lived emotionally. I wasn\u2019t thinking about me and how it would be perceived.<\/p>\n

I’ve been fortunate to play a wide, diverse range of characters. And I don\u2019t categorize the characters I\u2019ve played as being sexually provocative. Both Robyn (Desperate Housewives)\u00a0<\/em>and Holly (Training Day)\u00a0<\/em>were career women. Holly especially. I thought of her as a businesswoman first. I think instead the through-line of the characters I play is more about real women, flaws and all \u2014 from Darla to Rita to Robyn to Holly, they are all survivors. That\u2019s the through-line.<\/p>\n

I wish I got to play more sexually provocative roles, especially as I get older. Most scripts I read lately the roles are the “mother, wife, victim” role. I would love to play more bad-ass sexually provocative roles.<\/p>\n

PB:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019ve been killed off, resurrected, replaced in series \u2014 endured hours of painful vampire makeup and been in challenging locations such as the jungles of Thailand (for\u00a0Rambo<\/em><\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0What keeps you positive, sane, and excited for the future?<\/p>\n

JB:\u00a0<\/strong>The truth: I love it. I love being an actor. I love being on set. If you asked me to name the most amazing place to be, I would say “on set.” I just love it.<\/p>\n

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Cover image via Lionsgate.<\/em><\/p>\n

Looking for more industry interviews? Check these out.<\/p>\n