Tricia Helfer has confronted Cylons, demons, and all the things in between, however now she’s going head-to-head with dinosaurs. The Battlestar Galactica alum stars in Primitive Warfare, a wild style mash-up that drops a recon unit into the Vietnam jungle solely to find one thing much more terrifying than enemy troopers: prehistoric predators. Helfer performs a paleontologist stranded within the valley, compelled to battle for survival alongside the troopers who come across her.
Over time, Helfer has constructed an impressively different profession throughout tv, movie, and video video games, balancing memorable turns in sci-fi staples with new challenges like efficiency seize. She informed me in regards to the attraction of Primitive Warfare, why capturing on sensible units made all of the distinction, and the way she’s continued to be a working actor. This interview has been edited for size and readability. Watch the complete dialog within the video above or on our YouTube channel.
I noticed the trailer for the movie. I imply, dinosaurs, how cool is that?
Tricia Helfer: It was numerous enjoyable. It’s a film that basically is a mash-up of some totally different genres and the dinosaurs are like icing on the cake.
It positively has a grounded warfare story that then turns right into a horror side with the dinosaurs and a bit little bit of a sci-fi ingredient, however that’s what was enjoyable to me about it was the mash-up of various genres on this film.
I play a paleontologist that, with out giving freely some spoilers, has been remoted out within the jungle for nearly a yr and he or she’s had some trauma and is making an attempt to cope with it whereas additionally making an attempt to outlive. There’s no approach to get out of there, and that’s when she meets the Vulture Squad they usually find yourself serving to one another.
If you’re reacting to dinosaurs, what are you truly reacting to? I’ve seen tales the place they’re tennis balls and issues like that. What had been you taking a look at?
Tricia Helfer: In a number of the scenes the place there’s a number of dinosaurs, the place we’re getting attacked by a pack, you’re trying throughout, proper? And there’s individuals which are within the grass; they’ve rigged it in order that it strikes and all the things.
However there’s different situations the place there’s a scene the place we’re all taking a look at this T-Rex and we have now to be trying on the identical place on the identical time. And it’s actually an AD with a pool skimmer strolling round to get the peak, so we have now a visible to take a look at. We did have one sensible dinosaur for a number of days once we had been on set, a person in a go well with clearly, that regarded actually, actually good, so you’ve got that to work off of.
However the greatest factor, and to me was integral and actually good of the manufacturing to do, was all our units had been sensible. So, for one thing like this, oftentimes the entire thing is CGI. So that you’re on a inexperienced display screen and also you’re making up all the things. You’re imagining all the things and that I discover actually laborious.
So we had been out within the jungle. And the topography and the local weather of Gold Coast of Australia mirrors fairly properly Vietnam. So, we’re actually trudging by way of the forest. We’re actually trudging by way of the mud. We’re actually leaping within the lake.
And that simply makes it a lot extra grounded as an actor. You’re feeling a lot extra grounded once you’re within the components. And it simply makes the method a lot simpler, and I feel look higher.
However on the opposite excessive, I’m doing a efficiency seize online game proper now, and it’s my first time doing efficiency seize. I’ve performed the voice for in all probability eight or 10 video video games now, however that is my first time doing efficiency seize, and that’s wild. I’m a bit extra used to it now as a result of I’ve been filming all of it yr.
However the first couple of days, I used to be like, ‘I suck.’ It’s so laborious since you’re imagining all the things, however you’re additionally imagining your world. You’re in the course of this huge warehouse, simply open room with loopy fluorescent lighting and white partitions. After which there’ll simply be a chunk of tape on the ground.
You’re in a go well with with a helmet on with this digicam that’s hanging off, it’s all rigged up. However the go well with is definitely the best factor to get used to as a result of the opposite actors are in it. You get used to that fairly quick. The helmets damage your head and I don’t suppose you ever get used to that.
However there’ll be a chunk of tape on the ground and that’s your set to work off of. So, they’ll field you in with tape after which if there’s an enormous desk, it’ll simply be a chunk of wooden. And all you need to work on off of is items of wooden and tape on the ground. And you need to think about your entire world. And that I discover actually, actually, actually difficult.
However with Primitive Warfare, being in sensible units and being out within the forest was large.
I used to be in a Civil Warfare film some time in the past and simply being out within the fields in the course of Virginia, it made all the things a lot simpler.
Tricia Helfer: Yeah, you’re there. At one level, we’re being attacked and we’re preventing after which I lean again towards this embankment, they usually yell, “lower!” I flip to stand up and there’s a spider the scale of the palm of my hand that was proper right here.
Nope. No thanks, I’m good.
Tricia Helfer: Proper? I may have performed with out the spiders. However it’s massively useful to be within the components, as .
You’ve performed so many roles throughout each type of style and numerous them are massively memorable. Is there one thing particular you search for now once you’re deciding to tackle a brand new mission? Or does it typically come right down to, “I’ve by no means skilled this, I need to attempt that.”
Tricia Helfer: It’s a bit little bit of all the things. I’ve turned down issues as a result of they had been too much like a job that I’ve performed earlier than, or the writing wasn’t ok. Like proper after I bought off Battlestar Galactica, I turned down fairly a little bit of sci-fi stuff as a result of it simply didn’t examine.
Nevertheless it’s additionally a enterprise and also you’ve bought payments to pay. There’s ebbs and flows within the enterprise, and proper now we’re in a large contraction. There was COVID after which I used to be out for over a yr with a knee damage. After which there was the strikes and now it’s the contraction within the enterprise.
And so typically it’s a monetary determination, it’s like I have to work. There’s solely a really small proportion of actors which are on the place the place they’re in all probability not too involved about paying their mortgage, proper? For the remainder of us, you need to consider that you simply don’t all the time get the chance to simply work on issues that you simply need to work on.
The enjoyable a part of appearing to me is to get to play several types of characters. And also you typically get put in a field on this enterprise, you typically get to play very comparable characters. However the enjoyable of it’s discovering these occasions once you do get to play one thing a bit bit totally different.
Going off that, you’ve been working for some time now, in movie, TV, voice over and now motion-capture. How have you ever been capable of preserve a profession this lengthy when numerous different individuals who might need began concurrently you aren’t working anymore?
Tricia Helfer: Luck. I feel there’s numerous luck. I feel there’s a component of being prepared.
I used to be married for a few years and one factor that my ex-husband mentioned, regardless that he was out of the enterprise, is that in your down occasions… as a result of I’m not so good in down occasions, I choose to be working, nevertheless it doesn’t all the time work out that approach. However he mentioned to me, a part of your job is in your downtime, being prepared for when the subsequent job occurs; proceed to be figuring out, proceed to be concerned by some means. Studying or watching different packages so that you simply see what different persons are doing, see what else is on the market. And I feel that’s one factor, being prepared for when the chance occurs.
And to be utterly trustworthy, I’m in all probability within the hardest a part of my profession proper now, as a result of I’m at an age the place Hollywood is type of considering I don’t exist anymore in some methods. However I don’t need to blame that both, as a result of I feel as we go ahead, there’s a gap up of alternative.
And it’s about not being afraid to vary to totally different elements of your life. I’m not going to have the ability to play the roles that I used to be after I was 20 or 30. I’m trying ahead to enjoying several types of roles that I didn’t get after I was youthful. And I feel it’s simply with the ability to be open to vary and with the ability to navigate the ups and downs.
I’ve all the time been a working actor. I’ve by no means hit tremendous large, however I’ve been lucky to be concerned in some actually good high quality tasks. Even once we shot Battlestar Galactica, it was successful, nevertheless it was earlier than social media, pre-streaming. The standard of that present was so good that it continues to be seen and continues to be type of a marker of sci-fi and of fine writing.
And eventually, what’s been your worst audition ever?
Tricia Helfer: I’ve had lots. I undergo from nerves, I simply get extremely nervous within the room, not on set. I’m nice on set. It’s just like the check mentality of strolling in and having one shot at it and the nerves… the place if I’m holding my sides they usually’re shaking as a result of I’m nervous or my mouth will get dry, or my thoughts goes clean.
There was one time that I walked in and proper after, I used to be headed to the airport for a flight. I’m very OCD, so I’m like very organized. And I feel a part of it was like, ‘okay, you need to be sure you get to the airport on time and also you drop your automobile off’ and all this type of stuff.
After I went into the room and I began doing the scene, I simply utterly went clean. And I used to be like, “Oh, I’m sorry. Can I begin over?” ‘Positive’. Similar factor occurs.
It occurred thrice the place I couldn’t even get by way of the primary line. I went clean. I went, “I can’t do that.” And I rotated and walked out. I used to be like, it’s not going to get any higher.
If you’re on set and also you see anyone that begins getting in a spiral, typically it’s higher to, as a substitute of holding at it, simply take a fast break and go get some recent air or one thing, as a result of we’re human. We’re going to have moments the place our mind goes numb or, , for me it’s nerves.
And also you’d suppose self-tapes could be higher, however self-tapes are actually laborious as properly as a result of I’m not technologically savvy. I dwell in the course of the nation with no person round. So typically I’m working off anyone. I’ve bought my iPad propped up, anyone on FaceTime, and no person can transfer the digicam, or they will’t zoom out and in, you’re doing the lighting, you’re doing the sound and you then’re doing all of your hair and make-up. You’re doing the background.
And I discover it very laborious to modify after which to get into character and work with anyone off of a display screen.
Each have their challenges, and I discover I don’t put together as a lot both for self-tapes as a result of you are able to do it 50 occasions if it’s good to. I imply, the individual studying with you would possibly get mad at you… I don’t actually like both of them.
I’m not anyone that likes to audition. I feel I’d in all probability do higher in my profession if I did. I like actually being on set and the collaboration, however clearly to get on set, you need to get by way of the audition.
Proper. With self-tapes, you’re like, “Oh, I’ll simply get it on the second attempt. Third attempt. fiftieth attempt.”
Tricia Helfer: Proper. However every time, you’ve bought to cease the digicam and begin it and no matter. It’s like, can’t we simply return to the day once you’d go within the room?
Even then although, you’re sitting within the ready room with 10 different actors, and you may hear the individual within the room however then you need to cope with the nerves. Some persons are simply actually nice at it. I’m so jealous of individuals which are good at auditioning.
