Interview with Michael Biehn for The Victim

The VictimMichael Biehn’s first foray into writing and directing – The Victim – is out 24th September after showing at FrightFest 2012. We spoke to the man behind the movie about his most ambitious project and more.

LoveHorror: Firstly can I say that I am a huge fan of your work and think that it’s great you are moving into writing and directing.

Michael Biehn: Thanks so much, this film is my baby in that particular area.

LoveHorror: How did The Victim come about?

Michael Biehn: Jennifer for the original scrip/story in novella form by Reed Lackey through a guy named Lucien Flynn who ended up being one of our producers.

LoveHorror: Had you always wanted to write and direct?

Michael Biehn: Writing, I had been doing way more even with my own roles but Jim Cameron and Robert Rodriguez and Jennifer Blanc-Biehn have all told me I should direct.

LoveHorror: How long did it take you to write the screenplay and what challenges did you face with it?

Michael Biehn: 3 weeks. Time was a huge challenge for us.

LoveHorror: There is a strong theme of survival in The Victim which can be found in many of your other movies, from Aliens right up to The Divide. Is it a motif that you are interested in exploring in your work or is it purely a coincidence?

Michael Biehn: I think it’s what Jim Cameron responded to when I showed him The Victim too. Yeah it was intentional to show a female using sexuality to survive.

LoveHorror: You put a special thank you to Robert Rodriguez Rebel without a Crew at the end of The Victim, how did he help and inspire you?

Michael Biehn: He watched an early version and helped with our distribution consultation. But also his book, he taught me to just go and do it.

The Victim

LoveHorror: You have worked with some amazing directors from Rodriguez to William Friedkin to Michael Bay and James Cameron on numerous movies. What were the best lessons you learned and took into making your own movie?

Michael Biehn: Story. A strong story is so important.

LoveHorror: Did you find it easier to direct actors being one yourself?The Victim

Michael Biehn: I have always found that to come natural for me.

LoveHorror: which of the three do you love most acting, directing or writing?

Michael Biehn: Acting is my first but I’m really enjoying the others.

LoveHorror: What’s next for you?

Michael Biehn: What Jennifer mentioned about our company and I am also about to film something called Tapped about a kid who is an MMA fighter. Mixed Martial Arts is so popular right now and it’s very interesting to me.

LoveHorror: And finally your character Kyle in The Victim is a pretty tough guy. But who would win in a fictional fight Kyle, Hicks from Aliens or Kyle Reese from Terminator?

Michael Biehn: Ha, Kyle in The Terminator!

Lovehorror: Thank you for your time and your answers and best of luck with your next project.

Michael Biehn: Thanks so much from both of us!

The Victim is out 24th September and you can read our full review soon.

avatar

Alex Humphrey

Alex studied film at the University of Kent and went on to work for Universal Pictures in their Post Room gaining an inside look at the movie industry from the very bottom. Constantly writing reviews in everything from local magazines to Hip Hop sites Alex honed his critical skills even spending a brief period as a restaurant critic. Read more

Related post

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.