Saturday June 19, 1999
FROM THE OTTAWA CITIZENOttawans get set to battle Earthlings
Two local actors are aliens in Battlefield Earth, a John Travolta film. Tony Lofaro reports.
Tony Lofaro
The Ottawa CitizenL. Ron Hubbard's book, Battlefield Earth, inspired the film.
Ottawa actors Rachel Plummer and Derrick Reeve are extras in the Travolta film, Battlefield Earth.
Rachel Plummer and Derrick Reeve are two of the nicest aliens on earth.
The two Ottawa actors are good-looking, friendly and tall -- really tall. Ms. Plummer, a striking 20-something model turned actress is six feet, while Mr. Reeve, 38, a stone mason and actor, stands six feet, six inches and is a dead ringer for wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin.
They are set to play seven-foot-tall Psychlo aliens in the film version of L. Ron Hubbard's futuristic novel Battlefield Earth, starring John Travolta in a big-budgeted Hollywood production that begins shooting July 3 in Montreal. The actors, who will be fitted with stilts for their roles, were selected from more than 400 actors in general casting calls in Montreal and Toronto.
Both actors are expected to appear in a bar scene with Mr. Travolta, although much about the production including set designs, casting, costumes and storyline are being kept under wraps until filming begins. The film's budget is reported to be about $70 million and shooting is taking place in a converted Montreal factory made to resemble a futuristic universe. Filming is expected to last at least three months.
"The Psychlos are supposed to look like dogs and the costumes are Star Trek-like, sort of a form-fitting leathery material," explained Ms. Plummer, who attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School, before moving to Montreal and starting a successful modelling career.
"It's like a warrior outfit, if you can almost imagine leather with spikes on the shoulders because the Psychlos are really a conquering race," said Mr. Reeve, a Vancouver Island native who moved to Ottawa in 1998. His previous acting job was in The Thirteenth Man, an Antonio Banderas film set for release later this year.
Mr. Reeve said he's scheduled to go to Montreal next month to choreograph some of the battle sequences.
In the film, Mr. Travolta will play a nasty alien named Terl, the evil head of security for the extraterrestrials.
The chance to act in a big Hollywood movie is a real kick, the actors say, although as supporting characters, their roles could end up on the cutting room floor.
"I don't get excited about things until I'm right there and it's happening. But I want this to keep going and maybe it could lead to other things. Besides, it's not every day you get to act in a movie with John Travolta," said Ms. Plummer.
"This is definitely in my mind a huge coup and it's the biggest film happening in Montreal this summer and we're in it," said Mr. Reeve.
Battlefield Earth will be directed by Roger Christian and is based on the 1982 novel by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The futuristic novel tells the story of Earth after it has been taken over by the Psychlo aliens and the few humans who remain live in primitive ignorance. One of the humans captured by the Psychlos learns about his past and leads a rebellion to try to win back the planet.
Copyright 1999 Ottawa Citizen