MONDO EXTRAS

Mr. S: So that just sort of made you face it and give it a shot?

Benz: No, I mean, being an ice skater, I grew up performing and I always had that performing aspect in me. My mom knew that, and so...there's always that fear of failure, like, "What if I audition and don't get the role?", so it was fortunate that I did get it and was able to really start pursuing acting at that time.

Mr. S: Do you still get out on the ice occasionally?

Benz: No.

Mr. S: No?

Benz: No.

Mr. S: I only ask because my wife used to be a figure skater as well, and she doesn't really either. But she was excited to hear you used to do it.

Benz: Well, it's hard. I did it for thirteen years, eight hours a day, seven days a week, two weeks off a year. It was like having a career. For me...I just walked away from it because I found something I loved more. I love the fact that I grew up doing it. I learned a lot. It definitely has added to my dedication to being an actor, but I don't miss it.

Mr. S: Right. So, you are co-starring in the new John Rambo film, which is pretty exciting, I can imagine. You worked with Sylvester Stallone and Paul "Father Intintola" Schulze, another Oz alum. I saw the trailer and it looks pretty intense, and the role you're playing certainly looks like a departure from Rita. Can you tell me a little bit about Sarah Miller?

Benz: Yes. I'm a missionary from Colorado, and we want to go into Burma to bring medical supplies...I don't know if you know this or are aware of this, but in Burma right now it's the longest-running war and longest-running form of genocide going on. It's been going on for over fifteen years, and it's the most underreported war in the world. And what they're doing is, the Burmese government is actually killing off all the Christians. So, we're a bunch of missionaries who hire Rambo to take us in. He doesn't want to at first, but I convince him to take us, and once we get there he leaves, and we end up getting captured by the Burmese military, and tortured and all this stuff. So he comes in with a bunch of mercenaries to help us out.

Mr. S: That sounds like a good time.

Benz: What attracted me to the script is that it's not just an action movie for the sake of an action movie. None of the Rambo movies have been. They've all had messages behind them, and this one especially, dealing with the issue in Burma, which most of the world doesn't even know about. There's a huge social message and responsibility, so I was really attracted to that aspect of it. And also, to be able to hold my own against a film icon like Sylvester Stallone, I mean...