My name Is Lance Henriksen.. and I'm a compulsive Potter!

In the final part of our interview with Lance Henriksen, Lance talks about life (as an actor), the universe (and its amazing creatures) and everything (about pottery). Thanks again to Lance for the interview and we hope you've enjoyed this slice of Henriksen magic.

Click to read part one, click to read part two. For non-English translations, click here.

BacktoFrankBlack: Lance, it's great having you on board this campaign! It's so rare to have the very icon of a TV campaign standing so vocally behind the fans! A miracle even!

LANCE HENRIKSEN: We'll we've just got the President we deserve! We just did. It's a miracle and a lot of that miracle came through the internet - it really did! We suddenly have an intelligent, bright guy in the center that's going to do a wonderful job. Sure, he'll have problems, but that ‘s the nature of being President! I'm really thrilled. That was a beautiful night that I've ever had in terms of anything happening in politics. There wasn't a dry eye in the country.

BTFB: I think many in the world are quite jealous of your President!

LH: Oh don't be jealous! However it may start a trend where people realise that the things they really want, can happen.

See with Obama - I've been up and around Harvard, I know what kind of work he did. You see the love he has for his family. He's a very sharp and coordinated human being whose very happy in his own skin. He's quite a man and I'm proud of him, I'm proud of what he did.

Getting back to the issue though, it happened because people got on board - and that's what you're trying to do. Though I'm not comparing myself to Obama of course!

BTFB: No, I can't see that sort of comparison would do the campaign much good!

LH: No, that would not fly!

BTFB: It's a sound allegory - that the internet has created such a stronger international bond of communication allowing people to be heard.

LH: It certainly is. Listen, I have a lot of flaws as a human being. Everybody has a certain amount of character defects - one of the reason I got into this industry in the first place was because really in a lot of ways it was the only place I could go. I've been a painter and an artist - I love the arts and all I know is working from my intuition and that's where I'm at and why the role of Frank Black was so good for me - it was a role that required lot of restraint and observation. Those are things that are natural to me anyway.

In the arts, like in making pottery, you're basing your pursuit on an observation you've made after a firing and you pursue it until something else comes up and then you pursue that... so it's a lifelong thing. Because you're one person its coming from a very private source from you alone. Everyone has a gift whether they see it coming to fruition and that's the place I like to work from - I really don't know any other way!

BTFB: Would be fair to say you love your pottery!

I make pottery - I make 36 inch platters and I have another world of friends who are all potters. They put me on the board of the American museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona - it's the only museum in California devoted to pottery and they have all the great artists from all over the the country come to the museum and have shows there. I'm sitting on the board with the founder and five other people. We went around the table and introduced ourselves. Four or five said how they went to Stanford or to Berkley and they were great at business, and they came to me and I said "Hi, my name is Lance Henriksen - I am a compulsive potter - that's all I have to say! That's it! That's me! And I have no idea what use I'll be on this board with you but I'll give it my best."

Talk about dropping their jaws! And only because that's the truth - I'm telling the truth. You can have all kinds of degrees and all kinds of business degrees - but what are you going to do with it? [laughs]

(To see some examples of Lance's pottery, click here!)

BTFB: One fan question I would like to present to you from Viivi was about your role as a bad guy - for instance, in the picture Stone Cold. How different is it playing the bad guy?

LH: Playing a bad guy in a movie.. Often you have a piece of work that is written where the guy is bad in a bit of a cliché way - it's obvious stuff. What I try and do with those roles is build a real dense character that has a life to him and that world of biker's clubs in Stone Cold is a very dark place. What I tried to do with that character was to be very unyielding - in terms of the lifestyle the character was living - absolutely unforgiving. And it worked. I don't know if the movie worked, but the character really worked!

I've just finished a movie called Sirus. It's an independent film and I'm playing a guy who is the best friend of a serial killer. When I say ‘best friend' what I mean is he's an enabler. He's a real, thick enabler who has a tow truck and crushes car somewhere in the Midwest. He has a psychopathic edge - has no feelings. He has affection for this one person because he can enable him and it was fun to play - it really was. It was almost like playing a 60 year old teenager who had that feeling, you know, the one where you can never be hurt in any way? That's who this guy is. I suddenly realized when I started playing him. I had a lot of fun playing him because the character didn't actually hurt anyone personally - and I thought wow, this is sick shit! Really. Wow. But it was so much fun to do him. I even found a hat that a member of the crew was wearing and I thought, "Oh shit yeah!" I felt like I was on a shopping spree and found all the little pieces of this guy! I grabbed this hat from this guy's head and I said "hey can I use that?" and he said "yeah!".

I brought my own boots because I had my instincts tell me that being a tow truck driver he'd have certain pair of boots and so I brought mine. Anyway it was putting together pieces of a character and I love that. Believe me I love acting - otherwise I wouldn't do it, I'd stop.

BTFB: Sounds like the sort of character that Frank Black would have to deal with.

LH: Exactly. Remember: As a person I've never killed anybody or hurt anybody in any way. It's a piece of entertainment where you investigate these types of characters and make audiences believe it, just what's going on and lead them down unusual paths. But I don't only want to do the Hollywood ‘bad guys' or ‘good guys', it's about playing characters that have a full range of emotions.

I find a lot of inspiration in acting just comes in a flash and then if you pursue that inspiration you expand it and you see how it affect on the whole world. We're not a usual creature, humans. You know, last night I was with a group of people and suddenly I was thinking that we were like a pod, a pod of whales - we can't survive without each other. Whenever I'm in an airplane and look down, we're like algae, we really are. Algae on a planet.

BTFB: Intelligent algae?

LH: Yeah, well - we think anyway! I mean, the chickens in the chicken yard think they're the hot shit. They walk around and there's a pecking order and they can be nasty - but they probably think they are the shit! If you have a snow leopard up in the mountains and its so mysterious and no body knows what its thinking or what it's behavior. I'm a believer that animals are really, really misunderstood! [laughs]

BTFB: Before we finish, you have a real rapport with the fans - I recall when you were in Manchester last year how much energy and devotion you gave to the people there.

LH: I really did enjoy. I love meeting people and talking even if it's for a brief few moments. At least I'm making contact and I've had some really good conversations around the hotel. It was really worth doing, really fun.

I live with the kind of attitude of gratitude believe me, that's how my life really wants to be and to be accepted in the industry like I have been it's been wonderful, I have nothing to complain about at all!

Support BacktoFrankBlack.com and Lance's contribution by sending a letter supporting the campaign to:

MICHAEL BROIDY
20th Century Fox 10201
W. Pico Blvd. Bldg. 88,
Room 344
Los Angeles,
USA

For more help on letter-writing for the campaign, click here

THE COMPULSIVE POTTER - EXCLUSIVE LANCE HENRIKSEN INTERVIEW PART THREE SOON!

Allow me, with great excitement, to share with you a hot date for your diary. Saturday 14th March will see the final part of our exclusive interview with Lance Henriksen available here at our Blog for you all to read. Rest assured that this does not mean the end of the campaign's association with Lance, far from it, we are working on new and exciting projects with him as we speak.

I am sure you will concur with me that his interview has thus far been an amazingly enjoyable read and allow me to reassure you that the third part continues this trend. Speaking on issues such as films, politics, art, Millennium, and compulsive pottery (you'll just have to read it wont you), Lance continues to grace us with his openness and support and we are truly grateful to him.

Lance Henriksen is Millennium and never before has a fan campaign had the honor to work so closely with a true icon of cinema and television. So, pop this date in your diary and make sure to view our Blog on Saturday. This Saturday there is no where else you should be!

MORE TALK OF THE DEVIL - YOUR CHANCE TO INTERVIEW LUCY BUTLER!

Dear supporters,

We recently brought to your attention the exciting news that Lucy Butler herself, Sarah-Jane Redmond, had demonstrated her support of this campaign by offering us an exclusive interview and some fantastic memorabilia that we can use.

As you will recall we gave you all the chance to contribute to this exciting event by encouraging you all to submit the questions 'you' wanted to see asked for our consideration.

We have been overwhelmed by the response to this and as we want as many as possible to have the opportunity to contribute we have decided to extend the closing date for submissions to meet the demand.

There are a number of ways you can make a submission, email it to us at info@backtofrankblack.com or leave it here as a blog comment. We are thoroughly enjoying all your submissions and emails of support and admiration for Sarah-Jane Redmond, keep these coming! The revised closing date for submissions is now Friday 13th March, sorry, I just couldn't resist the connotation. Good luck all of you!

In addition to the above, yes there's more goodies to come, keep your eyes peeled for the third and final part of Lance Henriksen's exclusive interview and for news of another BTFB exclusive from Frank Spotnitz himself. Millennium fans never had it so good!

BACK TO FRANK BLACK - THE FANS SPEAK OUT!

Dear friends,

Imagine our surprise, and a most pleasant surprise it was, when we discovered one of our supporters had written to Frank Spotnitz to espouse his support of the campaign and his love of Millennium. As you may know, we have written to Frank Spotnitz in the past and have been touched that he has responded to our campaign with such warmth and openness. So, allow us to take this opportunity to thank Diego for such a considered and supportive resume of his feelings and to thank Frank Spotnitz for once again giving this campaign a most vital and welcome platform. Allow me to share a few words from Diego's thoughtful message but I urge you all to enjoy the full entry here!

Of course I know you are more than aware of our campaign, so this is not a request of any kind. I just needed to comment that, by now, from seeing the response the campaign has been getting, I am really starting to feel that if a new chapter in Frank Black's life never comes to be, it would be the greatest shame in the world. Not only in the world of television and art (for "Millennium" is Art with a capital A), but most importantly in the real, present world. Frank Black's story has such power to change people's lives for the better, to bring hope in the darkest of times, to nurture thought, to inspire the best in each of us.

It is you, the fans, that are the quintessential driving force behind the campaign. It is your passion, your devotion and your enthusiasm that has shaped this campaign and allowed it to evolve into, what has been described by many as the most professional and impressive fan campaign they have witnessed.

Wherever you find yourselves today and in the future, take a little time to ethically and politely share your love of Frank Black and your support of this campaign. In those distant days when we first began I recall Frank Spotnitz himself stated that for a Movie to happen fans needed to make a lot of noise.

You have raised your voices, those that matter are hearing us, let's turn the volume up and shout a little more.

TALK OF THE DEVIL - GET INVOLVED IN OUR INTERVIEW WITH LUCY BUTLER!

Whilst it is fair to say that a number of actors and characters have left an indelible mark on the Millennium universe, few have made the impact of Frank Black's enduring nemesis Lucy Butler.

Kudos must be given to Sarah-Jane Redmond for helping to create one of the most memorable antagonists to have featured in a 1013 creation. Few characters rattled Frank's cage in the same way Lucy did and rarely has a character been subjected to the same level of analysis and praise within the Millennium fan community.

We are proud, therefore, to bring to your attention Sarah-Jane Redmond's support of this campaign and to inform you that she has agreed to be interviewed and has offered a few goodies (more to come) that we can use to further interest in us and provide for you, the fans, an exclusive piece of Millennium memorabilia.

As you are aware we aim to involve you all as much as we are able in our efforts, the campaign relies on the visible support of the show's fans and we are pleased to announce that this latest triumph is no exception.

We are giving you all the possibility of contributing to the interview we will be conducting. We want to know what the fans want to know - if you had the opportunity to ask Sarah-Jane Redmond anything about her character and her time on Millennium, what would that be?

It is easy to submit your ideas to us, either leave them here as comments about this Blog entry or email them to us at info@backtofrankblack.com.

We are sure you will agree that this is an opportunity not to be missed and we are eager that Sarah-Jane is not kept waiting so the deadline for submissions is Tuesday 10th March. That said, let your imagination run amok, and send us your ideas.

We cannot guarantee that we will use all the submissions we receive but rest assured your efforts will be much appreciated.

Good luck to all of you!

MILLENNIUM GROUP COCKTAIL PARTY

Let it not be said that Millennium fans are without a sense of the absurd and whilst we endeavor to keep this Blog of the highest standard we know you will turn a blind eye every once in a while whilst we get our jollies with something less cerebral. Yup, Millennium Cocktails, and why not? Get your thinking caps on people and suggest the perfect Millennium inspired Cocktail, the results of which will be shared with our readers in future entries. The fun thing is you are not limited to consumable ingredients, it's for fun after all, let your minds run rampant and concoct some toxic brews that echo the show, its episodes or the characters. You can leave your ideas as comments or send them to us as an email, we don't mind which, we'll probably be too drunk to care ;)

Just to whet, or kill, your appetite here are three potent, yet debonair, elixirs for your delectation. Shouldn't take too long to work out what inspired these little demons.

LOVE IS BLUE COCKTAIL RECIPE

3 pt Lime Vodka
1 pt Blue Curacao
1 large pinch of brimstone
2 chilled kidneys (preferable those of your spouse)
Sprite to dilute.

Build in a highball glass packed with ice. Get an extra spooky, smoking effect by decorating with carbonic ice. Enjoy in small doses whilst chilling to endless loops of elevator muzak.

FRANK BLACK RUSSIAN

1 shot Vodka
1 shot Tia Maria
Top up with Cola
A large shot of intuition

Mix 1 shot of Tia Maria with 1 shot of Vodka with ice and top up glass with Cola. Drink in a silent (but not depressive) atmosphere with no company. On special occasions treat yourself to a little Bobby Darin but listen in reverential and ponderous (but still not depressed) manner.

BLOND BOMBSHELL

1 pint Cider
Double Pernod
2 Luscious Lips

Pour Pernod into Cider and mix. Drink in sultry fashion whilst innocently smoking a cigarette in a wantonly suggestive manner. Pause every now and then to feel the inevitability of the end of the drink and weep accordingly. On special occasions drop the glass whilst startling angelic vision takes place.

SEVEN AND ONE QUESTIONS - A PROFILE OF A MILLENNIUM FAN

(click on biography image, opens in a new window)

Dear Supporters,

We have continuously reminded you all of the need for fans of the franchise to demonstrate their appreciation of Millennium in order to provide evidence of the wide support the franchise continues to elicit. To this end we asked you to consider taking a few moments of your time to complete a simple questionnaire that we can utilise. We thank all those who responded to our request and, as promised, here are more thoughts from the heart of Millennium fandom. If you have responded and have not seen your contribution here do not be dismayed. We will use all the responses we have received in due course. Please keep these coming and do not hesitate to send us all your thoughts and queries on anything Millennium and Frank Black related and as you can see from this entry you do not have to use your real name to qualify. If you would like to complete the brief questionnaire I have listed the questions below for your perusal.

1. About You.

2. Why are you a fan?

3. How long have you been a fan?

4. What's your favorite episode.

5. What's your favorite scene or moment?

6. If a movie was made which characters would you like to see in it?

7. Why do you think Millennium should come back?

8. What are you watching right now?

We are constantly trying to devise new and exciting ways you guys can get more involved in the campaign and the ways in which you can do this are not limited to our suggestions and creativity alone. If you have an idea for a way you would like to contribute to the campaign do not hesitate to send us an email. We will respond to each and every one of you. We look forward to hearing from you all!