Julie Benz on her in role in THE PUNISHER

Compi716 · Jan 14, 2008

While promoting her new film Rambo, Julie Benz had quite a different look. She walked into the room as a brunette and she laughed and said it was for yet another project of hers -- Punisher: War Zone.

The very giggly actress couldn't give up much info about the flick, but she did tell us she plays a very different character than she does in Rambo.

"Her name is Angela Donatelli," Benz said. "She's an Italian from Brooklyn, New York. Unlike Sarah [in 'Rambo'] who is very soft and vulnerable, Angela has got a little bit more of an edge. She's more of a fighter. She's a bit of a momma bear. She's got a little child she's protecting. She's not really happy with anybody. She's kind of in a bad mood."

She also talked to us how different the shoot was compared to Rambo, which was filmed in the jungles of Thailand.

"There are some very emotionally intense moments [in 'Punisher: War Zone']. The conditions were different. There was a controlled environment and we were working mainly interiors. It didn't have that quality to it. There was just something about you shooting in the jungle. There's nothing like it and it just raised the intensity level of everything."
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http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=6686

I love her from 'Dexter,' so I'm really looking forward to seeing in in the film.

Nivek · Jan 14, 2008

She has been playing very subtle, soft feminine characters for a while now, it will be nice to see her play a role with a bit more of an edge. I miss her being Evil like she was in Buffy and Angel.

KenK · Jan 14, 2008

I know, I'm looking forward to her as a mafia princess. And she's definitely rockin' the brunette. I think I'd like to see her keep for when Dexter comes back.

Mauser9910 · Jan 14, 2008

Yep, she looks very nice with darker hair.

Wolverine11222 · Jan 14, 2008

More info from SCI FI Wire: http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=47270:

Benz Accents Punisher

Julie Benz, who co-stars in the upcoming sequel film Punisher: War Zone, told SCI FI Wire that she plays the wife of an FBI agent who is murdered.

"The bad guys are after her, and the Punisher tries to save her," Benz said in an interview. "She's a single mother now, who lives with a young daughter. And she's definitely tougher than Sarah [Benz's missionary character in Rambo]. She's got some guts to her."

In War Zone, Benz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter) plays Angela opposite Rome's Ray Stevenson, who play Frank Castle/the Punisher. The film also stars The Wire's Dominic West as Jigsaw, Doug Hutchison as Looney Bin Jim and Dash Mihok as Detective Soap.

"It's directed by Lexi Alexander [Hooligans]," Benz said. "It's one of the first times I've gotten to work with a female director. I was very excited about that. Also, for me, I get to do my first accent. I'm doing a New York accent."

War Zone also marks Benz's first comic-book movie (like its predecessor films, War Zone is based on the Marvel Comics franchise).

"To be a part of a comic-book movie was very exciting," Benz said. "And it's also headed up by Ray Stevenson and Dominic West, who are both actors whose work I've admired." Punisher: War Zone will open on Sept. 12. --Ian Spelling
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Sawyer · Jan 14, 2008

She looks damn hot with that dark hair.

Arsh · Jan 14, 2008

LOUD_SILENT_MAN said: ↑

She looks damn hot with that dark hair.
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I agree.

She's one of my favourite actresses currently. I love her in Dexter (which is a fantastic show).

Punisher 04 · Jan 15, 2008

LOUD_SILENT_MAN said: ↑

She looks damn hot with that dark hair.
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She's hot in any hair color!

Brendan · Jan 15, 2008

She looks more along the lines of a milf though with dark hair.

co2 · Jan 15, 2008

Brendan said: ↑

She looks more along the lines of a milf though with dark hair.

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yeah, I like it.
She is in both Rambo and Punisher...girls got it for the killing machine, tough guys....or just Viet Nam vets.

Compi716 · Jan 15, 2008

So who exactly is this character that she plays? Is the wife of that cop that gets killed?

Sawyer · Jan 15, 2008

co2 said: ↑

yeah, I like it.
She is in both Rambo and Punisher...girls got it for the killing machine, tough guys....or just Viet Nam vets.
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Lets see... first Angel, then Dexter, now Rambo and Punisher. I say she's got it bad for killing machines.

Wolverine11222 · Jan 16, 2008

A new interview from IGN: http://movies.ign.com/articles/845/845374p1.html

Julie Benz, costar of the action film Rambo, told IGN that she enjoyed playing a different kind of character for her role in the upcoming Punisher: War Zone.

"To me it's a whole different genre because it's a comic book, so you have that element," the actress said during an exclusive interview. "You can make a little bit broader choices [because] you're acting with a guy who is covered head to toe in prosthetic make-up [laughs]."

In War Zone, Benz plays Angela -- a woman whose story becomes intertwined with The Punisher's. She said that she liked playing Angela because she was tougher than some of her previous characters, specifically Sarah -- the missionary she portrays in Rambo.

"For me the character of Angela, she's a little tougher, she's edgier, she's not a victim," Benz said. "Sarah in a way is a bit of a naïve innocent in Rambo, but Angela is more of a pro-active, tougher New York girl -- a mother bear protecting her child and will do anything to protect her child. Sarah doesn't have that 'oomph' behind her."

Benz also said she faced several other challenges on War Zone, the biggest of which was adopting an accent.

"For me doing The Punisher was the first time I got to tackle an accent, so I spent a lot of time with a dialect coach on my accent," Benz said. "[But] to make a joke, the difference between the two sets was that when we were filming Rambo, it was extraordinarily hot and when we were filming The Punisher it was extraordinarily cold -- two extreme elements. We were all night shoots. The cold, definitely, I can't handle the cold [laughs]. Put me in 120 degree heat, I'm fine. I can sweat like the best of them and stink and I don't care. But put me in 32 degree weather or even 45 degree weather and I'm a mess."
Benz indicated that the harsh conditions actually created a kind of solidarity among her and her crewmates.

"Doing an all night shoot definitely builds a camaraderie between everybody and we did feel a little bit like we were in a war zone," Benz said. "We were in beautiful Montreal, which is definitely not a war zone, but you're staying up all night and working all night, we were all in the same boat and it definitely kind of brought us together as a cast and crew."

In Rambo, Benz was introduced to the world of high-tech artillery via some epic action sequences. She said that this experience helped her channel similar feelings when she was on the set of Punisher: War Zone.

"I had never really worked with the weaponry that we worked with in Rambo, and never really felt what it felt to have these guns go off while you're standing right next to them," Benz said. "It's such a physical experience and it's nothing that I could recreate on my own, but you feel the gun in your gut and it would shock you so completely that I would start to cry. I had a meltdown feeling that power. I can't explain it -- it just affected me on a deep level. So when we were doing The Punisher we were working in some controlled situations where they weren't actually allowed to fire the gun, you know -- put it in later or do it with stunt guys -- and I was able to recreate that feeling that I had already experienced in Rambo."

At the same time, Benz admitted that despite spending a wealth of time around them, she didn't familiarize herself with the hardware from either film.

"It was such an extreme of these massive weapons, and I'm such a girl -- I don't even know [what kind]. The guys can tell you make and model and power and I'm like, 'I don't know, it's a gun!'"

Rambo is scheduled for release on January 25, 2008. Stay tuned to IGN for more news and information about these and other exciting new releases!
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film_geek · Jan 17, 2008

Wait, Julie Binz is in this!? first I've heard of it...

damn! now I care about this film again, I've loved her since Buffy. I stopped caring about this film back when Micro was announced... my fanboyish love for Benz has made me care about this again.

VICTORVONDOOMX · Jan 21, 2008

Julie Benz as a brunette ... yum.

nice-coat · Jan 21, 2008

Go to doughutchison.com and click on message for 2008 where he talks a little about filming Punisher.

Doug plays Looney Bin Jim.

Quote -PUNISHER was hands down the best experience i've ever had on a film set since THE GREEN MILE.

And -

Ray Stevenson delivered a poignant, stoic performance as Frank Castle.

The rest is about filming in Montreal and Lexi. Check it out.

Advanced Dark · Feb 1, 2008

http://bigpicture.fancast.com/2008/01/julie_benz_on_punisher_war_zon.html

New Interview!

screams · Feb 1, 2008

It's funny that she called it Punisher 2.

Brian Braddock · Feb 1, 2008

Damn, she's hot.

I love Benz in Dexter and look forward to seeing her in War Zone.

Super_Ludacris · Feb 1, 2008

Intresting

the a1ant · Feb 2, 2008

VICTORVONDOOMX said: ↑

Julie Benz as a brunette ... yum.
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Always yum, yes She looks so different with the hair in that pic - a good change.

OctaviusINC · Feb 6, 2008

I think she'll do good in this role.

I loved her as Darla in Angel. She was such an evil *****. I love her.

Advanced Dark · Mar 18, 2008

http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=18311&sectionId=2

I like her attitude.

Gotham · Mar 18, 2008

Deliciously evil? Can't wait! t:

Brendan · Mar 26, 2008

Apparently she's also going to be in Saw 5.

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