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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2000)
THE BATTALION From beyond to blood 1 Actress Jeri Ryan talks with Battalion writer about Dracula role By Matt McCormick The Battalion Actress Jeri Ryan, best known as Seven of Nine on the televi sion show “Star Trek: Voyager,” is one of film’s many up-and- coming young stars. She has shared the screen with the likes of Johnny Lee Miller {Trainspotting), Omar Epps {In Too Deep) and Jennifer Esposito {Summer of Sam). This Christmas, she will make an appearance in the new Wes Craven film, Drac- | ula 2000. Ryan plays a reporter in the new and modern telling of a classic story. Taking over where Bram Stoker’s legend ends, | Dracula 2000 gives the famous vampire a new life in a mod- 1 ern setting. Directed by veteran editor Patrick Louissier, P who has worked with legendary horror director Craven on all three Scream films, this movie hopes to provide a hip and high-tech spin on the age-old tale. Ryan said she thought the whole filmmaking experience was wonderful. “It was a lot of fun to do,” she said. “The director was such a sweetheart. Coming from his background as an editor allowed him to work much more efficiently.” This efficiency proved to be an asset for the film. Preproduc tion delays pushed the shooting date to such a late start that it was doubtful whether the film could keep the “2000” in its title. “We had amazingly tight turnaround times,” Ryan said. “In fact, we did some reshoots just a few weeks ago as they were getting it cut together.” Ryan, who devotes most of her working time to the busy pro duction schedule of “Voyager,” did not seek a part in this film — it sought her. “Miramax came to me and said, ‘We want you in this movie,’ ” Ryan said. Her part, which was not in the original script, was added to the movie after she agreed to play it. Even after she joined the project, Ryan was unsure if she had picked a winner. “I was afraid about the quality of this picture ini tially a little bit,” Ryan said. “But it was in credibly organized.” .A&I. ~ . J? In fact, it was so well organized that it dispelled all her doubts, she said. When asked about the other actors and actresses, Ryan said she did not get to know as many of them as she would have liked. “Unfortunately, I did not have a lot of downtime with the rest of the cast,” Ryan said. Ryan’s hectic schedule was caused by her continued work on “Voyager” while she was shooting the film, which she said was her biggest challenge. Another challenge was the bugs, she said. “We were shooting a lot in the bayou in Louisiana, and there were these bugs,” Ryan said. “It was mating season for / them, and so they were everywhere — in your hair. But the good thing was, they ate the mosquitoes.” Ryan was not afraid to talk about her character’s fate in the film. She goes head to head with Dracula him self. “I am not really supposed to say, but if you’ve seen the trailer, you know,” Ryan said. “I get bitten, and I turn into a vampire.” Ryan thinks audiences will react positively to this new special-ef- fects-laden Dracula movie. “It has a very great twist on the origin of Dracula,” Ryan said. “It was just very cleverly done.” Dracula 2000 will be in the aters Dec. 22. Here's the next best thing to calling mom. Call us. The College Station Family Medicine Center is just what mom ordered. Our doctors will spend the time to get to know you and truly care about your well being. We have hours to fit yours and we're open Saturdays for your convenience. Don't sit around feeling bad. Call College Station Family Medicine Center for an appointment. We'll take care of you. Just like mom. COLLEGE STATION BA/fey MEDICINE CENTER Call for an appointment 979-693-2586 Office hours: Sam to 7pm M-F 9am to 12pm Sat 1602 Rock Prarie Road College Station, Texas 77845 DON'T HIBERNATE OR PRO<RASTINATEI WINTER-TERM XOOO MOUNTAIN VIEW COLLEGE Earn Up to Four Credit Hours During Your Winter Break! Classes begin December 1B, SOOO and continue through January 12, 200*1. Astronomy Developmental College Learning Skills Drama English! French Geography Geology Government History //C Humanities Management Math/ Developmental Math Office Technolog Psychology Religion Speech SI-a.SEO.BGOO for information. MOUNTAIN VIEW COLLEGE WWW V c dcccd . edu Mountain Uiew College is part of the Dallas County Community College District. 4849 West Illinois Avenue Dallas, TX 75211