Kevin Sorbo: The Mr. Skin Interview

Kevin Sorbo is best known to fans of sci-fi and fantasy for his roles on Andromeda, Xena: Warrior Princess, and of course, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Recently Kevin poked fun at his own image as a sword-and-sandals beefcake in the outrageous Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer comedy Meet the Spartans (2008). Kevin also devotes a lot of time to his new website www.worldfitforkids.org, dedicated to mentoring inner-city teens to use school, fitness, sports, and positive role models for themselves and then become the coaches and mentors for younger children. Kevin recently sat down with Maximilian Mueller to discuss his new movie, Hercules, and underwater wet t-shirts.

If you were going to recast Xena today with different actresses, who would you pick for the roles of Xena and Gabrielle?

Good question. I would, I think, pick Kate Beckinsale (Picture-1), only because she’s so hot in Underworld. Phenomenal! I was jealous that I didn’t get that part. Scott Speedman or someone played that part? I would have loved to have played that part. And, for Renée [O’Connor], I think Reese Witherspoon (Picture-1). Their salaries would be the budget of a whole season of Xena, though.

Who are the sexiest actresses in Hollywood today?

Well I’ve got to throw Kate Beckinsale (Picture-1) in there again. And I’m going to go Rene Russo (Picture-1-2). I don’t know what she’s doing now, but I always thought she was sexy. Michelle Pfeiffer (Picture-1-2), but I don’t know what she’s doing now either.

Who are the sexiest Hollywood actresses from the past?

I got into acting because of people like Tippi Hedren and Maureen O’Hara from Miracle on 34th St.

What’s the first nude scene you remember seeing?

The one that I remember, that wasn’t completely nude, but that drove me nuts and made me realize, “Oh my God, I am not going to have a problem with my sexuality,” was The Deep (Picture-1) with Jacqueline Bisset (Picture-1). Oh my gosh, you just wanted to pause that movie on the big screen! I remember being in the movie when I was a kid and the place got deadly quiet and the guys with their girls wanted to be all cool and they were just dying! I got to meet her years later, once I moved to Hollywood and once Hercules was on the air. She actually came up to me at a party to tell me she loved me and she loved Hercules and all I could think was, “Oh my God, it’s Jacqueline Bisset.” I said, “I have a white t-shirt in my car. Will you put it on please?”

Did you tell her about watching The Deep?

Oh, Hell yeah.

Do you think she got a kick out of it?

I think she’s always enjoyed that.

Tell us about your role in the new movie Never Cry Werewolf.

Brenton Spencer, the director, is an old buddy of mine who directed a few episodes of Andromeda. He called me up and said, “Look, we’ve got this fun script, it’s a great part, and we’d like you to do it.” So I said, “Yeah! I’m always up for working with people I know really well.” And I loved the part. I loved playing a guy who’s so downtrodden. He’s got a hunting show that only comes on at 3:00 a.m., is losing his wife, living in a van, and becoming an alcoholic. Meanwhile he’s blaming everybody but himself (which seems to be the theme of most Americans today), and he had to learn a lesson from a young teenage girl. It’s dressed in the guise of a werewolf movie, but it’s basically a soul-saving mission from this girl, and the guy finds the balls again to live his life. Whether he actually did anything to defeat the werewolf or not, he certainly ran interference for the heroine, the lovely Nina Dobrev.

Were you a fan of science fiction and horror movies growing up?

Oh, yeah. All the time. I just remember my older brothers watching all that ’50s sci-fi from The Blob to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I love those things! I have the Mummy (you know, Boris Karloff), Bela Lugosi, and all those movies on DVD. Pretty soon I’ll introduce my kids to them.

Has all your work over the years in sci-fi and fantasy made you into a bigger fan?

Probably the same. I’ve always enjoyed it. I like it, and if something that catches my fancy comes out in the theaters, I’ll go see it. I haven’t really lost my interest in it. I like most genres of movies, so I’m pretty easygoing that way.

What’s your favorite genre to work in?

You know what I’d like to work in? I’d really like to do a romantic comedy, something in the vein of When Harry Met Sally. I caught a movie recently with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale called Serendipity. It was really well done. I don’t care what age you are, whether you’re married or not, in a relationship or not, there’s something about the freshness of that new relationship.

So should we look for a Kevin Sorbo romantic comedy in the near future?

Well I hope so, but the next couple of movies I have lined up have nothing to do with it. In one I’m playing a badass who would make Quentin Tarantino proud. I’m looking forward to diving into the psyche of a sick, homicidal motherfucker (pardon my French). We’re going to start that in October, in Arkansas. Then it’s on to Baton Rouge to do a medieval movie with Christopher Lambert. And Rutger Hauer is going to be hopefully playing my father. And then the other one I’ve got is another western.

What was it like working with Michael Hurst, Renée O'Connor (Picture-1) and Lucy Lawless (Picture-1) again on the set of Bitch Slap?

Well, mine was just a cameo role. The script was wonderful. I don’t know when it’s going to be out, but I know there’s a lot of good hype on it. I think it’s going to be a cult favorite. Michael Hurst was on set one day and we caught up on old times.

You didn’t see Lucy Lawless?

The only one I’ve bumped into in the last eight years is Renée O’Connor. We bumped into each other at the Academy Awards when Lord of the Rings won all those awards. I haven’t seen Lucy since 2000.

What was it like spoofing your image in Meet the Spartans?

I had such a blast on that movie. It was so much fun working with those directors. Every day on the set (we shot in New Orleans) last July and August, we had a blast. So I had no problem with that. It was fun. I’ll spoof anything.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

I’d really like people to visit my new site www.worldfitforkids.org and give us feedback. We’ve done a lot of work on the site and we’d love to know what people think. Thanks!