Red Planet, Entertainment Tonight, Benjamin Bratt Interview

This interview with Benjamin Bratt gleans some interesting information about the upcoming movie RED PLANET. For example, the scenes that takes place on Earth occur in Egypt, as opposed to Cape Canaveral or Houston. Also, we learn that the character that Benjamin plays is an air force lieutenant. Thanks goes to the Val Kilmer newsletter for the lead on this.

Benjamin Bratt - 'The Red Planet'

Hollywood hottie BENJAMIN BRATT is out of this world in his exciting new feature! We caught up with him on location in Australia to get the "411" on 'The Red Planet.'

ET: Ben, just give me a thumbnail picture of this story of 'Red Planet.'

Benjamin Bratt: We are a group of astronauts who are part of the first man mission to Mars. It takes place in Egypt, Earth is virtually falling apart, and not sustaining life as we know it. We are traveling to Mars to explore the possibility of colonizing it. When we actually land on the planet, something goes horribly wrong, I'll just put it that way.

ET: Tell me a little bit about your character -- who are you in this movie?

Benjamin: I play an air force lieutenant who is very much a fighter, a bit of a hard edged guy, he likes to boss people around. The guy I play is the least liked in the whole group, which is kind of interesting because it is so unlike me! (laughs)

ET: What drew you to this movie?

Benjamin: Big dollars! The whole thing about acting, the draw for me, is the opportunity to do things you don't get to do in real life. Everyone as a child has that fantasy of exploring space, particularly Mars, that planet holds a lot of intrigue. It's an opportunity to put on spacesuits and go be a space cowboy. It's fun.

ET: So is living on another planet something you have actually thought of?

Benjamin: Yeah, I think one thing that is interesting about this film -- it's not just a science fiction thriller, but it actually asks very existential philosophical questions.

ET: Are you involved in any stunts?

Benjamin: Unfortunately I think the studio is a little cautious. A lot of the fun stuff they are having other people do. Aside from running, jumping, and falling down, they are going to plug in someone else, that is usually how it works.

ET: Can you give us a little bit about the idea, the concept of colonization on other planetsÉ

Benjamin: Apparently, what I am told is much of the technology that we're assigning a futuristic bent to is actually technology that's in development now by NASA, so I think that is pretty interesting. I'm learning a lot!

ET: How are you finding working down here in Australia?

Benjamin: I've been on worse locations! It is beautiful, I particularly love the ocean, and am staying near the beach. I have a lot of time off on this film, so I've had quite ample time to explore various coastlines.

ET: Have you gotten into the surfing?

Benjamin: Oh, yes!

ET: What do you think about the virtual weekly rumors in the US that you and JULIA [ROBERTS] are getting marriedÉ

Benjamin: It's an old story, and a rather boring one. It is one that gets purported quite nearly on a weekly basis. We tend to sit back and laugh about it. I think our families are getting in on the fun too because they no longer believe these rumors to be true because they're far too numerous. It's really become a form of entertainment for us!

ET: You have just made a movie with MADONNA. Can you tell us about that, and what it was like working with her?

Benjamin: Yes, I made a film called 'The Next Best Thing' starring Madonna and RUPERT EVERETT, and that was a really wonderful experience. I found Madonna remarkably in touch with her emotional feelings while she was acting. I didn't really know what to expect, but she was very focused, very plugged into what she was doing, and I respected what she did a great deal. She came to work prepared and worked really hard. We all had a good time together, and that's really the most important thing to me.

ET: What projects do you have coming up?

Benjamin: I've got a few things in the wings but I can't really talk about them right now!

ET: Thank you very much!

Benjamin: Thank you!