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March 1991
by Lyn Jones
Playing the Villain
Lyn Jones talks to Jeff Kober, who plays the villain in The
First Power, which comes to video this month.
Playing any sort of Villain can be a trial for any actor, but
playing a psychopathic serial killer who is also a Satanist is just one
step harder. For Jeff Kober, an actor famous for his role in the smash hit
series, China Beach, the task was fun for a while but...
"Towards the end it got a bit uncomfortable," he commented.
"In fact it got to be too much." The toll it took ensured that
however realistically he played the role, it is not a character he plans
to take on again.
"I did a movie a few years ago called Out of Bounds in which I
played a heroin dealer who happened to kill a bunch of people trying to
find his heroin again and that was different. I had respect for that man
and I understood what his sense of honour was. It was hard to find a sense
of honour in this man because he was strictly focused on power rather than
in any kind of self fulfillment.
"As an actor I have to do my work in such a way that I believe it. If
I make my part in it believable, that transfers to the audience."
Preparation for a role such as this was probably the most difficult
aspect. Unlike Lou Diamond Philips, who plays a police detective in The
First Power, Kober could hardly visit the local police station for
research purposes. Instead he delved into the mystic arts to attempt to
create a reason for his character's system of beliefs.
"Spiritually, it was a very wearing on me. Only a small part of it
made it into the film but there's one scene in which I recite the Lord's
Prayers backwards and in the shooting, I did that scene all the way
through in a single take. I actually memorized the Lord's Prayer backwards
which is supposedly very powerful in a Satanic sense. I do not believe in
that, but being raised with certain beliefs and then taking them and
turning them on their ear like that has an effect on you. You have to work
against letting that bring you down."
Jeff is committed to China Beach for a while yet, however, he is
looking forward to the freedom or being available for film roles again. In
the meantime, Kober spends his time writing scripts with his wife - they
have sold one script to Village Roadshow. Currently he is penning a
detective thriller, although drama is what attracts him most.
"Drama attracts me more than comedy. I like films which show people
going through certain personal kinds of changes. That's what attracts me,
the depth of emotional investment and to the passion involved. I'm just
more comfortable there. Left to the devices of my own head, I'm kind of
afloat without a paddle, but when I can tap into passionate, heartfelt
king of place, then I can let myself be guided to where I need to go - my
system knows where to go rather than me trying to manipulate it
there."
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