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ACTION MANMichael Sopkiw enjoyed a brief but brilliant acting career in the Italian-made likes of 2019: After The Fall Of New York and Blastfighter. Jay Slater talks his face off...
Jay Slater: Could you tell me where your surname originates from? It would seem to be East European. How is Sopkiw pronounced?Michael Sopkiw: I've spent more time than it's probably worth with the pronunciation of that name over the years. The easier part of the question to answer is the origin and East European is a good assumption. My father's father was Ukrainian, as was his wife. I expect what you really want to know for is where my ancestors came from. My grandfather was from Schiavi d'Abbruzzo in Italy and my maternal grandmother from Brussels, Belgium. As for the pronunciation, you really got to be here. My family doesn't even pronounce it correctly. Jay: You made your first movie in 1983 with Sergio Martino’s 2019: After The Fall Of New York (2019 – dopo la caduta di New York) and your last, Massacre in Dinosaur Valley (Nudo e selvaggio aka Cannibal Ferox II) in 1985 – only four movies. How did you start acting? Michael: I was in England in the 70s as a merchant sailor laying submarine detection cable in the North Sea. Have put in at Falmouth and got to see Penzance and neighbourhood a little. Barre and Cardiff in Wales and Dunoon-Loch, Striven and Glasgow up in Scotland too. Later in the late 1970’s, I took up sailing yachts and later ships for about several years after a year of college in Miami. To make a long story shorter, I ended up in the Federal Correctional Institutes (seems my cargo of marijuana was frowned upon by the Drug Enforcement Agency) for one year of a two and a half year sentence. When I got out in late '78 or '79, I wanted to go back to sea but my parole terms didn't allow for that kind or freedom. So I had to choose a new career and always fantasised (like most people I'm sure) about being an actor. I knew someone who was connected in New York so I moved to the city to study acting. In the early 80s, I spent a week or so in London shooting a Pepsi commercial back when Les Miserables was fresh and not yet in New York. To make ends meet, modelling was suggested to me since I had never been a waiter or had any city experience of any kind, so I had some photos taken. I went to the Ford Modelling Agency and they signed me up. The tricky part was that I was sent to Europe to put a portfolio together but my parole officer wouldn't let me go overseas for very long. So I went back and forth a lot studying with a guy named Warren Robertson in New York while I was home. Through an agent in Firenze, Italy, I was introduced in Rome to Sergio Martino and the Nuova Dania crew and screen tested for 2019: After The Fall Of New York. Jay: What variation of modelling work did you pursue? Michael: Nothing too exciting, unless standing around or walking down a runway in nice clothes gets you going. The travelling was great though and I got to go to places like Mauritius and Tunisia with some very beautiful, nice young ladies. That's how I met Eva Anderson from Uddavalla and ended up in Sweden on a couple of vacations with her family. I also fell in love with her grandfather's wooden fishing boat that was christened Inga. Once I got going with these films, I didn't model much anymore. I did make several commercials in New York but I don't remember exactly where they fell chronologically. Jay: As an actor, have you ever had uncomfortable circumstances with directors? Have any ever let you improvise on set? Michael: The only uncomfortable situation I can remember arose over getting a day off from work on Blastfighter with Lamberto Bava. It wasn't anything really personal, but we had been shooting seven days a week, which was not in the contract, working in extremely cold water and such when a holiday approached. The crew decided it was a great idea to work another seven day week to get back to their families for whatever holiday it was and out voted the actors by about 10-1. Bava was getting burned out too so I had a discussion with him about what would be best for the film (a day off) and threatened to walk off otherwise. He agreed with the actors and gave us the day off filming to the chagrin of the crew. And once in awhile we were able to improvise or rewrite parts of a scene. Jay: Was it a surprise to be cast as a lead actor and how did it – exhilarated, imitated or was it just a job? Did you feel at home in front of the camera lens? Michael: I think exhilarating would be the best description; maybe mixed with a little fear of the unknown. I did feel fairly comfortable in front of the camera though. It didn't surprise me to be cast in the lead though because that is just what I was auditioning for. I was surprised to be cast – period. Jay: How does it feel to be regarded by alternative film fanatics as a cult figure? Michael: Until Fred Anderson, director of the forthcoming Swedish Ninja Mission 2000 (2001), discovered me on the Internet I wasn’t really aware there was such a group of people. Are there more than three of you? I find it hard to believe that my films are collected and sought after. Jay: How many interviews have you conducted since leaving your film career? Michael: About zero! Jay: American and British performers have claimed that a number of Italian producers would try not to pay an artist for their performance in a film. Also, creature comforts such as a caravan would be agreed on contract but not materialise on set. Did you encounter any such problems? Michael: There was never any question of being paid, only how much. However, contracts were always formed and honoured in my case. The only exception was with Sergio Martino’s cousin in Brazil but he finally honoured the letter of his contract. We worked in some very difficult conditions on occasion but generally were pretty well taken care of. Most often, we didn’t have individual caravans or trailers like stars demand in Hollywood. But we weren’t left out in the rain to freeze or left unfed neither. I was hurt now and then performing stunts. I have all my body parts intact and functioning pretty well except my back which was injured in a waterfall on the last day of shooting Nudo e selvaggio... 
Jay: In 2019: After The Fall Of New York, you played against George Eastman [Luigi Montefiori] who contributed the role of Big Ape. How did you find Montefiori as an actor? Michael: I had a hard time calling George Eastman by the name of Big Ape but I guess there's humour to be found in that as well. Working with Eastman was great although a bit straining on the neck muscles – its no trick of the camera lens that makes him appear so tall. Eastman is 'molto molto simpatico' – an Italian expression that I have always loved and is completely appropriate in this case. He was the most hospitable member of any cast I worked with and I still consider him as a good friend. Just off of Piazza Navonna in Rome, Eastman owned a great restaurant that was frequented by all of his Italian film and television cohorts. I was his guest there several times and will never forget the fabulous food. (don't ask for specifics though!) I always rode a bicycle when in Rome and it really came in handy when trying to park around his restaurant. He drove me out to his beach club on days off from filming and I remember that well. A joy to both work and play with. I remember that Eastman really liked listening to Hank Williams Jr. cassettes when we filmed Blastfighter (1984) in Georgia although I don't think he sampled much of the local moonshine that was available. Jay: What were your working relationships with director Sergio Martino and his brother and producer Luciano? Michael: You know, I don't remember Luciano to really speak of. I think we did meet but I can't remember anything about him. Sergio was your basic stylish Italian director. He had a good sense of style fashion wise and was a pretty attractive man. Generally pretty calm and kept things running relatively smoothly. He was interested in my eating habits that were slightly out of the ordinary for Italians, who, as you may know, have a very restricted sense of what ought to be as far as culinary ideas go. Really wonderful, but with limitations. He was definitely a ladies man for which I gave him credit. Able to make a lot out of a little as you can see from 2019: After The Fall Of New York that was done on a budget of only about $750,000 I believe. I have to thank him: it was he, after all, who gave me the opportunity to star in this and subsequent productions. We had a cordial relationship considering the differences in our lifestyle. Martino always treated myself and the rest of the cast well as far as I remember. Jay: What were your thoughts on 2019: After The Fall Of New York when you first saw it and what are they now? Were you invited to the original premiere of the film? Michael: I always had problems with the story line on this and later Franco/Italian/Brazilian productions in which I was involved. The premise was fine but it drags out through infinity. There's not enough character development to get the audience to be really involved and in sympathy with the main characters. But the production value was tremendous. Considering the budget and what came out for a finished product I was, and still am, amazed. Now I look at it more as a cartoon that is maybe the way it was intended? I would love to hear from the directors what they were really trying to achieve through these features and how they feel about them. Before shooting this first film, I had seen Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2 (1981) but had not Escape from New York (1981) that I now feel was the role model for the Italian movie. I expect that the motivation behind Martino’s was deep into the realm of exploitation which worked for the Westerns like Il buono, il bruto, il cattivo/The Good the Bad & the Ugly (1966) etc. However, using the same theme music throughout two of the four productions I was involved in is just one point to show that too little creativity often went into the stew with this new batch. Where was Ennio Morricone? Who was writing? I have no idea of where the film premiered nor was I invited. You have to remember that they would not even spend the money to bring me back in post-production to dub my own voice. Then again, maybe they just don't like my voice (laughs). Jay: Another beautiful actress you worked with in the same film was Anna Kanakis. Born in 1962 in Cattania to a Greek father and Sicilian mother, Kanakis became Miss Italy in 1977. How was Kanakis like to work with and please share any anecdotes about her? Michael: That is certainly one of the great benefits to the job, meeting and working with incredible women from around the world. Kanakis was unknown to me at the time we met. Sounds like you know far more about her than I ever did. Unfortunately, her role did not require much time on the set so I hardly got to know her, but she was lovely to work with. Hardly spoke a word of English but who cares! I would be thrilled to be tortured again by her! She was definitely well known and liked by production members. As I recall, she was always well attended to by all of the Italian men which left even less time for me to get to know her. Jay: I spoke to actor Edmund Purdom who played the part of the president of the Pan-American Confederacy and he strictly refused to admit that he had anything to do with the film – even though he was credited. Such a bizarre reaction to a job that puts bread and butter on the table. What was Purdom’s reaction to you as an actor? Michael: Well, he certainly had something to do with the film. I guess he had better days! He was a bit slow in taking directions and either didn't have a great memory or didn't spend much time learning his lines. For a guy living in Rome he didn't seem very happy. He hardly gave me the time of day but I'm sure he was dealing with his own problems. Jay: In 2019: After The Fall Of New York, who played the part of Bronx, your sidekick with a pincer for a hand? Michael: I think his name is Vincent Scalondro. You might be surprised with a name like Scalondro, but he was Italian and I believe lived in or not far from Rome. Super nice guy and one of the best actors we had to offer. The same goes for the late Romano Puppo, a huge man who played the enemy cyborg, Ratchet. I have always been told that he was a very friendly man who would go out of his way for a friend. Jay: Can you share your memories of Puppo? Michael: As I go on raving about what great folks these Italians are, you should be aware that since living and working with these people I fell in love with them and their lifestyle. Romano was extremely congenial and giving. And big! On the set he was always looking to where he could be of some help. One night, he invited Valentine Monnier, myself and a couple of other friends to his home for dinner and taught us how to make broccoli rissoto – delicioso! I still make it now and again and, needless to say, he's there with me. These simple moments, sharing ideas and each other cultures, are maybe not so glamorous but among my most memorable times. His hospitality was quite representative of the wonderful people of Italy. Jay: 2019: After The Fall Of New York was a rip-off of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York (1981). What are your thoughts on this variant of parasite cinema? Also, Martino’s picture is now considered to be worthy of cult status over Carpenter’s – art imitating art perhaps? Michael: I think everyone should do their best or not bother working. We call this genre of rip-off cinema as exploitation films. Not sexually of course, in this case, but exploiting concepts and ideas that have already been shown to attract interest and therefore earn money. Generally speaking, I don't find this a very attractive or noble motivation. If this is the best work these people can do then I thank them for their efforts, thank them for allowing me to be a part of it, and hope they are not just into it for the money. I also hope for them that they can do better in the future. As for art imitating art – that may be stretching the definition of art! I haven't seen Escape from New York so I can't comment. I believe in seeing a very split second scene with stuntman and actor Ottaviano Dell’Acqua aka 'Richard Raymond'. Although uncredited, was he involved in 2019: After The Fall Of New York? You were to work with Raymond in Lamberto Bava’s Blastfighter. What your thoughts on Raymond. Did he give you advice to playing your stunts? Ottaviano was part of the stunt team that, as I recall, included his father as well. They were regularly employed by the production company, Nuova Dania with Sergio Martino. They were all very helpful and Ottaviano and his father both gave me plenty of advice. They were seen on camera in the initial car bashing scene where a canon was mounted on the opposing car – I think Ottaviano is shown wearing a helmet. Unfortunately they wouldn't let me smash any cars but they did a good job of it. And I am sure he did the trampoline flip during the subsequent brawl. All of which they instructed me on since I had never done such work. 
Jay: Your next film was Lamberto Bava’s 1984 release Devouring Waves, aka Shark (Rosso nell’oceano) aka Monster Shark. Michael: Bava was a very nice, gentle guy as most Italians are. But the budget on these films would prohibit a Ron Howard from making anything great. These directors are working with a cast from at least three countries speaking diverse languages and a mixed crew of an Italian and American production team working together on a very tight budget. Bava, like most of the foreign crew, loved coming to the States and drinking in as much of the culture as they could get. We had a crisis during a day’s shooting as a holiday was approaching and the Italian film crew wanted to return to their families. We had been working for 13 long consecutive days in freezing mountain water and adverse conditions and both the cast and Bava were wearing thin. The crew wanted to plough right through but I had a good talk with Bava and pointed out how the film suffered further if we continued. He finally approached the producers and they granted the crew a day off (which they were contractually obliged to anyway). So, Bava did have a heart and tried to do what he could with what he had. Jay: What was your reaction to Devouring Waves when you first saw it? Michael: For me, it brings back a million memories of great times shooting the film. I never thought it as a masterpiece but hoped to get a couple of good scenes out of it that I could use for future reference. The film becomes boring to me after a while but it was recently screened locally on Mystery Science Theatre where three hosts, two who are alien, watch b-movies on cable television. The camera is set to view the screen from several rows behind the hosts so one can see their heads at the bottom of the screen. Throughout the film they all make comments on the film. The running comic commentary actually made this one more interesting! Jay: Your first sexy sidekick was Iris Peynado, a dark and sensuous feline, before dumping her for Monnier. Michael: She had a great face and was very nice. Her background, as I recall, was Dominican Republic but may have been Haitian. She as pretty quiet but we got on fine. I quite liked the energy on film that was sorely needed! I hardly had any contact with the other actress, Dagmar Lassander, and William Berger was always very aloof. Jay: The film contains scenes that are considered fairly gruesome. Did Bava intend to go further with bloodshed or was he restricted to what he could show regarding physical violence? Michael: I have no idea and I would be interested in what Bava has to say about this now, and since you are in touch with him, please let me know. On set, I didn’t see any censor cops telling him when to stop or how to shoot his film. Jay: Sergio Martino co-wrote the story under the pseudonym of ‘Martin Dolman’. Was there a specific reason why he did not direct? Michael: I was wondering who was responsible for the superb story line and constantly fascinating dialogue. Maybe he didn’t want to be held responsible for directing the masterpiece as well (laughs). 
Jay: Can you tell me more about your lead actress Valentine Monnier? What was her background before becoming an actress and do you know what she is doing now? Any anecdotes about her would be appreciated. Michael: Valentine Monnier – a very interesting woman. She could be a very good friend; not at all superficial. Obviously, very attractive – to me anyway. I saw a very vulnerable side to her after a short while. It should have hit me in the face but I was a bit awestruck at first by this exotic French actress. I don’t remember what she was doing before being an actress if there was anything. She was very fond of Africa though – and had a boyfriend I believe, who was somehow involved with safari into the bush so to speak. Lucky guy, eh? I know she made several trips to Africa and last I heard had a baby and was living in a lovely flat in Paris. I remember great times shopping in Rome and chumming around together then I remember times she wouldn’t talk to me. We wrote a bit after our last film but I have not heard from her for years. C’est la vie, I guess. Sure hope she's doing well. The big attraction for me doing such a film, aside from the fantasy of having a relationship with Monnier, were the action and locations. Maybe I should have been a professional stuntman. But it might be interesting for your readers to note that these low budget films often took on slightly more risk shooting these scenes that a big production would have. For example, whilst on the Miami Seaquarium boat in Key West, we were shooting dive scenes in the open water near the boat. A bigger budget film, The Perfect Storm (2000) springs to mind, where many of these scenes would be shot in the more controlled environment of a tank. Moments after getting into the dinghy from the sea, two eight foot long Hammerhead sharks came right through the water we had just left. But I loved the environment, having spent several years earlier making my living as a sailor. The helicopter rescue scene was something I won’t forget nor finally having the opportunity to cut another diver’s air hose under water – no special effects or trick camera work – just get in there, hack away and a spectacular burst of sparkling bubbles. And what’s not to like about getting out of the water in the vicinity of Puerto Ercule and enjoying some amazing Tuscan dinner with cast and crew? Italian food: in fact, Italian life – worthy subject of study. I am forever grateful to those who shared their lives and culture with me. Jay: Devouring Waves saw you flirt and kiss Monnier. Was this a difficult act to do in front of a camera crew or do you consider yourself to be damned lucky? Michael: Jay, let’s not forget the scene where I kissed Monnier in 2019! I really like kissing. Whenever one gets the chance to make out with someone who appeals to them, as in this case, it’s not that difficult! I can get in the ‘moment’ and somehow forget about the peeping toms – method acting, I guess. I’m sure you could do it as well. Sounds like you haven’t seen the full edit of Nudo e selvaggio. It was much hotter due to the director’s intentions. There were some scenes I had to blindfold my mother for. 
Jay: Your last film as an actor was to be Michele Massimo Tarantini’s Massacre In Dinosaur Valley, aka Nudo e selvaggio aka Cannibal Ferox II – an action, adventure, cannibal comedy. This has to be your lightest role and the violence is set in a cartoon vacuum to give a crueller edge to Indiana Jones. What do you remember about the film? Michael: This is my final movie that I know about since the last film I worked was never completed. I remember Brazil and a gorgeous variety of female co-stars. The director was a cousin of Sergio Martino as I recall – maybe a brother but he was certainly related. Tarantini, who was fond of tits and arse, would conjure some great magic tricks that he would entertain us with at dinner on occasion. Regarding Tarantini, a fun loving rogue, I remember that at the end of the film I travelled to Italy to dub my voice. I went to the production office (Nuova Dania) to be paid for the considerable overtime I had put into the shoot. However, I told the producer that I would forget about the overtime that I was owed if Tarantini would in exchange show me how to perform his magic tricks! On top of that, Tarantini refused and I said that I would not leave the office until I got paid which they did several hours later under the threat of me declining future work. Please! Can you imagine what my life would be like if I were not asked to act in any more of these cheap Italian films (laughs)? I loved the shoot as I had expected the film to be tongue-in-cheek. We worked mostly in location in Brazil for about 10 weeks and the Brazilians were wonderful people with a great attitude towards life. What's not to like paddling around unspoiled rivers for days in a dugout canoe with a sweet, beautiful woman and blasting off a shotgun once in a while? So the canoe leaks and sinks? They finally gave me a bucket to bail water with. Remember that big python I saved a girl from? While photographing it earlier the snake bit the snake handler pretty good. They were a more cautious with the rattlesnakes in a scene but there was another disaster that was unbelievable. Two snakes were held in a wooden box with tight mesh screens for air. The snakes were left in the box overnight at the camp in which we filmed. As the snake handler went to bring the snakes out the next day he was almost crying. Both snakes were dead and had been eaten by an army of killer ants that had completely covered them by the time we returned! That really was a shame but there is often disregard for life in these low budget foreign films – even the actors! Another example of where a low budget and carelessness endangers life is in the scene where I am supposed to blow away some cannibals after their leader with the grass skirt takes blood from my soon-to-be canoe girl. I was randomly firing so as not to endanger the natives but suddenly a cut was called when it seemed to be going fine. My twelve-gauge shotgun was loaded with blanks but there is a three centimetre cardboard plug that is blasted out with each shot. One round hit the stomach of the cameraman and left a perfectly round reddish/purple welt where it marked him. It shocked the heck out of him! I will also never forget the natural tropical beauty of the landscape allowing me to taste some of the most incredible fresh fruits I have ever experienced. The generosity of the Brazilian people stands out above all and their kicked back lifestyle puts California to shame. Jay: Your role in the film as Kevin sees you dragging a coffin behind you – a reference to Franco Nero in the cult spaghetti western Django by any chance? Michael: Sorry, I don’t recall a coffin. A wooden crate of dinosaur bones but you would have to point the coffin out to me. Jay: Can you tell me more of the cast such as the beautiful Suzanne Carvalho? Michael: She was the most serious actress of the young trio. I remember seeing her in a play while we were filming. Carvalho was confident and stood her own ground very well. Jay: Was the cannibal element added to the film during shooting due to the popularity of gruesome horror movies at the time? Michael: Who knows what was going through Tarantini’s mind. I think they do pretty much anything they can of they think it will make the film more marketable – they’re certainly not thinking about fine art! Jay: How did you react to the gory cannibal scenes in Massacre In Dinosaur Valley? Michael: Being a vegetarian, I didn’t find it very appetising! Jay: Most examples of Italian exploitation films are visually graphic with violence, nudity and gore. The four films that you performed in were often edited of their colourful carnage especially in the UK. What is your opinion of censorship? Michael: Bummer, dude! But I get bored watching films of this nature unless they have a captivating storyline to justify the violence. I really appreciate splatter that is executed well such as seen in Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Reservoir Dogs six years before. It takes more than gore to hold me in a film. Jay: In any of your films, have you supplied your own voice? Michael: The only film I was allowed to do my own dubbing was on Massacre In Dinosaur Valley. Kind of an odd way to go about it, but it’s mostly a budget issue. Low budget! Jay: Do you own your films on video? If so, do you to watch them regularly? Michael: As you can possibly tell by my not remembering how Blastfighter ends, I don't watch them regularly at all. I do own a copy of each one though. Jay: From the physical antics that you had performed in your films, it would appear that you were an athlete. Michael: I did many of my own stunts and fight scenes that I enjoyed doing very much. I mean, how often do you get to be pulled out of the sea by a helicopter or cut a scuba diver’s air hose whilst wrestling underwater with a knife? This was a dream of mine come true after watching hours of Sea Hunt on television as a child. It was great to fulfil these childhood fantasies. Saying that, they would never let me crash cars. Oh well! Jay: Why was it that Italian studios did not ask you to appear in more films? Michael: After my squabble on Nudo e selvaggio, you can understand why I never worked on a Martino and Nuova Dania movie again. Afterwards, I returned to Los Angeles thinking that I could cobble a reel together from my four films and get some work there. Well, casting people in the US really don’t have the appreciation for this type of Italian work and were especially dubious of me with an actor who spoke English with four different voices! And after a while, neither did I. I was asked to act in a film by Luigi Romano as Jesus in The Year of the Saints but I don't think it ever got made but I keep it on my resume nonetheless. I don't even remember if we shot anything. I do remember going out to locations for some reason. So, after two years of kicking around town without work, I was broke and decided to get on with another life. Jay: As your Italian films were of a very low budget, what would the expected salary be? Michael: I don't remember precisely but consider that too personal anyway. I can tell you that I took the entire amount I had made after 2019: After The Fall Of New York and treated myself to a used Harley Davidson motorcycle from bikers that I had met at a swap meet in Arizona after we had finished filming. So the pay was enough to buy the bike but not the petrol. Jay: You say that you performed many of your own stunts. However in Blastfighter, it is obvious that co-actor Richard Raymond (Ottaviano Dell’Acqua) is your bearded stuntman. Michael: Even so, if Dell’Acqua did stand in for me on my trampoline stunts, my words are still good since I did many of own stunts – right? How could Dell’Acqua double for me whilst we were kicking each other’s ass in the scene where one of his buddies flies through a window when we are fighting each other? I enjoyed that very much! Also, Dell’Acqua was not in the driver’s seat when the film crew blew out the window of a car with a pistol shot. This scene was not executed safely, and in hindsight, I wish Dell’Acqua were there so that he may have had a better solution to shatter the window. On the first take, an extra fired a .22 calibre pistol from the rear seat over my shoulder. The idea was that the bullet was to blow glass outward but the .22 was too powerful for the job and the bullet ricocheted back into the car without breaking the glass. Fortunately, the slug bounced into the dashboard and not my body. I stuck around for the second take when one of the locals emptied a .45 shot from their personal pistol that blew the hell out of the window and my ear drums as well. Low budget films such as Blastfighter get away with things that would have been made safe on a higher budget and without the prying eyes of the union. By the way, for the record, I did not capsize the canoe neither although I did paddle with Valentina Forte. I would say that 80-90% of my stunt-work was not doubled. Jay: Did you know that the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) wrote the Country and Western song Evening Star which plays throughout Blastfighter? Michael: I am aware of that now but never heard it playing in my mind when I was being filmed driving through the beautiful state of Georgia. Now that I think of it, it would have been cool to know ahead of time that the theme music would be played in various segments of the film – especially when you’re driving a car that is going to be trashed and doesn’t have a working radio. 
Jay: It has to be said that Blastfighter features your finest role – did Bava coax your angry performance or did other directors restrict you in certain ways as an actor?Michael: Thanks for that. I was just a pissed-off person who landed an easier role for a change. Direction on these low budget Italian films, pertaining to actors, is generally not so bad – it’s not there! Direction is much more focused on action. Actors get a word or two now and then but are pretty much more on their own unless they do something that is really out of character. And there are no coaches on set unlike a Hollywood movie. In that sense, there’s not so much restriction as lack of experience combined with absence of direction, at least in my case. I was a rookie where I belonged in the minor leagues, which I might add, has it’s own particular charm. I would like to add that Lamberto Bava did seem to care more than other directors about what was going on with the actors. Bava would take sides with the actors when a dispute came up between us and the production crew. Jay: Blastfighter features an excellent cast such as Valentina Forte, Luigi Montefiori, Mike Miller, Ottaviano Dell’Acqua and Michele Soavi (who later became a successful director). What are your thoughts on these actors? Michael: It would seem that they were able to put together some decent performances. The cutest girl, Forte, suffered from ungodly body odour. Nevertheless, I did like the scene where Valentina storms into the cabin and kicks serious butt! Experience came into the line-up with Montefiori whom I will never be able to say enough great things about both as a friend and friend. Mike Miller did a good job with his role. Dell’Acqua and several stuntmen played the roles of the more prominent redneck buddies and Soavi was Bava’s assistant director. I don’t think it was uncommon for these lines to be crossed in the name of saving money. Most of the production team, even Americans, played small roles in the film at one point. And you have to keep in mind that we were sometimes working with people of three different first languages. Sometimes an actor would be saying lines in Italian and we would have to respond seriously in English and vice versa. Jay: What are your thoughts on Blastfighter? The film was very successful on video, especially in the UK that once dictated the Italian movie industry for B-movie product. Was a sequel planned? Michael: 'I’ll never understand all that violence, Tiger!' Or there was a line in the film to that effect! The massacre scenes go on for so long that it is hard to imagine anyone actually watching the entire film. But I guess that the character development was so involving that one just had to stay tuned to see if anyone survived. I doubt if a sequel was planned. I don’t think the genre thought any further than making their money back after ripping off the theme from other successful films. Jay: Were real animals hurt and killed in the film as it would seem that the Chinese medical butcher worked his way through, scalpel at hand? Michael: Just that cute little deer we cut the throat of! and that blood is hard to clean up! Only kidding! No, the Italians respected animals and other than swatting a few pesky flies, no animals were hurt in the movie. Jay: Can you share any anecdotes from Blastfighter? Michael: Shooting in the hills of Northern Georgia was a great experience in getting to know and understand the local people. The people were super hospitable in most cases with the exception of one of the locals who was quite pleasant but testy. They still make a lot of moonshine that I had never tasted before and was delighted to sample in a big way. And superb food too! Horses are a way of life and a major part of the locals’ lives and we rode in the mountains at night when the moon was out. Drinking alcohol was a big part of the entertainment and one evening, someone fired a shotgun in a barn that freaked the horses. I ended up in a fight with a guy who wanted to test an actor from New York (me!) but no one was badly hurt – more of a test than anything, I guess (no stunt doubles were available). Apart from that, the locals were outstanding. I mean to the point of rivalling how great Italians treat you when you are guests in their country. Jay: What was with the Hoyt Pollard connection who played the part of the banjo player in Deliverance (1972)? Michael: Well, as far as I know, Pollard was a native of the area when we shooting in Dillard, Georgia. I would expect he was asked to perform a cameo because the whole world saw him in Deliverance and by having him in our little production gave it some much needed “je ne sais quios” – credibility or something. The Italians love coming to America because of what they have seen in images of the US. So, here is Pollard, a guy from a very successful American film and the Italians can use him. Jay: Is it true that you were born in Connecticut, US? Michael: True – raised and born in a super little town named after one of your own – Essex. It’s a historical New England town that I grew up in with a ship building history near the mouth of the Connecticut River. I return there most years and fortunately, it’s well preserved. Jay: Where do you live now? Michael: Hollywood of all places (smiles). Right in the canyon under the famous Hollywood sign. Jay: On set, did the language barrier become a problem on any of your films? Michael: The only problem was that the Italians didn’t care about the soundtrack because they would dub everything eventually. Generally they speak good English and I was conversational to some extent in Italian. Jay: So after punching deformed rat people, setting fire to a man-eating monster shark, seeking vengeance on Southern Red Necks and having the time of your life with young ladies and blood thirsty cannibals, what does the world have in store for Michael Sopkiw? Michael: When my films were being made, I was living in Switzerland and studied for a metaphysical course and met some very interesting people. They had developed a line of natural healing remedies based on sun energy and had to reinvent a special glass to maintain the vitality of these volatile products. I am introducing this type of glass bottle to the US to encourage the use of natural remedies. It keeps organic molecules active much longer therefore better results will be obtained and more people will be encouraged to get back to natural remedies here in our pharmaceutical oriented society. I love the mission. Jay: As you have now pursued other interests, would you act in a film if the right script were offered to you? Michael: I’ve pretty well given the film game up for good. My girlfriend of 14 years is an opera singer and one artist in the house is really enough. My door is open for the right script or even of a promise of enough fun – even a convention. Regarding film, it’s hard to say, Jay. As much fun as it is to work in film, I don’t feel like it will be my greatest contribution towards mankind. And unlike the really dedicated actors in the world, it’s not my only interest. I hope to do something to enable people to better themselves. Saying that, every several to ten years, big changes come my way. Jay: If you were to be incarcerated on a desert island with only a television and video for company and were allowed only to take two films for company – one of your all time favourites, and one from your acting career – what would they be and why? Michael: For the all time fave, it would be maybe Down by Law (1986) and of those I had a part in, Massacre In Dinosaur Valley. Jim Jarmusch's film kills me every time I see it, especially most of the scenes with Roberto Beginini. Studying the film carefully, I might be able to repeat the jailbreak scene and end my incarceration too! In the event I could not escape, Massacre In Dinosaur Valley had the most female skin in it and may act to at least stimulate my next to non existent love life in that environment. Jay: Have you ever received fan mail from around the world? Like knickers? Michael: Only in my dreams. Only in my dreams... Jay: What would be your most favourite and personal quote for your gravestone? Michael: Jeez, Jay! I have a hard enough time planning for the next weekend... Jay Slater is Editor at Black Flame - the publishers who are releasing various officially-licensed Friday The 13th, Jason X, A Nightmare On Elm Street and Final Destination novels. He is also the editor of the book Eaten Alive: Italian Cannibal And Zombie Movies, which you can see at Amazon UK or indeed Amazon US. Thanks to Jay for this marathon chat with one of Italian cinema's coolest actors. [Back To Top] [Features Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present |