Kristen Cloke fights the aliens in Space: Above And Beyond.
In 2063, the people of Earth have begun colonizing other planets. Without warning, an alien race known as Chigs annihilate two of the new communities and wipe out Earth's top fighter squadrons. A group of wet-behind-the-ears Marine Corps cadets, the 58th Squadron or Wild Cards, are suddenly thrown into the front lines of this intergalactic war to defend their planet against this seemingly unstoppable enemy.
Helping
to spearhead this battle in the series Space: Above
And Beyond is the leader of the 58th Squadron, Captain
Shane Vansen, codenamed the Queen of Diamonds.
Vansen has been a leader since childhood, caring for and
raising her two sisters after their parents were murdered.
She joined the Marines not only to honour her parents
but to escape the responsibility of her sisters' lives.
Ironically, she finds herself caring for people once again
but in a much more hostile environment. Kristen Cloke
recently climmbed out of the trenches to talk about her
role as the tough but caring Vansen. <How did you get the part?
I knew the casting director, Randy Stone, from another audition. He remembered me and brought me in to read. He and I sort of had the same vision for the part. I said, 'Randy, this is written this way, but I feel like it's a little bit more like this.' And he said, ' Great! Wonderful! You get the part!' I then read for everybody - the producers, the people at Twentieth Century Fox, and the network. I ended up having , I think, five interviews in all, which is nothing in terms of an unknown getting a part in a television series.
What first attracted you to the series and the character of Shane Vansen?
The pilot of Space: Above And Beyond really wasn't fleshed out in terms of the characterization. Glen Morgan and James Wong (the creators of the series) had a huge task to perform in not only creating a war drama set in the future, but also presenting five leading characters to the audience as well as getting in lots of special effects and 'bang' for your buck. As a result, the two-hour pilot didn't have much time to develop our characters. I saw Shane Vansen as someone who is strong, interesting and passionate about what and whom she believes in. As a framework for a character, I found that really appealing.
Have
you any strong memories from the filming of the pilot
in Australia?I think the most important thing that stands out for me in terms of pilot was the developing of camaraderie with the rest of the cast. It was sort of like going overseas for a college semester with a group of people who don't know each other and all end up becoming like a family. I think that's one of the things I walked away with as well as getting to know Glen and Jim. They are warm, wonderful, very talented and special people who really care about the show and the people on it.
How about working with the director, David Nutter?
David's got an incredible visual sense and knows what he wants before he gets there. Sometimes it was sort of push and pull with us. I had a certain vision for something and David would already have it all planned out, but I have a lot of respect for him and the finished product. He created something incredibly visual and wonderful to watch. David's a very passionate individual and I think a lot of what he is comes out in the pilot.
Do you have a favourite episode?
It's funny because I have favourite episodes and then I have sentimental episodes. Dark Side of The Sun and Never No More, they are sentimental for me because they concentrate on my character. I think one of my favourite episodes is Who Monitors The Birds?, which focuses on the character played by Rodney [Rowland who plays Cooper Hawkes]. It's one of the most amazing episodes of a television series that I have ever seen, and Rodney does a phenomenal job in it. The Enemy is also special to me in terms of the camaraderie shared among the cast. We all hung in there when it became really emotionally and physically very difficult, and we got each other through it. I look back on that episode as one that I hold near and dear to my heart because it brought us together in such an incredible way.
How
do you feel Shane Vansen has grown and developed since
you began playing the part?That's hard to say. It's like saying, 'How do you as a person think you've grown throughout your lifetime?' [Laughter] Or asking a Vietnam War veteran, 'How different are you now than before you entered the war?' Shane has had to come up against a lot of physical and emotional challenges in her life and has also watched a lot of people whom she cares about die. In her own mind, Shane sees herself as being very protective and nurturing of her fellow cadets in the 58th Squadron and has become very, very protective of them. I think she has grown and continues to grow in a every episode.
What do you feel makes Space: Above And Beyond that little bit different from other Sci-Fi programmes currently on the air?
The series is more like Twelve O'Clock High than Star Trek. Because of this, I really don't think it competes with any of the Science Fiction shows. I have an appreciation for the Science Fiction fans who have taken us under their wing and have so greatly appreciated us. I want to acknowledge them as being a huge part of our audience and very, very supportive of us. But I don't think of Space: Above And Beyond as a Science Fiction show. It has planes, dogfights, spaceships, aliens, whatever, but they're all fictional or fantasy enemies and elements of a war drama that is set in the future.
What have you found to be the most diffcult or challenging part of acting?
I think that I'm a private person. Sometimes it gets a bit uncomfortable being watched everywhere I go, having people put my make-up and clothes on for me, or making sure someone knows where I am at all times. The things I find to be the most diffcult are those that have to be done even before you step in front of the camera. I know a lot of actors who really enjoy being primped and waited on, but it's not my favourite part of the business. Apart form that, I enjoy acting very much and feel quite fortunate to be able to earn a living from it.
FIVE FAB FACTS
The little book that Lieutenant Colonel McQueen (James Morrison) reads from is the Te-Tao Ching (Way of Life) and is written by Lao-Tzu, a Chinese philosopher.
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