In alien combat Kristen Cloke finds herself part of a family exploring Space: Above And Beyond
As the brooding, tough and talented fighter pilot Shane
Vansen on the freshman Fox SF action series Space: Above And Beyond,
Kristen Cloke sounds as if she's having a ball. "I think this is such a great show and I'm very proud of it. The stories are fresh, the character is interesting and I love the cast, the crew and producers. So, I couldn't be happier," enthuses the actress. "When I first started doing Space, I was really terrified because I didn't really know for sure where Shane was going to go as a character. Each week that I do it now, it seems more and more clear to me."
"Shane is a woman who you see very much through her relationships with the show's other characters. I think she started as someone who joined the Marines in order to get away from her sisters, who she brought up, so she could finally be out there on her own. What she ended up with was a new family in Nathan West (Morgan Weisser), Vanessa Damphousse (Lanei Chapman), Cooper Hawkes (Rodney Rowland), Paul Wang (Joel de la Fuente) and Commander [Colonel ed.] McQueen (James Morrison). Now, you learn about Shane in terms of her interaction with these people. They all have to go into extreme circumstances, war-type circumstances, and who they are, at the very bottom of their souls, know that Shane would die for these people, that she desperately wants to protect the planet and the people in the 58th squadron."
FIGHTER PILOT
Space is set in the year 2063, and finds the untested young fighters of the 58th battling against a wildly powerful, mysterious alien force called the Chigs that, by attacking Earth colonists, has engaged Earth in a war it may not be able to win. The eager but raw 58th, in many ways, is Earth's last hope, as the aliens have decimated the planet's finest forces in a calculated and catastrophic massacre.
While Vansen is greatly
motivated by affection for her battle-mates, it's also her past that drives
her. Her parents were killed before her eyes of Vansen and her sisters,
leaving Vansen to feel as if she could confront the formidable alien threat
as bravely and unflinchingly as her parents struggled against their assailants.
"I don't know if I would say she has something to prove as much as she has so much to learn. Everybody on the show, I think, has something to learn. We all discover ourselves based on what we do from situation to situation," says 6hte actress. "What we chose to so as a profession is very important, because we're constantly learning about ourselves as a result. Shane is so interesting to me because she went into the Marines to find out who she is and moreover, who she isn't."
What Shane Vansen appears to be is a member of the walking wounded, the emotional walking wounded. That, notes Cloke, makers the character a rather challenging one to play, for there's not terribly much joy in Vansen's life at the moment, nor does there promise to be much in the future. "It's very rare that she'll even crack a smile or have an outpouring of happiness. The thing that she does have, though, and what she's very fortunate to have, are many intimate moments with all of the other characters where she shares some of their most private thoughts. She still has a very large capacity of love, which is very important to me in playing her. We've been seeing more and more of that with each episode. Despite her pain, she really longs for that kind of closeness and requires it in the 11th hour. It's there for all of them when they think they're about to live their last minutes."
"That makes Space so interesting for me as an actress, and I think everybody here probably feels the same way. These characters are always facing what may happen in the last minutes of their lives. What do you say to the last face you may see before you die? What are you thinking at that moment? These characters experience those feelings a great deal on this show, and facing them together, over and over again, makes them very close. So, it's in those moments that everyone's true colours are revealed."
Cloke explains that she isn't particularly comfortable discussing how she sees the various relationships on the series developing. "I'm not on a show where I think, 'Oh, I hope she gets together with bob.' Space is not about that. When we have an episode about fear and each character tries to confront their own fears, the relationships develop," she argues. "For me, the show is about exploring the different levels of emotion that each character goes through, as they go through them."
The actress has more to say about her Space co-stars, with whom she filmed the series' pilot in Australia and with whom she now toils day after day at a studio in Culver City, California. "I feel about them the way that my character feels about them on the show. I feel like I have close relationships with all of them. They've become family," she offers.
"They're good, smart, talented and ambitious people. It's really nice to be on the show where you're not working with huge stars. We're all sort of exploring the same thing at the same time, in terms of careers and how Space may change them. So, it has really been a pleasurable experience."
Of course, Cloke adds, she's
especially fond of Chapman (STARLOG #223),
in part because she's virtually the only other woman with whom Cloke interacts
before the cameras. "The guys are kind of like my brothers and Lanei is
like my sister. I think that even if she wasn't the only other woman in
the group, it wouldn't make a difference and we would still be close. She's
really a special person and a very good actress. She stands out on her own,
no matter who is standing next to her." While she's doling out words of praise, Cloke also makes mention of her bond with show creators/executive producers Glen Morgan and James Wong. The actress describes both men as fun, imaginative and open to suggestions, and reports that they took the time to get to know the cast as people and actors so that they could best incorporate individual personality traits into their writing. "I'm in Glen's office right now. Jim is on one side of me and Glen is on the other, and I'm sitting in the middle giving you this interview. I like that. They're like friends of mine and it doesn't feel like they're these two guys who sit at the top of the tower and never bother to talk to us. There's a sense," she asserts, "that we're all in this together and we all really want something good for the show. We all want Space to continue because we all love it. We feel like we're all bunked up here in this funny little studio and that we're going to be here got the duration. That's a nice feeling to have between a show's cast and its producers."
YOUNG ACTRESS
Cloke was born in Van Nuys, California and studied English at the California State University at Northridge. While at school, she acted in various theatrical productions and, in her junior year, landed a role in the film Megaville. Parts in Caged Fear, Stay Tuned and The Marrying Man followed. Among her TV credits are episodes of Mad About You, Quantum Leap, Silk Stalkings and a regular role on the short-lived drama Winetka Road.
"Acting wasn't really something I wanted to do, but I loved playing make-believe as a kid, pretending, fantasising and making up stories. Acting was more of a dream than anything else for me. When I went to college and majored in English, I started to think that English was a major that might not get me anywhere," she says. "IO remember when I did a play, I talked to some of the other actors and said, 'God, can you imagine, you can actually get paid for doing this?' I got an agent that year and got the first thing I went out got, which was Megaville with Billy Zane. Many SF fans seem to know me from that film. I quit school and have been working ever since."
While Cloke doesn't consider herself much of an SF fan, she appreciates solid storytelling. So, if there's a good story to be told within the context of an SF project, it's of interest to her. Still, there's interest and then there's the reality of bringing a vision of the future to life. How does one make battling foreboding aliens in the late 21st century convincing enough to keep an audience with high expectations tuning in week after week?
"That's the funny thing about doing Space. Forget about the special FX. Sometimes, I'm carrying these huge guns - S90s [M590s] - around, and all of this ammunition. I grew up in a pretty passive household. My mother didn't allow guns or any king of weaponry in the house," she recalls. "So, sometimes I look at myself and I look down at my smart missile on one side and my S90 slung around my back, and I think 'Right, sure.' That part of it is kind of funny. It has really tested my willingness to believe the situation. If I don't believe it, though, it's going to show."
"Just before we do an action take, we'll all get into it and scream at the aliens, just psyching each other up for the scene. Rodney [Rowland] is the best at that. Basically, the reason behind it is to remind us what we're up against all the time as characters. We have to believe what going on in the story. The same thing goes for the FX, like flying. In a scene I can be flying next to one of the other characters, and I just have to believe we're friends working together for this common cause, that it's a life-or-death situation."
So far into Space, the episodes have been rather character-specific, with, for example, The Dark Side Of The Sun focusing more on Vansen than on the other members of the 58th. Cloke seems comfortable with the idea that the show features six characters, all of whom must be developed slowly and steadily, meaning that several episodes may pass before the writers explore Vansen again. In fact, some of her favourite Space outings are not Shane episodes. "'Dark Side' is really close to my heart. I almost wish I had done it now, because I know the character so much better now than I did when we did that show. Fear [The Enemy] was another of my favourites because I got to experience intense emotions with all of the other characters, where all of our fears came out and were expressed," she remarks. "Vansen had a big scene with Wang in Mutiny. We talk about love. She's always protecting the people she loves, and i love learning more about that part of her. I like what we've done so far."
ROLE MODEL
While Cloke sounds comfortable
with much of her Space experience, she admits that parts of it are
a bit disconcerting. First, there's the issue of becoming a role model for
young women. Then, there's the matter of the merchandising juggernaut that
may be launched should Space continue to broaden its audience base.
"Everybody responds to Shane because she's an orphan, has a lot of pain
and tries to love people despite her problems. She has a lot of courage
and is constantly trying to do the right thing. I don't want the responsibility
of being anyone's role model, but I hope the whole 58th is a group
that kids can look up to," she attests. "Space is a show about war, and I don't think there's anything admirable about war. I hope the ideals, the theme of making your family wherever you find them and the idea of defending people you love come thought to audiences. There are certain messages in the show that I take away, like the ones I already mentioned, but also the ideas of the planet being one world. Maybe people can take all of these ideas and think about them."
As for the notions of having her face plastered on a lunch box, or attending fan conventions, Cloke sounds ready to fight them off with one of Vansen's S90s. "All that stuff is kind of funny to me. I love acting and I have a good time doing it, but beyond that, I don't know. Even when I get fan letters, I think 'Why do they want me to sign my name?' I'm just playing a part on television," she argues. "I have my job and you have your job. We all have our jobs to do, that we go to every day. I love that people love the character and love the show. Nothing can make me more thrilled, but somehow I feel seperate from it. That part of it, the merchandising, the autographs, just seems so strange to me. I don't understand it because, maybe, I don't think of myself that way."
It's quite possible Cloke's thinking on such issues may change over the coming months and, if Space continues to remain popular, over the next few years. The actress declares that she's ready for an extended run and for years of chasing the Chigs. "I go to work every day and play someone I love playing. In TV; I always figured that I would have to wait until my hiatus to play a great, better part, someone who was strong and smart and wasn't some guy's girl friend. Bit Shane Vansen," concludes Kristen Cloke, "is someone I really respect and love, and I have a great time playing her. I think I can play her for a long time ... for a really long time."
All site graphics, original texts, and content other than specified © DrkNite. Fan art, fan photos, and other contributed materials © to their respective owners. All rights reserved.