Eric McCormack and Jenni Baird are Earth’s last hope when voracious extraterrestrials arrive in “Alien Trespass.” (Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions)
Story Created:
Apr 10, 2009 at 5:56 PM PST
Story Updated:
Apr 10, 2009 at 6:03 PM PST
“Alien Trespass,” an indie homage to the classic, low-budget sci-fi movies of the 1950s, enters theaters with audience moods in a much different place than they were in the optimistic post-war period that spawned this particular brand of escapist entertainment.
At the same time, some things haven’t changed all that much: as the growing threat of nuclear annihilation helped legitimize the themes explored in those B-movies from another time, this week’s hysteria over a North Korean rocket launch proves that filmmakers can still win over audiences by tapping into those fears.
Thus, “Trespass,” directed and produced by R. W. Goodwin, a writer-producer-director on the hit “X-Files” series, plays it straight as we travel back to 1957, where a meteor shower lights up the night sky over a no-name town in California’s Mojave desert.
There, the dashing noted astronomer Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack of “Will & Grace”) is preparing an anniversary dinner for his wife (Jody Thompson).
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Tammy (Jenni Baird), the blonde waitress at the local diner who harbors artistic dreams, thinks the shooting stars are a portent to an exciting future.
However, what they are witnessing is a fiery spacecraft hurtling towards Earth, which crash-lands on a ridge in the desert. Through a series of twists, Ted and Tammy end up as Earth’s last hope in a fight against the Ghota — a rubbery, one-eyed creature with an insatiable appetite for human flesh.
As they discussed the shoot in a recent session with entertainment journalists, McCormack and Baird seemed to have a blast — particularly when recalling a scene in which an alien that has invaded Ted’s body begins to have unexplained humanoid feelings for Jenny.
“We have one of those classic movie moments when we kiss on the side of the mouth,” joked Baird who said she bonded with her co-star over a bottle of wine before the cameras rolled. “I loved doing it. Period pieces are so much fun.”
McCormack, who as Ted affects a stilted, matinee-idol style of acting, ran with the part and had no problems with a breakneck 15-day shoot. “Honestly, I love a director who has the confidence to print the first take,” said McCormack, 45, a classically-trained actor from Toronto. “Coming from television, I don’t need all day to shoot two pages.”
The Australian-born Baird, who makes her feature debut in “Alien Trespass” and became a fan favorite as Dr. Meghan Doyle on the USA Network’s “The 4400,” agreed.
“Even though I was also classically trained, it’s weird that Australian actors only seem work in television and films,” she said. “So I was used to the fast pace.”
Added Baird, whose character discovers a saline weapon that proves effective when battling the Ghota: “I threw the salt in the wrong place once and we had to do a couple takes.”
Her co-star chipped in with mock anger: “Thanks a lot. We lost eight minutes there,” said McCormack.
As for their own favorite classic films of the period, Baird cites the original “War of the Worlds,” whereas McCormack favors “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” remade recently with Keanu Reeves in the starring role.
“I think that movie has probably aged the best, but as for the remake,” quipped McCormack, “that probably hasn’t aged well even in the last few months.”
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