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H2 and Starship Troopers’ Greg Travis

GregTravis1Greg Travis – Choking it out with the Star of H2, Starship Troopers and The Toolbox Murders. By Brian Kirst

www.gregtravis.com

With well over 50 professional credits (including two versions of the cult classic Humanoids of the Deep) vital character actor Greg Travis has worked with everyone from genre legends Rob Zombie and Paul Verhoeven to respected upper crust filmmakers like Milos Forman. For these (and other) lucky directors, Travis has ably embodied everyone from a fumbling beleaguered cop (Zombie’s recent H2) to a precise and detailed Andy Warhol (in the opening moments of 2009’s superhero opus Watchmen).

 Of his many projects, though, Travis has a special place in his heart for the first Starship Troopers in which his net correspondent is memorably ripped apart by a vicious bug in the film’s opening moments. “It was exhilarating, an unbelievable experience. We were in the middle of nowhere in Casper, WY at a rock pit on the edge of all these giant caves. It would downpour every hour, so it was really dangerous. And on top of that, we had to de-snake the area before filming. I was locked into the jaws of this mechanical robot – it was like being a little kid again!”

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It was Tobe Hooper who wound up acting out a scare the first time Travis worked with him, though. “I goose step through things at first.” On the set of The Toolbox Murders remake, “I was kind-of rehearsing and going through it, slow and deliberate. And Tobe Hooper, who’s a great guy – this gruff old Texan, got nervous and told me – Don’t act, Greg! I had to reassure him and then we were fine. Then in Mortuary (their second film together), Tobe let me do whatever I wanted and I was this totally whacked out character.”

Travis was able to reminisce about Hooper on the set of Halloween 2 with Sherrie Moon Zombie (who briefly appeared in The Toolbox Murders, as well.) Of Moon, Travis states, “She’s great – really nice. In the movie she looks wonderful – kind of dream-like with her white horse.”

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Travis who practically steals the film as a police officer who is given a verbal beat down by Danielle Harris’ Annie when he arrives at her home to protect her, states that “My death is pretty memorable and suspenseful – it’s not rushed. I don’t get stabbed either. Michael chokes me out! I hit Tyler (Mane) a couple of times trying to get free and he’s like 7’5”, so I was a little nervous. But he was like – No, no, it’s good. So, he was actually kind of sweet and gentle. He let me play and struggle.”

Travis’ realistic appearance as Andy Warhol in “Watchmen” was a little less of a fight, though. For the audition, “I went in my Andy Warhol garb and I’ve done Andy enough that I have it down. I think they had to cast me.”

When asked if high profile flicks like “Halloween 2” or “Watchman” are a significant help in winning other roles, though, Travis responds, “It’s hard to tell. Some movies give you a boost – but it’s really hard to tell.”

watchmen_andy To that end, Travis is very busy as a writer and director, putting together his own inventive independent short films and stage plays, where he plays many of the figures he is fascinated by such as Warhol and volatile actor Klaus Kinski.

As for acting, in general, Travis states, “On set I don’t want to be the person who does nothing. You have to work on it and rehearse it – make an effort. I don’t wanna go to my trailer; I want to take it to the next level.”

This attitude surely shines forth in every one of Travis’ characters from his loving pot farmer in Night of the Living Dead 3-D -“I kept on coming up with ideas for the 3D stuff!” – to his notable guest appearance on the lauded, mysterious television show American Gothic – “I don’t remember creator Shaun Cassidy being on set – but I did have a crush on co-star Brenda Bakke. She was beautiful. I thought she was going to go far.”

That final statement truly nails the overwhelming vagaries and immense difficulties of a show business career, something of which Travis is well aware of. “I say have fun and get as much work as you can. There is truly no rhyme or reason to it all!”

But, while rhyming and reasoning, be sure to check out some of Travis’ inventive film shorts below:

SUPER SPY LOVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UO7sVtgne8&feature=channel_page

HOT SOUP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QYPR4IQOno

EAT THE RICH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKeuTJz3TA

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