At 6’1" Julie Strain towers over most people. Her presence is undeniable. She’s recently entered the gaming arena via her alter ego in Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 (Ritual Entertainment and G.O.D. Games). If you’ve got the time, check out the animated movie of the same name at your local video rental outlet. We had a chance to grill Julie on a variety of topics and we took it. I’d like to thank Julie for taking time out of her day to answer our questions and for allowing us to use a few pictures from her website. Read on and be amazed!

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Julie Strain (F.A.K.K. 2) Interview

(conducted by Omni)

September 23, 2000

Is being a B-movie queen all it’s cracked up to be?

I think I’ve made the most out of it. I mean, a lot of other girls that do it kind of complain and they want to grow out of the genre. I treat it like it’s my little playground and I can run around and jump on the swings and merry-go-round and go "WOO-HOO!", throw some sand up in the air, you know what I mean? I just enjoy it and I try to make it a better place for other people. You know, break new ground and make visions. It’s like being in highschool for the rest of your life but I get to be the prom queen every year!

What’s the weirdest movie you’ve ever starred in?

The weirdest movie . . . probably the Unnamable Two. It’s an H.P. Lovecraft novel that I played a monster in, that had, like, hooves, wings, stilts, dentures, horns, contacts, full facial appliances, claws, fake hair, wire, and you know, I had to be a monster for a month a half. This was around 1991. There’s also a sculpture floating around.

Are you any good in the role you play in F.A.K.K. 2?

I think I’m the best that could have done it. I mean, it’s definitely me, so for someone else to play Julie Strain would have been hard. I mean, ‘cause F.A.K.K 2 is me and I’m it and she’s . . . me and she gets PMS and she’s nice and she’s mean and she’s hungry and all the things that I am.

How involved were you in the F.A.K.K. 2 project?

Well, it was conceptualized by my husband, Kevin Eastman, many years ago. We’ve been married five years so we’ve lived, breathed, faxed, phone called, contracted, flew around the world and just, you know, breathed every f---in’ cell of life into the character, movie and, you know. Then you deal with all the toy lines and people creating stuff like that.

You’re married to Kevin Eastman? Didn’t he co-create Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

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Exactly, he’s the co-creator with Peter Laird. And we also own Heavy Metal magazine and that’s how we got permission to do the second movie. Well, not permission but, you know.

What were the early influences in your life and how have they affected you?

The early influences were just sexy women, you know? Mimi VanDoren, who happens to be my

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friend and my model I’ve photographed nowadays. I also loved Bridget Bardot, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welsh. These bad-assed broads. They drank wine and they drove in cars with dangerous men and went to Monte Carlo.

Some would say that the wheel has had an important impact on the way society has shaped itself. Will we ever see such a development? Will someone reinvent the wheel?

I could give a s--- about reinventing the wheel to save the ozone layer. Our planet everyday, with the wheel, what the wheel has created, it would be to our advantage if we went back to the horse and buggy days. Otherwise, there is no future for our children. They’re going to have to live their day by night with no ozone. So, the wheel is a bad thing.

You’re a tall woman. Ever have problems flying coach?

Yeah. I don’t fly anymore at all and I rarely go to movies. It’s a pain in the neck. I have to drive this big ‘ole Dodge Ram 4 x 4 so I can get my legroom. My husband bought me a BMW Z-3 roadster and every time I put on the brakes my knee would turn off the ignition key. Seating is priority. If it’s not fun I don’t go.

Fans must clamor for your autograph. Have you ever turned a fan down?

No, I don’t and I still give out free postcards on my website when people email me. So, I spend all my days off running to the post office and paying for stamps and making new postcards. But, you know, the joy that comes back via email and via mail, from these people is just . . . some of them are real tear-jerkers. You can read my emails of the week, on the free part of my site, what the people say when they get these pictures. I can’t not do it. I’ve probably saved people from suicide and given them a reason to live and now I have a little army out there that’s ready to back my plans!

Do you get many fans asking you to autograph body parts?

Only at conventions and so forth. I mean, I’ll sign a shirt or an arm or a forehead. But, uh, I don’t really go below the waist.

Most people entered the work force through low-level, minimum wage jobs. Will this change as more high-tech companies like IBM recruit younger and younger employees?

Let’s hope so. People need to make more money so they can spend it and buy my stuff so I can go shopping. So, yeah, it’s good for the economy if people make more. And I’m always a generous person myself. Like today, I saw a bum walking down the street with a cart full of bottles and flagged him over to my truck. I said, "I want to thank you for cleaning up all these bottles and here’s seven bucks to buy yourself a hot breakfast." He skipped and said, "Yeah! Woo-hoo! Alright, thanks!" So, somebody realized that he was part of an eco-system of a city that cleans and recycles. They’re an integral part, without it we’d live in a dump. Thank the homeless.

When you’re modeling, what’s running through your mind? Or are you concentrating on what needs to be done?

I’m very professional, giving the photographer what he needs and not being a pain in the ass, complaining and running off. But at the same time I’m selling the vision of my anatomy, which, I think, is a pretty astonishing anatomy if I’ve laid off the salt for a couple of days. It’s cool to me to get the pictures back and see, like, a body that’s 6’1" reaching like a spider and you can see all the muscles in the ribcage area that you normally wouldn’t see on other people. And, you know, be sexy at the same time. I’m not really promoting jerk-off material but I want to be the ultimate woman in the person’s eyes that sees it, whether it’s a man or a woman.

A local bar here is having a draw for $3,000 worth of plastic surgery for a boob job. Is this a good idea?

Well, if they’re comin’ . . . I don’t know, a $3,000 . . . you get what you pay for. You get a good boob job for $3,000 if the person has done many and you’re not asking for some weird procedure that goes through the belly-button. Unless you’re doing it for a living or you’re deformed I would say keep your own natural, beautiful breasts, and every shape and size is delicious. Don’t change it for anybody. There’s nothing sexier than a flat-chested woman with a little t-shirt and no bra.

Have you ever been to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)? If so, what are your impressions?

I think I went there years ago. Was that the one where the Newton came out in ’93? I think that was Mac . . . MacWorld? I’ve been to probably one of each of all shows. They’re always very interesting, you can see all the new stuff. But basically I’m kept a prisoner in the booth that hired me. And it’s hard to get away from signing pictures and giving people something else to do besides work.

Why was the game Myst so successful?

Myst was one of the first games, that’s why. It was visually beautiful from what I saw of it. It was one of the first things available that tantalized the creativity in people’s brains, taking them to another world. I don’t think people have done that much better since then, you know what I mean?

What are your thoughts when you see an action figure based on your likeness?

It depends on the action figure. They’re all a little different. Some I’m glad, like, "Wow, alright, they made me look 6’1"," another one like "Oh my God, look at those muscles. I’ve got cross striations in my shoulder." The other ones like, "They’ve made my bangs from 1992, not the long bangs." I love them all and I accept them all, and they’re all beautiful and great but they’re all different, extremely different, from each other.

Do you think that more or less respect should be given to women that pose in mens magazines? And do you think these magazines objectify women?

I don’t know what the term "objectify women" means. I mean, all my friends are doing it and if we weren’t doing it someone else would be doing it. And we seem to be the best ones for the job. It’s art to me, the magazines that I’m in. I produce art, I do photography myself on a daily basis. (sigh) It’s really hard to say. When a person has a magazine in their hand or a remote control they don’t have room for a crack pipe or a gun. I’ve said that before. And, you know, there are a lot of handicapped people out there and extremely unattractive, overweight people that can’t even get out and we’re their only access to see what women kind looks like on this planet. Or what it would be like to see a woman’s breasts. We might be the only pair of breasts that someone sees. So, I think there is a niche in our society for that. There might be boundaries that can be put on it. I try to put my own personal boundaries on what I show and how I present it.

Some would say that men are better sandwich makers than women. Agree or disagree? Provide examples.

I disagree because I make sandwiches and my husband makes sandwiches and when he cooks he always uses too much oil and grease, and too much seasoning, you know what I mean? He overdoes it, too much mayonnaise. When I make a sandwich I try to make the mayonnaise perfect on the bread and get, like, two kinds of mustard, so it’s really special. Then I layer the meat and the cheese, and then I slice pickles really thin. Or add something special to make the sandwich different. I should open a diner someday and make the best damn food you could ever manage. Potato salad, chili, chicken pot pie, cornbread.

In what ways has Velcro made your life easier?

Well, I can put my kneepads on for my F.A.K.K. 2 game costume with the ease of Velcro rather than have to tie them up.

Have plumbers received unfair treatment from Hollywood?

No, not unfair treatment. They’re a rip-off! I had a guy at my house trick me when I was a homely housewife into some "overflow tank" for my thing and charged us, like, $800. The guy that ran my fan club at the time came and went, "Oh my God! I used to work for that company! Your name’s on a big blackboard this morning and that guy’s getting a raise. And they’re telling everybody else how that guy ripped you off and sold you stuff you didn’t need." We put the stuff in a box for the company to pick up but we never got charged. So, you haven’t had good experiences with plumbers? It’s proof! It’s a total scam. They’ll do it to every house they go into if they can. Knock pipes off, "Oh you’ve got a leak under the house." An old lady’s not going to go down and look.

Would you classify yourself as a gamer?

<laughter> Not yet. I mean, I have my game at my desk and I just got a Mac and I’m trying to learn how to use it. Trey Parker came here with Duran, Duran the other day and he took my copy of the game. Then I went to the store and bought two and had to send one to my mom and one to Bill George, from Femme Fatale magazine. So, I haven’t played my game nor do I know how to use my Mac.

What is your favourite game of all time? Why?

It has to be my game because I got to do the voice. It’s cool, it touches people, I’ve had a lot of great feedback from it. People like having an actual person attached to the games they’re playing. It kinda makes it more special for them.

What exactly do you do all day? What is your job classification?

Either I’m in the make-up chair, on camera, or, like today, I was up at four in the morning returning email, sending out free pictures. Then at 5:30 went to the photo lab, then I dropped off my Dodge Ram at the shop, walked across the street and picked up my husband’s Impala. I called now to have an interview. I have two sets of pictures of beautiful women that I have to deliver today that I shot. I’m dying to go out to breakfast, dying to go out to lunch. I have all the money in the world to spend but can’t get down to the streets! On a normal day I’d probably cook some pork chops and potatoes, or something really cool, for lunch. And get a massage, do more email, walk in the walker, watch Friends, watch Seventh Heaven, watch Big Brother. Go to bed at 9:00 so I can get up at 4:00 and do it again. Busy day. And those are days off.

The summer batch of movies for 2000 was called "the worst ever". How accurate is this statement?

I just need to say two words: Chicken Run. You liked that one? I didn’t see it. I’m not a Wallace and Grommitty fan, that type of claymation. I didn’t really see any movies. The last movie I saw was Mission: Impossible 2.

Have you ever met a woman taller than yourself?

There’s a few. I played basketball in college so in the line-up picture there are three or four girls taller than me.

When no one is looking you like to __________

Wipe my excess lip-gloss under the seat of my truck.

Most games will fit on a CD-ROM, so why are games shipped in such big boxes?

Well, it’s a sales area, you know what I mean? They want something visual to capture your eye and if it was much smaller than that it wouldn’t grab you. Everything is planned out foot by foot.

When you’re working late, what is your beverage of choice?

I have to have milk if I’m working, most definitely, but if I work late and I’ve come home, I’m going to have either a 7 oz. Coronita or a 4 oz Sapporo, ice cold. Then I can have another one. Calorie wise, I’ve stayed on a diet!

Have you met many Canadians? What is your overall impression of Canadians?

Canadian people are really, really nice. I did a movie in Toronto for Roger Corman, called The Millennium Queen and it was 2 below zero. Outdoor activities, you were either in or you were in. I got to know the people very well. I thought they were extremely well behaved, less neurotic than Americans in big cities.

What songs would appear on the soundtrack of your life?

Madonna songs, Janet Jackson songs, old Stevie Nicks songs, I just made my workout tape so I know. Hard to say, I’m going to say those. I guess I’d have to add songs of Michael Jackson from Off the Wall. Because it reminds me of the past.

Recently, the British comedy Fawlty Towers was named best television show of all time (in Britain). Is there a comparable show in North America?

Well, my friends at Troma’s Edge TV and I are filming 22 episodes for Britain TV at the moment. I don’t think we’ll be as great as Fawlty Towers but we’re trying to add the T&A, and the comedy and the edge and to have me shooting my girls. And we’re doing skits with Kabuki Man, you know, we wrap him up in baby diapers and make him eat a bottle. And while he’s eating the bottle I suck on the other end. That sort of stuff. It will show on Channel 4 in Britain and on Troma. And it will probably be available on tape later.

Canadian Trivia Question: Name the province between Manitoba and Alberta. Ontario! Close. You want to take another guess? Toronto. No, I’m looking for a province. Hmmm. A lot of snow. A Canadian Mountie and a lot of snow!


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