MOST Magazine Celebrity OCT'15 ISSUE NO.1 | Page 59

Photography by JOE PUGLIESE
www.joepug.com    

QUEEN OF SCI-FI

SYFY’S DEFIANCE
COVER STORY // ACTRESS
By Denise Smith

Y

es, Julie Benz is just as cool as you think she is. The star of
hit shows such as Defiance, Dexter, Desperate Housewives,
and Angel. MOST Celebrity spoke with the actress about
her love for the fans, meeting Jack Nicholson, and her
latest project, Circle.
Julie grew up in the warm community of Murrysville,
a small suburb of Pittsburg. Along with her brother Jerry
and her sister Jennifer, they spent most of their childhood
on the ice. Training for their ice skating, eight hours a day,
the siblings would travel to and from Detroit, Michigan
to train with coaches. Although they spent most of their
young lives in the rink, it was important to Julie’s parents,
that the kids regularly attend school and have normal
childhood experiences such as attending school dances.

At the age of thirteen, Julie suffered a stress fracture that
would force the young talent to retire from the sport. Once
ranked 12th in the United States in ice skating, she soon lost
her love for the sport. Julie would then go on to channel her
desire to perform into acting. With her unique blend of quirky
cuteness, the actress would set her sights on a career in film.

The aspiring thespian attended New York
University, studying with the Tisch School
of the Arts. Nestled in the heart of Greenwich
Village with New York City as her campus,
Julie embraced her time in college learning
her craft and taking part in student films.
One of the few students, auditioning and
acting professionally, she would gather
real time experience as well as technical
training while at Tisch.
After completing college, Julie made the move
to Los Angeles and started landing various
film and television roles. This drive and
determination would lead her to a small part
as a receptionist in the Academy Awarding
winning film, As Good As It Gets. Directed
by the talented Jim Brooks, starring with the
incomparable Jack Nicholson, as well as Helen
Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding Jr.,
she recalls one of her first encounters with
the movie legend, saying “I was trying not

to be nervous, he’s just an actor, it’s not a big
deal, be cool, don’t be a dork, be cool, and
in walks Jack and he’s like ‘Hi, I’m Jack.’”

A consummate professional, she introduces
herself and prepares to rehearse what will
become one of the most iconic scenes in the
film. Swiveling in her chair with nervous energy,
the director encouraged her to use her energy in
the scene. Recognizing that she is undoubtedly
not cool, at all, she stands up mid-scene, “The

room starts to spin and there is this bright light
on Jack and I couldn’t remember my next line
and all I could say was, “Oh my God, you’re
Jack Nicholson.” All goes silent on set, Jack
lowers his gaze and says, “Yes, honey, I am.”

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