Victor Webster as Brennan Mulwray in Mutant X. Photo copyright of Tribune Entertainment.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, actor Victor Webster talks about his electrically-charged character of Brennan Mulwray on Mutant X.
Most children fantasize about what they want to be when they grow up. Victor Webster’s dream was to become a superhero. “That’s what more or less fueled my desire to study martial arts,” he says. “I wanted to have the ability to save someone’s life.”
The actor had no idea that his wish would one day come true, at least on the small screen. He is currently playing the super-charged Brennan Mulwray on the hit syndicated action/adventure TV series Mutant X. His character is, in fact, a new mutant whose body can generate enough electricity to light up a small city.
Brennan is recruited to join Mutant X, an elite team of crime-fighters, all of whom possess unique abilities. Their mission includes among other things stopping fellow new mutants from being caught and neutralized by Mason Eckhart, security chief at the biotech firm Genomex. Brennan may never have been on the FBI’s most wanted list, but his shady past initially makes him reluctant to accept an offer by Mutant X’s leader Adam to become part of the team.
“In his younger days, Brennan was a loner and a man of criminal intent,” explains Webster, relaxing in his trailer after an early morning shoot on the Mutant X set in Toronto. “He secretly used his powers to commit crimes in order to get whatever he wanted. However, he eventually became tired of being a rogue and an outcast. He’s now reformed and is paying his dues by doing things for the benefit of humanity. Brennan is really a good-natured person but he can also be a little sarcastic at times. He loves to fight, too. He doesn’t always depend on his powers because he doesn’t have to. My character would rather beat the hell out of a guy than shoot him across the floor with a bolt of electricity.
“Although he’s now part of a team Brennan feels that he can get up and leave any time he wants. If he needs time to think he’ll go off somewhere. If he feels the need to go after somebody he’ll handle it by himself like the Lone Ranger. He’s used to and is very comfortable with being on his own. At the same time, Brennan has found a home and a family so to speak and he doesn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize his place on the team.
“This is the first time I’ve played kind of a bad boy, and I’ve got to tell you I’m having fun,” smiles the actor. “The challenge for me so far has been trying to find the balance between being cheeky and sensitive, you know? There are times when you can act like a smart-ass and it can be annoying. Other times you can throw out these little one-liners and they’re funny. It’s learning where to draw the line. Up to now I really haven’t had to rein Brennan in so I guess I must be doing OK.”
After a painless but drawn out audition process, Webster was hired for the role of Brennan Mulwray on Mutant X. As with most new TV shows, the cast and crew filmed the third episode first and then the two-part opener, The Shock of the New and I Scream the Body Electric. As Webster says, “this gave us a chance to work out some of the kinks and get into the groove of things.” A Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, the actor also holds an undefeated record in the heavyweight Black Belt division and in kickboxing. These skills came in handy during the shooting of the pilot, and, of course, in subsequent episodes.
“We did a lot of wirework in the pilot, which I’d never done before,” recalls the actor. “However, I got right in there and loved every minute of it. So far I haven’t had my stunt double do anything for me except jump through fire, which the producers wouldn’t let me do. Otherwise it’s me doing all the flips, kicks, etc. I enjoy it all but it does take time. The fight scene in the climax of The Shock of the Newtook us around eight hours to film and that was mainly because I hadn’t had a chance to really practice any of the moves. The final cut ended up looking cool, though. There’s another neat scene with Forbes March [Jesse Kilmartin] and I in the opening teaser of the episode Crime of the New Century. Again, that was eight or so hours worth of shooting but it translated to four action-packed minutes of butt kicking the bad guys.
Along with displaying some fancy footwork during fight scenes, the actor has also created a series of intricate hand movements he uses when Brennan discharges electricity. “Making believe electricity is shooting out of your hands is easy,” says Webster. “The hard part for me is finding new and creative ways to ‘throw it.’ I’ve tried to make it an art and something beautiful to watch rather than simply having Brennan extend his arm and hand and zap someone or something.
“As Brennan works more with Adam [John Shea] to develop his powers he’ll find different ways to use them. Perhaps he might electrify his fist and punch somebody as opposed to firing an electrical charge from his fingertips. Or maybe he’ll be holding a steel pole and electrify it to use against his opponent. There are endless possibilities. What’s great is the action on this show can be as comic book-like as we want. The dramatic stuff can’t be, though. That’s where we have to be careful and make sure we’re grounded in order to be believable.”
Steve Eramo
As noted above, photo copyright of Tribune Entertainment, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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