The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk about
a helpful Alien? Though Bruce Spence knows only the basic details of
his character in Episode III, he does consider himself fortunate to
be invited into the Star Wars saga.
"It was just fortuitous that the offer came up," says
Spence. "Being that it's a small role, I often don't do them.
But having finished my work on Peter Pan, I was available,
and I could fit it in. I'm only too happy to be involved."
Described as a "helpful alien," Spence has already
undergone a lifecast for the Episode III Creature Shop to begin
working on the prosthetic makeup that will transform him into an
otherworldly being. Creature Shop Creative Supervisor Dave Elsey was
eager to work with Spence's distinctive countenance, as he almost
had a chance to during his time on "Farscape."
"Bruce Spence was once a possibility to play the character
of Scorpius, but that didn't happen," says Elsey. "Some
time later, he did come on the show, only he ended up playing a
character that didn't need makeup."
With his upcoming appearance in Episode III, Bruce Spence has
managed to appear in the final chapters of the three biggest
trilogies in production right now. He plays the role of the Trainman
in The Matrix: Revolutions and will be the Mouth of Sauron in
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
"It's a bit wild," he says. "It's interesting,
because they're all similar stories. As Joseph Campbell explained,
it all goes back to mythological epics. I'm making different
contributions to each film. Though I think the least substantial
constribution will be Episode III, I just regard myself as being
lucky. After all, being in show business, I think a lot of it is
luck."