I originally read for the roles of Debra and Rita [in Dexter], because they didn't know what direction they were going in, and I worked so hard on Deb, because I just wanted to swear. I wanted to say all those nasty words. That was it: "I want to swear on television!".
Julie BenzAs an actor, it made me realize a really important lesson. I didn't have to put any spin on the ball as Rita [in Dexter]. All I had to do was speak. And there was such simplicity in that as an actor. With Debra, I was trying to put a square peg into a round hole, and it just didn't work, but in my mind, because I had to work so hard on it, I was, like, "Oh, this is acting!" But that's not acting.
Julie BenzI had to do some emergency cram sessions with the dialogue coach on set [of the Punisher: War Zone]. But it was fun, because every actor on that movie had to do an accent, so we were all talking the whole time in our accents.
Julie BenzThe great thing about working on a genre show is that you can basically have a season finale where every character is left destroyed, and then hit the reset button and come back for the next season.
Julie BenzIt was fun to play that surreal high school life [in Jawbreaker]. I was a huge fan of the movie Heathers. But I think at the time - you know, when the movie was released, it was a very limited release, and it didn't do very well at the box office. And I love the fact that it has found legs and that the audience has kept growing and growing over the years.
Julie Benz