IT'S A BIG change from starring in James Cameron blockbusters to waiting around a decrepit Chai Wan warehouse to dub a Hong Kong film. For one thing, the budget of Daniel Lee Yan-kong's cop-caper Dragon Squad wouldn't even cover Arnold Schwarzenegger's cigar stipend on one Terminator shoot. But here's Michael Biehn, in faded jeans, sprawled on a couch during a break. There's no waiting limo, no reservations at Spago, and he's not expecting to hear his name on the E! Network anytime soon.
However, the former Terminator-battling action man harbours little of the bitterness you might expect from an actor who came so close to attaining his name above-the-title ambitions. 'It's a question I get asked more than I ask myself,' says Biehn. 'I have so surpassed what I thought I could do that I feel lucky. The only thing that I've been bitter about is they didn't put me in Alien 3. That p***ed me off. There have been other roles I was disappointed not getting - I was very close to being the original Batman, which Michael Keaton played. But bitter? Nah. I've been frustrated, but not bitter.'
In addition to losing out on 1989's Batman, Cameron reportedly had decided on Biehn to play Peter Parker in an earlier script for Spider-Man, but the 1994 project was deemed too technically difficult at the time - so Cameron shelved it to make True Lies.
Now 49, Biehn lives in LA with his four children and wife, Gina Marsh. His acting career began after he dropped out of a drama degree at the University of Arizona, and picked up a job in 1977 as an extra in the television series Logan's Run. He also had a bit role in Grease the year after. However, it's in action movies that Biehn has made his mark. He's played soldiers in 13 movies, including three as a Navy Seal. His most memorable role is that of Kyle Reese, the freedom fighter in 1984's The Terminator.
Of late, box-office success has been elusive. Last year, Biehn tried his luck in a TV cop series called Hawaii, but it was cancelled. As with most second-tier actors in the industry, Biehn has done his share of video schlock and cable staple. But, post-Dragon Squad, his fortunes may be on the rise again. Biehn has just signed to co-star in a remake of the old David Hasselhoff series featuring the talking car, Knight Rider.
He won't be the lead, but says he still counts his blessings. 'I did three James Cameron movies [The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss] and they were pretty successful,' he says. 'But I've also been in a lot of other stuff. There are movies you know are going straight to video.