By Joseph McCabe
Audiences may best know Oded Fehr from his role as Ardeth Bay in Stephen Sommers? Mummy movies, his recurring role in Sleeper Cell or his portrayal of no-nonsense military man Carlos Olivera in the Resident Evil movies, but this geek journo most identifies him with a more obscure project?the role of mystical superhero Doctor Fate on the Cartoon Network?s Justice League Unlimited. Why? Well, for starters, we here at FEARnet love a good comic-to-film adaptation. But also because in portraying Fate for the animated series, Fehr was forced to rely on his most potent weapon?his voice. Rich and otherworldly (Fehr was born in Israel but spent a considerable amount of time in England), the actor?s voice also made for one of the more enjoyable interviews FEARnet did at this week?s Resident Evil: Extinction premiere in Las Vegas. We?re sorry we can?t share with you the way Fehr speaks (though you check out a snippet of the actor in our red-carpet interviews video), but we can reveal what he spoke about?

On revisiting the franchise a second time (Fehr?s character debuted in the second Resident Evil film, Apocalypse), he remarks, ?It was really good. Before they wrote the third one, they asked me whether I had any plans of joining the third one. I said, ?Of course. It all depends on the script, but?yes.? Then when I got the script I was thrilled. It was just great. I really loved it. I think it?s the best of all three scripts, and I think it really moved forward from the last two. I found it really exciting?

?First and foremost being a selfish actor, I looked immediately at my character and saw the journey my character goes through, and I loved it. I really loved where Carlos goes in this movie and what happens to him. And then the second thing was of course the movie itself?the whole storyline, the travel across a post-apocalyptic world, the surroundings, the location, the desert. All of that I could envision, the look. I just found it more of an adventure kind of film. And I felt there were so many other characters to join our team, it really made it exciting. I just really enjoyed reading the script.?

Though Fehr has now starred in two horror-flavored franchises, he admits he?s not a hardcore fan of any one genre, but relishes any project that tells an entertaining story. ?I get scared of horror movies,? he says. ?But I do seem to do a somewhat horror-sci-fi kind of thing. I love it. To be totally frank with you, I love any kind of film. I just enjoy the work and I enjoy doing anything, whether it be comedy, drama, horror?anything like that. What is important to me is that the script has entertainment, one way or another. That?s the most important thing to me, that somehow the script has entertainment, whether it be this genre?where it doesn?t really go into depth of character development, emotional experiences and all the rest of it, but [is] more of a popcorn ride?or Sleeper Cell, where it?s a lot more of a deep genre, talking about our times and terrorists. As long as it entertains me and I enjoy the journey that I?m going through, I don?t mind any genre really.?

On his Extinction journey, Fehr found himself joined by a number of ass-kicking action heroines, including his co-stars Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter. Did the actor enjoy the company? ?Well, let?s put it this way. It?s something I?m very used to from home. So taking that into the movies is just fine with me. Look, I was asked that on the second Resident Evil, and my feeling is, nowadays, it?s really cool to have the kick-ass chick, and the reason for that is guys don?t mind. We still like to see these kinds of action movies, and we enjoy them just as much as we would if it had been a guy, sometimes even more. This way, the girls can associate themselves with a movie as well. It?s not really just a guy?s flick, you know what I mean? Women can enjoy it too, and women do. I know my wife would enjoy the movie, and it?s definitely not her kind of genre, so why not? Especially when it?s somebody as wonderful as Milla and Ali.

?I remember when I was in drama school. There were more guys than girls, and somebody said at one point, ?Well, it?s because there?s just not as many roles for women as there are for men.? I find that nowadays, there?s so many different shows that are much more female-driven; the lead character?s a female who leads the story along. I think it?s something we see more and more of, and I don?t think there?s anything wrong with it. I enjoy watching these kinds of movies as much as I do with guy heroes.?

Of course, says Fehr, the right kind of actress helps.

?I think it takes a very special kind of girl to be able to carry it and do it right. What?s wonderful about Milla is, Milla will go and do this huge action scene and work her butt off in one-hundred-and-twenty-five degrees and then she?ll be fine. She won?t break down or have a hard time, or anything like that. Not that I?m saying girls do that more than boys?I?ve seen actors do that?but she?s a great girl. She really carries it off, she looks fantastic. She is practically a martial artist herself. Ali?s fantastic?Ali?s got so much strength, she?s really cool. She really enjoyed it. I think Milla was used to it, but Ali?you could see, Ali was like, ?Whew, wow. Cool!? She?s a tough girl, and she really, really liked it.?

As for the man behind the Resident Evil films, Extinction?s writer-producer Paul W.S. Anderson, Fehr remarks, ?Paul is your typical English gamer geek. He just loves the games. I mean, he sits all day and plays the games. He?s a great writer. With these kinds of movies, you?re constantly working on the script, whether you started shooting already or not. And he was able to change it and do it on the spot so fast. It?s just amazing to watch. We would be rehearsing a scene and something wouldn?t work right, and we would be ?Okay, so what do we need to do to change it?? I like to think that I have some kind of dramatic ability; and he just immediately goes?while I?m still going, ?Oh, I don?t know what we should do? Maybe he says, ?Hi,? and then?? He just writes a whole scene and does it really well. He?s a really lovely guy. Very open to any kind of situation, and very talented.

He was on the set the whole time. He was very good, he would sit back and let [director] Russell [Mulcahy] do everything that he wanted to do and needed to do. But Russell got sick from heat exhaustion and we lost him for about four or five days. And Paul took over seamlessly and we moved on. Everything worked really well.?

Fehr says he?s pleased that Extinction takes more of its cues from the Mad Max series than traditional zombie movies. ?I mean, this is exactly the point. It takes place mostly during daytime. It?s out in the desert. The world is gone, finished. There?s practically nobody there, and this group of people is driving in this convoy trying to survive, while Alice is off surviving on her own; and then they join together. It was very different from what the second one was, what the first one was. I think the second one just had so many zombies everywhere, it was just overpowering; and it was very dark, it was constantly night shoots. There wasn?t much of a journey to the characters. It was more of a lot of action, a lot of zombies. Whereas, this time, you really feel for them a lot more. And I think Russell did such a great job of capturing those little moments as well, that make a character special. There are these little moments where the characters look at each other and there?s so much information that goes through, that I didn?t feel we had on the second one. So it?s definitely a different movie. I think it?s just elevated. It?s got a lot more in it.?

As to what genre category Extinction falls into, Fehr says, ?It?s an action-adventure-gore. I don?t know about horror, because there are surprising moments and everything, but it?s not your typical action movie. This would speak to a much broader audience, in my opinion?like my wife. The second movie, she was really kind about it, but she was like, ?Okay, this is not for me. It?s great fun, but not for me.? Whereas this one, she?s like, ?This is great. A little too much blood, but great!??

Is Extinction really the last Resident Evil film, as some have claimed?

?That?s what I hear,? says Fehr?quickly adding, ?I have no doubt that if this movie makes a s-load of money, the studios are going to want to do something. Whether it will be a spin-off or whatever it is, they?ll try to do something. I know that Paul and Milla feel that this is great. It?s a great trilogy, and it?s great to end with this one, which is the biggest and strongest and best, and leave it at that. But that being said??