FHM 10/02: Victoria Pratt on Steadicam
Out of This World: The Mutant X Star Shows There Is Intelligent Life in the Universe
By John Chase; Photography by Carlo Dalla Chiesa
Call it arrested development or a deviant fetish, but there's something appealing about a bright-eyed, good-natured girl who can, without a second thought, stomp your ass firmly into the ground.
Having just been clocked in the head by actress Victoria Pratt for making an offhand remark about some of her fans, FHM wisely refrains from blurting out more offensive comments.
When not provoked, Victoria is all smiles, warm and bubbly, and the picture of friendliness as she talks about her acting career. The 31-year-old Ontario native isn't even supposed to be doing any of this action-hero stuff on TV. Though she hates to admit it, she graduated summa cum laude from York University in Toronto with a degree in kinesiology (that's the study of body mechanics). She then took a job as a scientist in the school's human performance lab. "I don't want anybody to think I'm smart," she says. "That would be the end of my career as we know it!" When Victoria later co-authored a fitness book with a professor, it drew the attention of the publisher of MuscleMag, who convinced her to try fitness modeling. That led to acting classes, and two day after hiring an agent, Victoria landed her first role in director John Woo's short-lived TV series Once a Thief. Since then, she's acted in recurring roles on several of the major fantasy shows, including Xena: Warrior Princess and Cleopatra 2525. She now stars as Shalimar Fox -- a cat-like genetic wonder with both animal and human DNA -- on the syndicated show Mutant X.
But in the end, it was the topic of "cyber-dork fans" on which FHM connected with the lovely Victoria. Or more specifically, her hand connected with our face.
From the feel of the sting, it seems as if the fighting you do on TV must be real.
I've studied Shotokan karate, Kyokushinkai--I have a blue belt--and kickboxing.
Have you ever used your powers for evil?
Um, not really.
So that's a yes.
I've never gone kung fu on somebody's ass. I've only really had to defend myself once. I was backed into a corner by a guy and I kneed him in the balls hard. After he doubled over, I gave him an uppercut. That sobered him up. He was bleeding from the lip and crying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
You handed a guy his ass?
I kicked his ass -- and I was wearing a dress and heels. It was a good lesson for him. You don't do that to women. You don't frighten them to the point where they feel the need to defend themselves.
Especially one who is built like a rock.
With violent tendencies! You don't pick on the violent ones. That's just stupid.
When was the last time you had to deal with an unruly fan?
I was doing a promotion for Labatt's beer and Harley-Davidson. We'd go to bars, they'd set up a bike with two Labatt's girls, and guys would line up to get their pictures taken with us. This guy comes upp and I put my arm around him, and before I can stop him, he gets his head in my armpit and licks me. He just couldn't get enough of my armpit.
Mutant X has lots of action. Do you perform your own stunts?
I do a lot of my own stunts, which is why I get cuts and bruises everywhere. I had to jump off a roof last week for the show, and I landed really poorly. On Cleopatra 2525, I once got kicked unconscious by a stuntman. It seemed as if I were getting hurt on that show every week. I got kicked in the head and -- boom! -- I was out for the count. I suffered a concussion.
What the hell kind of name is Shalimar Fox anyway? It sounds like a low-budget Bond-girl name.
I know. It actually comes from the Marvel comic. I'm really disappointed they didn't somehow fit "vagina" into my name.
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