Pic from Mutant X Lives
Victor Webster: 5/5/02 Zap 2 It
Every Tattoo Tells a Story
(Sunday, May 05 10:00 PM)
By Kate O'Hare
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - There are as many reasons to get tattoos as there are people who have them. In the case of "Mutant X" star Victor Webster, it's about reminding himself of what's important (even if he can't see two of the tattoos without a mirror).
On the underside of one upper arm, he has a dragon, symbolizing mystery and wisdom, which he got in his late teens. Asked why he chose such an odd location, Webster says, "I was modeling at the time, and, underneath my arm, I can hide it really easily without having to put makeup on it."
Then there's the Asian symbol on his back. "It means 'Never give up.' That I got when I got my black belt [in Tae Kwon Do]. It has flames over the top of it. It's burning desire to always go after my dreams and my goals."
"I have another one on my back that's a peace symbol, that's actually a dream catcher made out of bones and feathers. So, it's peace, but the dream catcher is to always remember that while maintaining my spirituality, a peacefulness in my center, that I'm continuing to focus on my dreams."
Webster designed all his own tattoos. As to whether more are on the way, he says, "They're addictive. I don't know. I'm holding off for a while, a couple of years, until something really means something to me. Then I'll go ahead."
On "Mutant X," which airs mostly on weekends in syndication, Webster plays Brennan Mulwray, a former street kid with the ability to control and wield electricity as a result of the genetic experimentation of a company called Genomex. He joins up with Mutant X, an underground group, led by former Genomex scientist Adam (John Shea), which strives to help the mutants -- dubbed the Children of Genomex -- develop their abilities and protect them from harm or exploitation.
On the other side is the Genetic Security Agency (GSA), under the command of Genomex security chief Mason Eckhart (Tom McCamus), which is hunting down the mutants.
Webster's martial arts prowess -- he also is an undefeated amateur kickboxer -- comes in handy on "Mutant X," which makes use of stunts and wire work in its elaborate fight sequences.
"In the past nine months of our season," Webster says, "my stunt double only had to work three times. One was driving a Ferrari Testarossa that I'm not insured for; one was jumping through a 15-foot wall of fire; and one time I fractured my elbow, and I had to take a week off doing any wire work, so he did this jump for me. I did everything else."
He wasn't initially thrilled, though, at the idea of taking his avocation and using it every day in his job. "That's the thing that I was most skeptical of at first, because once you take something that you love and start getting paid for it, a lot of times it takes the luster out of it. It becomes work."
"Thank God, it hasn't done that. I'm getting to play and experiment. I'm getting to fly around and do flips and shoot electricity out of my hands, kick bad guys' asses all day long. It's awesome."
It's a big change from either modeling or Webster's other previous professions. "I used to teach martial arts. I was going to open my own studio at one point. So that was my life. I was a stockbroker during the day; I was a nightclub promoter at night; in between, I'd teach. Then on weekends, I'd fight."
Of the three, he recalls being a broker was "so stressful. It's basically like gambling. You get too old, too fast. They're all on coffee and coke and going out and getting drunk at lunch."
Webster, a Calgary, Alta., native of Italian, German, English, Scottish and Spanish extraction, says that playing Mulwray isn't too much of a stretch. "He's part of the team because he wants to be. He doesn't need leadership; he doesn't crave it. He has his own way of doing things. He's very much like me."
Asked what sort of character would be utterly unlike him, Webster says, "A priest. Or somebody that's really evil, mentally screwed up. Somebody that doesn't have direction and doesn't have focus and is really scattered, because I'm far too organized. I just can't handle not knowing where stuff is."
Webster says that Season 2 of "Mutant X" is going to be "faster and more extreme. The show is going to be a little bit darker. Brennan's going to be a little bit more troublesome. He's going to have a little more attitude, be grittier."
Also, McCamus is going to leave his role as chief nemesis Eckhart, because of previous theatrical commitments. In the season finale, "A Breed Apart," airing the week of May 13, Michael Easton ("VR.5," "Total Recall 2070") joins the cast as Gabriel, the first Child of Genomex, a powerful new mutant who will be a recurring character next year.
Apparently Gabriel isn't the only challenge facing the Mutant X team in the new season. "We're going to have the ability to have a bunch of other evil nemeses," Webster says. "You have to give the audience diversity."
Cyberspatial Anomalies: Victor Webster fans can learn more at www.victorwebster.com. For "Mutant X," there's the official Web site (www.mutantxtv.com) and the recently launched Genomex site (www.genomex.net). For Michael Easton, there's www.michaeleaston.com.
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