Cover: Tricia Helfer stars in Primitive War
Photographer: Richard Bernardin
Primitive War blends wartime intensity with prehistoric horror—what initially drew you to this unique script, and what excited you about stepping into such a wild genre mash-up?
That’s exactly what drew me to the script, the genre mash-up. I wasn’t aware of the book series that the movie is based off of, but when I received the offer, it came with the pitch deck documents and information on the people involved, and it looked like they had a good handle on how to approach the material. When I read the script, I was intrigued with how grounded the story was and how fun I imagined shooting would be. It’s a character unlike anything I’ve played before so that was a challenge which also was a draw for me.
You play a Russian scientist during the Vietnam War—can you tell us more about your character and her role in the chaos that unfolds?
I play Sofia Wagner, who is a Russian paleontologist. I’ll be a bit cryptic as to not give away spoilers, but the reason I am there is specifically because the dinosaurs are there. I’m not in Vietnam on my own accord, I was forced to be there after an experiment went awry, and I’m dealing with some pretty significant trauma. I’ve been surviving for almost a year out in the jungle alone when I come across the Vulture Squad who were sent in to try and find a group of Green Berets that have gone missing. While trepidatious, I am also hugely relieved to meet them and we form a somewhat unlikely group. They need my knowledge and expertise, and I need their help with my mission and my survival.
Filming action-horror often comes with physical demands. Were there any particularly challenging or memorable scenes to shoot in the jungle setting?
It was incredible to actually be filming in the jungle for this. The topography is not that different from what it would be in Vietnam, and it gave a realism not only to the footage but also to us filming it. It would have been a whole different experience if we were shooting this all on green screen. To actually be trudging through mud, and swatting at bugs, and checking each other for leeches…that adds a depth to the characters that we didn’t have to fake or imagine. I got pretty close to a massive spider that surprised me a little, and our head makeup and hair artist had a leech in her boot, and Nick ended up laying in an ant hill, but overall we all came out unscathed. I think the hardest part for the production was a very muddy location that postponed us for a bit as we had to carry every single person of the cast and crew up to the higher point of the location with a machine that runs on tracks. Like a snowcat, but for jungles and mud.
What kind of research or preparation did you do to portray a scientist operating during such a politically and historically tense period?
I only had a week to prepare before leaving to film on the other side of the planet. There really isn’t too much for my character that I had to know specifically that’s not in the script so my goal was more to do a general research dive into the war, the climate, how much my character would have access to outside of Russia, and the accent. My character is also dealing with an addiction that I did more research on the physicality of that than diving deep into paleontology. For example, we don’t see me doing an autopsy on a T-Rex so I wasn’t too concerned with a massive deep dive on that type of research when I had such a short prep time.
The concept of soldiers encountering dinosaurs in the middle of a war is incredibly cinematic. How did the team approach, balancing realism with the more fantastical elements of the story?
I really have to credit the director, Luke, and the production team on their incredible specificity to detail when it came to the military aspect and grounding the film. Luke has a personal connection and knowledge of military history and has access to a ton of great costumes and props. I was not aware of this before heading down to Australia and, to be honest, that was one of my biggest concerns - how are they going to make this look realistic (besides the jungle) on a modest budget. Once I got down there and saw the sets and saw what they were able to access, I was hugely relieved. Finding the realism was also one of Luke’s main focuses. He wanted to make sure the dialogue and the intentions of the characters were respectful to the wartime aspect of the film so that when the characters come across the fantastical part of the movie, that it felt grounded and the audience could go along for the ride.
You’re no stranger to genre storytelling—from Battlestar Galactica to Lucifer. What keeps you returning to sci-fi, fantasy, and horror roles?
I’m not sure that I specifically seek them out or if they seek me out because of past work, but I’m happy about it regardless. Often in these genres, specifically sci-fi, there is a “what if” feeling of the stories and often a deep look at facets of our own society that might be more palatable to look at under a microscope than if it was a straight drama. Personally, I like playing in all types of genres as it keeps the work fresh and keeps me intrigued.
Battlestar Galactica fans still celebrate your performance as Number Six. How does your character in Primitive War compare to your past roles in terms of complexity or moral ambiguity?
Sofia is quite different from any role I’ve played so far, aside from the fact that she’s a really strong woman and she is quite complex. She is struggling with some moral questions and some guilt, and has made up her mind to do something about it. She was forced into the situation we find her in but she is determined to do something about it. I can’t really explain more without giving away some spoilers.
Did working on Primitive War tap into any new areas for you as an actor—either emotionally, physically, or creatively?
I don’t think it tapped into new areas per say, as every role you do you want to find who the core of this person is and most people/characters have some level of trauma or difficulties they are dealing with. It was the first time that I’ve been pretty much the only female character, though. There was another woman in the production in a smaller role, but I never had any scenes with her, so I never even really saw her more than once passing on set. So that was a unique experience and I really enjoyed it. Not that I don’t love working with women, of course, but the guys playing the Vulture Squad were such a great group of guys, and we had a blast all trudging around in the jungle together. I quickly became one of the guys.
The film releases August 21st—what do you hope audiences take away from Primitive War, beyond the thrilling action?
I hope they enjoy the ride. I really am impressed with the feat that Luke and the team pulled off. Every dollar went on the screen and I think audiences are going to enjoy it.
Looking ahead, are there any genres, directors, or stories you’re hoping to explore next?
I’d love to do a single camera comedy, like in the vein of Arrested Development. I’ve been trying to get a female serial killer series made but so far no luck. That particular story is on my wishlist, so we’ll see.
Where can fans find you on social media?
I’m mostly just on IG (@officialtriciahelfer) although I do have an X account (@trutriciahelfer) and a FB account (@officialtriciahelfer) that I use periodically. I need to get better with that, but I’m just not that active on social media. I opened a TikTok account but have only posted a few videos of my goats, really. I use that one mostly to go down a rabbit hole of cute animal videos when I’m supposed to be sleeping.
Any last words?
Go see the film in theaters! Lots of action and drama and dinosaurs!
