Coming from his successful The Expendables run (he’s now shooting the third installment), actor Dolph Lundgren also invades television this month with the first and exclusive premiere of his latest show, SAF3 (pronounced SAFE), on the KIX channel.
From the creator of Baywatch comes an all new, action adventure series about an elite unit of the Malibu Fire Department that specializes in heroic sea, air and fire rescue operations in the most dangerous places to save any life at risk. Lundgren plays John Eriksson, the leader of the group called SAF3 – Sea Air Fire and Rescue. “In the show, my headquarter is based in Malibu, California but shot on location in South Africa, and I have a team of guys who works for me, men and women, and we save people off the coast in Malibu,” he shares.
Starring alongside Lundgren in SAF3 are JR Martinez (All My Children, Dancing With the Stars), who plays a firefighter, Texas Battle (Coach Carter, Final Destination 3), Lydia Hull (Escape Plan, Broken City), and more—including a new generation of TV babes like Katie Meehan and Jocelyn Osorio.
Here’s a recent interview with Dolph Lundgren regarding his new show SAF3, which premieres on Tuesday, December 17 at 10pm on KIX (channel 63 on Skycable; channel 10 on Globe Destiny Cable; channel 55 on Cablelink).
How did you get your prime form for SAF3?
Staying in top form has always been a lifestyle cornerstone. Aside from it being directly tied to my physically demanding roles, for me it has been a state of being. I started off in ice hockey, then martial arts. I have the basic groundwork. I do keep it up all the time because of my job. I do weight training, martial arts, balancing, and stretching as I get a bit older. And a bit of swimming and cross training. It is kind of a mix of different things.
What made you say yes to SAF3?
It was the script, initially. I thought it was a good character. This is a guy who is the leader of the unit and has a lot of personal problems. I think it shows more of a normal guy than the superhero people know me as. One other reason: I was thinking TV is a bit more long-term. You work for a period of time. I think some of the writing in film used to be superior to television. Now it is turning around. It used to be about the effect and spectacle. I think television has good writing and good characters.
How do you feel being assigned to play the role of the fallible leader character?
I have probably played the action roles for too long. You just start to get caught in clichés. You play it anxious and irritable and upset. And sometimes you don’t feel like you’re in character inside. A lot of the movies, you say three words and fire 5000 bullets and blow out a tank. Here, it is more like 500 words and you shoot three people. For me, it has been like an acting lab a bit. And it has been a good experience.
Having explored the full range of action scenarios, tell us more about some of the action scenes in SAF3.
Well, I’ve done pretty much everything. Although, I haven’t done fire stunts. Diving was new. Mostly, it is character-driven stuff.
What do you think about the crew in South Africa?
I always enjoyed working with a mixed pool of international and local actors. I think the people down here are quite friendly and nice. I think they are very good as well. Just because I am a Hollywood actor doesn’t mean I’m a better actor. You have to realize, they are all working actors.
How do you find South Africa?
My two daughters came here, one from Sweden and the other from Spain. We went shark diving and on a safari tour where we saw the Big Five. I haven’t been to the wine country yet.
How is the SAF3 set different from The Expendables 3?
Well, there are less weapons here… No tax, no choppers, I don't see Stallone anywhere. Otherwise I enjoyed it, it’s different, you know… Action movies, with actions flicks you got much less dialogue and more action. Here, you get much of dialogue and different action.
What’s next for you?
I’m about to go to Thailand. I am co-starring and producing Skin Trade, a movie I co-wrote. It is about human trafficking.
Catch SAF3 starting Tuesday, December 17 at 10pm on KIX (channel 63 on Skycable; channel 10 on Globe Destiny Cable; channel 55 on Cablelink).
