BRANDI COPPOCK IS RAVENA

By Mike Watt

Actress and model Brandi Coppock may very well be the next "Xena". The former Playboy Playmate stars as the medieval warrior princess Ravena on the upcoming cable show, Stone Circle Cinema, a "creature-feature"-style show that mixes medieval antics and bad b-movies.

The brain-child of Grail Productions head Greg Martin, who also co-stars with Brandi as the mute dwarf sidekick Anok, Stone Circle Cinema is set to premiere on a new cable channel in the fall dedicated to b-movies of the past and present. Brandi isn't the first one to slip into the thigh-high boots of the Stonehenge Goddess, however. Martin ran the show with another actress in the role back in 1996, on Washington State cable-access. But for Brandi, taking over a role created by another proved no difficulty.

GC: So tell me all about Ravena.

BC: Ravena has been asleep for thousands of years - she had a spell cast over her by an evil witch. She's awakened and pretty much all she is now is a host of this show. She shows all these really bad b-movies each week, and then we do little intervenes and in-betweens, little skits and stuff. It's lots of fun.

GC: How was it taking over a role created by another actress?

BC: Well, We have only taped two episodes so far. To me it's kind of interesting, in that it was created for someone else. I fit in pretty easily. I've been in the business for a really long time and I had no problem flowing right into it. Really, all we've been doing is working to get it syndicated and on the air. Once we don't have to worry about getting it seen, I think we'll be able to relax and have more fun with it.

GC: I have to admit that a medieval warrior struck me as being an odd choice for the host of a "creature feature" TV show.

BC: It was kind of strange for me too. (laughs) I like [Ravena], though, because I get to dress up in the wild costume, sometimes we'll play with different wigs, and the make-up is really heavy. So that was a lot of fun.

GC: How did you get into modeling?

BC: I was a Hooter girl, in Orlando - actually Castlebury, a really small town in the middle of Florida - and I heard 'you know, Playboy's always looking for girls, etc.' You always hear that sort of thing in that kind of environment. Around that time, I had entered the Miss Hawaiian Tropic Pageant and I did pretty well there, I won "Miss Photogenic" - I won for just my face. From there, I figured I'd submit to the [Playboy] Chicago offices, and then I decided I'd move to L.A. and try this acting thing. As soon as I moved to L.A., I wasn't there for a week and Playboy called me, saying 'We've received your pictures and we'd like you to come in for a test shoot. And, of course, see how you look naked'. (Laughs) So I showed up with all these girls who are wearing stiletto heels and short skirts and their hair all done, and I'm just wearing - I'm originally from Alabama, so I came in wearing just jeans, with my hair pulled back and natural make-up. And I thought I had no way of competing against these girls. But I went in, and just tried to relax and be myself. And three days later they called me and told me they wanted me to come in to shoot. So just being myself, I guess, won them over. That's what actually got me into Playboy. And the floodgates opened like crazy after that.

GC: Where did that take you?

BC: After that I did a sitcom called 'Head Over Heels', starring Kevin Farley, the brother [late comedian] Chris Farley, and then I did 'V.I.P'., the Pamela Anderson show.

GC: What was that like?

BC: It was very, very cool. It actually ended up being a New Year's Eve special - shot at the Playboy mansion, so I thought that was kind of ironic. It wasn't anything big, though, [role-wise], though I did meet Pamela Lee and said 'hi'. That was about the extent of it. Actually, my girlfriend and I ended up getting separated from the rest of the people, and [the crew] put us into this trailer and after a little bit we realized that it was Pamela's trailer. And we had her slippers on - and we didn't realize it until later! They didn't care, they put us in there! They treated us really, really nice. Everybody in the business, you always hope that you'll hear evil, horrible stories, but so far everyone's been really nice.

GC: What can you tell me about the Fighting Force video game you did with Eidos?

BC: Well, I guess you could say this is sort of the Lara Croft's little sister game. What this game is about - Alana McKendrick, the character they based on me, is the step-daughter of this rich drug lord, and I try to fight against his henchmen and free the town he controls. And I have all these back-up characters to help. It's a really awesome game. They took my body, my hair, my face and made me into this little virtual reality doll. The first time I saw the game, it was just awesome! I was stunned - there was a little mini-me! They had this huge wig on me, then we did the head-band thing, I had knee pads - Gucci actually provided the wardrobe. They made all the outfits to fit me, and they had some of the other girls - who play the other characters - dressed up in similar outfits. It was really hot, I remember. It was all made out of rubber.

GC: Now does she exist only as pixels now, or did you get to do public appearances as Alana?

BC: No, I went to the 1998 E3 Convention in Atlanta. This was when Lara Croft and Tomb Raider first came out, so we appeared with her as well. With the girl who actually played Lara Croft [Nell McAndrew]. She was a really nice girl. I ran into another girl, [multi-media entrepreneur and Playboy columnist/centerfold] Gillian Bonner, who was working on her new video games. I also met the chairman of Eidos and the owner of Sony. It was a great convention, and it turned out really good for everybody. That was probably the best job I've ever had. [Eidos] really took care of us. Took us to the airport in a limo, picked us up in a limo, five-star hotel, everything paid for, great service, great money. Just really good people.

GC: And then you did a Ricky Martin special. Any dirt you'd care to dish on Ricky?

BC: (laughing) All I can say is that he was very quiet, shy, great singer and dancer. Very polite, opens doors for everybody. Called me 'young lady', and was very nice to me. Just as gorgeous in real life as he is on TV.

GC: You're no fun.

BC: (still laughing) Sorry.

GC: So what other celebrities did you meet?

BC: Oh, god… I met Garry Marshall. I had just moved from Orlando to L.A., and I didn't know anybody, and I didn't know who he was. I went to dinner with Jeff Franklin, and Garry Marshall came down and started talking to me, asked me where I was from. He had me read this script, and I'm thinking 'Oh, great, who is this guy?' But then he started telling me that I was very talented and I should come down to his theater sometime. And I said 'Oh, okay'. Then he hands me his card which said 'Garry Marshall: Falcon Theater'. And then I got really embaressed, turned red in the face, and he just smiled and shook my hand. He said 'Submit your information to me'. But I never did! Everybody was so busy trying to look at all the stars, and I was just minding my business when he came over and started talking to me. So I felt that was a very big compliment.

GC: What made you move from L.A. to Washington?

BC: Truthfully, I was actually getting a little tired of being in the business. I had gone in for an audition for 'Sunset Beach'. Harriet Greenspan was going to cast me in one of the leading roles. I was very excited, it was going to be a three-year deal for a principal role, and then 'Sunset Beach' got cancelled. So I was very disappointed, and decided to go home and visit my parents. And a friend of mine, Jeff Franklin, who was the co-creator and writer on 'Full House', as well as things like 'Laverne and Shirley', 'Hanging with Mr. Cooper', things like that. He wanted me to come out and see him in Las Vegas. He was doing a show out there. And as I flew out to see him, I met this guy on the airplane. And we fell in love and we got married! So that's what brought me to Washington, because he lives here. He's very supportive of my acting and modeling, he's great.

GC: Well that's cool. Anything coming up for you?

BC: My biggest project is actually coming up. It's going to be on comedy Central. It's called Trees: The Root of All Evil - it's a parody of Steven Spielberg's JAWS. It's actually the second one. It's going to be shot in October or November. A two-to-three-month shoot in Connecticut. I'm playing NFS Agent Sarah Bentley. A really cool, funny. I'm the newest cast-member. The agent looking for the killer trees. I'm very excited about it.

Visit Brandi (and Ravena) on the web at www.stonecirclecinema.com