Securing an actor to play opposite a force as vital, indefatigable and audacious as Tank Girl was tricky. The role of the merciless Kesslee required a talent who would not be completely obliterated by Tank Girl's overpowering presence. Actor Malcolm McDowell, who first stunned audiences as the sadistic hooligan Alex in Stanley Kubrick's harrowing classic "A Clockwork Orange" and more recently played the decidedly evil villain in the sci-fi hit "Star Trek: Generations," proved to be the perfect, malevolent foil. 
     "'A Clockwork Orange' was very inspirational to me, in terms of this film, so it was thrilling to me to work with Malcolm," Talalay says. "Kesslee is a very sophisticated, effete bad guy. He studies poetry, is always in control; nothing ruffles him. Malcolm plays him with vicious delight. He has that delicious little spark in his eye that has been there since his early films. He knows exactly when to bring in those little twitches of evil." "Many times, movies such as 'Tank Girl' are as good as the bad guys," adds Lewis. "Malcolm is magnetic and electric and the juiciest parts of the movie are when he's going toe-to-toe with Lori Petty." McDowell enjoyed his intense scenes with Petty, calling her "a joy to work with." He adds, "She's really quite remarkable, I take my hat off to her. It was a very demanding role in very extreme conditions and she never complained, she just did her job and she did it very well. I loved my scenes with her and we had a lot of fun. I think that if you can go to work and have fun, you are very privileged, really. Except that by the end of the film, I do think that Lori was one long bruise." 
     As for his own role, McDowell--in what might be the understatement of the 21st century--calls Kesslee "a nice, heavy part." "Well, he's not really nice, of course, but I always have a gleeful, enjoyable time playing these heavies. Kesslee is a very powerful man, ambitious, deadly and charming. He's a fairly evil character but I tried to lighten him up, have a bit of fun with him." Unlike the other characters in the film, Kesslee did not exist in the comic book. McDowell's role was created specifically for the movie, although he jokes that in order to research the part, "I spent months reading comic books late at night with a flashlight under the sheet." McDowell acknowledges having played a few "weirdos" in his time, all of which prepared him to play Kesslee, a driven, amoral, vicious futuristic leader who exists against a backdrop of state-of- the-art effects. As Kesslee, McDowell sported some sci-fi, cartoonish accessories, including a deadly "cyber-arm" and a holographic head. 

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