No Bear Hugs From This Gentle Ben

Sept. 14, 2010 - PRLog -- Actor Ben Kientz has to be at least seven feet tall. Alright, maybe he’s not quite that tall, but he seems huge on the screen. When the director of “The Pathetically Cheap Adventures of Xtra-Man” went looking for a big menacing actor, Ben’s name came up. Not only did this actor have to be big and menacing, but he had to be non-union as well. The project was being produced by Pathetically Cheap Adventures, LLC, an extremely Spartan (meaning cheap) company about to produce its inaugural film. Carl Darchuk, the director, sent Ben the pages to read in an audition several days later. The character was described as: “30s, Rene's large, muscular, monosyllabic boyfriend, former Hell's Angel.” Ben showed up in a very scary biker getup, leather vest, bandana, and being nearly as large as a house, he was taken very seriously. In fact, Ben is a very sweet guy, a gentle giant if you will. Clearly a standout in  a crowd, he has true presence in any setting.  Originally from Cincinnati Ben has had an unmistakable flair for the arts since his days of running around his house in Superman & Spider-man Underoos.  

Ben bonded with the rest of the cast and eventually volunteered to help on the set in whatever capacity.  He studied his part of Killer with great intensity, much like the method actors of the fifties and even gained fifteen pounds and grew a beard which made him even scarier.  In one of his first scenes in the film when it was discovered that he was out on work release, he says, “I’m rehabituated.”

When he was excused from the shooting for the day, Ben would often hang around and, due to the improv nature of the shooting, would hold props or scenery and often would end up in the scene positively stealing the show!  Like the time he was supposed to be chained up outside the café when his girlfriend Rene was meeting at a meeting—he stole the entire scene peering into the room through panes in a glass door. The crew had do be very disciplined not to laugh at him during the scene!  The star, Adrian Quihuis was delighted to recall Ben’s work: “He nailed Killer, spot on. Biggest guy on set also the nicest guy on set. His comedy is subtle, you wouldn't expect it, until you see him, peeking his head in the window from a distance, in the coffee shop. Loved the guy!”

He even picked up our small First Assistant Director and carried her over his shoulder after she had asked him to move some scenery.  Once the production designer decided to put Killer in a totally inappropriate place during a scene—on a very loud stair master. Once again, Killer killed!

Ben swam competitively for 14 years and is extremely well-traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe.  He moved to Los Angeles six years ago, and currently lives in the Pasadena area where he coaches swimming and works as a personal trainer.

Ben says:  “I've not had any super accomplishments with swimming; as an athlete or coach. I have always been interested in being a SEAL, aside from acting. I have done a lot of traveling on my own, primarily throughout Europe. I can speak German. Acting certainly is my favorite art form, but almost anyone who has ever seen my artwork, says I need to move to San Diego to work for DC Comics. Outside of that, it's very broad. “ Asked about his future, he says that he hopes to do stunt work and keep active in the business by doing a broad range of roles. Rest assured, there will be no “small” parts for this bear of an actor.

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Pathetically Cheap Adventures, LLC was formed by Mary Lewallen and Carl Darchuk to provide wildly creative and entertaining movies that can delight and divert.