On this special edition of SNAPSHOTS, July is here for the DMV, the longest fan run convention hits a milestone this July. We’re talking about Shore Leave 45 where Lancaster meets the future and it meets again, July 11 through the 13th at the Lancaster Wyndham Resort and Convention Center. It’s a weekend of fun, fandom and, of course, family.
Fifteen stars will be coming to meet. Our guest needs no introduction. He has swung the vines as Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City. For the Sci Fi fans, he has been in projects like Sleepy Hollow, Alita: Battle Angel and much, much more. In fact, even has a new movie that just came out recently, called Guns of Redemption. In many of our hearts, he is known as Johnny Rico of the 1997 sci-fi favorite, Starship Troopers. So, people of the Federation whether its the United Federation of Planets or the United Citizen Federation, we salute the one, the only. Casper Van Dien.
Casper, welcome to Snapshots!
Hey, Dean. How you doing? Casper Van Dien and Dean, look at that. The two deans.
The two deans. I love it, and I love your background, “Rico’s Roughnecks”, that’s amazing. It’s so glad to be talking to you. It makes me feel that I need a better background than this, because I only have my phaser and my DVDs.
I got my phaser up in my in my cabinet over here. I have one of my phasers too, so they’re awesome. It’s got a little it’s got the laser on it, so I used to use it with my cats.
How many cats do you have? I have to ask.
We have three cats and two dogs. I love animals. Tarzan loves animals.
Oh, well, that’s wonderful. Now let’s take you back to Starship Troopers just a bit. What about the project that intrigued you? Did you read the book by Heinlein, and talk about working with such an amazing cast, I mean, Michael Ironside from “Top Gun”, Dina Miller, Denise Richards and so much more.
I love being part of Starship Troopers. I did read the book when I was 12, and when I read the script, I was like, “my god, how did I had I know the sense of humor, the satire, how did I get that when I was a kid?” And I went back and reread the book, and I went, “Oh, I didn’t, because it wasn’t in the book.” That’s all Ed Neumeier and Paul Verhoeven. They’re, you know, Robocop. They’re geniuses, and they have huge dark, sick, perverse sense of humor. And that’s what the script had, and it was amazing to see that. But the high line was very straightforward. Great book, different and great movie, different. And some people who said, “the military, they’re going to hate this movie when it comes out, because it’s satirical, and it’s not like the book.” And I go, “you don’t understand the military. They have the darkest, sickest, most wonderful, perverse sense of humor ever, because they have to, because of everything they went through.
So, I grew up in a military family. I went to military school. I thought I was going to go in, and then I went off to Hollywood, and 38, years later, I’m still doing this. I love being a part of this movie. I love the cast. Michael Ironside, you still hear his voice in my head, and I get to see him all the time. Dina Meyer, she’s amazing. She’s like a sister to me. And Denise has always been sweet and Pat and everybody. I just love them all. Jake, everybody needs a friend like him. So, it’s a great group of people. And Clancy Brown, my God. Neil Patrick Harris, I mean, it just goes on and on. Rue McClanahan was my teacher. I had so many cool people in it. It was just a thrill.
Well, I’m glad to hear that especially not knowing that Clancy would become Mr. Krabs in Spongebob Squarepants a couple years later. It’s like these crazy connections, the Golden Girls, Top Gun, Wild things. So many people from different films and projects and all wrapped up in this wonderful film.
Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. And we’re still doing; we get to do cons together. It’s like a family. So, we’ve been doing a couple here. We were at New York Comic Con this year. I missed Clancy because he was doing press for “Penguin” and he’s like, “Ah, man, I can’t. I’m with Penguin.” And during the middle of our panel, they go, “we got a special guest”, and I had Michael, Dina, Seth and Denise. We’re all up there. And then all of a sudden, out comes Clancy Brown, and I go, “how’d you do this?” He goes, “You did it. You called me.” And I asked him. They said, “Yeah, you go over there.” So, he got to come over and did our panel with us in New York. It’s so much fun, because I still get to see them all.
Every time I see Seth Gilliam, who’s one of my dearest friends, I just love him to death. Then I got to hang out with him in New York, and we went to Tim Burton’s light show with me, him and my wife. I’m just a blessed life man to have that kind of experience in for 28 years. We’re still talking about this movie, and it’s still a thing!
One of the things that I read about you, which we have almost connection that you went to Admiral Farragut Academy. I’m involved with a Star Trek fan film called Starship Farragut.
No way?
Yes, way! In fact, I play a helmsman that became a navigator, and then by the end of the series. My character, Roy Morris, was named after my NJROTC teacher, he’s now an executive officer of the USS Constitution.
Whoa! Okay, that’s pretty cool. You know, Farragut is the one. He’s the first United States Admiral that said, “Damn, the torpedo is full speed ahead.” I was in JROTC too, and my dad also was 20 years in the Navy because I went to Admiral Farragut Academy, which is a navy school trained by Marines. My Gunny Sergeant trained me how to be a scuba diver. I still scuba dive. I go shark diving. I haven’t gone in probably seven years. But I have dove for since I was 17. But, I love that you were NJROTC.
My dad, after he served 20 years in the Navy, then taught in NJROTC for 12 years. So, then he also did the boot camps in up in Newport, Rhode Island. I used to run around in little uniforms and at the obstacle course and marching, until I went to military school. And then, when I didn’t become didn’t go into the military, I thought I didn’t do my service. But then I’m in uniform all the time in movies and shows. I’m always just so grateful to be a part of it and to represent what it was for me, which was an incredible experience full of people with life and experience and education and just wisdom.
(It was during this moment, I went to grab my JROTC photo and Casper shown me his photo)
What did you do when you were in JROTC? For I was on the color guard & the commander of the academic team. I was Lieutenant Commander by the time I finished all my four years, and I was Chief Operations Officer.
I was third in command. I was the operations officer…
No way!?!
Yeah, graduated third in command. Operations Officer, I called all the orders. I was on the drill team. I oversaw the watch. So, we stayed at school. So, it was all, it was an all-guy school. When I went there, three years later, it became co-ed but doubled its numbers. I had the key to the armory, but there was a check where another guy had the key to the army too. So, we had a full armory, kind of like what you saw on “Taps”, but we didn’t, we couldn’t get full access to that.
I was one of the captains of the football team once, and the basketball team, and I was a sailing team. I did the drill team. I was on the USS Forrestal for officer training
For a sea cruise?
It’s an aircraft carrier. For a month and a half, and, everybody would stand to the deck and let us come through, because we were cadets. And so, they all thought we were like cadets in college, but we weren’t. We had our flight deck shirts and we’d have to wear when we went out there. Also went to officer training at Corpus Christi and David Dallas Naval Air Station, when they sent all the cadets to from the NJROTC schools and seven from the elite military schools like Farragut, like mine. And then, I got to graduate from that too. So that was pretty awesome. And then I became an actor.
(Also, found out the Casper is also an NJROTC Leadership Academy graduate!)
Dien, well, I am so glad that not only was it influential to me, but it was also influential to you as former I’m a forever ROTC cadet. I mean, it was a wonderful program, and it really helped me out, especially during a tough time during my high school. I told everyone that I see and hear that it’s been an influential program.
Speaking of rising through the ranks through JROTC, your character Johnny has risen through the ranks in Starship Troopers. We’ve seen him as a grunt at the beginning, and now, because of a brand-new video game that was released last year, Starship Troopers: Extermination. We get to see General Rico. So how does Extermination fits into the whole entire franchise?
So, I’m in Starship Troopers I, III and V. I voiced the fifth one. My character is in the fourth, but they didn’t have me voice it. They had a guy that sounded a lot like me, which was really kind of cool. They asked me to be a producer, but only by name in that, but I was grateful to be a part of it. And he became a general in three, and then lost his rank, and then he became a general again in four, and then lost it. And then in five, he became a general again. And then Extermination, which is a 16-person shooter, plays on PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5. It is a six. It’s incredible. He’s still a General. They’ve continued the lore they went on.
When I read the script, I went, “oh my god, obviously you guys talked to Ed Neumeier, the writer.” They’re like, “nope!” And I’m like, “Well, Peter, one of the heads of off world, who created Starship Troopers, who also did squad, is just a huge fan. It’s all based off the five movies. I stream it. And one of my mods, Daniel Cash made Corporal. Most of my mods on my Twitch @CasperVanDien are all military or ex-military but from England, America and all over.
I have good people. And he made this for me (points to the virtual background). He’s like because that’s where I film Starship Troopers out in Hell’s Half Acre in Casper, WY, and then he put up Rico’s roughneck flag. And I just thought, “well, I stream with this sometimes. I’m going to go do my interview for this with that on I love it.”
Well, I love it too. And it is so amazing! I hear it in your voice that you are quite the gamer. What type of games do you enjoy?
Well, I mostly used the game a lot when I was younger. Then, I stopped a little bit because I had my kids, and I got really busy. And then I every once in a play with them, and then, and then my daughter started streaming, and she’s like, “Dad, come streaming.” I played occasionally, with her. But I wasn’t very good anymore, and it’s all so different. And then when I did the voiceover for this game, Starship Troopers: Continuum, which is a VR game I do, I but I saw this game Extermination, I went that I played it. I went, “Oh my god. Well, my kids are all grown, and while my wife is watching The Bachelor or some show that I won’t watch. I go and play video games now.”
And now I stream it on Twitch. And these people come in, they’re like, running with the general. They get a queue and they queue up, and they come and play with me, and I have so much fun. I play mainly this game. I’ve streamed the continuum. I’ve also streamed Red Dead Redemption 2, Robocop the other day. I do World War Z. I’m gonna do squad soon. I’m trying to play a whole bunch of different games, but mainly, I play Starship Troopers, just because I do.
One of the things that I love about you is you like westerns, and I grew up with westerns. What do you like about westerns?
Westerns are the heart and soul of the film industry. I mean, they really tell some of the greatest stories. And I even believe that Starship Troopers is a Western in space, and Star Wars and Star Trek. All these are just westerns. They’re great stories on told by incredible directors. I’m talking about John Ford, or even Kurosawa, who did the Seven Samurai, which then became the Magnificent Seven. The only thing that kept it alive for three years then during the Great Depression, was the nickel and dime Western theaters. Because even when people get sad and depressed, they want to be entertained. They wanted to be taken out of their life. And that’s the beauty of all the media back then was films and television, and now it’s expanded to more things. What it was that people don’t want to be miserable, they want to have some kind of hope. And I love that westerns and a lot of films give people some hope and creative.
What is the one thing you’re looking forward to Shore Leave 45 because you’re coming at a milestone here?
I just love meeting all the people. I love when people come up to me and they want to talk about and people go, “do you ever get tired about this?” I’m like, “No.” You see the site and excitement, enthusiasm when somebody comes up and wants to talk to you and tell you, “Hey, man, I think you’re great because you did this.” Yeah, what’s not to love about that, you know? And then you go, “Oh my god. Well, then you talk to him.” I’ve had so many inspiring stories, and people have come up to me and said so many things that meant so much to them, or why they wanted to talk to me about it. So I’m always just grateful for that. I love the camaraderie.
I believe that the people who are kind like this deserve it more. So for me, my attention going with them, and my expression with the people and the conversations, I stand up in front. I don’t go back and sit behind. I like to meet and greet and talk to everybody. It’s always a pleasure for me. And you could talk to anybody that’s met me, and they’ll tell you that I’m 100% just like I am right now. I don’t hide it very well. The only time I can do something else is when I’m acting. I don’t go to these things as acting. I go to these things as who I am. It’s just much more fun and easier.
See and meet Casper & all the rest of the people at Shore Leave 45, July 11 – 13th at the Wyndham Lancaster Resort and Convention Center. Weekend membership is $140. Friday Only Membership – $65. Saturday Only Membership – $110. Sunday Only Membership – $65. Teen (13-17) Weekend Membership – $65. Youth (5-12) Weekend Membership – $25.
You can purchase the membership and get more information at https://www.shore-leave.com/ and be sure to look for Casper in Starship Troopers: Extermination wherever video games are sold or streamed and his movie Guns of Redemption
Until next time, See out…. Out There!
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