Star of "Voyage of the Unicorn" (Chat II)

Odyssey presents

March 2, 2001

Emmy Award winner Beau Bridges ("The Second Civil War") chats with fans about his newest miniseries, "Voyage of the Unicorn." The miniseries, which premieres March 2nd and March 3rd (8-10 PM ET/PT) is the first produced exclusively for Odyssey Network by parent company Hallmark Entertainment.

Page 1 of 7

Odyssey Network: Hi, everyone! Say 'hello' to our special guest today, Beau Bridges, star of "Voyage of the Unicorn," which premieres on Odyssey Network on March 2 and March 3 (8-10 PM ET/PT). Beau is a multiple Emmy Award winner for "The Second Civil War," " Without Warning: The James Brady Story," and "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom." Beau was also nominated for another Emmy in 2000 for his dynamic portrayal of legendary showman, "P.T. Barnum." Welcome, Beau Bridges!

Beau Bridges: Hi, everybody! This is Beau Bridges. I'm so glad to be with you. I'm in New York City right now, and I have a film coming on tonight at 8 PM, on the Odyssey Network. It's a miniseries called "Voyage of the Unicorn," and it will be on tonight and tomorrow night. It's a fantasy adventure movie about a college professor who takes his two daughters off on a magical cruise on the seas of imagination.

Tamara: Why did you decide to do "Voyage of the Unicorn?" What attracted you to the miniseries?

Beau Bridges: It's a Hallmark Production, and they always do good stories. They also told me that this story was meant for family entertainment. Something for adults and children to enjoy together. I have five children, so that appealed to me. I think there are not enough programs for the entire family to watch together.

Sternchen: Is this your first fantasy adventure?

Beau Bridges: I think so. I've done some adventure movies before. I did do a version of "The Man In The Iron Mask" many years ago, where I did some sword fighting. I did a pirate movie called "Swashbuckler" many years ago, but I thought my swashbuckling days were over until I got "Voyage Of The Unicorn." I do a lot of fighting with my sword in this one, but, this time, I fight giant trolls, who are armed with battle-axes, spears, and clubs. It was very physically challenging. I had to train hard to get ready. I did a lot of swimming, which I've found builds up the entire body. I ended up having a lot of fun, and only had a few bruises, so it ended up OK.

Jufran: What's your role in the film?

Beau Bridges: I play the part of Professor Aisling. When we meet him, he is very despondent, because a year ago he lost his wife, and he is also about to lose his job at the college. He has two daughters, twelve years old and sixteen years old, and they are also having a hard time with the loss of their mother. So it's a fantasy story, an adventure story, but also has at the very heart of it a problem that is a real human problem experienced by many families, which is the loss of a loved one. In fact, this whole adventure that Professor Aisling and his daughters go on we find out later is orchestrated by the spirit of his wife, who has passed on. She does it because she wants them to find faith in themselves as a family unit, and for them to have a renewed vigor for life. There is an often repeated phrase in the movie that says, "By believing, one sees." So the movie is very much about faith, renewing faith.

R Moreno: You said that you're a father of two girls in the film. Are you a father in real life? Did it help in playing this role?

Beau Bridges: Yes. I have five children, so it was very important to me to be in a movie that is for the family together, because there is just not enough programming around for families. I have four sons and one daughter.

Page 1 of 7