by Fred Topel
“You don’t have to look like me to be considered beautiful and sexy.”
– Brittany Daniel
When the aliens come, the only ones left to fight back will be the good looking Hollywood heroes. Independence Day gave us Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman and Vivica A. Fox. Signs left us in the hands (and basement) of Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. Now Skyline has strapping male leads Eric Balfour (who plays Jarrod) and Donald Faison (Terry), to keep their girlfriends safe and fight off invaders. Brittany Daniel plays Candice, described as Terry’s self-absorbed socialite girlfriend.
Perhaps the point of casting Daniel in the role is to show that she’s not as obvious as superficial categorizations might suggest. Yes, she’s a statuesque blonde babe in a sci-fi action movie, but Daniel wouldn’t take the part if that’s all there was for her.
The film’s plot is based around aliens who can use a Siren light, like the Greek mythology, to trap humans. Writer/directors The Strause Brothers based the concept of this trap on humans’ instinct to look at accidents, so they are going beyond oversimplified heroes and villains with their story.
Comedy has allowed Daniel to shake any typecasting she might face as a blonde beauty in Hollywood. Movies like Broken Lizard’s Club Dredd and the Wayans Brothers’ White Chicks and Little Man let Daniel be crude and vulgar. And she plays a transgender in a recurring role on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and stars as a footballer’s wife on The Game.
Calling from her hotel room in Atlanta, GA, where she films The Game, Daniel seemed excited to talk about her large slate of work. She began working with her twin sister Cynthia, playing twins in TV episodes (The New Leave it to Beaver) and supporting roles (The Basketball Diaries). For three years they played the Wakefield sisters in a Sweet Valley High TV series. Then Brittany continued on her own path.
Read our interview with Brittany Daniel on SuicideGirls.com.
