This year actress Yvette Mimieux not only celebrates her 20th year in movies, but also marks a two-decade involvement with that curious sub-genre we all love dearly: the science-fiction film.
The period from her 1960 portrayal of the Eloi "Weena" in The Time Machine to her most recent role as scientist Kate McCrae in The Black Hole has seen the performer grow dramatically in knowledge of her craft and acting skills. But at the same time, science fiction has remained a staple item of Mimieux's career and provided her with many challenges.
As a mere lass of 17 she was transported to the year 802,701 – courtesy of producer George Pal – for her first film, The Time Machine. Finding herself suddenly thrust into a world of hairy, scary Morlocks and complex special effects did little to ease the newcomer's butterflies.
"I suppose the whole crazy production made me more lost than I already was at the time," Mimieux laughs, recalling the making of the picture. "I'd never acted before, let alone appeared in a film – which is in itself a very technical event.
"I would come to the set every day and see 100 men [the crew] and all this equipment; I was never really quite sure where the camera was. And, of course, it didn't occur to the people who hired me that I didn't know, so no one was explaining anything and I was too embarassed to show my ignorance by asking questions."
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