"What's great about having an acting background is that you know how difficult it is to perform in a film with visual effects that require acting in front of a green screen or a blue screen, says Hurd. "So because of his past in acting, Jonathan's able to commiserate with the cast in a way that allows him to communicate the exact dramatic emotion he wants."
"Jonathan Frakes is an amazing conductor, a real leader on the set," adds Hecht, "and because he was in a science fiction classic, Star Trek,' he knows what real science fiction is and can be. In addition, he has a great musical sense, playing the trombone, and the knowledge of music and rhythm are so important to the pace of any movie. All that, and he has a charming personality as well. It's a combination that makes for a great director."
Finding the right cast was of course very important to the filmmakers, and one of the greatest challenges was finding the young man to play Zak.
"Zak is very, very smart, but at the same time he has something of a slacker mentality, which is an interesting dichotomy in his character," explains Hurd. "The actor who plays him needs to be charming, warm and funny, while at the same time, able to deliver a dramatic performance. It is difficult to find all that in a young actor.
But then, according to Hurd, she saw Jesse Bradford in "Bring It On" and came to the office saying she'd found the perfect Zak.
"I didn't even connect that Jesse Bradford from 'Bring It On' was the same Jesse Bradford from 'King of the Hill,' which is one of my favorite movies," says Hurd. "But I came in one Monday morning and said I'd found the star of the movie. Happily. when Julia (Piston), Jonathan (Frakes) and the studio saw ' Bring It On' they agreed."
The search for Francesca, the foreign exchange student, was a little more complicated, and according to Hurd, they hired a casting director in Mexico City to send casting tapes of young women from Mexico and South America.
"MTV and Nickelodeon sent in a number of girls on tape, too, and Paula Garces came in and read on one of those casting calls in New York," remembers Hurd. "Without the benefit of Jonathan's direction, she impressed us enough that we flew her out to Los Angeles for the final screen test where we tested three actresses opposite Jesse. The rest is history."
The next step was to cast the film's villains, and finding the right actor to play Dopier was also challenging because in addition to instigating the film's conflict and dramatic action, he had to be very funny and provide occasional comic relief.
"French Stewart is one of those actors that when you look at him you naturally smile," says director Frakes. "I mean, the way he moves is funny."
Hurd agrees, adding that she had worked with French on "Dick," and in that film, she saw a side of the actor that wasn't apparent to her in Rock From the Sun." It really made her want to work with him again, and happily, "Clockstoppers" gave her the opportunity. Dopler's malevolent boss and Zak's nemesis is played by Michael Biehn. whom Hurd had worked with previously as well.
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