(In this issue of THE NEW ALADDIN, Chantal talks with actor/singer Kris Kristofferson about the miniseries "Amerika" and his recent songwriting efforts.) CHANTAL: There's been a great deal of controversy surrounding "Amerika." When this script came across your desk, you must have had some trepi- dations. KRIS: First off, I have no desire to be involved in anything that would increase any Cold War tensions. Given the premise that this story is about a Russian occupation of the United States, this could certain- ly do that. I don't believe that Russia is the major threat to world peace. I think Russians have a sincere desire to avoid war because they have experienced it on their own home ground. CHANTAL: And what made you decide to take the role? KRIS: When I first read the script, I had just come back from a USO tour that I'd done with my band, and we were singing a lot of my own songs which come from the left side of the political spectrum and are anti-war, and got a real interesting reception from the troops and from the brass. There was an admiral that said he considered our songs a force for free- dom. It made me think about patriot- ism and the notions of what America stands for. And this script was an opportunity to examine these things. CHANTAL: In general, do you think Americans have anti-Soviet feelings right now? KRIS: I don't think Americans know a lot about the Russians. I think the Russians probably know a lot more about Americans than we know - people around the world in general know more about us than we know about them. People around the world know more about world politics than we do. Americans seem to have an attitude toward government, toward politics, which I did for most of my life, treating it more like garbage, like something that has to be done but you wish somebody else would do it. CHANTAL: It's interesting how divided the public is on the politics of "Amerika." Some people say it's way to the left, other people say it's way to the right. Coming from Kris Kristofferson's point of view, what are the politics of this movie? KRIS: The fact that Russians are occupying the United States (in the film) is a statement. But I think the director, Donald Wrye, was as apolitical as he could be on it. I was interested in examining American foreign policies, American principles, and whether or not we still stand for the same things that the country is supposed to be founded on, on liberty and justice for everyone. CHANTAL: Do we? KRIS: Well, there's evidence to the contrary in Latin America. If we really believe in self-determination and freedom, then we have no business being involved in the military over- throw of the government of any sover- eign nation, regardless of its size or its similarity to our political philosophy. CHANTAL: You're talking - KRIS: I'm talking about Nicaragua. CHANTAL: From a celebrity perspective, when you go to Nicaragua and come back and talk about it, what do you hope to accomplish? KRIS: I hope that enough people can become aware of what's going on in Nicaragua - what's actually going on, not what is being said is going on - that there will be a popular re- sistance to what the United States is doing in Nicaragua; because I don't believe that most of Americans are aware of our aggression against this tiny country, that after some 50 years of brutal dictatorship that we supported, after they finally took control of their own destiny, the fact that we have declared war on them...undeclared war. CHANTAL: Wasn't going to Nicaragua terribly dangerous? KRIS: I didn't feel the danger of going down there. I felt an obliga- tion to see firsthand if what my studies had revealed to me were true or not. I went down with a group called the Common Sense Foundation that set up meetings with a lot of people. We met with Daniel Ortega and Tomas Borge and Miguel d'Escoto and members of the opposition, and members of the press, members of the church, both sides of the church, which is somewhat split, and members of the National Assembly, and got a real feeling of the popular support for their revolution, which is a unique experiment. It's combined their social reform with the church. They've got five priests in the government. At any rate, they're a small nation that has never committed a hostile act against us, and we have diplomatic relations with them, and we should not be at war with them. CHANTAL: There must have been many incredible things that happened to you, but is there a particular one that stands out in your mind? KRIS: Well, there are a number. I was very impressed by a response that Tomas Borge made to a question about whether they were willing to serve as an example to the rest of the world and be totally destroyed by American aggression if it came to that; and his response was that while it's difficult to avoid lapsing into rhetoric, he said, it is true that the United States can kill most of us, and most of the best of us, and those are the ones who will be fighting. But he said the sacrifice will enable the ones who remain to survive. And that was very stirring. CHANTAL: The director of "Amerika" has said that the show is a lesson in democracy and civic responsibility. Do you think it is? KRIS: I think that that's what it's an attempt to be ... I think it's an examination of American values. CHANTAL: There are some people who will say a miniseries is meant to entertain, not to teach us lessons. KRIS: I hope it is entertainment, because it's certainly fiction. But it is an attempt to be more than just escapist entertainment. It's an attempt, at least, to be about some- thing that is pertinent in the world today. It's not just a car chase or shoot 'em up. It's about relations between the world powers. CHANTAL: In your research for your own character, Devin, and life with the Soviets, did you discover things about their way of life and their politics and their way of governing that sur- prised you, or that you didn't know? KRIS: My research was not on the Soviets. I read Malcolm X and Che Guevara and Omar Cabezas' book, "Fire From the Mountain." And I was able to have a lot of points of contact with the character because he was a veteran who was very critical of American foreign policy and believed that America had drifted away from some of the fundamental principles that we are supposed to be based on. I read and re-read the American University speech Kennedy made three months before he died, where he is talking about the need to re-examine our attitudes towards the Russians, how we find Communism repugnant in terms of personal freedom, that there are so many things in the Russian character that we could admire in terms of cultural, scientific and artistic achievements and acts of personal courage, that there is so much basis for communication that we could have with the Russians, and should, and that they wanted the same thing for their children. They wanted to leave the world a good place for their children to live in. CHANTAL: I always find that performers come away from projects with something sharpened, an edge. Sometimes it's very personal and sometimes it's a professional edge; since this project is now behind you, do you know what it is yet? KRIS: I'd say it probably made me more determined to express my feelings, such as my feelings about Nicaragua, more determined to resist our foreign policy there, less concerned about the possible consequences or the risks that such a stand would entail. I never have been political. I hated politics in high school. I always left that to somebody else. I've never been totally satisfied about supporting any political candidate, although I have found some. CHANTAL: But we know you as a liberal man. I mean, the world knows Kris Kristofferson is a liberal. KRIS: Well, those who know who I am would probably know. I think the clearest expression of my beliefs is in my songs, and my songs are changing, too. CHANTAL: Your new album, "Repossess- ed," has a somewhat political tone. Is that a risk you're taking in the music world? KRIS: The first single that's come out of it is a thing called "They Killed Him," which is about Gandhi and Martin Luther King and Jesus Christ. The other side's "Anthem '84," which could have been the theme song for "Amerika" if they'd wanted it. I'm real excited about the album, because each album is a statement of where I am at that time. I'm more excited about the songs - and they're not all political - but there are some things that I believe in passionately, and there'll probably be more songs about Nicaragua and El Salvador in the next album. CHANTAL: Thank you so much, Kris, and until next time, dear reader, this is Chantal in Hollywood wishing you a happy, star-filled tomorrow. (CHANTAL is the Hollywood correspond- ent for ABC-TV's "Good Morning America.")
