Space enthralls Abraham Benrubi
By Nicole Solomon
Abraham Rubin Hercules Benrubi is a beloved
character actor who has been working in film and
television for more than two decades. He is known by
many names: Mose from “Open Range,” Jerry from
“E.R.,” and Larry ‘The Kube’ Kubiac from “Parker Lewis
Can’t Lose.” He is also the voice of Fidel Castro, Optimus
Prime, Darth Vader and a host of other characters on
the Cartoon Network’s irreverent “Robot Chicken.” His
most recent film, in which he plays Santa Claus, is “A
Country Christmas.” A native of Indianapolis, Benrubi
is a self-defined music, comic book and Dungeons
and Dragons junkie, a voracious reader and an
unapologetic beach bum. He is enthralled by all things
space, having attended space shuttle launches and
NASA tweetups, and even was present at NASA’s
Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the landing of the Mars
Curiosity rover. When he’s not in front of the camera, he
adv ocates for NASA every chance he gets.
Q: Marvel or DC?
Abe: I always preferred Marvel comics to DC. I think I
identified more with the struggling heroes like SpiderMan and the X-Men, social outcasts, nerds even. The
DC heroes felt more untouchable. I mean Superman
has only one weakness and it’s a rare (though not rare
enough) stone from his birth planet. Daredevil is freakin’
blind. The only DC book I ever really got into was the
Marv Wolfman/George Pérez run on Teen Titans. I don’t
even read super-hero comics anymore. It all got pretty
formulaic. I go for crime & supernatural comics like Ed
Brubaker’s Criminal & Fatale. Those I still buy.
Q: Star Wars or Star Trek?
Abe: This isn’t REALLY a fair question. I grew up on
Star Trek, but Star Wars changed my life. I remember
standing in line to see what my father had billed as
“some UFO movie.” I’d never seen a line for a movie
before. We got in late and wound up sitting in like the
70
70
fourth row. When that Star Destroyer came rumbling
across the screen, the theater shook. Star Trek always
felt a little clean and cheesy after that. I watched the
Next Generation but didn’t really pay attention to Trek
afterwards. I still watch Star Wars and Empire. Still listen
to those soundtracks.
Q: Aliens or Robots?
Abe: I guess I prefer aliens. Robots always seem to
either betray their makers or break down. Aliens are
mysterious and unpredictable. Exotic. I always loved
Wayne Barlowe’s Guide To Extraterrestrials. Those
illustrations were amazing. That’s how I found out about
H.P. Lovecraft, Jack Vance, Stanislaw Lem and so many
authors I came to adore.
Q: Superhero or Villain?
Abe: The villains always look way cooler and have a
better time, even when they lose. Darth Vader is one of
the coolest characters ever. Doctor Doom should have
handed the Fantastic Four their behinds numerous times.
I remember a cover where Magneto has Wolverine
almost impaling himself with his own claws. So cool.
When Arcade traps the X-Men. The Joker in Frank Miller’s
Dark Knight Returns. Thanos. Galactus. Goldfinger. Jaws,
both the shark AND the Bond villain!
Q: Orion slave girl or the Borg’s 7 of 9?
Abe: I don’t even know who 7 of 9 is, so obviously it’s
the Orion slave girl. Want to know something amazing?
Both the Orion slave girl AND Batgirl in the 1960’s
Batman TV show (which I loved) are played by the same
actress!! The uber-hottie Yvonne Craig! Somebody got
their chocolate in my peanut butter!
Q: Build things or destroy them?
Abe: Sometimes you have to destroy then rebuild. I
am a lifelong fan of Lego’s so building is in my nature.
I do like to destroy some stuff though!
www.RocketSTEM.org