A Double Life

Go here for Earth: Final Conflict star interview #1

She’s a high-powered businesswoman, a dogged resistance fighter, and wraps men round her little finger.

David Bassom goes undercover with Renee Palmer, alias Jayne Heitmeyer

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Xposé Special #12
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Jayne Heitmeyer has no regrets about her alter ego’s decision to take a stand against Taelon tyranny. “Working on Earth: Final Conflict has been everything I hoped for and more,” explains the cool, calm and captivating Canadian actress behind Renee Palmer.

“There’s been a really good welcoming feeling from the start, and that helped me ease into things, especially as I was joining an already established cast and crew. As we’ve progressed, I’ve been building good relationships with everyone. I feel very fortunate to be working with such a talented and creative group of people.

“I’ve also really enjoyed playing Renee and seeing her develop as season three went along. And because of that, I have to say that I’m very excited about season four.”

Renee Palmer was specifically created to replace Lili Marquette (Lisa Howard) as the regular partner of heroic Resistance leader Liam Kincaid (Robert Leeshock). The character was loosely modeled on the ‘enigmatic ice-cool blondes’ featured in various Alfred Hitchcock movies, and Mission: Impossible’s most famous female agent, Cinnamon Carter.

Unlike Lili in the show’s opening seasons, Renee has deliberately been presented as a secretive individual, whose background and true motives remain a mystery.

“I was very happy that my character maintained a certain amount of mystery and unpredictability throughout season three,” notes Heitmeyer. “Renee has these walls she hides behind. We peeled back some layers and we’ve gotten to see different sides of Renee, but the character’s core is still a mystery. I think that keeps things interesting for the audience."

Heitmeyer became the Resistance’s leading female operative at the start of Earth: Final Conflict’s revamped and revitalized third season. The season’s action-packed opener, Crackdown, deftly established Renee Palmer as both an ass-kicking undercover agent and a high-powered business executive.

“Renee has this double life" says Heitmeyer. "There is an interesting dichotomy between her role in the show and her fundamental personality. On the one hand, Renee’s a brilliant, high-powered corporate executive working for Doors International as a liaison to the Taelons, but at the same time, she’s a committed Resistance fighter who wants to save Earth from the Taelons. I always thought all of that would be interesting to play, and hoped it would be just as interesting for the audience to watch.”

“From the feedback I’ve gotten, I think the audience has sometimes felt a little frustrated” she continues. “They’ve wanted to know more about her. But that’s good: and I understand the audience will learn more about Renee in season four...”

Continued in
Xposé Special #12
available now

Jayne Heitmeyer talks lots more in the full version of this feature.
Get it when you buy Xposé Special #12