A beloved children’s story turns into a mad satire of fascism and lactose intolerance to launch a new film genre dubbed “Swissploitation.” If you hadn’t yet made plans to see Mad Heidi at your local cinema on June 21st, the following conversation should sway you. Stars Alice Lucy (“Heidi”) and Casper Van Dien (“President Meili”) sat down with me Friday night to talk about their roles and the ridiculous fun they had making Mad Heidi. Believe me, the audience is in on the fun, too.
We talk about their approach to the film, how they created their characters, and what it’s like to be on the ground floor of Swissploitation. Of course, since it’s Casper Van Dien, we had to mention Starship Troopers and Tarzan once, but the focus and the foe today is lactose intolerance, not giant bugs.
Mad Heidi plays in the US and Canada through Fathom Events on June 21st, including a special introduction from Alice, Casper, and filmmakers Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Kopfstein, the Godfathers of Swissploitation.