"I have strong faith that the human race will avoid Armageddon through wars, possibly nuclear, or planetary eruptions, but I don't rule out the possibility of invasion from above."

Cade Foster is 'Subject 117', one of many humans who have become subjects in experiments being conducted by an alien race intent on full-scale invasion and take-over of Earth. Before meeting his wife Hannah, Cade was a thief. He gave up his life of crime and was happy in his job as a security systems salesman. He had it all; career, money, good friends, a rosy future with his beautiful new bride. Then it all went away. He lost his job, his bank accounts were drained, his wife was murdered and he was framed as the suspect. To top it all off, he began having gruesome hallucinations.

On the lam from both the police and the aliens - who are astonished by his escape from the experiment, Cade travels from town to town guided only by his friend Crazy Eddie, and the long-lost book of Nostradamus, trying to convince people that the aliens are here.

Now the Second Wave is about to arrive. In his solitary journey throughout the first season of "First Wave", Cade Foster (played by Canadian actor Sebastian Spence) had to accept his role as the 'twice-blessed man' destined to thwart the alien plan to colonize the earth. He must come to terms with the loss of his wife, and in Season II, he removes his wedding ring, a symbol of his willingness to move on. "I think they were getting tired of keeping me solitary," says Spence relaxing in his trailer on the set of "First Wave."

"Maybe they want me to hook up with someone new. Anyway, he (Cade) isn't grieving for his wife anymore. He's supposed to be getting over the grieving stage." The actor pauses before adding. "I personally think the character still thinks of his wife. His whole journey started when the aliens killed her. It's a very strong character point, and it's a source of his determination. It gives the character a certain romanticism, but I'm not against- you know- bringing other actresses into the thing, either. If I was given a choice, I would have kept the ring on. It would just be a reminder, you know? So the character could always reflect on why he's on this journey."

Born on December 9, 1969, Sebastian Spence is a native of St. John's, Newfoundland. He had no idea what he wanted to do after high school graduation. His mother, who was an actress and playwright, started writing him little parts in her plays when he was a child. In '93 he got a part in the award-winning Canadian TV miniseries; "The Boys of St. Vincent". He soon became hooked on acting. Spence moved west to Vancouver and kicked off his acting career in 'Hollywood North'. Soon he was landing film roles and guest-starring appearances on shows like "Family of Cops" ('95), "The X-Files" (Home!, '96) and "Poltergeist: The Legacy" (The Devil's Lighthouse, '97).

Spence spent most of '97 working on several series: "Family of Cops II", "Dead Man's Gun" and "Fast Track". While playing Stevie Servine, (the race car driver in "Fast Track"), he had a chance to audition for the role of Cade Foster. Casting director Stuart Aikins suggested Spence to the executive producer of "First Wave", and despite the fact that the character had originally been written for an older man, the show's creator, Chris Brancato chose Spence for the lead role.

"I didn't hear the word until a couple of months later. I thought the role was cast since they auditioned for Cade Foster across Canada, abroad and in the U.S. I had put it out of my head." Spence muses. "I was so excited when I finally got the role. I loved the first script. I felt like the character of Cade Foster was really suited to what I like to do as an actor - action, adventure, underdog, etc."

Along with the pressure and hard work of being the star of a TV series, Spence's popularity has skyrocketed with the premiere of "First Wave". The way people react to him has changed. "You know, I was pumping gas at the station and a couple of guys next to me said, 'Hey, you're the guy on that show!? That's Cade Foster! Cade Foster, man!' And then his friends said, 'No, it's not. Don't be stupid.'" He laughs. "It's funny to me, because I think I give off a different persona than my character. On Saturday morning -when I have my day off - I don't dress like 'Cade Foster'. Then they say; 'Hey, do you know you look just like that guy on the "First Wave"!' Here we go. Yeah, I do."

Spence has some creative input into the show. I think our audience is very smart. We don't have to keep handing out the same information; that they framed me for murder, it's about my murdered wife, alien invasion, all that. We did all the set-up last season. We constantly talked about that, so the audience always knew what was happening. But... the writers are very clever. They do a wonderful job for the show. Compared to them, I don't have to do very much."

Spence is also interested in directing, especially an episode of "First Wave". "I've asked them if they would give me the opportunity to direct next season. They mulled it over. I think I'm kind of tantalized by the idea, but I don't think I'm quite ready to go that way. Yeah, I'd love to get involved in directing. Maybe next season. Some of the best directors are former actors."

When asked about plot twists in Season II, Spence laughs. "Well, there's a
possibility that Crazy Eddie might be an alien who was sent to spy on Cade
Foster." Spence smiles. "It wouldn't surprise me if they did a little switch somewhere in the season where you think Eddie might be an alien. But the thing is, he's just as crazy as Cade. And Crazy Eddie is just, you know, an incredible genius who's so weird that he's become paranoid. He buys into Cade's world view. That wouldn't surprise me. 'The aliens sent him!' "

There are some major differences between Season I and II. Cade has committed crimes in the course of his exodus and is wanted by the law. He's living with the pressure of being a fugitive, being the last hope of mankind and with having been killed and brought back to life by a mysterious warrior from the future. He's feeling sadness, bitterness, pain, doubt as well as compassion and love but is no longer a frightened, traumatized man. He's acclimated. He's changed.

The character's energy has become greater, in a sense. He is getting more powerful and more comfortable with the role of the alien hunter. "What the writers want to do now is change the journey. They want it not to be about
revenge anymore. Now he's going after the aliens to expose them. He's going to save the world", Spence explains.

"A lot of what drives Cade Foster is what the aliens are doing to captive humans. There were all these experiments. One of the episodes last year  called "Lungfish", was about an underwater experiment they were conducting on a woman -- giving her gills. And the character -- I was amazed by the actor. This wonderful actress played the role really effectively. I loved that."

"We don't have a huge budget, so we're not about special effects and explosions. To me, the psychological battering Cade takes is much more interesting to see played out. And the stories are always human-based. We're not going to get into Henson's puppets. It's not alien masks or spaceships. It's very reality-based. The X-Files was always about whether the aliens are real or not real. With us, it' s 'No, no. It's real. They're here.' That, plus the human story -- the compassion, I think, is what separates us from a lot of the Sci-Fi shows out there."

In Season II we will see a much-changed Cade Foster. "Yeah, Cade Foster is taken out by the aliens. There's a storyline where they send a warrior back from the future to stop what is happening, which is interesting because you can glimpse 50 years ahead, and in the future Cade will become a leader of the human resistance, which I thought was amazing. But, yeah, they're trying to kill Cade all the time. (laughter) In the first season towards the end Cade does die very briefly", says Spence.

"Season 2 is also darker," Spence ventures. "Cade has lost his patience. He's not delicate when he goes to deal with people who are ignorant about the aliens. He's more forceful and direct. I think Cade Foster is interesting to play. He's capable, he's credible, and he has compassion for humanity. It motivates him."

Spence frowns thoughtfully. "It's generally better to play good characters. Most of the roles I've had in my acting career have been the characters that have paid off, so to speak, so I end up playing a bleeding-heart sweet guy a lot. This role is borderline for me. Cade Foster is almost as dark as he is light. I think it stands out. He has a dark past -- like Batman," he grins, "and he has that same pure soul, while at the same time still being capable of incredible moments of rage. I love that about the character."

When asked about his own personal views on Armageddon, Spence smiles. "I have strong faith that the human race will avoid Armageddon through wars, possibly nuclear, or planetary eruptions, but I don't rule out the possibility of invasion from above."

Photos (c)First Wave Productions Inc.

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