Horror-101

Derek Mears Interview

Despite his intimidating appearance, Derek Mears is easily one of the nicest guys in the business. Not only is he a kind person and a great actor, but he’s also one of us: a passionate fan of the genre. Thanks to Gemma and the rest of the fine folks over at Warner Bros., I was able to score an exclusive interview with the latest man to don the infamous hockey mask. Be sure to check him on the big screen when Platinum Dunes’ remake of Friday the 13th hits theaters on February 13th.

Horror 101: How did you get the coveted role role of Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th remake?

Derek Mears: There’s two different versions: my version and the producer’s version. I’ll say the short version for time. The producer’s side was — what I heard — they asked around to a couple different industry professionals, like Greg Nicotero from KNB Effects, Scott Stoddard, and a couple other people. They said that they’re doing a new Friday the 13th, and they took their opinions on who they thought would be a good, new Jason, and my name kept popping up. I went in and met with them, and that was it. I was really, really blown away to even be in that category, so it’s absolutely thrilling.

H101: Congratulations!

Thanks, man. It’s still so surreal right now. I’ll see pictures on the internet — I haven’t seen the film yet — and I’m still like, “Oh, yeah, that’s me. That’s so weird.” It’s really unbelievable.

H101: So you haven’t seen the completed cut yet?

DM: No, I haven’t. I’ve seen basically what the fans have seen. I keep going online and getting my information from the web.

H101: How bloody does it get? Will we have to wait for an unrated DVD to see all the gore.

DM: I’m not sure. I haven’t seen the final product, but when we were shooting, I remember there were times where Marcus [Nispel, director] would run over to the effects guys with buckets of blood and just grabbing them. “No, no. You’ve got to throw more blood. No, you need more!” Just splashing it all over the place. So as for the final product, I’m not really sure.

H101: Are there any plans for a sequel yet?

DM: I’ve heard rumors about that, but I think everyone’s just waiting to see how this one does at the box office. As it is, if I’m included or not, I would love to see a sequel.

H101: Would you return if they asked?

DM: Get out of town! Yes, without a doubt. I would love to return.

H101: Was it intimidating taking a role with such a history behind it?

DM: Yes and no. I’m a fan of the series, and Jason’s my favorite horror icon, and I knew of the guys who played Jason before. And I’ve always been that guy, as a fan, on the websites, when they announce the new James Bond or Batman. I remember watching when they announced that Daniel Craig was playing the new James bond and thinking, “What? Who’s this Daniel Craig guy? He’s no Sean Connery.” Then going in and watching the boards. And then once it came out, I really, really enjoyed Daniel’s performance. Him and Sean are my favorite Bonds now. So it’s weird being a fan on one side of the screen and now crossing over onto the other side. I feel like I’m being judged by my peers, and that’s the biggest stress that I’m feeling. Not really stress; I would say nervousness.

H101: Did you take any influence from the past actors who played Jason, or did you try to make him your own?

DM: It’s all my own. I used the script that Mark Swift and Damian Shannon wrote as a blueprint and, being that I was familiar with all the other actors before, you kind of had to put them aside and really focus on the script and bring your own thing to it. But there were times, some takes, for the fans, I would do little tips of the hat, respect to the guys who came before me. Little homages, like you might see a little Ted White head tilt, or like a certain movement where you’ll be like, “Hey, look. That’s Richard Brooker. Wait a second.” Certain takes; I don’t know if they’re gonna use them, but here and there, little things to show respect.

H101: What’s your favorite film in the series, and who’s your favorite person to play Jason?

DM: My favorite film would be Part IV, and my favorite, accordingly, would be Ted White.

H101: I know you’re a big fan of the series, so what was going through your mind the first time you put on that mask?

DM: Oh, it was really unbelievable. It was like when you’re having a dream, thinking to yourself, “Is this real, or is this a dream right now?” You get that adrenaline rush. Everything kind of slows down and you feel your heart beating and your hands shaking, and you know something like this is not gonna happen, you’re not gonna get this feeling again. When I put the mask on with Scott Stoddard, I hadn’t officially signed yet for the part, and he goes “Hey, why don’t you try this on, just to see what it looks like?” And as I was putting it on, everyone was working on different things — you know, cut up body parts, severed heads, and parts for the movie — stopped what they were doing and just watched me put this thing on. Everyone was really, really quiet. Then, all of a sudden, people started shaking their head, and you hear, “Yeah! Yeah, man!” It was an amazing feeling.

H101: I know you do a lot of work with prosthetic makeup on. Do you ever feel like you want to expose your own face and do more “serious” acting, as it were?

DM: To me, it’s all serious acting, because I do do regular acting without prosthetics. You know, some of the roles require prosthetics, but to me, it’s all the same. Some people are like, “Oh, you’re a suit actor” or “You wear prosthetics.” It’s still acting. If you’re in the right mindspace of what’s going on in the screen, it’s going to come through and be able to read through the camera. I don’t classify myself as just one type or one aspect of the realm, making my career last eleven years — not all of it, which is great.

H101: What are you feelings on remakes in general? That’s the ongoing trend right now.

DM: I’m pro and con. I see both sides of the remakes. It depends upon how it’s done. There’s a side of me where I don’t mind the remakes, where you always have the original. And if there’s a chance to see something that you like come to the screen again, possibly in a new way, I’m totally for it. There are times when remakes are done poorly, and they’re not respectful to what’s happened in the past and what you’ve seen before. And it’s just like, “Here’s my new imagining,” and it’s so far off from the original; it just really bums me out.

H101: How would you like to kill someone as Jason?

DM: [laughs] As Jason?

H101: Or not as Jason, if you want.

DM: [laughs] That sounds so bad. There’s so many different ways. How would I kill somebody? Through the power of laughter. Awww! Snore. No, I don’t know. I think a good way to kill somebody would be — getting gross — reach in and pop out their own ribs and use that as a stabbing-like instrument.

H101: Sounds good to me.

DM: [laughs] Everyone’s gonna be like, “That guy’s sick. That guy’s out of his mind. Stab someone with their own rib.”

H101: Do you have any other upcoming projects?

DM: I’m in talks for a couple different things; nothing that has been solidified yet, or I don’t want to jinx it and talk about it. Oh, I did recently read that comic book, Hack/Slash. Are you familiar with that at all?

H101: I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard good things about it.

DM: I was like that for the longest time. I met the director of the upcoming feature [Todd Lincoln], and I’m like, “I need to read this.” I’m into comic books. I love comics. So I finally read it, and I’m like “This is really, really good.” And there are a couple parts I can play, so I might be looking into that, which would be fun.

H101: You’ve been doing the convention circuit. How’s that been going for you?

DM: That has been an absolute blast. The fans have been really, really, really cool. It’s so fun to be able to travel around basically the world and talk comic books, sci-fi, and horror with people who love comic books, sci-fi, and horror. It’s unbelievable.

H101: What are some of your favorite horror movies?

DM: Not just because I’m a part of it now, but I love the Friday the 13th series. Evil Dead. I’m a big fan of Aliens, which is, of course, sci-f/horror. Actually, those three.

H101: Do you have any closing remarks for the readers of Horror 101?

DM: I just want to thank everyone for their support. I’m really, really blown away. When you do a project, I always expect 50% of the people to like it and 50% to hate it. I know that still doesn’t count me out yet, but everyone has been really, over-the-top welcoming to me, and I just want to thank everybody.

H101: Thank you for your time.

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