Horror movies &stuff Interviews "Friday the 13th" Star Derek Mears
We got a chance to chat with the star of Platinum Dunes
Friday the 13th 2009, Derek Mears...who plays the new Jason Voorhees in the movie which opens February 13th in theaters everywhere. The movie, which is a chilling re-imagining of the classic horror film "Friday the 13th..." is a welcome back to Crystal Lake. Searching for his missing sister, Clay (Jared Padalecki) heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins behind moss-covered trees. And that's not the only thing lying in wait under the brush.
Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has, with the help of a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend. But they are about to find much more than they bargained for. Little do they know, they've entered the domain of one of the most terrifying specters in American film history-the infamous killer who haunts Crystal Lake, armed with a razor-sharp machete...Jason Voorhees. So what's the low down on the movie? New Line, Paramount, and Platinum Dunes all joined forces to produce the movie, and Warner Brothers is releasing it to cinemas. So did we manage to squeeze any intriguing tidbits about the film out of the new Jason Voorhees? Read on to find out.
MR. H:How did it come about that you first scored the role as Jason Voorhees in Platinum Dunes reimaging of "Friday the 13th"?
Derek:Well I paid the producers alot and agreed to work for free (laughs). No I'm just kidding. We'll there's two versions of how I got the gig, but I'll give you the producers verison. They basically asked around for industry professionals to play Jason in the new "Friday the 13th", and my name popped up via recommendation, and the rest is pretty much history. I was happy and super excited to take on the part.
MR. H:What are three of the most important things to remember when one is playing the hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees in a feature film?
Derek:Sincerity, Intensity, and the ability to turn it on and off when you need to.
MR. H:Compared to the earlier "Friday the 13th" films where Jason was basically given the simple backstory of returning from the dead to avenge his mothers death, would you say this new "Friday the 13th" adds a bit more depth to Jason's backstory?
Derek:Yeah a little bit, you kind of get a better idea of where he's coming from in this film. Basically without giving anything away, you kind of get thrown into his story at the start, and later on more backstory is revealed upon which you find out why he's doing this.
MR. H:When you initially were informed of the project, did you think it was a good idea to bring the series back to it's roots of camp crystal lake, slasher in the woods, etc..as opposed to continuing from "Jason X"?
Derek:Definitely. I think as the series went on, it got campy, and Jason lost his intensity. Now what we're trying to do is bring it, the story...back to reality, within the context of the film.
MR. H:The "Friday the 13th" films are always a bloodbath. On a scale of 1-10...how would you rate "Friday the 13th 2009" as far as blood, gore, and brutality is concerned?
Derek:That's a really good question, and I can't answer that because I haven't seen the film yet (laughs). I've heard rumors from people who've seen the tv spot and claim to have seen things, and I'm like..."where is that? I haven't seen that". But I do remember that there was alot of blood and gore on set, buckets of organs and stuff. I can't give you an actual number of how many deaths or kills there are but I can say there'll be alot.
MR. H:What was your favorite scene to film in the movie?
Derek:Favorite scene? Well there's this scene, again...without giving too much away, where Willa Ford is floating in the water, that's the scene from the still that's circling around on the internet. That scene I really liked because it had two versions. We filmed two versions of that scene, and I don't know which one they decided to use, one version of that scene is very scary on a psychological level. I don't know though, they might've done it differently.
MR. H:Does Jason get creative with the weaponry in this film, or does he stick with the machete most of the way?
Derek:He definitely does get creative. He uh, uses the machete alot because it's his signature weapon. But he does on occasion use other objects.
MR. H:What was it like to work with Amanda Righetti, Arlen Escarpeta, Danielle Panabaker, and others who made up the films cast of vibrant, young, up and comers?
Derek:I've gotta say, I have never been closer with a cast that I was with the cast on this film. They were all so cool, and we hung out on and off set. And we still do, alot of us still do to this day. Amanda especially, she was such a treat. I watched her film this one scene and she just nailed it. And the guys, ya know we got to know each other so during our going out and promoting the movie. I remember one scene Arlen filmed where he was lying on the ground begging for help. And as I watched that scene being filmed, I looked over at one of the guys on set and shook my head and said "I've never seen a Friday the 13th film like this." He's a really strong actor, just the emotion he put into that scene and how convincing he was trying to be.
MR. H:Have you seen all the "Friday the 13th" films or which ones have you seen?
Derek:Yes I have. I've seen them all.
MR. H:Would you be interested in returning to dawn the hockey mask again should a sequel materialize?
Derek:I'd have to say hell yes, heck yes (laughs). It depends, you know on how the film does and what the fans think of it but coming back for the sequel, yeah that would be awesome. I'd certainly be interested in returning.
End.
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