For the whole interview and to hear the episode it was featured in, click here. Thank you Alix / deutschtard for talking with us.

C: Well, we wanted to know about that. Without, you know, spoilers. Does it offer something that’s worth tuning in for besides seeing Jackie weekly?

A: Oh yeah. I think so. The whole concept of the show is really interesting and you know being able to see- I think you remember the clips that had come out where the main character, Mark Valley’s character, talks to the Japanese guy and has this whole spiel about where he learned it and it’s all a lie and stuff, well. It’s really interesting that he knows all this stuff and he’s able to do all that stuff and he’s like, I don’t remember where he’s gotten all his martial arts training but he knows how to kick butt and there’s some cool fights that happened, at least in the episode.

C: So it’s pretty heavy on the action then?

A: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily heavy on the action, it’s a dramatic show basically. The plot of the show is that he gets close to a person who pretty much has their life threatened and finds out who it is that’s threatening ther life and takes them down and saves the person’s life, basically. And he has his little team of people, cos he’s like, you have to contract him to do this and there’s Chi McBride who’s like, a manager guy and then Guerrero is his little… I don’t know what Guerrero is but he’s really funny. He’s basically like this hacker guy who can get into anything and can get you pretty much any information, you know. He’s got the hook ups into any number of social circles that might not be to savory and for such a seemingly small guy he can get relatively scary if he needs to, just because of how connected he is.

C: They all said that their characters were dark, even if Jackie made fun of that, if they have a little depth to the character then it might get very interesting.

A: Yeah, they defintiely have depth, I mean, you don’t know very much about Chi’s character but you know that he has known Mark’s character for a really long time. And he seems like he could have something going on in his own life that’s some sort of secret or something just because you don’t really know anything. But it could also be just because it was only one episode that you don’t get to see him too much. And then, Mark’s character just has obviously tons and tons of issues that made him believe that this was the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life. He’s probably got like a Rorschach level amount of issues that will be dealt with in different times and different ways during the series. And then Guerrero, well he’s- I don’t wanna like gush about him too much but he does seem like he is a bit of a bad ass because, you know, I can’t give away spoilers but there’s one scene where he gets out of a situation that would be pretty intense for anybody but he’s just sits there calmly and basically says: “I’m sorry you guys think you’re gonna win but I can pretty much take down everybody with a snap of my finger because I have all this information and all these connections, and I already know who you are.” Obviously he’s got some sort of a history in crime or something else that gives him all these skills.

C: He’s like a reformed criminal? Well, not a criminal, but, he has a little past.

A: I think he’s defintiely had some brushes with the law, considering you know, he’s supposed to be this very high tech guy who knows like how to get into computers obviously and stuff like that. I think it probably, it’s definitely a possibility that he might have done some prison time somewhere.

C: I liked that comparison you made with Mark’s character having Rorschach-style-issues.

A: Yeah, I mean, you know, something big has to happen in your life for you to think “OK, I’m gonna go pretend to be people and probably get killed eventually someday doing this and be put in the line of death pretty much every day just to help these random people who I don’t even know”

C: All in all it looks (good?)

A: It looks good, it really does. There were points in it that were like a little cheesy in the beginning and the end, but other than that it looks like a really good show. I definitely hope that it will be picked up and enough people will like it that it will stay.

Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily

This Shutter Island decision is now the second major studio pic to jump from Fall 2009 to February 2010 (after Universal’s The Wolfman recently moved off November).

I hear that Paramount told the filmmakers it doesn’t have the financing in 2009 to spend the $50M to $60M necessary to market a big awards pic like this.

I’m also told that, among the many reasons for the move, Leo wasn’t going to be available to promote the pic internationally.

I debated posting this interview because most of the answers were repeats, but it’s hilarious, so there you go.

Don’t forget to check the whole thing out, it’s worth it.

Q: In the sequel, you wear the classic sweater and hat.

JACKIE EARLE HALEY: It feels warm and shady.

Q: Was that important to the character?

JACKIE EARLE HALEY: It was incredibly motivating. Just throwing on the iconic outfit was surreal is what it was, standing there the first time wearing that get up.

ANDREW FORM: It was surreal for me to see you come out in it.

JACKIE EARLE HALEY: It was a trip. And then, you add in the makeup on top of the wardrobe and it was surreal. It was a trip to be looking in the mirror at Freddy.

Q: Jackie, when you played this iconic character, was there anything specific you wanted to bring to him to make him a little bit different?

JACKIE EARLE HALEY: I thought it would be really interesting giving him a Scottish accent. Not sure why. Think it works though. (laughs) No, I think it’s definitely a scary process trying to step into the shoes of Robert Englund who has owned this character for decades. He’s done a brilliant job with it. His embodiment, his performance is what makes Freddy who he is. The challenge now is going back in time and paying homage to this first movie and rebooting it. It was kind of important again to have these qualities that you’re familiar with — the sweater, the hat and the gloves — things we know but also to try to find a freshness and a newness to this re-envisioning. I think the makeup that Andrew Clement designed, it’s incredible. I think where Sam and I were coming from with it is darker, more serious, less jokey. Hopefully scarier, more intense.

Q: I always liked the funny Freddy that got some laughs.

JACKIE EARLE HALEY: Me too.

Q: Is there no room for dark humor?

JACKIE EARLE HALEY: I think there’s some of that in there. I think this is probably a better question for Sam.

SAM BAYER: It’s open to interpretation. What you find funny, someone else might find funny. I think there’s a macabre quality to the character anyways, but if you’re looking for just an imitation of what the other actor did or what they did in the other movies, then I think you’ll be disappointed. If you’re looking for a laugh, I don’t think it’s a funny movie. I personally don’t think if a character is wisecracking and killing you at the same time, it’s very funny. I’m taking this very seriously and I’ve said this many times, I said it in the big room (referring to the NOES panel that took place in Hall H of Comic-Con). I really do look at a movie like The Dark Knight as an inspiration for this. I don’t think people dress up in outfits and fly through the sky and have cars and dress up as bats, but Christopher Nolan made me believe it. What I’m trying to do with this is I’d like you to almost believe that this could be real.

This is an interview Jackie did with IESB during the Television Critics Association Press Tour panel for Human Target.

Here are a few of the questions I found more interesting, but check the whole thing out because it’s pretty cool.

On Nightmare on Elm Street:

Q: How was it to do A Nightmare on Elm Street?

Jackie: We had a blast. The cast was wonderful. It was an arduous task, getting in and out of that make-up, though.

Q: Were you a fan of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street?

Jackie: I’ve never been a huge horror fan, per se, but I actually went and saw that one in the theater, and I liked it. The commercials were cool and the concept of it was great. As far as horror, I think Alien was probably my favorite, and then Sam Raimi’s stuff blew me away.

Q: How does your Freddy Krueger compare to Robert Englund’s Freddy?

Jackie: I don’t know. Our approach was to make him a little more serious. He’s a little less jokey.

Q: Does he look like the Freddy we’ve seen?

Jackie: He’s got a new look going. We’re still true with the fedora, the sweater and the glove, but the mug is a little bit more based in reality.

Q: Why did you want to do that role?

Jackie: Oh, man. I did need to think about it, for a minute and a half. But, I just kept going, “Freddy Krueger?!” It’s such an iconic character. How could I not do that character?

Q: Do you worry about the comparisons to what Robert Englund did with the character?

Jackie: They were going to do it, and they were going to get somebody else to do it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. As an actor, I’m one that’s willing to take risks. Especially as a character actor, I’ve got to be willing to go out and totally mess up. If I try to play it safe, I’m not going to be a very good actor. I would imagine, somewhere along the way, and hopefully it’s not this, but even with characterizations and stuff, playing it safe is not what makes us interesting. It’s getting in there and really trying to do something with something, and hope for the best.

On Shutter Island:

Q: What was that experience like?

Jackie: That experience was just pinch yourself crazy. I was acting this far away from Leo DiCaprio, and Marty Scorsese was coming up and directing, between takes. It totally was a pinch me moment. I can’t wait to see it.

Q: Who are you playing?

Jackie: I play this guy, George Noyce, who is an inmate at the facility. There’s this one scene that’s very pivotal for Leo’s character, towards the last act. I can’t wait to see the movie, myself, because it will be just like going to see a movie. I just so happen to be in one long scene, in the middle, and the rest of it will be just watching the movie.

On Louis and Bolden:

Q: What’s the status of Bolden!, the jazz biopic you did?

Jackie: I just talked to Dan Pritzker, the director. I think he’s recently finished up the silent film, Louis, and I think he’s getting ready to finish up Bolden! as well.

Q: Will that get released?

Jackie: I’m not sure. That was a neat experience ‘cause it was such a period piece with the costumes. It was crazy.

And this is a little

Q: If you were in Texas, what would you be doing right now?

Jackie: Having my five-year anniversary dinner with my wife. Today is my anniversary.

At first I thought “Ouch!”, but they are seriously loving Jackie’s performance. I guess they’re just saying what we’re all thinking…

Source

We saw a clip of Jackie Earle “Rorschach” Haley playing the new Freddie Krueger, and he’s like a shining ball of amazing deadliness. So we know Jackie can do Freddie, but does this movie deserve him?

Haley said he was thrilled to play the beloved, undead dream killer from Nightmare on Elm Street, which is returning as a rebooted of the original Wes Craven classic. He enthused, “It was a crazy opportunity to play one of the most iconic characters in the world – after playing Rorschach!”

[...]

The question is, do we really want a serious Nightmare on Elm Street? The original film was so creepy partly because Freddie had a twisted sense of humor that seemed to echo the teens’ own sarcastic reactions to the world around them. As great as Haley is, I think he’s wasted in this flick. No amount of his hardcore scare power can save a movie that wants to be seriously frightening but just (at least in what I saw) managed to look like every other horror movie about teen slaughter and vengeful ghosts.