At HorrorFind 8 for Halloween by Rob Zombie in Hunt Valley, MD
Lew
during the interview
Deleted scene - Nole & Ismael bringing Michael to his parole hearing
Deleted scene - Nole and Kendall about to rape a girl in Michael's room
Deleted scene - Michael killing Nole against the hallway wall
Q: Did you have any scenes with Malcolm McDowell?
A: I don't have any scenes with Mr. McDowell, but we were on set a lot and he helped me with the idea that the character I play Nole Kluggs is so awful in his demeanor. Malcolm has played that type of character in his life and he was able to relate to me how to separate church from state if you will and that you are doing a job. He said if you have to play Hitler you can do that as an actor. It doesn't necessarily mean that you are condoning what that person does - that low moral center. Malcolm was really good with me that way. We were on set a lot, we cut up a lot and he's got a great spirit on set. He's fun, a delightful guy and he's got a great sense of humor, but he can turn it on (snaps fingers) on a dime. I would watch his scenes and he would be having a great time, then Rob would call action and bam - he would be on the go. He's brilliant and I'm so happy for him in this movie and all the good things I think will come from it. He'll reintroduce himself to the popular public.
Q: The younger crowd.
A: Yeah, the younger crowd and everyone will be like 'Oh yeah! Malcolm McDowell, that guy is awesome - A Clockwork Orange and everything.' As we have seen it happening with him getting work now like on Heroes which is a great show. He's worked on that straight. Also we had a part for him in the Devil's Rejects and I can tell you it would've been great.
Q: Does your character work in the institution?
A: I do. I play Nole Kluggs who works with Danny Trejo and we look after Michael Myers for about 17 years at Smithgrove's Insane Asylum. I'm very abusive to Michael Myers, I have a bit of a Napoleonic complex. A little bit of a little man syndrome. (He shows 3 stills from the film) I don't like that he has longer hair than me and he's bigger. So I'm hard on him. Then there's an inciting event with my cousin played by Cortney Gaines and a young lady Chenelle that prompts an unhappy ending for my career as Nole. See that was a whole pictorial right there. You just saw my whole part of the movie. This is an inciting event that makes Michael Myers go of course and the old theme song (he hums it) then it's on - Halloween!
Q: Have you seen the film?
A: I've seen some of it, I haven't seen all of it, I haven't seen IT. What I've seen looks amazing, it's wild. It's quintessential Rob Zombie.
Q: So we know there's no way you are coming back for a sequel.
A: I don't think...I would think someone could be able to talk about me like he was really abused in the institution, but I don't think they'll be able to scrape my brains of the ceiling to make any DNA happen.
Q: How is Rob's directing for you, does he just let you go?
A: Rob's got a blueprint of what he's looking for. He does ask that you bring something to the party in line for the character. He tries to make it as available for you to do a great job as an actor. He makes a set that is totally focused out there for you. He sets it up for you to really get the most out of your character and your ability. He's amazing, The thing I love about Rob is he knows what he likes and he likes what he knows. He knows what he wants and he wants what he knows. There's no variation, he's really cut and dry at what he does.
Q: So would he say give it your interpretation, then do it my way and see how it goes?
A: He would sort of go 'OK, that's pretty much what I'm thinking.' He always likes you to bring it to him, that's why he hires you. He expects you to bring the noise. That's why he signs you in. It's for you to come with something. He won't give it to you. If he's gotta give it to you he's not doing stuff on other parts of the film. That's why you see him hiring actors continually - the same types. He knows he can can out on them. If he's gotta work with somebody, then he can focus on it. He might say 'No, no, you are way off on that' on occasion. For the most part he knows what you are going to, he'll talk with you about it.
Q: Would you ad lib?
A: Oh yeah, we ad libbed a lot. Danny and I ad libbed almost three whole scenes in building the dynamic of the relationship of who we were.
Q: What would the lines be like in the script?
A: It's kinda like a blueprint, like here's what we are trying to do.
Q: All the lines aren't written out?
A: It is totally written out, but if you can ad some ingredients onto it he's like (thumbs up). He likes you to do that. He's cool with that.
Q: Would he just say - hey, make something up?
A: It's gotta fit in the context of the scene and the character, so yeah. If I am walking down the hall and Michael Myers is looking at me and he's in chains, then I might say something like, 'Don't you eyeball me motherfucker, I will skullfuck you, I will be a shitstorm in your fucking world. Keep your eyes straight ahead mister. I'll take you down to fucking Brownsville, put you in a rubber mini skirt and make you what for!' That might be in context of the scene for my character and Rob will be like 'all right'.
© 2007-08 Alex D. Thrawn for www.MalcolmMcDowell.net