This past summer Friday, June 13th to be specific SuicideGirls hopped a plane down to Austin, Texas to visit the set of Friday the 13th, the remake of the 1980 slasher classic that introduced the world to drowned-boy-turned-unkillable- ghoul Jason Voorhees. You can read about our night on the set right HERE, but the interviews conducted during that trip have been under studio-mandated lock and key until now. Here is the second in our series of five interviews with those responsible for bringing horror back to Friday the 13th and giving Jason Voorhees a new lease of life.
During our first interview with producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, the duo promised us plenty of sex to go with Voorhees's orgy of violence. Enter fresh blood, Danielle Panabaker, who is perhaps best known as the troubled daughter of Sebastian Shark in the CBS legal drama that shares the lead character's name. In a few short years, the 21-year old actress has progressed from discovering her love of acting during theater classes as a child at summer camp to dodging the resident serial killer at Camp Crystal Lake.
Question: What can you tell us about your character?
Danielle Panabaker: I play Jenna. The story sort of follows a bunch of kids who are at their friend's lakehouse or cabin it's a great house. The guy whose family owns the house is a guy named Trent and I'm Trent's girlfriend, kind of. Things are a little ambiguous. They've hooked up but it's not clear how interested she is in him. Jenna is definitely the adventurous, athletic type. She's having fun, out to have a good time.
Q: Producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form told us this movie has sex, drugs and violence.
DP: You name it, the movie's got it.
Q: Did you have any trepidation about doing anything you might not be comfortable with?
DP: Well, when I read the script I sort of knew what I was getting myself into. When you're shooting a horror film there's a lot that goes on, the intensity. I'm sure you guys saw from shooting how [director] Marcus [Nispel] likes everything very frantic and frazzled.
Funny story about shooting while frantic and frazzled; I thought, knock on wood, that I wasn't going to get too hurt doing this movie, but we were doing a scene in a house and you think, "Oh, we're shooting in a house, nothing's gonna happen in a house" versus all the scenes of running, which I made it through okay, a couple of bumps. So we're shooting this scene in a house on Friday night/Saturday morning, we've been working all week doing nights, it's six o'clock in the morning on Saturday and I was just exhausted, we're trying to get it done before the sun comes up and Marcus is yelling, "Faster, faster!" We're running and he wants it to be faster. Myself and the guy who plays my boyfriend are trying to get out of the house and our bodies tried to occupy the same space at the same time and we collided, and he, being over six feet tall, won, and I got run into a window sill and hit my chin, cut my chin open. I was passed out, down, out cold on the floor. I spent half a day in the emergency room. I have a scar, it's covered up with makeup. So I will always, for many reasons, but I will physically always remember Friday the 13th.
Q: You have battle scars.
DP: It's true! All the boys think I'm pretty badass now. They're like, "Hey, how's your chin? You doin' okay?" It's cool. I'm one of the guys now.
Q: Jason usually fills the role of protagonist in these movies what do you do to try to make your character memorable? Is she well-defined?
DP: Absolutely. I think that's one of the benefits of this movie. You hear that it's a horror movie and there are really two ways it can go. The trend is either towards this really cheesy kind of horror movie with a bad guy, kids screaming and running and whatever, and it's not actually that scary. Then there's the really gruesome to the point that you can't even watch kind. I think the benefit of this movie is that it's got all the deaths that are gross and gnarly and fun -- you wanna watch them, it's not like you wanna turn away and then on top of that the characters in the script are hilarious.
They did such an amazing job of casting this movie and everyone here got along really well and I think we all really stand out. In terms of my character, it'd be really easy to sort of write her off as a floozy, but I think so much more is going on. As an actor, I try to bring as much as I can to it as well, give her a backstory and all that. Hopefully, what I've created is something that will stand out. I won't know until the film comes out, but fingers crossed.
Q: How have you liked working with Derek Mears?
DP: I adore him. I don't know if you saw us hanging out, but he could not be a nicer, sweeter guy. He is such a joy to be around, such a pleasure, and also an incredible actor. He doesn't have a lot of dialogue, per say, in the movie, but the way he acts with his body, the physicality, the way he turns his head and his arms, his muscles...he's an incredible performer. He's also incredibly focused and works incredibly hard it's very scary to be on set with him. Marcus laughed at me in the take we just shot; I see him coming and I went [gasps] and I wasn't supposed to. So Marcus laughed, but I was a little proud of myself, I thought it was kind of authentic!
Q: When you share a rapport with the actor playing Jason, does that make it more difficult to play scared?
DP: I think the difference is that we see him off-camera, like when we're not on set, even if he's in wardrobe, the mask isn't usually on. So when we work on set it's a true character. On set, he's scary.
Q: How familiar were you with the Friday the 13th series before you came on board?
DP: Honestly, not that familiar, because I'm a chicken. Bambi gave me nightmares as a child. It was devastating. He lost his mom and his dad, poor guy. So I don't do horror movies well, it's hard for me to watch them. For this, when I got the offer for the movie I grabbed a friend and we watched the movie, but I made sure it was daylight outside and there was going to be time to get up and walk around and take a break if I needed to...so I've now seen the first two. It's exciting to be a part of this.
Q: Is it difficult for you to get frightened on set, when there are twenty guys standing around?
DP: And cracking jokes and everything, yeah. That's where it becomes important to be really professional and take the time you need and isolate yourself and get yourself to a place that you need to be to give a good performance. I think that's important, and everyone on the set is totally respectful
Q: Have you had a lot of genuine freak-out moments?
DP: Especially with Jason. When you see Jason, it's terrifying, the way that he's shot. Also, the sets on this movie are going to look amazing. I think it will look fantastic, the sets and the lights and the smoke it's gonna be terrifying.
Q: Did you have any expectations in terms of how much physical exertion there would be?
DP: I worked out a little harder prior to getting here and I'm glad I did. I needed it, because you don't just run once, you run ten times, ten different ways. I was expecting some of it, but like I said, passing out from getting hit on the chin I wasn't expecting, so it did exceed my expectations in terms of how physically demanding it was, a little bit.
Q: Is your process very technical? When you're sort of running for your life, is it usually easy for you to avoid, say, running into a door?
DP: Safety is a big concern on this movie, because we shoot a lot and we need to move pretty quickly. As much as I would like to say that I can just focus on the acting, I think part of being a film actor is being aware of your surroundings. It's important and I especially since spending some time in the emergency room have really slowed down and taken my time.
Q: And now you're almost done with the whole thing one more day.
DP: I think you're seeing us at a really fun time, because we've all bonded and had a great time. We're also a little giddy because we've got one more day and so you guys are getting a little bit of a different view, so I wouldn't say...like I said earlier, I have to pick my moments and step away, but there's enough time when we're sitting behind the monitor and they're getting on set and they get ready and do the sticks. There's time to slow down and get into the moment. That's important for me I always have to take that minute.
Q: Before you started shooting, what were you most interested in seeing or filming?
DP: I was really looking forward to seeing the tunnels and Jason's lair and everything they've created. We've done some crazy deaths, we've done a lot of running and walking and hiking and the production value is just fantastic, and the sets really do look spectacular.
Q: What can you say about working with Marcus?
DP: Marcus is a very visual director, loves to shoot...We have a lot of footage on this movie. He really likes the camera to be rolling, which is great because it means we're really making a movie, and in that sense he's excited to get interesting shots and it's fun to be a part of that.
Q: Is the script you first read pretty much the one you shot?
DP: There have been a lot of changes to the script as we've gone along changes that they've made and then taken back and then changed again...I think the producers and everyone on the film wants to be respectful to Jason and all the Friday the 13th films, but they also want to make a great film that's not going to disappoint audiences who are new to the series or the die hard fans. They've worked incredibly hard to make sure it's gonna be a great film.
Q: How would you sell it to audiences?
DP: I would say it's a horror movie for my generation. It has a terrifying villain who is out to get the characters in the film and yet it's totally realistic, and it's also an enjoyable experience. I really think when people watch this movie, they're gonna have a great time. They're gonna root for certain people to get killed, they're gonna be crushed when others do, they're gonna love the interactions with all these kids. They do everything that young adults would do, they're driving off on a weekend alone, there are people hooking up, there are love triangles everywhere, there's alcohol and drunkenness and pot and everything. I think that's why people will really like this film.
Friday the 13th opens in theaters nationwide on February 13, 2009. Check out the official site HERE.
During our first interview with producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, the duo promised us plenty of sex to go with Voorhees's orgy of violence. Enter fresh blood, Danielle Panabaker, who is perhaps best known as the troubled daughter of Sebastian Shark in the CBS legal drama that shares the lead character's name. In a few short years, the 21-year old actress has progressed from discovering her love of acting during theater classes as a child at summer camp to dodging the resident serial killer at Camp Crystal Lake.
Question: What can you tell us about your character?
Danielle Panabaker: I play Jenna. The story sort of follows a bunch of kids who are at their friend's lakehouse or cabin it's a great house. The guy whose family owns the house is a guy named Trent and I'm Trent's girlfriend, kind of. Things are a little ambiguous. They've hooked up but it's not clear how interested she is in him. Jenna is definitely the adventurous, athletic type. She's having fun, out to have a good time.
Q: Producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form told us this movie has sex, drugs and violence.
DP: You name it, the movie's got it.
Q: Did you have any trepidation about doing anything you might not be comfortable with?
DP: Well, when I read the script I sort of knew what I was getting myself into. When you're shooting a horror film there's a lot that goes on, the intensity. I'm sure you guys saw from shooting how [director] Marcus [Nispel] likes everything very frantic and frazzled.
Funny story about shooting while frantic and frazzled; I thought, knock on wood, that I wasn't going to get too hurt doing this movie, but we were doing a scene in a house and you think, "Oh, we're shooting in a house, nothing's gonna happen in a house" versus all the scenes of running, which I made it through okay, a couple of bumps. So we're shooting this scene in a house on Friday night/Saturday morning, we've been working all week doing nights, it's six o'clock in the morning on Saturday and I was just exhausted, we're trying to get it done before the sun comes up and Marcus is yelling, "Faster, faster!" We're running and he wants it to be faster. Myself and the guy who plays my boyfriend are trying to get out of the house and our bodies tried to occupy the same space at the same time and we collided, and he, being over six feet tall, won, and I got run into a window sill and hit my chin, cut my chin open. I was passed out, down, out cold on the floor. I spent half a day in the emergency room. I have a scar, it's covered up with makeup. So I will always, for many reasons, but I will physically always remember Friday the 13th.
Q: You have battle scars.
DP: It's true! All the boys think I'm pretty badass now. They're like, "Hey, how's your chin? You doin' okay?" It's cool. I'm one of the guys now.
Q: Jason usually fills the role of protagonist in these movies what do you do to try to make your character memorable? Is she well-defined?
DP: Absolutely. I think that's one of the benefits of this movie. You hear that it's a horror movie and there are really two ways it can go. The trend is either towards this really cheesy kind of horror movie with a bad guy, kids screaming and running and whatever, and it's not actually that scary. Then there's the really gruesome to the point that you can't even watch kind. I think the benefit of this movie is that it's got all the deaths that are gross and gnarly and fun -- you wanna watch them, it's not like you wanna turn away and then on top of that the characters in the script are hilarious.
They did such an amazing job of casting this movie and everyone here got along really well and I think we all really stand out. In terms of my character, it'd be really easy to sort of write her off as a floozy, but I think so much more is going on. As an actor, I try to bring as much as I can to it as well, give her a backstory and all that. Hopefully, what I've created is something that will stand out. I won't know until the film comes out, but fingers crossed.
Q: How have you liked working with Derek Mears?
DP: I adore him. I don't know if you saw us hanging out, but he could not be a nicer, sweeter guy. He is such a joy to be around, such a pleasure, and also an incredible actor. He doesn't have a lot of dialogue, per say, in the movie, but the way he acts with his body, the physicality, the way he turns his head and his arms, his muscles...he's an incredible performer. He's also incredibly focused and works incredibly hard it's very scary to be on set with him. Marcus laughed at me in the take we just shot; I see him coming and I went [gasps] and I wasn't supposed to. So Marcus laughed, but I was a little proud of myself, I thought it was kind of authentic!
Q: When you share a rapport with the actor playing Jason, does that make it more difficult to play scared?
DP: I think the difference is that we see him off-camera, like when we're not on set, even if he's in wardrobe, the mask isn't usually on. So when we work on set it's a true character. On set, he's scary.
Q: How familiar were you with the Friday the 13th series before you came on board?
DP: Honestly, not that familiar, because I'm a chicken. Bambi gave me nightmares as a child. It was devastating. He lost his mom and his dad, poor guy. So I don't do horror movies well, it's hard for me to watch them. For this, when I got the offer for the movie I grabbed a friend and we watched the movie, but I made sure it was daylight outside and there was going to be time to get up and walk around and take a break if I needed to...so I've now seen the first two. It's exciting to be a part of this.
Q: Is it difficult for you to get frightened on set, when there are twenty guys standing around?
DP: And cracking jokes and everything, yeah. That's where it becomes important to be really professional and take the time you need and isolate yourself and get yourself to a place that you need to be to give a good performance. I think that's important, and everyone on the set is totally respectful
Q: Have you had a lot of genuine freak-out moments?
DP: Especially with Jason. When you see Jason, it's terrifying, the way that he's shot. Also, the sets on this movie are going to look amazing. I think it will look fantastic, the sets and the lights and the smoke it's gonna be terrifying.
Q: Did you have any expectations in terms of how much physical exertion there would be?
DP: I worked out a little harder prior to getting here and I'm glad I did. I needed it, because you don't just run once, you run ten times, ten different ways. I was expecting some of it, but like I said, passing out from getting hit on the chin I wasn't expecting, so it did exceed my expectations in terms of how physically demanding it was, a little bit.
Q: Is your process very technical? When you're sort of running for your life, is it usually easy for you to avoid, say, running into a door?
DP: Safety is a big concern on this movie, because we shoot a lot and we need to move pretty quickly. As much as I would like to say that I can just focus on the acting, I think part of being a film actor is being aware of your surroundings. It's important and I especially since spending some time in the emergency room have really slowed down and taken my time.
Q: And now you're almost done with the whole thing one more day.
DP: I think you're seeing us at a really fun time, because we've all bonded and had a great time. We're also a little giddy because we've got one more day and so you guys are getting a little bit of a different view, so I wouldn't say...like I said earlier, I have to pick my moments and step away, but there's enough time when we're sitting behind the monitor and they're getting on set and they get ready and do the sticks. There's time to slow down and get into the moment. That's important for me I always have to take that minute.
Q: Before you started shooting, what were you most interested in seeing or filming?
DP: I was really looking forward to seeing the tunnels and Jason's lair and everything they've created. We've done some crazy deaths, we've done a lot of running and walking and hiking and the production value is just fantastic, and the sets really do look spectacular.
Q: What can you say about working with Marcus?
DP: Marcus is a very visual director, loves to shoot...We have a lot of footage on this movie. He really likes the camera to be rolling, which is great because it means we're really making a movie, and in that sense he's excited to get interesting shots and it's fun to be a part of that.
Q: Is the script you first read pretty much the one you shot?
DP: There have been a lot of changes to the script as we've gone along changes that they've made and then taken back and then changed again...I think the producers and everyone on the film wants to be respectful to Jason and all the Friday the 13th films, but they also want to make a great film that's not going to disappoint audiences who are new to the series or the die hard fans. They've worked incredibly hard to make sure it's gonna be a great film.
Q: How would you sell it to audiences?
DP: I would say it's a horror movie for my generation. It has a terrifying villain who is out to get the characters in the film and yet it's totally realistic, and it's also an enjoyable experience. I really think when people watch this movie, they're gonna have a great time. They're gonna root for certain people to get killed, they're gonna be crushed when others do, they're gonna love the interactions with all these kids. They do everything that young adults would do, they're driving off on a weekend alone, there are people hooking up, there are love triangles everywhere, there's alcohol and drunkenness and pot and everything. I think that's why people will really like this film.
Friday the 13th opens in theaters nationwide on February 13, 2009. Check out the official site HERE.
nicole_powers:
This past summer Friday, June 13th to be specific SuicideGirls hopped a plane down to Austin, Texas to visit the set of Friday the 13th, the remake of the 1980 slasher classic that introduced the world to drowned-boy-turned-unkillable- ghoul Jason Voorhees....