In the annals of cinema, there are just certain names that we’ve found synonymous with the horror genre such as Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price. But as time went on and the idea of sequels and franchises became the norm, one could say that the characters themselves outgrew any one performer, with the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers being some of the most notable examples.
Still, it’s the ones that have done the dance more than once that are most favored by fans. In the case of the aforementioned Jason Voorhees, many gravitate toward Kane Hodder because he played the character in four films, those being the seventh through tenth entries in the Friday the 13th franchise.
Most fortunate for him, he’s found a new home in recent years in the form of the Hatchet series, playing the grotesque Victor Crowley. Actually, he’s landed various other cool gigs in his time that you’ll soon read about, too.
With that, I’m pleased to present a transcript of the full interview that I recently conducted with Mr. Hodder himself at Astronomicon. To be honest, it’s an experience that I won’t soon forget, as not only was he one of the coolest, most down-to-earth celebrities I’ve had the honor of sitting down with, but he also provided so much great trivia that’ll be a treat for all to read.
So, without further ado, let’s get on with the show…
On why a fair percentage of the fanbase view him as the definitive Jason and how he’s responded to it:
I think it’s only natural that people consider me ‘more Jason’ because I did four films and everybody else did one, so that works in my favor. But a lot of people just enjoyed how I played the character, I guess. Of course, that’s nice to hear because I put everything I could into playing the character, so for people to respond that I’m their favorite or whatever they want to say is gratifying because I really wanted to do the best job I could.
When I got the part the first time, I went back and watched all the previous movies again so that I could see maybe what little things guys did that I liked, things that maybe I didn’t like that someone else did, to basically create my own version. Like I said, fortunately, people have responded to it very well.
Which Friday the 13th movie that he starred in was his favorite:
Well, I loved playing the character every time, no doubt. But, overall, my favorite one that I did was Part VII because I think that’s the best look of Jason in basically any of the movies – but definitely the best look of the ones I did, I think, just because it was so different. It was like a rotted corpse and it hadn’t been that way before. It was always a human.
Looking back on the experience that was Jason X:
When they first told me, “hey, we’re doing another one and we want you to do it again,” I was very happy and they said, “it’s gonna be Jason in space.” I said, “that’s pretty funny. What is it, really?” They said, “Jason in space.” I was like, “oh, I thought it was a joke.”
So, I was a little hesitant about the idea, but I thought it really doesn’t matter where Jason is as long as he’s consistent with what’s he’s always been. So, I figured I’m in space, but I’m still gonna be the same character: Brutally violent to everyone within reach and it’ll just be the setting that’s different. That’s how I approached it. It was an interesting movie, different ideas and stuff, of course. The Uber Jason look was pretty good.