With the Friday the 13th remake right around the corner HorrorBid was able to sit down with the man behind the famous hock Derek Mears. I greatly appreciated getting the chance to interview Derek and I will say this, the rumors are true, Derek is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. But I have a feeling come Feb. 13th we might be see a different side to ole Mr. Mears! It's time to go Behind the Mask with Jason Voorhees himself, Derek Mears.....
Tell us a little bit about Derek Mears the horror fan.What do you want to know? I nerd out over horror, sci-fi and comic books. Some of my favorite horror film series are F13th, Evil Dead and Aliens.
Many of us not only love watching horror but really enjoy the collecting aspect as well. Have you ever been into horror collecting past or present?I used to collect action figures in general, but the size of my collection got out of hand and I had to stop. I get weak willed from time to time and pick up a few choice ones now and then. When I first went to Horrorbid.com I think my thoughts were: OOoo! Let’s see what they got?! I then proceeded to snoop around the website.
Would you ever consider letting us auction you off on HorrorBid dressed as Jason?
Would you ever consider letting me punch you in the face?
(Please note that I am completely kidding Justin, or am I?)
How did you get started working in films?I moved to LA from Bakersfield CA to pursue acting. I then fell, no pun intended; into stunt work when I was hired for Universal Studio's live Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show. Now I bounce between acting and stunts.
The first film I ever did was The Demolitionist with Robert Kurtzman. The first “big” film I did was Wild Wild West with Will Smith.
How did you end up landing such a monumental role in the upcoming Friday the 13th remake?The producers asked a lot of different industry professionals who they thought would make a good new Jason Voorhees and my name kept popping up. They called me in to be interviewed and I got the part. I am extremely lucky.
How did it feel to dawn the famous hockey mask?It was absolutely amazing. Jason is my favorite horror icon and it was an honor to be able to put on the mask. I still get tingles in my arm when I talk about it.
What were some of the ups and downs of filming?Ups- the people. The cast and crew were extremely passionate about the project. They really wanted it to be right. The cast themselves are just good people. I have never been so close to a cast before.
Downs- The heat. We shot in the in Austin Texas during summer. After a week of wearing prosthetics with a winter coat over them your skin starts to get a bit rashy and irritated.
Was being Jason Voorhees as cool as it sounds?
Yes Sir! As ice my friend, as ice.
What are you plans in the future?Do you mean as in film projects? I don’t know just yet. There are a few projects that I am in talks for, so I am crossing my fingers that they work out. I’d elaborate, but I don’t want to jinx it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to sit down with us Derek, is there anything else you would like to say to the HorrorBid army?Yes, I want to thank all of the F13th and HorrorBid fans for being so welcoming and positive to me. I really appreciate their kindness and I hope I do them proud come February 13.
~Derek
Thanks again Derek for taking the time to sit down with us. It's right around the corner guys, We have a feeling this may be the remake of remakes. Justin & Joel