DARKSIDE’S CREEPER INTERVIEW
Dark universe was kind enough to post an interview found in Darkside Magazine with Jonathon Breck, here’s a taste…
‘Breck says, Its all so new to me that Im still sadly excited by it. Its only my second movie as The Creeper so none of the downsides have reared their heads yet. Im wide-eyed and thrilled by the attention the creature has received. Its just a blast, what can I say? Breck had no idea what the future held when he went on a routine casting call for the first Jeepers Creepers. I was given a week to prepare for the audition, he says, which is unusual in Hollywood. They gave me a vague description of who The Creeper was and asked me to show them a character. I have blond hair and blue eyes and look like I come from the Midwest, but I had an instinct The Creeper would be bald this was way before any prosthetics had been designed. So I shaved my head for the audition and did a series of improvations geared around stalking, sniffing, eating, moving and the sounds he might make. And I got the job!
Breck thinks that The Creeper captured audience imaginations because. hes primarily written so well by victor. I was amazed when the preview cards on the first film remarked I was a major highlight in the movie. Hes not an unstoppable killing machine like Jason or Michael. I always saw him as much as a flesh and blood creature with a soul as a scary eating machine. Hes much more terrifying when infused with human characteristics, like whistling or caressing his flesh prizes, because Audiences can then recognise something in him they do themselves, I take every opportunity I can to put real emotion behind his eyes. Hes a fun character to play, because when I put the costume and Prosthetics on I dont censor anything I do. Anything that comes to mind, I act on instantly because hes an instinctual animal. Everything is black and white to him. He sees something and he goes for it. Hes an artist too, a cannibal gourmet chef. He smells his victims because he Doesnt want anything that isnt prime or not a delicacy. The Creeper is far more human than most horror icons, and thats why hes become so popular in such a short space of time.
Not only did Breck not know The Creeper was going to turn out to be a supernatural creation, he had no idea either that he would be required to wear extensive prosthetics for the role. I knew Id be wearing wings at some point, but until the very last minute I assumed my appearance was going to be similar to that of any homeless bum. I was slightly taken aback when I saw everything make-up man Brian Penikas had in store for me. The make-up is a pain, naturally. It takes three hours on good days. Seven on bad. Im often exhausted before I even start. Today Ive been hanging from wires a lot and sweating through the stunts. Its not pleasant when you squish all the way to your trailer because the sweat has collected in the suit. Im completely encased in rubber and the sweat just pours out at the end of the day. I can never get comfortable, even when Im supposed to be relaxing off-set.Although its important to Salva to keep The Creeper as enigmatic as possible, Breck feels there is room for manoeuvring in that department. I understand why Victor wants to keep him vaguely mysterious and, while we do get glimpses into his past in Jeepers Creepers 2 I do want to see Further flashes of his back-story in future sequels. Id also like to see him in his lair, sewing up corpses and preserving their innards. Yet Victor is very precise about what little pieces of him in action to show.
victor and I talked more on the first film. He gave me lots of mythological reference books to study on who he thought The Creeper was and where he came from. I did a lot of rehearsing on my own, Trial and error on how he would sniff and move and Victor and I then whittled all the actions down to the essence. We are both i9n the same groove regarding The Creeper Victor nods when I get it right or doesnt react at all if hes unsure. Im flattered he didnt think it was necessary to talk too much prior to starting Jeepers Creepers 2 because all the basics were already in place. Sometimes things weve agreed on turn out to be impractical on the actual set, but if I hear Victors laugh from behind the video monitor then I know hes happy.
Jeepers Creepers 2 has been more action heavy for Breck, Not only does The Creeper mostly fly this time because its an homage to Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds meaning Ive spent weeks being suspended in front of green screens, but hes also much faster paced. The story takes place on the last night of the 23 day lifespan before I hibernate for another 23 years so Im much more desperate character restlessly moving quicker and much speedier my stalking activities. The Creeper has a lot to pack in on his last night on Earth. In my opinion he comes off even more sexual than he did before. There is this deep sensual desire within the character thats interesting to play. Obviously that has a lot to do with the erotic sides of good evil that border on attraction.
Courtesy of Dark Universe
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