Wrestler-turned-actor Tyler Mane (X-MEN, HERCULES, TROY) is the new man behind the Myers mask in Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN. On the last day of shooting, Webmaster Tony grabbed a few minutes with Tyler to get some insight into his portrayal of the Haddonfield serial killer. At 6 feet 10 inches, one would think Tyler to be quite intimidating. Instead, he proved to be polite and enthusiastic, and was more than happy to talk - even briefly - about how he chose to bring Michael Myers to life in the re-imagining of Carpenter's classic film.
TONY: Are you a fan of the HALLOWEEN films?
TYLER: Yes I am, especially the ninth one!TONY: Are you aware of the large HALLOWEEN fan base?
TYLER: No, I wasn't aware but I've been finding out how big it is on the internet and I'm happy to know it has a very big following. It means this movie will be watched closely.TONY: To prepare for the role, did you speak to any of the actors who portrayed Michael Myers, such as Brad Loree, Dick Warlock and George Wilbur?
TYLER: No, I didn't speak with anyone. It's my understanding that the other people were mainly stuntmen, but the character of Michael Myers in the other films, I felt, was very one-dimensional. Now with this one, I will hopefully bring a whole different attitude to the character. When I put on the mask and all hell breaks loose, the only way I can show the character is through the physicality of my movements.TONY: What research did you do to prepare for the role?
TYLER: I watched all of the movies except for the third one because Michael Myers is not in it - I don't know what that's about! - but I did definitely watch all the others because I knew there were people who were fantatic about the character, and I wanted to see what was already there and see what I could expand upon and contribute to this new version of the character. There were some specific things from the original movie that I did pick up on - like the Myers walk and stuff like that - but as far as how he kills people and stabs people, he's a "shape" in the first movie. One-dimensional. Hopefully we were successful at getting away from the "he's a shape" thing in this movie.TONY: How much gore is in the film?
TYLER: Well, it's a Rob Zombie film!TONY: So you would classify this version of the film as gory?
TYLER: The way it's done is definitely effective. Rob brought in real life scenario type of situations. It's not a slasher film where there's someone running around killing people in some crazy way, the chase scenes are more real and the gore works because of that.TONY: I know you're short on time and have to shoot a scene in a few minutes, but what you can you say to the fans as they wait for opening day?
TYLER: This movie is definitely going to be one hell of a thrill ride!
