The pic directed by Marcus Nispel is the retelling of the original Friday the 13th about teenaged summer camp counselors that are systematically slaughtered by a mysterious killer. Jason Voorhees will wear the mask and kill, keeping the famous setting of Crystal Lake.
BD: The special effects are pretty cool on this, are you going to have your share of effects put on you?
JG: I’m still trying to figure out what they are going to do me, because I know they have my stunt double up there, whose going fall on a car. And there’s a shot of me up in the window but I don’t know. I am assuming there’s something going on.
BD: You want to, right?
JG: Yeah, I totally want to! (laughs) I’m hoping for it but I don’t know if anything happens to my face.
BD: Do you get some aftermath later, or before when you’ve gotten it already?
JG: There are bullet holes through my back, I know. Otherwise, I think that is pretty much it and then I get drowned! I get killed like three times! (laughs) I’m like already dead and get killed two more times.
BD: You keep coming back?
JG: No, they just keep making it work!
BD: Have you seen any of the FRIDAY THE 13TH films?
JG: Yes! Yes, Yes, Yes, I’ve seen the FRIDAY THE 13TH films and I think this one is going to be such a cool addition to that line of films. Such a 2009 take on it, so different from the FRIDAY THE 13TH we are all familiar with. The first one, that one’s amazing and totally represented that time period and this one does the same for us.
BD: What’s your earliest memory of either Jason or the mask or the franchise?
JG: You know what? I have an older sister and she played a joke on me and my friend Caroline, when I was in the sixth grade. She scared us so badly that I’ve never been so terrified. That was my earliest memory of the mask, this thing that we all recognize and we all know that hockey mask. I saw it in the window and I started balling, crying then we ran and hid in the kitchen, under the table, and my sister was with us so we thought she was the only person there, but it was her friend. It was so cruel. That’s my earliest memory of him.
BD: Is that a moment you reflect on when you get into character for when you actually come face to face with the real Jason?
JG: I feel like now that I know that was a game I don’t necessarily draw on that. Coming face to face with Jason, I really try to think about what I would be thinking, like I would never see my family again, those types of things are terrifying and your heart’s beating so fast. I try to draw memories like that and think of the people in the movie that have already been lost. Like when you’re alone in the dark and you hear a noise..how fast your heart beats or when you have a bad dream and you can’t sleep, what’s going through your head. Trying to get your senses alert that way.
BD: So you have had your face to face with Jason already?
JG: No! Not yet and I’m really excited. We are filming that in the studio so I think that will be next week.
BD: Have you had a chance to see him on set yet?
JG: Um hmm and it’s amazing! Just seeing it, it’s terrifying, it’s amazing, I can’t even begin to imagine what it would actually feel like.
BD: Are you a fan of the genre at all?
JG: Absolutely, I think it’s such a cool art form, it has its own legendary spot in the entertainment industry, and it has such a following. Which is the awesome part about this movie, everyone’s already so excited to see it but press has hardly even started. So that’s cool in itself that there’s already such a large group of people that are excited about it. That makes me feel excited about it and so happy to be a part of it and so happy to be here. I mean, I like all types of movies and these movies are really cool the way they are done. I’m kind of a scaredy cat so it’s kind of hard for me to watch, even though I know it’s fake.
BD: Would you say this is more of a fun slasher film as opposed to gritty, hardcore, mean, scary one?
JG: I think it’s kinda a combination of both. It’s pretty light hearted in the beginning we have a lot of fun together joking around and laughing in a couple scenes but it gets pretty heavy, it gets pretty scary. Even in the premiere I know I’m gonna be scared even though I know what’s coming. I’m trying not to watch that much so I know it will be a surprise.
BD: How is it working with Marcus?
JG: It’s been so much fun. It’s really cool to experience different directors and Marcus is so talented and the entire group of people is so amazing. Everything I’ve seen on the monitors, Daniel’s amazing in how he cuts everything up. Marcus is so different he’s so has his own voice and he’s so original and very communicative. I love that when he is directing, he’ll call things out and it really helps you figure out what he wants and gets you in the moment. He’s really VERY good at that, getting you to that place.
BD: What is the character that you play, what is her place that she needs to be in?
JG: Well, Bree comes on this trip and she knows that she wants to get with Trent and that’s really all she cares about. She wants to have fun, she’s a girl in college and she gets what she wants, she’s not afraid to get what she wants. She doesn’t want anything to stand in her way so she does get what she wants and certainly doesn’t see any of this coming. She is the last to really realize, this is serious. That is why she has such a huge panic attack because before that she’s kinda like ‘whatever, what are they talking about this is ridiculous, lemme get back to what I was doing’ but when it all hits home it’s terrifying and she can’t handle it. And Jenna has been dealing with it much longer, in the movie, and kind of comes to terms with it still really scared. But Bree it just hits like a ton of rocks and after that she can’t handle it anymore and she can’t take it. She can’t be by herself and that leads to more deaths.
BD: Did you find it difficult acting scared as opposed to not acting scared?
JG: Yeah. I think it’s hard.
BD: A lot people say, “It looks so easy..”
JG: You know what, if it comes easy to you that’s amazing, if you have to work at it, work at it. Sometimes it comes easy and sometimes it doesn’t. Last night, I think I had a favorite take, where it really happened and there was another take that was happening wasn’t quite as strong. If you can get there and you can help yourself to get there, then it’s a powerful place and it’s awesome.
BD: A lot of actors don’t like to see themselves in dailies because it might make them adjust their performance based on that. How do you like to see yourself when you’re performing?
JG: Sometimes. I won’t watch the set we done last night, for instance, because everyone said they were happy with it. If they’re happy with it, I’m happy with it and that’s cool. I’ll wait to see it. But if there’s something that maybe I need to change then sometimes I would like to see that because I want to know exactly what they are talking about. That’s very helpful.
BD: So it’s like good a point of reference…
JG: Yeah, absolutely. If the director wants me to look at something then I’m gonna look at it with him and figure it out.
BD: So where are you in the scene they are shooting right now?
JG: I have died.
BD: Oh ok, so this is later in the movie. Is it a really physical role that you play?
JG: Actually, not really. I do not do a lot of running around and getting chased. That’s not my character, that’s not my role. Mostly it happens upstairs in the bathroom, I get killed and I get thrown out the window and do get killed several times.
BD:So far what’s the best part about being in this movie?
JG: Mostly just how happy I am with the cast and the crew and everybody and how well we get along. We were put together and it’s like we’ve been friends forever. And they are so amazing and so talented, the actors they’re all great. It’s so cool to do a scene and you need something in place and have everyone show up even when it’s not on their coverage. They are there and their doing their lines and they are there being their character. That helps so much and being supportive. And they really welcomed me and I came in a little later and that can be scary but at the same time, they were so wonderful and everyone on the crew, it’s been so fun to meet them. And I love working with Brad and Andrew, this is my first time working with them so it’s been a great experience. It’s nice to see how they work together and how they work with Marcus. I’m just really enjoying everyone on this movie and that’s definitely my favorite part about it.
BD: What is your main genre to work in, what is the one that you love?
JG: God, I love so many. My favorite part about it is I want to do all of them. It’s so cool to do a horror movie…it’s going to be so exciting.
BD: It’s like a checklist?
JG: Yeah!
FRIDAY THE 13TH arrives in theaters Friday, February 13, 2009
