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: So here we are! We’re at Camp Crystal Lake and you’re f*cking Jason Voorhees, the new f*cking Jason Voorhees!

DM: (laughs) I think that I said I’m playing Jason, not f*cking Jason. (laughs) No, but it’s really unbelievable, it’s really a dream come true, I’m so excited.

BD: Everyone says that you honestly are the biggest FRIDAY THE 13TH fan..

DM: I wouldn’t say that, I’ve met people that online and on MySpace that much bigger fans than myself. I’m not like walking around with my make up on but I am a fan of the series, it is my favorite iconic horror character. It was wild, before they were going to do a remake, I was like alright, life goal and I have lots and lots of stupid life goals and a lot of them keep happening and coming true. And one of them was, if they every do a remake of FRIDAY THE 13TH, man, I would love to play Jason. Having the acting and the stunt background together, they were even more impressed, but at the time I was like, I’m gonna be too lean Jason what if they want thicker, bigger?”

BD: Like Kane Hodder..

DM: Yeah. Then I was, “Well, could train and gain weight, but then I was like I don’t know!” Growing up and how I got into acting was playing Dungeons and Dragons and doing improve comedy and I’m like, “I can get paid for this?” It’s been so much fun and I’m really blown away from the fans and all the positive feedback.

BD: You are, hypothetically, the first real scary and vicious, as opposed to, like in the last one they did, he had sympathetic eyes. In this one, you’re a f*cking killing machine…

DM: Yeah, it’s pretty intense. I like it because we’re getting back to basics, where it’s realistic. And it’s not, I love the series and how would change, and towards the end, it gets really campy and it kind of makes fun of itself. With the ‘re-launch’ it’s not that way, it’s dead serious. And I’m really diggin’ it.

BD: Has it hit you yet? That you’re Jason? Still everyday you put it on and it’s just surreal…

DM: It has struck me, but it’s a weird because my brain knows, as a fan, how Jason is and this is different. I’m trying not to go, “I’m Jason” because to me that’s what jumps the slow moving, very powerful stances. It’s kinda out the window right now. I have different fans and friends that are trying to give me input and I’m like, I appreciate it, but just I’m going to do my own thing.

BD: What is your own thing? How would you describe Jason’s movements and what do you think he’s thinking, if he’s thinking anything?

DM: To me, it’s the closest to Part Two, where he’s a normal guy, he’s a big hurt kid. He’s smart, which we haven’t seen before even though he’s wearing a mask, he has emotions behind that. My interpretation is a combination of Rambo, Tarzan, and Abominable Snowman from Looney Tunes which is basically Lennie from Mice and Men. The Rambo, what I’m thinking about, is that he’s been pushed too far and wants to be left alone and he’s been wronged by society. Now they are infringing on him and it’s time for him to fight back. It’s brutal and he has nowhere else to go and you’re on his turf.

BD: In a weird way, do you say fans should be rooting for Jason?

DM: Definitely. It’s so wild, I was talking to the writers, Mark and Damian and they were saying that’s kind of what they wrote, Jason as the anti-hero. He’s been done wrong, he wants to be left alone. Things happen in the movie where it’s just (laughs) justified. You’re like, “Oh okay, I see why he’s doing it.” That’s what I really like about the script also, that you understand, you have sympathy for Jason. No real villain, in my opinion as an actor, sees themselves as a villain. When I saw the remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES with Aja, I loved it because you found out why the hill people are doing what they do. They were wronged by the government and I think this is along similar lines that you find out, this guy was wronged. And your like, “Oh I can relate to that, I kind of understand, it’s wrong, what he’s doing but you can kind of identify a little bit.

BD: Is the make up an uncomfortable thing for you? It’s kind of tame compared to what you’ve been through…

DM: Yeah, I’ve been through a lot worse. Professionally you know going into it, what it entails, you’re like, “Okay.” You’re like a soldier, you don’t complain. There’s a time after a while, you’re in it for 12 hours a day, for week you’re skin is really irritated and the glue starts to pull on your skin and then you start to sweat and your like, “Sigh.” But it helps with the aggression when there are times to be aggressively angry. (laughs)

BD: Do you remember the moment when you first put the mask on, walked up to a mirror and then looked at yourself?

DM: (laughs) Totally. It’s before I even signed for the movie and I went in and I was talking to Scott’s daughter, he’s the make up designer, and he’s so f*cking amazing, his make up designs. We were moving forward, doing fittings and doing moldings though I still hadn’t signed yet and I didn’t want to jinx it and he goes, “Well, you know what, hey c’mere..” And he lifts up this case filled with Styrofoam, it’s like a high security case, he unlocks it and he goes, “You should prolly try this on.” And I started laughing and in my head I get this kind of Excalibur moment, like where the light shines down for the chosen one. And everyone working in the shop, in the make up department, is a fan of the series so they added their extra tlc in. So everyone’s working and I have the mask and I start to put it on and I’m getting like tingles, like when you see the opening of Star Wars, where you see the letters start and you’re like, “OooOo tingles.” So I start to put the mask on and everybody just stops and stares at me and I put it on and I’m looking over at everybody and it’s really quiet and people just started shaking their heads like, “YEAH, YEAH Dude, COOL.” So yeah it was amazing. (laughs) It was amazing.

BD: What’s you’re earliest memory of Jason or the franchise, for yourself?

DM: I’m prolly dating myself (laughs), but my earliest memory is when you first were able to rent VHS’s. We rented a VCR, I was like, “Holy crap! You can watch movies at home! It’s like the future, we’re CRAZY!” I forget how old I was, but I got to choose two films, and they were FRIDAY THE 13TH part one and part two. I went home and watching it and I’m like, “I’m no supposed to be watching this, I don’t think I’m old enough for this. Oh my God, this is so crazy.” I was scared to death and just had so many nightmares after that. I remember going camping and I was in my cabin and having dreams like Jason coming up to the window and breathing all heavy.

BD: If they did do a sequel are you signed on for #2?

DM: Yeah, it would be fun if it continues. I gotta tell you, I’m so blown away, it sounds stupid like the whole story of me getting here in the first place it’s a crazy story, it’s like a leap of faith. I was turning down big projects to get here.

BD: That’s what I wanted to ask you, you turned down some really big stuff...

DM: (laughs) Yeah, let me tell you, a GIANT leap of faith. I was like, I don’t know I got a feeling, I REALLY want to do this! I just got this feeling, that I working on something special. The cast, everyone gels so well together, nobody has an attitude, we all hang out, we’re all like friends. First and foremost, a lot of us don’t know each other’s resumes and what everyone’s done. We just really gel together and I think that’s going to come across on screen. And a lot of the crew, I’m talking to them in different departments and they’re like, “Hey, just so you know man, I’m a huge fan, too.” Everyone’s working a little extra harder because they want it to be good. Rather than it’s another movie we’re doing, it’s another job. It’s NOT that way. Everyone really wants it to be good. I think it’s a responsibility, playing these characters because the guys that played Jason before me, I’m a fan of, I think they were fantastic. And now its, “Okay, it’s your turn, lets see what you got..” Okay, here’s my thing, hope you guys dig this, here’s my interpretation. It’s takes a lot of responsibility and I know fans who are hardcore about the character. I, myself, as a fan boy, when there’s a new Batman cast or a new James Bond cast, I’m like, “Alright. We’ll see what that guy does. He could be the part but I don’t know.” So I completely understand like being a fan of James Bond, Sean Connery is the ONLY James Bond, there’s no other way, Sean Connery’s amazing. And then once I saw Daniel Craig and I’m like, “HOLY SH*T, he’s f*cking rad! He’s amazing!...Oh my god..I like em both..I don’t know!” Then I’m like a traitor to Sean Connery (laughs)

BD: What is your feeling about remakes in general?

DM: There are two sides to me, the business side of me completely understands them because there’s already a built in audience, people that loved it before, their going to come see it and the new generation that has not seen it, so you have even more people. It’s a less of a risk for producers to do a remake because you’re going to make your money back. As a fan, it really depends because some of them aren’t so strong, that you kind of love and you’re like oh I can see them doing a remake, if they do it right. They keep the integrity of the original and pump it up a little bit. I’m kind of ambiguous because I say yes and I say no.

BD: It’s debatable..

DM: Yeah.

BD: I was told hypothetically, this isn’t even a really a remake. It is sort of like part three, in a way..

DM: In my opinion, it’s a re-launch, like BATMAN BEGINS or like the HALLOWEEN series, where all that stuff you loved before, there are elements of it. But we are re-telling the story, there’s a different person telling the story, take some of the best parts and incorporate it as if some of the other stuff never existed. It’s a re-launch.

BD: Have you heard anything about THE HILLS HAVE EYES, or you doing any other horror films?

DM: No. (laughs) Everything sort of popped up when I started doing this. It’s funny because I SO appreciate the offers and I’m so blown away, but I really want to focus on FRIDAY THE 13TH right now. I don’t want to think about what’s coming next, I really just want to work on this and all my energy is going into this.

BD: It’s almost like you’re savoring the moment, in a way..?

DM: Yeah, I just feel like this is a lot of responsibility. I talked about this in one of my auditions, where they were talking to me about my background and what I think about playing monsters and acting in general. There’s such a change that’s happening right now in the industry, which I’m really, really excited about, with ‘monster performers.’ I use, Doug Jones, a friend of mine, as an example. Doug, aside from doing the creatures and the monsters, is a talented, talented actor. Before this, he was getting labeled as a suit guy, he’s just a suit guy, put a guy in a suit. He’s finally getting respect now, because it’s not just a guy in a suit. My theory is, as an actor and this may sound kind of strange, we’re all made of energy and whatever you’re thinking and whatevers going on in your head still comes through no matter what you’re wearing, that mask, and brings it to life.

BD: Well, it does..like your breathing, your heart rate…

DM: Yeah. Exactly. You’re still acting even though you have the suit on or whatever you’re wearing. It’s all Greek mask work or like back in like basic acting. But now Doug [Jones] is finally recognized as an actual actor and I’m so happy for him because some of these guys are really talented and it sucks cause you have to kind of fight people that are like, “Oh your just a guy in a suit.” Alright just put a guy in a suit and see what happens. Yeah. But I’m really excited for Doug and paving the way and finally getting respect.

BD: When you went in for audition did you have various ways you wanted to pitch it, in a way?

DM: No. It was really, really strange and it basically boiled down to two of us. They didn’t see very many people.

BD: Was it you and Michael Bailey Smith..maybe?

DM: No, it was me and Chris Nelson from THE TRIPPER..

BD: Oh that’s an interesting one..

DM: Yeah. Chris is a good friend of mine. It was really weird because I heard a bunch of different stories, like people from different areas of the industry are like, “Dude, I don’t know if it helped at all but I put in a good word with Brad and Andrew.” Like, that’s the guy you want. What I heard was that Scott Stoddard, they really trust him, and he went, here are the two dudes that I think would be great. You’re asking my opinion? I won’t decide, these are the two guys that can do the part. And we went in and everyone to me is always like, well, how do you audition for Jason? All we did is we both went in and we talked in front of the casting director. They asked us different questions about our backgrounds, wearing make up and acting. I didn’t even know it was like a general meeting at first. Then, later on they called and they’re like, okay, you’re the number one spot. I’m like, what? I didn’t even meet Marcus, Brad, or Drew until I actually got here! Which is crazy, their like, you’re a name we hear a lot of good things about you. Alright, we’re going to go ahead..WHAT?!

BD: It’s amazing, the trust in people..

DM: Dude, I’m so blown away and that’s one of the things I am so thankful for.

BD: You excited to do conventions?

DM: Yeah, I’m so thankful and me being a fan of other things. I understand it. Going into conventions, I just feel lucky that I got chosen to do stuff like this. Some of them are “Oh, I’m an actor, I’m so much better than you.” You’re an asshole, you’re very lucky to be where you are. I’m a firm believer that everybody has skills in different areas. I used to teach martial arts, my background is fighting. I remember one guy that came up to me and he’s “Oh I saw you in this movie, that movie..so important!” And I’m like well, what do you do for a living? “Oh, I’m just a mechanic..” Dude, you’re not just a mechanic, I have no idea, I’m a fucking idiot when it comes to that stuff. What’s f*cked up about society is that certain things are highlighted more than others.

FRIDAY THE 13TH arrives in theaters Friday, February 13, 2009