Dennis Quaid is a grizzled industry veteran (his words, not mine). He’s played everything from ENEMY MINE’s Willis Davidge to rocker Jerry Lee Lewis to Wyatt Earp and even GENERAL HAWK in this year’s G.I. JOE. This week the veteran actor has the first of two Sci-fi/horror movies hitting screens. In PANDORUM, which opens nationwide this Friday, Quaid plays Lt. Payton. Alongside co-star Ben Foster, Payton wakes up in a spaceship after an extended hyper-sleep. When the two finally get their bearings and start to figure out who they are (or so they think), they discover bigger issues than hibernation grogginess when some bloody thirsty alien-like creatures come stalking anything with a pulse.

Quaid is also in LEGION, which hits screens in January. Described by the actor as a kind of fun-spirited drive-in B-movie (in a good way), the story takes place after the biblical apocalypse, pitting a group of strangers in a truck stop against the end of the world.

Bloody-Disgusting spoke exclusively with Quaid about both releases and what he looks for in the roles he chooses.

Bloody Disgusting: Tell me about your character in PANDORUM?

Quaid: I play Lt. Payton. I wake up after this long sleep. And the only reason I know [my name] is I wake up and I have a locker and that’s who it says I am and there’s my uniform and a couple pictures. But I start to remember things and that’s the great thing about it. The audience finds out along with the characters what’s going on in the movie and who they are. It turns out I am not who I think I am.

BD: So the title, PANDORUM, refers to a sickness related to space travel?

Quaid: Yeah, Pandorum refers to a sickness in prolonged space travel where you lose your grip, some people lose their grip on reality.

BD: The clips and the trailer look intense. Is this a pretty violent, hard R?

Quaid: It goes [pretty far]. I think it will be satisfying to those who are satisfied on that level.

BD: Ben Foster seems drawn to these intense roles. What was he like to work with?

Quaid: He’s a pretty intense, dude. (Laughs) I’m a little bit more laid back. I first became aware of him in 3:10 TO YUMA. I thought he was the best thing in it. He comes at things from a different angle, which I really like. Very interesting actor. He definitely has the chops to carry a movie, which the large part of this movie is put on his shoulders and he does a great job of bringing it off. I love working with really great actors. They make me better.

BD: So you’re more able to leave the characters at home when you are in an intense movie like this?

Quaid: Yeah, but I’m a grizzled veteran. (Laughs) I’ve learned. Ever since I played Jerry Lee Lewis I’ve learned how to shut it off.

BD: We only see some glimpses of the monster in the clips. You said it’s somewhat human?

Quaid: Yeah, I’m sure everybody has been able to go through on their computer and hit pause. (Laughs) So yeah, I guess they’re somewhat human and it’s a lot to do with evolution. I don’t want to give too much away.

BD: From the clips my guess was that it was something along the lines of a future human?

Quaid: From now on my answers will be ‘warm’ and ‘cold.’ (Laughs)

BD: Fair enough. What was it about Christian Alvart’s approach to the material that sold you?

Quaid: He’s 34-years-old and he’s kind of a wunderkind. He’s a great storyteller. He really came up with the whole look of this movie and he story-boarded the entire thing. I was really impressed. He really elevated what was already a really great script.

BD: I understand Malloy has already mapped out a sequel and a prequel. Would you be on board for those as well?

Quaid: Well, I’ll definitely come back because I’ve already seen the film and I loved it.

BD: What was it about the script that appealed to you?

Quaid: When I read a script, it’s the only time I get to be an audience member and that’s really what I judge by with all my movies. I read it in one sitting and I couldn’t put it down.

BD: You’ve also got LEGION coming up, which looks very intriguing from the trailer, particularly the old lady monster attacking everyone in the diner.

Quaid: We call her crab lady. [LEGION is] apocalyptic. It’s a lot of fun [with] elements of horror in it. It’s also very unique. I haven’t seen it myself, but I read the script and it’s very original. LEGION is, in some way, and I mean this in a good way, [but] it kind of reminds me of like an old B-movie drive-in movie.

BD: Tell us about your character?

Quaid: My character owns this diner out in the middle of the desert, the wilderness. I have a son who is having a relationship with this waitress that’s pregnant. Not his baby. But somehow this all plays into the apocalypse.

BD: As a “grizzled veteran” like you put it, what does it take for a script to grab and at what point do you decide if it’s material for you?

Quaid: I usually know by page 37.

BD: That’s very specific.

Quaid: Well, that’s right there at the end of the first act, beginning of the second act. If they haven’t got you by then, where’s the movie really gonna go? You can tell if it’s well-written, you can tell if there’s a story there that intrigues you.

PANDORUM hits screens this Friday, September 25th.