Geek Speak Blog had the unbelievable and totally enviable pleasure of talking with legendary actor, Brad Dourif, about his forthcoming film, Fading of the Cries, working his craft, playing the didgeridoo and other seasonal bits of tid.

Fans of fantasy and horror films are well familiar with Dourif’s knack for intensity, and his ability to make even supporting roles truly memorable. He has been seen in many genre films, such as Eyes of Laura Mars (‘78); Dune (’84); Blue Velvet (’86); Alien Resurrection (’97) and the 2007 re-launch of the Halloween franchise under Rob Zombie’s dark directives. He also lent his voice to Chucky in the Child’s Play films, breathing terrifying life to a plastic doll.  He has broken from genre work, but he keeps returning to the worlds of horror and fantasy. One of the more recent, and notable, was as Grima Wormtongue in the Lord of the Rings films. Dourif has also appeared in several television shows through his career, many being niche styles, such as Deadwood, X-Files, Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Voyager.

 In Fading of the Cries, Brad Dourif plays Mathias, the “big bad” of the film. He is after an ancient necklace, which once belonged to the uncle of Sarah (Hallee Hirsh). Sarah is rescued by Jacob (newcomer Jordan Matthews), who then must get her safely home. They must flee from Mathias and demonic hordes, while running through streets, churches, and underground tunnels. Both must face demons from their own pasts during their flight and fight for their lives. The film also features Thomas Ian Nicholas as Sarah’s uncle, Michael; and Elaine Hendrix (Sarah’s mother, Maggie) and Mackenzie Rosman (Sarah’s sister, Jill.) Brian Metcalf is at the helm of the film, as the producer, director and writer.

 GSB: As someone who has acted in some of the most suspenseful, scream-worthy movies, and certainly in your role as Mathias, in the forthcoming Fading of the Cries, you obviously “get” scary. But if you were planning your own Halloween Scare Film Fest, what would your top 3 List of movies be?

 BD: I think Silence of the Lambs. And any of the movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And then if you want to go pitch yourself back, Invaders from Mars. I remember when that was a terribly frightening movie. You want to see where all this came from. The special effects in Invasion, by today’s standards, were not good, but there was a certain aesthetic there that was pretty cool. The army comes to fight and it’s 4 tanks and a couple guys sitting by. The army is not coming; so there is a little bit of Ed Wood in it, but it holds a lot of charm and commitment for what it is.

 GSB: I checked out some statistics on IMDb. They feature stats on ratings and user votes. They reflect an interesting lineup of your roles. What do you think of these lists? Do you think they’re good reflections of your best to worst?

 BD: People like what they like. I don’t think that a lot of people have seen the Gardener’s Son. Robert McEvoy wrote that & it wasn’t bad. I wasn’t even in Return of the King for the theatrical release. The one that I was in the most was Towers. Whatever..it is what it is…how could you possibly determine what is important to you based on IMDb. It’s not like I don’t care but it certainly doesn’t influence me that much.

 GSB: I read somewhere that you play the didgeridoo. Did you pick it up for fun or for a role? Do you still play?

 BD: It was a divorce instrument. One of the things that divorces do is put you in a state of permanent pain. You don’t breathe when you’re in pain. You can’t play the didg unless you can breathe. I would take it to work and blow it before work, and it kept me from holding my breath. Turned out there were people who were playing music and needed a didg so I played with them.

 GSB: Did you ever have a hard time coming back out of the characters you’d created?

 BD: When I was younger, people would say, “Brad wouldn’t be Brad, then suddenly 2 weeks later he’d flip back into himself.” When you’re in a movie you’re dealing with a certain set of circumstance and they affect you. If you’re thinking about the death of your mother, or something threatening, or whatever the problem is the character is dealing with, you become clouded with it.  Just like in real life. If you’re going through a divorce it will look like it. When I got divorced, I looked like I was getting divorced. Now that I’m older I go in and leave.

 GSB: What sparked your interest in playing Mathias? What is at the core of this “malevolent evil”, as Mathias is described on the Fading of the Cries website?

 BD: I don’t believe in evil. I’ve never in my life played something evil. I think people do get destructive, however, and very pissed off and this guy, Mathias, is definitely both. When I read it (Cries script), there seemed to be something very strong in him. I met with Brian and he told me the back story and I realized that this thing was pretty well thought through. Let’s just say there’s enough you will not see that you could actually do a prequel to this movie. You could flesh it out in and of its own right. It’s really 3, maybe 4 movies. Somebody grabbed Brian and said you can’t make people sit for 8 hours, so he chose this certain thing, this part of the story. You do get enough that it’s a complete entity.

BD: You haven’t seen the new trailer…it’s amazing. The story is good.

 GSB: You’re being a tease!

 BD: I have seen it and I have to tell you things are getting better. It’s creepier and prettier and more filled out. They’ve added the music.

 GSB: I heard Brian Metcalf teamed up with Helmet, again, for some of the music for the film. I know he did their music video for Money Shot.

 BD: They are working with Helmet; they did the music video (Low Expectations) and I’m in it.

 GSB: What draws you to a particular character? Is there any archetype you’ve always wished to play that you haven’t had a shot at, yet?

 BD: Funny you should ask, Brian (Metcalf) and I are sitting here scheming up this thing about an alchemist, either a movie or as a TV series or both. He said to me one day when he was feeling particularly tolerant of me, what kind of role I’d want to play, I said alchemist. Alchemy is a subject that I got really fascinated by. When I was very young, I played Dr. Faustus and Faustus was a magician. I’ve always wanted to do that. Brian get’s very turned on, visually, and he couldn’t believe how cool  the whole thing is, visually.

We’re going to have…Brian is a FX genius. This is not just an excuse for him to do special effects, we want a lot of fights, visually gorgeous. We’re both a little bit into anime. I’ve got a little of the anime bug in me.

 GSB: Will this be set in a fantasy based medieval style period, or will it be contemporary dark urban fantasy?

 BD: It will take place in modern times, and if it’s a TV series there will be limitations, of course. But we want the focus to be wowing people every episode by what they see.

 GSB: It seems there’s a wide range of acting and experience involved with Cries. Most notably, the leading man, Jordan Matthews, seems to be at the beginning of his career. What is it like working with newcomers? Do they rely on you a bit more as a respected, award-winning actor in the genre? Do you find yourself offering any acting advice to your young co-stars or your daughter, Fiona?

 BD: You don’t really want to put yourself in the position of being someone’s coach especially if you’re acting with them. Working on a movie is a problem. Whoever I’m working with is part of the solution. It’s very important that I connect with them, that I trust them and they trust me. If there’s an issue, it’s very important that we can work together and quickly fix it. The director is not always going to know how to fix it. It takes some experience to know how to do that. In that sense, we all sort of step in, and fix it, together. I did give some advice to Jordan. Anyone who wants my help, of course I’ll give it. It’s a different world for young people, acting now. We all went to New York City and studied and did plays. It’s much harder now.

 GSB: You’ve obviously dealt with a wide range of special effects methods. How do you compare working with the newer technologies, like green screens, to “the old fashioned way” of adding the fantasy elements and setting the scene?

 BD: It’s very different and I would prefer to have a set to a room painted green. You’re reacting to this tape, and you’re using your imagination and it’s not easy. On the other hand, I was doing this movie and I went and saw this set-it was actually Dune-it was a weird place and none of it made any sense to me, visually. I went home and worked out this whole relationship I had to this world. I felt more at home in the place because I invented all this stuff about it. Unless you really feel “this is mine,” unless you inhabit the space, the space can still be alien.

 GSB: What are you looking forward to in 2010? Any interesting projects lurking around the corner? I’ve seen reports that you’ll be reprising your role as the voice of Chucky and that you’re working on Priest, based on an anime graphic novel.

 BD: Yes, I actually finished shooting Priest on Monday.

 GSB: There isn’t much available, yet, on the film. It has you listed as “salesman.” Do you have a name?

 BD: (laughs) I’m the salesman; it’s not a huge part, but a couple of really fun scenes. He makes an impression.

 GSB: And Chucky? Will you be giving your voice to the world’s scariest doll, again?

 BD: As far as I know, yes. I’ve talked to the director of the remake. I said absolutely I’d like to do it. They said the feeling is that it’s like trying to get someone else to do Mickey Mouse. You can’t change Mickey’s voice, and you can’t change Chucky’s voice. It hasn’t been green lit, yet, so it’s not real yet.

 GSB: What do you think of Charles Lee?

 BD:  I have a few Chucky dolls and the first time I saw the movie I had to leave. He is very creepy. A lot of cool older sisters scared a lot of younger sisters with Chucky dolls.

 GSB: I might have, possibly, been one of those cool, cruel older sisters. And I had a sister and a brother to terrorize.

 GSB: What final thoughts would you like to leave fans with, as they anticipate the release of Fading of the Cries? And can you tell us what the name means?

 BD: The name is explained in the end of the movie. It has to do with Mathias’ background and where he ends up. I would say it is visually stunning. This will be over a 1000 special effects in this thing. It’s unique. I can’t wait to see it. I’m shocked every time I see it. You’ll see things you’ve never seen before.

Fading of the Cries Official Site

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Ratio Pictures

Interviewed by Justine Greene, the Geek Gyrl, for Geek Speak Blog