Interview: Brad Dourif Is Anything But Tame When Speaking About Wildling
The face and voice are as familiar to a film aficionado as the nose on their face, and when I see Brad Dourif’s name anywhere in a casting list I’ll admit my anticipation for a particular film gets ratcheted up a few notches strictly due to his capacity of filling out a role and making it a focal point regardless of its placement in the movie. His latest role is that of “Daddy” in Fritz Bohm’s Wildling, releasing Friday, April 13th, and we had the opportunity of speaking with him for a few minutes regarding the role, so settle in and enjoy!
Dread Central: What can you tell us about the film’s storyline, and can you give us a brief glimpse into your character as well?
Brad Dourif: You know, it’s a film about the relationship between man and monsters – there’s a kind of hidden threat, or it’s perceived to be a threat around this town. Inside the town there’s this somewhat strange father/daughter relationship which I’m involved in, and the movie also goes into the town’s relationship with these supposed monsters.
DC: Your acting is a powerful force, that’s for sure, and you have the innate ability to take these slightly over-the-edge characters and give them a whole different flavor, if you will. Are you happy to continue playing these roles, or will there come a time when you want that “happy-go-lucky neighbor” role?
BD: No, I’m not content with it at all – this character was a little bit different because he was a father and I’m a father as well, and playing a role of a father feels a bit less like playing the role of a sociopath. But I’ve told my agents “I’m done with bad guys.” I’ve turned down more stuff than you could ever believe, and there are people who are great at playing the happy-go-lucky characters, and I don’t know if I could ever be great at that. I will play crotchety old guys who are basically great human beings, but they’re up to something that they believe will make the world a little better, but I’m done with the self-serving people.
DC: Any horror fan worth their salt knows that you play Charles Lee Ray/the voice of Chucky in the Child’s Play franchise – as we land on the 30th anniversary of the original, is there a specific direction that you’d like to see this series head in, or are you liking where it’s at right now?
BD: My daughter, Fiona has been doing the last two as you know, and that for me has been the most personally exciting thing to me. Overall, what I admire most about the franchise is how it’s been handled and how it adapts to the current style of horror as the years go on – I think it’s done that really well.
DC: When you’re gearing up for a role, regardless of what it may be, is there someone that you look to for inspiration?
BD: Well, you know, there isn’t a lot more that I want to do that I already haven’t done – when I was younger I saw In Cold Blood, and I saw the relationship in it and thought that they became the same person in an odd kind of way. The entity that murdered the family would not exist apart from one another – they became seriously glued, and I never felt like I had a relationship like that, and I got to be in a play a few years back and I felt like I got there, so I felt like I’ve done everything. As for inspiration, I get it from the story and from what the job is. I got my original inspiration from my Mom who was an actress, and she used to say “just tell the story” and I took that to heart.
DC: After the release of Wildling, any projects on the horizon that you can speak of?
BD: I don’t have anything lined up at all right now, and that’s just fine with me! (laughs)
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