Clifton Collins, Jr. Talks Diversity in Hollywood, WESTWORLD, and FREDDY’S NIGHTMARES
You may not immediately recognize the name Clifton Collins, Jr. but chances are you’ve seen his face; the character actor has delivered impactful performances in films helmed by today’s most prestigious directors, starring alongside a whos-who of A-List Actors.
These days, most people will recognize Collins as the host Lawrence on HBO’s Westworld (which just kicked off season 2). He comes from a multicultural background and was deeply inspired by his grandfather, who worked as a contract player for John Wayne. To honor the man who inspired and encouraged him, Collins briefly changed his name to Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez in loving tribute.
He soon learned that the Gonzalez moniker came with unexpected hurdles, specifically the preconceived notions of casting directors auditioning an actor with a Mexican surname. But like anyone with true passion, he turned his obstacles into stepping stones, steadily rising in both prestige and prominence.
Dread Central was lucky enough to sit down with Collins to discuss the current state of multiculturalism in Hollywood, the intersection of horror and procedurals, and a retrospective of some of his best genre performances. Oh yeah, we also talked about Westworld! Have a read and let us know what you think in the Comments section!
Westworld airs Sundays a 9 PM on HBO
Westworld isn’t your typical amusement park. Intended for rich vacationers, the futuristic park — which is looked after by robotic “hosts” — allows its visitors to live out their fantasies through artificial consciousness. No matter how illicit the fantasy may be, there are no consequences for the park’s guests, allowing for any wish to be indulged. Westworld — which is based on the 1973 Michael Crichton movie of the same name — features an all-star cast that includes Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and Golden Globe winner Ed Harris.
Dread Central: Can you introduce yourself to some of our newer readers? Specifically, we’d love to hear about your upbringing and what inspired you to become an actor.
Clifton Collins, Jr.: My grandfather was a contract player for John Wayne; he was in a lot of westerns in the early 1950s. He started me tap dancing at the age of 7 which, coincidentally, was the same age he started performing—which is why he couldn’t read. In 1932, they didn’t really care about performers and their education. He was doing more vaudevillian type of theater, coming from a family of 9 brothers and sisters
So, he couldn’t read, but he became a contract player for the biggest star of his time. Still, he was adamant about his grandchildren having an academic education as well as a creative one (like playing a musical instrument, tap dancing, doing jazz, or ballet or any of those things). So around when I was 17, honestly, I heard my grandfather complaining how his job wasn’t worthy of anyone following in his footsteps. He was all, “7 grandkids and not one of them is following in my footsteps! What I’ve done is nothing.” I felt bad for him and, at that time my cousin and I were teaching martial arts; I was watching a bunch of Bruce Lee movies. During the next month, I had so many little signs, like people coming up to me and comparing me to this actor or that actor. It felt like my grandfather had gone out and told people to say these things to me.
So I started thinking about it, like, sheesh, this is my grandfather’s thing and if it’s something I’m going to do, I’m really going to do it, not just try. Do it or don’t do it. You have to have a passion for it, because if you do it for the money or the fame you’re going to end up being bitter because that has nothing to do with what’s behind a real character. I think the core of any decent actor is great empathy and that doesn’t come from seeking fame. It comes from passion.
My mom didn’t believe in me; my stepdad told me to get a “real job” and my mom laughed telling me not to call her when I needed money. But my grandfather was the one voice of encouragement; he said, “No, son, listen to me: You can do it.” We all need that one voice. So as soon as I heard him say it, that was it.
DC: I’d love to hear your thoughts about the current state of diversity in Hollywood and your own personal experiences overcoming Latino stereotypes.
CCJ: Things are certainly opening up. It’s interesting because I really had to ramp up my own work ethic. My grandfather instilled an incredible work ethic in us, but I had to really ramp it up when I changed my name to Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzales honor him.
Casting directors can be so quick to judge by a name vs talent. I expected to be judged for my talent, not my name. So I found I had to work harder just to get in the room. I had to work harder just to get the opportunity to audition. But it was good for me because it forced me to expand my capacity as an artist by doing more research and things of that nature.
But, again, when I went by Gonzalez-Gonzalez it was like The Spanish Inquisition all over again, except it was The Mexican Inquisition. I was like, “Oh my God, I had no idea they were gunning for me!” I’m actually Mexican, German, and Apache, but [casting directors] would be like, “What’s your background Clifton Mexican-Mexican?”
A big break came for me came when the Mali Finn, the casting director for Tigerland, saw me and recommended me for the 3rd lead, and it was a southern character from Louisiana. It was very important to have the opportunity to do a film with Joel Schumacher, playing one of the 3 leads, and it’s a southern role. So she had to go to Joel Schumacher and then he had to go to the writers and ask if they were okay with this talented Latino actor [playing Pvt. Miter].
That was a big breakthrough for me and having the odds stacked against me and having the stigma of Gonzalez not just once but twice, made me work harder and research harder. It made me more impassioned for what I was doing. My grandfather believed in me, so I was going to make these people believe in me. And I was driven by that and the fact that my mother said I’d never make it (“Don’t call me when you need a check”).
Now all of that negative fuel has turned into a pure passion for and a love for the craft. And the exploring of other cultures is beautiful for me too because when am I ever going to delve into playing a Cajun character like I did in Little Chenier or prepare a German monologue to audition for Saving Private Ryan, you know what I mean? It’s a beautiful way to study other cultures and humanity because I do work so hard to play diverse characters.
My goal isn’t to not play Latinos or to only play white characters; my goal is to play complicated, interesting characters that can inspire thought and emotion, that can help people grow and, at the end of the day, entertain. My joy comes from creating characters I haven’t been able to do before. Like, in Traffic, there are so many great roles, but I wanted to play Franky Flowers because he was complicated: He was gay, he was a cocaine addict, his character was based on an actual assassin. They wanted me to read for all these Latino roles, and I get it. Steven Soderbergh is a huge hero of mine, but I told him I want to play this character because he’s complex.
DC: I was looking at your bio on IMDB and had to do a double take when I saw your very first acting gig. I know it’s something our readers will get a kick out of. You know what I’m talking about…
CCJ: Freddy’s Nightmares?
DC: Hell yeah! Not only did you get your start in horror, you’re affiliated with one of its most enduring franchises!
CCJ: I don’t know if I’d say I got my start in horror, necessarily. In the beginning, you take whatever they give you just to get your feet wet because you’re still learning how to act. I’m still growing, thankfully, but those first 5-10 years of trial and error—it’s pretty horrific!
DC: Tell me some of your memories about that first gig on Freddy’s Nightmares.
CCJ: Oh my God, I mean, Robert Englund? Jesus Christ! It’s like, “That’s Freddy Krueger!”
DC: So, you were an Elm Street fan to begin with?
CCJ: A huge fan! Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween: These are the movies I grew up with as a kid. So even being a day-player was fantastic. And, you know, you start out as a day-player and eventually you slide into a weekly gig. And then it’s like, “Wow, I’m blowing up! I’m on set for a whole week!” You just celebrate every victory and having a chance to work with Robert Englund, who I was such a big fan of, was a beautiful thing.
DC: You’ve also done a lot of crime thrillers. I’ve always maintained there’s a clear relationship between these police procedurals (hunting down serial killers, etc.) and horror movies. Agree or disagree?
CCJ: It depends on the film. Like Se7en is clearly a procedural and a horror movie and you can play a detective in a movie like Halloween. In terms of authenticity, it’s really up to the filmmaker. Personally, I strive for extreme authenticity and I’m kind of a research whore because I want to bring truth to it. If the people involved don’t want that kind of authenticity, then it’s not a film for me. I probably could be a private detective because of all the research I’ve done preparing for roles.
I love reading about police scandals because they’re not very good storytellers. So when you read these police reports from the backwoods, it’s pretty hilarious! It’s like a really terrible Hollywood script that will never get made. But I do love procedurals! And I have police in my family, so anytime I can speak from a place of truth, it’s important to me.
DC: One of your recent films that really blurred the lines between horror and procedurals was M.F.A. I really wish more people knew about that movie!
CCJ: It was tough! Francesca [Eastwood] shines, doesn’t she?
DC: She sure does!
CCJ: She destroys it! I had already studied a lot of these rape cases you’ve been hearing about on college campuses—and even high school cases with football players in Ohio and how their victim was shunned, and I was livid! I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t believe that football meant more to these people than a young woman who got raped. The value system, or rather lack of values in these supposedly God-fearing communities is just so wrong. And this was a couple years before the film.
So when Francesca told me [she was doing M.F.A.] I was like, “This is great!” and I was excited about the detective role. But the detective role was a bit lacking. The writer and the director had some experiences with the subject matter [campus rape] so their focus was on that.
This was the first movie I ever did for love vs career because I loved the social message, and I wish I had time beforehand to sit down with the director to discuss the detective role. But I was doing A Crooked Somebody with Rich Sommer and Ed Harris and we had been shooting all night long until sun-up. So Francesca called me up and said, “Hey, the detective role [in M.F.A.] opened up because the actor dropped out! Do you want that role?” I said, “Oh hell yeah! I’d love to play that role!”
So they called me saying, “Oh, Mr. Collins welcome to the production! We’re so happy to have you! Your call time is tomorrow at 7 AM.” This was an email, actually, so I replied, “Ha-ha, very funny. I’m happy to be part of the show. So what’s the actual date that I’m shooting?” They replied, “No really. You’re shooting tomorrow.”
I was like, damn, I’m working all night in Elysian Park [in Los Angeles] tonight and they want me in Orange County at 7 AM? I’m not even sure I can make it! Plus, I’d just had half my skull blown off! So I’ve got half my skull blown off and I’m driving to Orange County in rush hour traffic—and I was actually studying my lines along the way. I had to go to this frat house to wash all the blood off of myself and get into wardrobe. No sleep, mind you. And that was my first day on M.F.A. You never know what you can actually do until you do it, right?
DC: I guess so!
CCJ: So I never really had time to connect with the director, which is a relationship I really would have loved to have had, because one of the joys of filmmaking is collaboration. But, thankfully, because of all my experience on procedurals, there were things I already knew how to do. But when a director asks you if you know how to run with a gun, it kind of makes you question who you’re working with. But it was an important film and Francesca did an amazing job. But truth told: I would have liked to develop my character more.
DC: It’s still an important film and I’m glad you were a part of it. Switching gears now: Stung is a film I always mention when people ask me for a great horror comedy or an underrated horror movie. What was it like being in a madcap monster movie compared to the film’s you’ve made that are more grounded in reality?
CCJ: Stung was kind of like a nostalgic shoot for me because it took me back to the days of puppeteering. Remember Them with the giant ants?
DC: Absolutely.
CCJ: It took me back to that. And to have the opportunity to work in that medium was a unique experience. There was a lot of downtime but, hey, I was in Berlin for 6 weeks with Matt O’Leary who’s a fantastic actor and, of course, Lance Henricksen. And not many people are doing puppeteering anymore. With CGI it’s becoming a lost art. So it was a rare opportunity to take a dip into this medium.
Related Article: The Cast of Westworld Explains Why the Show Is a Must-Watch for Horror Fans
DC: I have a feeling some of our readers would appreciate it if we discussed a little show called Westworld. Since our site is horror-oriented, I posed this same question to your co-stars Luke Hemsworth (Ashley Stubbs) and Angela Sarafyan (Clementine Pennyfeather). How would you convince someone who loves horror that Westworld is something they should watch? Complete this sentence: “If you love horror movies, you should watch Westworld because…”
CCJ: If you love horror movies, you should watch Westworld because the same rushes you get from scares in a horror movie, those thrilling and suspenseful events happen in the show. Just from reading it I can tell Season 2 is really cranked-up compared to Season 1. You’re going to have those moments where your heart palpitates or skips a beat and a lot of “Oh my gosh!” moments. There are some serious white-knuckle moments this season. It’s the same thrill you get from watching a horror film!
DC: Westworld is such a complex story and it’s been over a year since the conclusion of Season 1. Can you sort of give our readers a recap of where we left your character, Lawrence?
CCJ: That’s a really good question because they haven’t even given me the backstory. Lawrence is a family man you see in town and The Man in Black [Ed Harris] picks him up, and… needs his help. They end up forging and bond and friendship by having to rely on one another. It represents the duality of humanity and many of the issues we’re facing today. So many people just want to stay among themselves but we really need one another. And that’s revealed in the interactions between The Man in Black and Lawrence.
DC: Westwood is so unique for its intelligence, nuance, and brilliant ensemble cast. How does this experience compare with some of the other productions you’ve worked on?
CCJ: Everyone is always on their A Game. There’s such a high standard for quality and a passion for excellence. These people care so much: The cast, the crew, the showrunners. And I’m working with actors who I’m huge fans of; I’m so familiar with the work of the majority of the cast and being among them is humbling.
The first takes are amazing. In the past, I’d dream of being part of a team that could get takes this good on the 10th try! Everyone comes swinging their bats to knock that ball out of the park. We sometimes have to battle the elements; we had fires and rain. We muscle through it and shoot through it with smiles. We’re so passionate about the gift of Westworld. Honestly, I think the actors are just as excited about the show as the fans because we love the show too.
DC: Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers before I let you go?
CCJ: I’m so excited for this season of Westworld to come out. We’ve been blessed with incredible fans and 22 Emmy nominations. People have been waiting a while for Westworld to return and it’ll be worth the wait. It’s been an honor and I already miss it since the season wrapped. Now I want to buy a horse and learn some of my grandfather’s gun tricks so I’ll be ready for Season 3. They might not need me to do tricks in Season 3, but I’d still like to learn some. You’ve got to get ready to stay ready!
DC: It’s been an absolute pleasure speaking with you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjVqDg32_8s&t=15s&w=640
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