My Bloody Valentine’s Kerr Smith

May 13 2009

I had a quick chat with Kerr Smith from My Bloody Valentine 3D over my morning coffee. The movie is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on May 19th in both 3D and 2D versions and I thought who better to discuss the film and the upcoming dvd than the beleaguered, adulterous sheriff of the town of Harmony.

ShockTillYouDrop.com: So Axel Palmer’s kind of a unique name for a small-town guy. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about him.

Kerr Smith: Well, the guy’s wound up a little tight. He’s one of those guys that’s got a lot going on. I mean he’s the sheriff and he’s got this murderer running loose. People think he’s the murderer. He’s got a bad relationship with his wife and he’s cheating on her. Then his enemy from childhood comes back into town and starts hanging out with his wife. So it’s got a lot of layers which was what really attracted me to the project.

Shock: I was actually going to point that out. I liked the fact that the characters were grown-ups with real problems and not the typical drunken teenagers.

Smith: Of course, in the beginning of the movie we got a little bit of drunken teenager in there. But, you know, it’s nice to play adult every now and then.

Shock: It also seemed at times as if your character was more concerned about losing his wife than catching the killer.

Smith: You’re right, that’s part of the thing I loved about Axel that he’s got both of those major points, the killer and his wife. “What’s more important to you?” I mean I think that’s what he’s asking himself. You know, your wife, the person that you love, or your job? But the guy that is doing all the killings is also going after his wife so it kind of plays together, too.

Shock: You know, I have to say that I was fan of the film because of the character work and the fact that they were so layered and real and just miles away from the typical slasher flick.

Smith: Well, we tried to do it right. I really enjoyed the film, I got to be honest.

Shock: Now you guys shot in an actual working mine. What was that experience like?

Smith: Well, it’s cold, it’s damp, it’s dark. It pretty spooky, man. The farther you go in, the spookier it gets. I mean you realize how far underground you are, you just keep going down and down and the cave gets smaller and smaller. It’s no place for someone who’s claustrophobic, I’ll tell you that. It was tough, I mean when you shoot a movie you’ve got a lot of equipment, especially in 3D, and there’s not a whole lot of room in that mine so it was very difficult to pull of and quite dangerous to be honest with you.

Shock: Shooting in 3D is obviously a big obstacle to take into account for the production, but as an actor was that something you needed to adapt to?

Smith: Performance-wise, I would say no. Technically, yes. You just have to be aware of certain things and you have to deal with longer set-up times, obviously. But you have to deal with a lot more light. I mean, 3D loves light, so for the actors it’s hot and very bright. So that’s stuff you needed to get acclimated to, but other than that, it’s a fun process.

Shock: Did you get a chance to see the film with an audience?

Smith: Other than the premiere, I was up in Vancouver about a month later and Jensen Ackles was back on Supernatural, so he was up there, too. I called him up and said “Hey man, what’re you doing?” He said “Actually, me and Jared [Padelecki] are going to go see the movie.” So I asked If I could tag-along and we all snuck into the movie late and sat in the front row because it was packed, then snuck out early. You know, every time I watch a film, people laugh at unexpected times, especially with the horror genre. So it’s always interesting to watch how the audience reacts and this audience reacted pretty much the same way as they did at the premiere. So, the second time around there weren’t any surprises, but the first time around there was. Like you’re trying to have a serious moment, but because of the situation it actually ends up being funny.

Shock: Some of the best parts of the film were the kills, which usually ends in the audience laughing off the tension. What was your favorite kill in the movie?

Smith: I have to say Tom Atkins on the porch with the jaw flying out.

Shock: That’s a great one. Tom was icing on the cake for horror fans because of his prior work. Had you seen the original film prior to making this movie?

Smith: Yes, but it was back in ’82 or whatever it was and I didn’t rewatch it before making the movie. But I did re-watch it after we were done.

Shock: I hate to put you on the spot, but which version do you think is better?

Smith: Well, I gotta say ours. But there’s something to be said for those 1980s slasher films. And as stupid as a lot of them are, they’re still great to watch. I still think the original fits right in there as a cult classic. It may not have got as much attention as the Jason and Freddy movies, but I think we did a good job of bringing Harry Warden back, getting him off the bench and back on the field.

Shock: I’m curious, were there any alternate versions to the script that tinkered with the eventual killer’s identity?

Smith: Well, in the original draft, believe it or not, my character’s the killer and it’s weird but he’s being held in a basement in a cage and he’s writing this weird poetry. I don’t really remember it, but it was not too good. Luckily, we’ve got some great writers who beefed this thing up and changed it a lot. In terms of alternate endings, we did shoot some different endings which you’ll see on the DVD.

Shock: What’s next for you?

Smith: I am actually waiting to hear about a pilot that I did for the CW, so if we get picked up, I’ll be moving out to Vancouver for the year. So, I’m excited to hear what’s going to go down in the next couple of weeks.

Originally found here.