Interview With Doug Jones

If you're a fan of sci-fi, fantasy, or comic book related movies or television, there's a pretty good chance you've seen Doug Jones perform and don't even know it.

I'm personally a huge fan of not only his work, but Doug as a person. I had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Jones this week about the newly released CRIMSON PEAK film (which I thought was fantastic), other amazing roles, and how he is so endearing to fans. Enjoy and share are latest with Doug Jones.

photo courtesy of  www.dailymacabre.com

The Steve Strout: What are you currently working on?

Doug Jones: The big push this week, of course, is Crimson Peak coming out in theaters this Friday, which I played two of the ghost ladies in the story. So, when you watch the movie you will see me as the mother ghost and the bath tub ghost.

TSS: I've seen the trailers for it and it looks epic. I'm definitely going to see it.

DJ: It's a classic , gothic, romantic, haunted house tale. It's very Del Toro-ish. It's my fifth movie with Guillermo Del Toro.

Crimson Peak photo courtesy of  Doug Jones on Twitter: @actordougjones

TSS: Earlier this year, there was the Kickstarter for the Nosferatu remake. Any new word on that?

DJ: That's where I was today, doing a makeup test for the Nosferatu Count Orlock character. They made some adjustments on the makeup test they had pictures of from years ago, and it's going to look AMAZING. We'll be filming in December now. It'll all be coming about. I'd give it a good year before yo'll see anything from it.

TSS: I'm really excited for that movie. Since we're talking about characters you get to play, does your approach from playing a fully costumed and made up character different than just going in as Doug Jones?

DJ: Yeah, of course. Any role that I take on rather its in heavy makeup or just a guy in a t-shirt needs preparation, ya have to do your background work to figure out the character and where he's coming from, and his fears, his wants, his needs, where does he fit in the plot line with other characters. All that. When your wearing a prosthetic makeup you have the added task of bringing a physicality that goes beyond human, so it just takes a minute to figure out, does this character stand right, walk right, squat right? All those thing, you know? Whatever the script calls for and what the design of the creature looks like will also very much be your performance.

TSS: Do you find yourself getting excited to play characters, for example, you've been Silver Surfer, Abe from Hellboy, and pretty soon Count Orlock. Do you personally get excited for these roles, or is it like "another job"?

DJ: No, I get excited. Of course it depends on the job. It depends on the character. Ya know, Count Orlock in the Nosferatu remix, is something I'm super excited about because I've wanted to do it for decades. It's the answer to that one question, "whats the one character you haven't played yet that you would still like to?" and that's playing Count Orlock in something, has been on my bucket list, to do a remix of the movie with our director David Lee Fisher creating the backdrops. Also hes creating mock shots off the original film that'll be three dimensional. He'll be able to move the camera into the room and move side to side with the technology he has now. So I"ll get to play, the finished product, will have me playing in the original film environment from the 1922 version. That is just an absolute dream come true beyond what I hoped for. So, that's super exciting.

Then there's other things. Other jobs that I have coming up that I'm just tickled pink to get, one is I guest starred on an episode of Z-NATION on the SyFy Network. Z-Nation is a show much like Walking Dead, only it's funnier. I don't know if you've seen it or not? I guest star on episode 2-09, and that should be airing on November 13th. That was just hilarious. I play a human being on that. GOing on a zombie show and being introduced as a human being is great, ya know?

After that you'll see me in a Hallmark Channel movie, which is outside the genre all together. I'm playing a butler on a sprawling estate in Texas. It stars Brian Denehey, Lee Meriweather, and the iconic Raquel Welch.

TSS: What was the name of this movie?

DJ: The name of this move is THE ULTIMATE LEGACY. It's part three of a trilogy. The's the ULTIMATE GIFT, then THE ULTIMATE LIFE, and now this is THE ULTIMATE LEGACY, and it's planned to bea airing on the Hallmark Channel sometime in January. I got to play a human being. I was a butler. I was a refined gentleman with a bowtie and a three piece suit. There were no zombies, no aliens, no explosions, no visual effects, no space ships, it was simply pretty people telling a pretty story in a pretty setting. It was a very feel good movie with a great message to it, so I got very excited about that too because it was such a departure from what I'm used to. I got to be comfortable and didn't have to wear any rubber on my face, so, that was good.

TSS: Have any of the roles and characters you've played creeped you out? Have you looked at yourself in the character and been completely creeped out by it?

DJ: Not really creeped out. In a finished product I've only been creeped out, I think, twice. Looking at the makeups in the mirror when they're putting in on, since I've watched it come together, it's not a creepy experience at all. I'm like "Oh my god they've transformed me into this beast or this beautiful thing or whatever", but I think when I've seen the finished product and get caught up in the plot line and whats actually happening in the story, that's happened twice. I got creeped out watching myself as the leader of the Gentlemen in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Hush" episode. Then I got it watching myself in Pan's Labyrinth. I play two episodes in Pan's Labyrinth. I was the Fawn. That was like, he was mischievous, and we didn't know if he was good or bad til the end. but it was the Pale Man character, the one with the eyes in his hands. That was just a chilling, haunting, terrifying scene.

TSS: I'm sure you get asked Hellboy questions ALL THE TIME..

DJ: I DO

TSS: Is there a legitimate chance we'll get the third movie?

DJ: I wish I, I'm just an actor for hire. I don't have that answer. If I worked for one of the big studios in town, I might have a better idea of what to tell you, but so far, all of us actors from the franchise want to come back to do it. Ron Perlman wants to come back, Selma Blair, Me, Jeffrey Tambor., and Guillermo Del Toro would like to direct another one. But if all of us want to do it, and theres a script in mind, and a trilogy left hanging open without a number three. If that's all in place, then it's usually a money issue, right? So, that's outside of my expertise. I don't know who's in charge of that. I'm sure there's probably a budget being asked for that a bit more than usual for that franchise, and usually studios want to see a guarantee of their money being returned to them. The first two movies did ok. They had moderate budgets for that time. Now they're asking for a budget that's twice the budget for the first couple of movies. Can that be guaranteed to make that money back? That's why Ron Perlman took to Twitter to create that hashtag #HellboyIII, to show the studio system that it was trending within the day, and that got everybody excited and talking about the possibility of a Hellboy III. It just showed the studios that we DO have an audience, and that they're holding money in their hands waiting to buy tickets, so please let's make it. Right?

TSS: So, you've had roles from all the major comic book publishers, sci-fi, fantasy, the Whedonverse, Do you find yourself 'fanboying" for these projects? Do you get the excitement level us fans do?

DJ: Yeah, anything I do with Guillermo Del Toro, I really want to see. Like when we did the Hellboy movies, I couldn't wait for part one and two to come out in theatres. I was geeking out along with everybody else.

I've been geeking out quite a bit over CRIMSON PEAK too. The red carpet premier is actually tonight in New York City, but I'm out here in L.A. working this week. I'm working on a movie called Ouija part 2, so I can't make it to the red carpet premier, so I'm kinda bummed out about that. I'll have to wait until Friday when it opens in theaters for everyone else. I'm excited to see it. The ads look as luscious as I'd hoped they would, so it looks good.

TSS: Now, you're known as one of the nicest people on the convention scene. I met you at Crypticon Seattle, and that was a memorable experience. How important in that interaction with the fans to you?

DJ: It's everything. Meeting the people who consume the product were making is all important to me. All that time I have at the conventions where I have that on on one time to meet people. When a line forms at my table, I'm very humbled that those people are calling themselves my fans, and I kind of feel like those are the people that buy my house for me really. They keep me employed as an actor. They're supporting the projects that I'm in and that makes me desirable for the next project. So, I really do appreciate the convention scene, but more than anything it gives me a chance to hug on the people that have been supporting me over the years and say thank you, and to get that picture taken and to sign things for them. It's just great fun for me.

Photo with Doug Jones from Crypticon Seattle from the archives

I hear lots of stories too. Like, people will tell me how they grew up with Hocus Pocus, and remember me as a child and how I've been a part of their whole life. It's like if I would have met Ray Bolger, who was the Scarecrow in the Wizard Of Oz, I would have wet myself because that was a part of my childhood. I do understand that is somebody is meeting Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus, that would be the same kind of experience for them, so I really can appreciate that experience, and I love being a part of that experience when I'm out on the road doing conventions. I really do!

TSS: Well, we appreciate it. Has being so personable with fans at the shows ever put you in any weird situations?

DJ: You know, yes, there's gonna be an odd person here and there but that just fine, there's gonna be weird people here and there at the mall too, so its just fine. It's all good. It's all good. If you want a perfect experience with perfect people everyday, you should never leave the house.

TSS: Like I said, your awesome at the cons and seem to generally enjoy yourself, which we've touched on, but is there stuff at the shows that you look forward to seeing, besides the interaction with us (the fans)?

DJ: I usually like, if I can get away from my table, to walk around artist alley and see what kind of creativity other people are uhh, I love looking at peoples painting and sculptures, and I love artists and what they come up with. I find it beautiful that they've done artwork of me, ya know? One of my characters from a movie I'm in or something. I've had wonderful, really good experiences meeting artists who have drawn, or painted, or sculpted me as myself, Just a person, which I really really appreciate. I've actually come home with some originals or prints or ya know, a piece of art. Those create real keepsakes for me.

TSS: Do you have any upcoming show appearances?

DJ: Yeah, whats coming up next for me now is Minneapolis Crypticon October 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Then I'm gonna be doing Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence , RI. That's November 6th, 7th, and 8th. and then the Jeckyll Island Con in Georgia. That's December 12th and it's a one day event.  Then we're gonna be doing SacAnime in Sacramento, CA January 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

TSS: SacAnime sounds like an exciting show. That's about it from me. Is there anything you want to add for your fans?

DJ: Yeah. also, I think you heard me say we're filming Ouija part 2. I'm playing a couple different characters in that. I can't really tell you what they are yet, but they're both, like you know, otherworldly.

Then at the end of the month I'm going to be spending about 7 weeks in Cleveland, Ohio doing the Bye Bye Man, and I will be playing the Bye Bye Man. It's a new horror character that's being introduced. The story is based on a book by a different title, but it's inspired by a different medium. Anyways, the Bye Bye Man, I play the title character, who's someone to reckon with. He's someone to be afraid of and you don't want him around, and yet if you say his name, you cant help but have him come to you. So, that is yet to be filmed, and I'm looking forward to that too, very much, and it should have a wide release sometime next year in 2016.

TSS: I appreciate your time. It sounds like your really busy so it means a lot that you took the time to chat with us.

DJ: Aww, thank you for finding me worthy of an interview and I will see you on the interweb!!

Talking to one of my favorite actors is surreal. Keep on supporting and sharing, friends. I hope to keep bringing more great stuff like this.

Come see me at the Jet City Comic Show in Tacoma, WA on Halloween weekend. I will be at table AA-091 with Comic creator Scott Adams, writer and artist of Sukotto (www.facebook.com/sukottostudios and www.sukottostudios.com). Jet City Comic Show details can be found at: www.jetcitycomicshow.com/

OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 1st TACOMA, WA
/www.jetcitycomicshow.com/

Steve Strout is the media mastermind behind this site, host of the Comic Book Swap Meet, nerd, terrible artist, gamer, convention goer and comic book reader who spends more time rescuing toys from thrift shops than a normal adult should. He is also known around the northwest for his promotion of live music and stand-up comedy events and is the creator/producer of the Comic Book Swap Meet mini convention, and Olympic Peninsula Comedy Competition (which will make it's big return in 2015). Follow him on Instagram at http://instagram.com/thestevestrout, and  He can be reached for comments at ptcomedy@yahoo.com on twitter at @thestevestrout