The Arrow
interviews Bill Johnson
Although
Bill Johnson
has acted in such fare as Future Kill, Talk Radio and
Crosswalk, it’s his role as the chainsaw-thrusting Looney Tune
Leatherface in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” for which genre fans will always remember
him. I had the opportunity to exchange
saw-slashes with Mr. Johnson and here’s what he buzzed back at me!
ARROW:
What’s the last
horror film you saw that somewhat got under your skin?
BILL:
As a film, though it’s maybe not put
forth as a horror film, “Jacob’s Ladder” was pretty freaky. As a
performance, Bill Moseley in “House of 1000 Corpses” really bothered me
much more so than the film itself.
ARROW: How
was the auditioning process for the Leatherface role? Were “pelvic”
thrusts with an “air” chainsaw part of the process?
BILL:
Auditioning process was loose and
low key and simple. The physical gestures you’re remarking about, what
you saw in the film was created during the filming in concert with
Tobe, who always had lots of energy and ideas and openness to
collaborating. Of TCM2 Tobe was very solid in his vision and such an
excellent storyteller that he knew the individual elements that made
up each cinematic moment, the essence each shot in progress. Tobe
makes very personal films and he’s improvisational and in my opinion
utilizes the collaborative inspiration that manifests on the set which
enhances the film making
process creating results that has cinematic qualities that stand the
test of time.
ARROW:
How
long and grueling was the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Part 2” shoot?
BILL:
Ten weeks of Principal Photography.
Texas drought, 100+ degree-days and nights were hot too. No
sound stage with air conditioning. The Sawyer family’s underground
home was in an above ground building which once housed newspaper
printing presses. It was like an open warehouse, “I” beam columns,
superstructure overhead, and sheathed in sheet metal. NO INSULATION.
NO AIR CONDITIONING.
It was a giant version of “THE BOX” from COOL
HAND LUKE. It got to be 120+ degrees Fahrenheit in there,
Eventually after people were dropping left and right the producers
okayed a portable 40 ton air conditioner on wheels. It snakes a hose
about 3 feet in diameter into the space around the camera before
shooting and between takes. It helped a little bit.
ARROW: How
would you define the overall on set dynamic between cast and crew?
BILL: My personal observation was Cast
and Crew got along famously. Hollywood
crews and the local professionals who also made up the overall crews
are and were total professionals with proper deportment you’d expect.
And I’m thankful. I’ve been on other sets where this was not the case.
ARROW: Were you at
all intimidated by veterans Jim Siedow and Dennis Hopper? How was your
relationship with them on set?
BILL:
I was a “local hire’ so I went to
my home in Austin every day, not to the hotel with the others. My only
time with them was on set when I was in a scene, otherwise I’d been
ordered to stay sequestered in the air conditioning of my dressing
room till called on set for a scene I was in. I spent much more time with
Jim on set than Dennis. Jim was open hearted and friendly, fun
to be with, humble and a little shy perhaps.
A fine actor and a wonderful person. Dennis was traveling back and
forth to the locations for the upcoming film “Colors” he was getting
ready to direct. If he wasn’t in a scene with me, I didn’t see
him. When
I was in a scene with him, Dennis was pleasant, easy going, friendly.
He liked to have a good time and joke around. He was like one of
the guys, except he was, a Hollywood Icon and incredibly busy.
Dennis Hopper was an fabulous casting choice because of his amazing
gifts as an actor and his appreciation for the outré that lends the solid believability to the
Special World of TCM2.
ARROW: As
an actor, what was your internal approach in terms of playing
Leatherface? What was the main emotion that drove the character?
BILL:
There are more emotions
than words
to adequately describe emotions in all their complexity. So I don’t
try to affix words to them which will abstract them and throw them
onto an intellectual plane. I did my best to be in the appropriate
relationship with the Sawyer Family under the circumstances which they
had to live. To exist by the Family rules and then one day Bubba
starts creating rules for himself in contradiction to the family. Bubba
finds out first hand what the love songs on the radio meant. And
becomes a conscripted card carrying member of the Legion of the
Brotherhood of Heartbreak Hotel. Torn between Love and Loyalty. Torn
between the Brave new world in Love with the goddess Stretch versus an
entire life of absolute Loyalty to Clan Sawyer.
RROW:
Was
there a lot of room for improvisation during the shoot or did you
stick mostly to what was scripted?
BILL:
Tobe welcomed actor input and
improvisation. He was well grounded in his artistic vision and
welcomed collaboration. He loved what he was doing; he possessed a
zest and zeal that was inspiring as well as driving and demanding.
Tobe directed action for me and since I have no dialogue, no need to
improv that. Tobe provided very specific behaviors when I wanted
clarity, which I really appreciated. With details Tobe put forth I
could get the signature identity profile for Bubba and begin spinning
out variations. Bill Moseley was excellent at improvising and he came
up with a lot of Chop Top live on set. I spent most of my time with
Bill. When he wasn’t onset we were together playing Gin Rummy either
in his or my dressing room.
ARROW: How
was your demeanor between takes? Would you go “method” and do what you
have to do to keep in character?
BILL:
Getting into character was not a
problem since everyone in the cast had created such an excellent
ensemble. Getting together with them and Tobe pushed the pedal to the
metal of that Special World to ‘kick it up a notch’ into a more
intensely maniacal level of expression. It could be safely construed
that Bubba was a homicidal maniac and was having an especially twitchy
time lately with an already tentative hair trigger impulse control. I
couldn’t stay in character all the time without some serious downside
consequences. It was nice to step out of that TCM2 world and take a
breather into my “normal” ordinary reality.
ARROW: With
Bill Moseley and Jim Siedow chewing the scenery around you, did you
ever crack a smile behind that mask during scenes?
BILL:
Well, sure I’d laugh if Bubba felt
what Drayton or Chop Top were doing was funny to him. And if Bubba
felt they would punish him for laughing, he’d hide it from them.
ARROW: When’s the
last time you watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2? How do you feel
about the film today?
BILL:
I reviewed it again last week, and
this movie stands tall on its own with any film in the Horror Genre. It’s intense, well made, humorous, has strangeness and beauty. I find
it rich and full. Powerful performances, off center humor, beautiful
art direction, zest, flair and mastery in the Direction, super sfx
makeup, complexity in the writing with a delicious satirical thread of
the “jonses” striving yet thwarted to be upwardly mobile, and what
family doesn’t have its ups and downs? When attending the Return to
Haddonfield Convention in Pasadena, CA. I met veteran Director Jeff
Burr who directed TCM 3, and Mr. Burr spontaneously remarked about
how Tobe’s film TCM2 is a very good film and many hadn’t realized
that fact, what a good movie it was, that it had been under
appreciated when it first came out. I felt that was high praise from a
seasoned expert and from someone who might be considered a rival and
had no apples to polish.
ARROW: How
have the fans been to you over the years? Did anybody ever go too
far to express their admiration?
BILL: I don’t
know what you mean by “too far”, but no one I’ve seen at any
convention I’ve attended has done anything dangerous or too far out
that could be considered unacceptable social behavior. And I
don’t expect it will, not that it couldn’t happen, I just wouldn’t
think it likely considering the caliber of the people who attend those
gatherings. The fans of TCM2 have are super freaking far out folks.
Aficionados and gurus of their preferred film Genre. They are really
nice people with a lot of heart and enthusiasm and zest for having a
good time. I’m deeply
appreciative and honored by all you far out fans!
I thank you for
your continuing interest and participation
in the “Bill Johnson Online”
group at Yahoo.com. I can’t wait to meeting you awesome folks when I’m
at conventions. Feel free to drop by my website
www.leatherface2.com and leave a
message in my Guestbook and/or add your email to my mailing list. For
you who pursue deeper history of TCM,
www.titanbooks.com has published a
fine book the Texas Chainsaw
Massacre Companion, which
covers up to #4 and briefly opines on the most recent one. Lots of
interviews, inside behind the scenes news and info, lots of pictures,
a very nice forward to the book by Gunnar.
ARROW:
What are your
thoughts on the existence of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake?
Have you seen it?
BILL:
I was very busy, so I didn’t get a
chance to see it in theatrical exhibition so I must wait till video
release.
ARROW: How is
the “Halloween” holiday celebrated at Bill Johnson’s home?
BILL:
Very quietly hang out at home with
my wife. We keep treats by the door for the neighborhood kids who are
Trick or Treating. And I don’t dress up or do anything to frighten
them Off Camera, I’m pretty much what you’d call a square bear
homebody.
I’d like to thank Bill for
dropping by the site and would like to wish him the best in all of his
future
endeavors. Now I have to give TCM2 another chance, I hated it on my
first watch, but have a feeling I’ll appreciate it more today now that
I’m a more mature horror fan. Let’s rev
that saw! Round 2 with The Face!