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David Tennant Video Interview On ‘Fright Night,’ ‘Dr. Who,’ Colin Farrell
“Welcome to Fright Night…for real!” Those were the immortal words of Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) in the 1985 horror classic Fright Night. Twenty-six years later, the film is being rebooted and now Colin Farrell takes on the role of the villain while Peter Vincent played formerly by the late Roddy McDowall, is now in the charge of the Doctor Who standout, David Tennant, 41.
A 2006 poll by readers of Doctor Who Magazine voted Tennant as the best doctor in the history of the show. But Tennant started off on the stage, earning critical praise for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2012, he joined the company’s board and was added to the committee responsible for selecting the new artistic director.
Tennant wasn’t afraid to do real Hollywood stunts in Fright Night. “There is an incredible sequence of fire stunts at the end of the film which were all done for real,” Tennant told Uinterview exclusively. “There is very little CGI, there are two men on fire flying around the room. My character is sort of in the middle of this room while this is all going on, which I imagined I’d be doubled with some burly stunt man, but because the way it was staged and the brilliant abilities of all the stunt team on the film I was sitting in the room next to these two guys burning up as they fly through the air. So that is something I won’t forget in a hurry.”
Q: How did you tweak the role of Peter the vampire hunter and put your own unique spin on it so it would look fresh and new when compared to the 1985 original?
A: A: Well it’s quite tweaked in the script really, I guess the late night horror show host that Roddy McDowell plays is not something that we have nowadays. So, there had to be a relocation of some sort and it was Martin Oxen, the writer of the script who sold that and made Peter this Las Vegas illusionist. Really from then on, the character is so different that it is sort of starting with a blank page. He’s a drunk and he’s disillusioned and he’s bitter and that’s all great fun to play of course.
Q: I was wondering what it was like to co-star in a feature film after being the lead in Dr. Who so many years?
A: You know I never really think of it that way. I think as actors it feels like we are all in it together anyways. As long as you’re part of a happy company and everyone is pooling together. I mean I guess when I see Antoine being in every day from dawn until dusk being worked into the ground and I get the whole afternoon off I suppose I can go sit by a pool in New Mexico, and I think life could be worse.
Q: What was your most memorable experience working with Colin Farrell or the other actors from the movie?
A: The whole experience was a fantastic one it was really enjoyable and fun and exciting and to be working on something that scale was a real thrill. Probably the thing that will stick with me most is that there is an incredible sequence of fire stunts at the end of the film which were all done for real. There is very little CGI, there are two men on fire flying around the room. My character is sort of in the middle of this room while this is all going on, which I imagined I’d be doubled with some burly stunt man. But because the way it was staged and the brilliant abilities of all the stunt team on the film I was sitting in the room next to these two guys burning up as they fly through the air and I don’t want to give too much away but that was an incredible sequence to be right up close to and to witness. So that is something I won’t forget in a hurry.
Well it's quite tweaked in the script really, I guess the late night horror show host that Roddy McDowell plays is not something that we have nowadays. So, there had to be a relocation of some sort and it was Martin Oxen, the writer of the script who sold that and made Peter this Las Vegas illusionist. Really from then on, the character is so different that it is sort of starting with a blank page. He's a drunk and he's disillusioned and he's bitter and that's all great fun to play of course.
You know I never really think of it that way. I think as actors it feels like we are all in it together anyways. As long as you're part of a happy company and everyone is pooling together. I mean I guess when I see Antoine being in every day from dawn until dusk being worked into the ground and I get the whole afternoon off I suppose I can go sit by a pool in New Mexico, and I think life could be worse.
The whole experience was a fantastic one it was really enjoyable and fun and exciting and to be working on something that scale was a real thrill. Probably the thing that will stick with me most is that there is an incredible sequence of fire stunts at the end of the film which were all done for real. There is very little CGI, there are two men on fire flying around the room. My character is sort of in the middle of this room while this is all going on, which I imagined I'd be doubled with some burly stunt man. But because the way it was staged and the brilliant abilities of all the stunt team on the film I was sitting in the room next to these two guys burning up as they fly through the air and I don't want to give too much away but that was an incredible sequence to be right up close to and to witness. So that is something I won't forget in a hurry.
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