Farrell and Yelchin on Re-Creating ‘Fright Night’ Characters
On Friday evening at Comic-Con, a press conference for the upcoming film “Fright Night” was held with writer Marti Noxon, director Craig Gillespie, actors Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Chris Sarandon.
Farrell, who plays Sarandon’s character from the original “Fright Night”, Jerry Dandrige, and Yelchin who plays Charley Brewster (originally played by William Ragsdale) discussed what it was like to create a character previously played by someone else.
“I was, am, and will always be a huge fan of the original performance,” said Yelchin. “In terms of looking at characters, I tried to bring what was the most honest thing to this character.
“Chris [Sarandon]’s Jerry Dandrige, as I remember him from when I was 11 or 12, was incredibly debonair,” said Farrell. “He had a certain dignity to him. He felt intellectual, incredibly cultured, and suave. My [Jerry Dandrige] was none of those things. He felt more like a social parasite. Like somebody who really enjoyed the threat he posed to those around him. He would be nothing without fear. He liked the fear that he could instill in people. He treated humans like playthings. Not just a source of sustenance, but playthings.
"I got a chance to play a brutal vampire. Somebody who wasn’t really concerned with anything, had no fear and no human virtues that would be recognized at all; just somebody who traveled the world for 400 years and possibly got a bit tired of his own company, but was violent and brutal and had kind of the M.O. of a serial killer.”
“But you had hotness!” yelled a member of the audience (not me). “Did I not say that?” joked Farrell.
Check out this video for Farrell’s discussion on whether or not he did research for the role, and how he approached his character.
-- Jessica Gardner
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