A word from Thomas Dekker, three new stills
In anticipation of Rob Hall’s Laid to Rest, ShockTillYouDrop.com will be unveiling three exclusive photos each week leading up to the film’s April 21st DVD and Blu-Ray release. These images will be accompanied by a “journal entry” from one of the key players involved in the production. This week, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles‘ Thomas Dekker chimes in about his first meeting with writer director Rob Hall. Scroll down for three new exclusive stills!
Past journal entries:
Nick Principe (HERE)
Anthony Fitzgerald (HERE)
Eric Porn (HERE)
– Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor
It was a freezing cold January morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was the first day of shooting this show called Terminator and my first day of playing this dude named John Connor. Now f**k if I knew who was doing the TV show’s special make up effects as I’m always “out to lunchâ. But I had seen some guy who seemed to be emotionally twenty one but mentally one hundred, carrying around dummies, buckets of blood, fake metal Terminator parts and sporting a very enviable Mohawk and colored tattoos, (colored ones I’ve never had the balls to get). With all that obviously cool personality floating around him, he was of course, a little distant. He was a rad special effects impresario and I was an idiot eighteen year old actor.
However, I remember, late in the afternoon, it was lunch time. The tragic high school auditorium being our dining area, and I had taken a seat at this special effects make up dude’s table. He was talking to some other cool person, (much like my real tragic high school days), about a highly specific (unfortunately can’t remember what it was) horror film from the early seventies. Being the rude loud mouth that I am, I quickly stuck my big f**kin’ face in the conversation and set forth rather dorky opinions I had on this illusive film’s behavior and construction. All of a sudden, this cool dude with a make up brush tucked behind his ear, (which Rob usually has when he’s working), like a reefer behind the ear of the cool guy who goes to your school said “Hi, I’m Rob Hall”.
From there, we continued an intense conversation about every prevalent and underground horror film that had ever been made. The directors, the effects, the meaning, the lighting, the performances, the editing, and most importantly, the music. I could tell that Mr. Rob Hall had suddenly thought to himself, “Hey, this kid has got some noodle in his noggin”. Or he’s just spent wayyyyyyy too much time watching horror films, which I think, either way, Rob would have been down with. What a thrill for this aforementioned kid! At this same meeting, he mentioned he had previously directed a film entitled Lightning Bug. I thought, “Aww nice, the make up dude did a little movie with his friends”. Unfortunately, this pessimistic behavior of mine has been cultivated by the myriads of wannabes and losers that try to approach you in this life.
Later that day, in my fantastic two inch Winnebago, I watched Lightning Bug⦠I was hypnotized. Holy sh*t. This guy with the brush behind his ear is a cinematic genius. I was extremely moved and inspired, not just by the film itself, but by Rob’s understanding of, and dedication to cinema, regardless of genre. I truly believe he could do any film, in any genre, and turn it to gold. But I should stop kissing his ass in public now, as we are best friends and it will give him a big head.
The whole point of this inane, long, and boring blog of mine is to say that Laid to Rest, and any other film he has, or will touch, (which I hope I am a part of in some way), IS Robert Hall. He grew up fighting for his art, often in horrifically judgmental and frightening conditions. And look at him now motherf**kers. A filmmaker with an absolutely stunning and truly talented wife, (Bobbi, one of the greatest pleasures of my life to work with, and to be best friends with) and the creator of, what I believe, will be a future empire of truly smart, intense, non apologetic, grisly, and emotionally sophisticated films. I sure wanted to be a part of Robert Hall’s revolution that begins with Laid to Rest. Don’t you…?
Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
