In 1978, the world was introduced to a movie character who became one of the most iconic villains all time. The mask of Michael Myers in the “Halloween” movies is scary enough as it is, but his murderous rampages in the films make him all the more frightening. To celebrate being Halfway 2 Halloween, both the actors behind the mask are in Metro Detroit for a special event at Emagine Theaters in Novi, and Screamers Costumes in Clinton Township. Before they meet with fans, Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney stopped by “Live In The D” to talk about playing Michael Myers on screen.
Castle original played the character in 1978 with Jamie Lee Curtis. When talking about the film he said, “This was like doing a student film. Both Jon (Carpenter) and I, the director and writer of the original one (”Halloween”), went to USC film school. So, it was like doing another movie at school with a little more budget and a little longer.”
He also said that when they originally did the movie they didn’t know if Jamie Lee Curtis could even act because she was only 19 years old, but she was very, very strong. “I think the genes helped,” said Castle.
When asked what it meant for him to step into the shoes of Michael Myers after Castle, Courtney said he wanted to do right by the original performance. “The moment I got the call, I pulled up the old movie and I watched them on television just to grab what Nick Castle had created. I just allowed what Nick had created to fill me, and I didn’t think about it at all.”
When asked about if people recognize them for the part, despite wearing a mask, they said people know who they are everywhere they go. “I think it’s all because of social media,” said Courtney.
“There’s so much love. It’s like little drops of love all the time,” said Courtney. “It crosses every dynamic of human existence. Race, religion, socioeconomics, all these things go out the window. It’s people just coming together and joyfully experiencing something. It’s what humanity should be.”
To hear more of the interview with the Michael Myers actors, and to learn how you can see them in Metro Detroit, click the video player above.