Michael Meyers Actor Is Gorgeous In Real Life – This Is What He Looks Like Under The Mask
Michael Myers, otherwise known as "The Shape," is the stoic antagonist in the Halloween slasher film franchise. The character has appeared in ten different versions based on the original 1978 John Carpenter film. Director David Gordon Green decided to resurrect the series. Jamie Lee Curtis reprised the role of Laurie Strode.
The original actor who played Michael Myers didn't reprise his role though. This time, Myers is played by actor and stuntman James Jude Courtney, and you won't believe what he looks like behind the blood-chilling mask.
James Jude Courtney Tried to Avoid Jamie Lee Curtis On Set
Understandably, Courtney and Curtis didn't pal around very much while on set. Courtney and Curtis' characters aren't exactly friendly, so in order to make their emotions as genuine as possible, they generally avoided each other while on set.
Courtney claims that he made the conscious decision to avoid Curtis during filming as she was already "standoffish" towards him. She didn't want to develop a friendly relationship that might end up impacting their performance onscreen. He claims, "They let me know that when she gets in in the morning, and she gets the wig on, she's in character, and she's in character all day long."
Putting On The Mask For The First Time Was An Experience
It was a big deal the first time that Courtney put on the Michael Myers mask. Courtney recalls that something strange happened the first time that he tried o the mask. He told Halloween Daily News, "This thing happened to me inside [...] I had already created the energy, I already knew the space, but man that was like after-burns, dude."
On top of that, he felt the 40 years of history behind the mask and didn't want to disrespect the film's legacy or disappoint the fans. However, upon putting on the mask, he described it as being "perfect for killing."
He Learned How To Kill People From A Professional
In the film, Michael Myers murders his victims in gruesome ways. To get into character, Courtney learned these "skills" from a rather unlikely source. Courtney claims, "I learned how to kill from a mafia hitman who lived with me when he got out of prison."
Courtney says that his hitman roommate gave him some pointers on how killing actually goes down and Courtney took them to heart. He even prides himself on his skills saying, "I've been complimented many times here on set on how efficiently I kill."
He Wasn't Expecting The Role
The role of Michael Myers actually fell into Courtney's lap. He had no intention of playing the role and probably wouldn't have landed it if it weren't for the help from a friend. Apparently, veteran stunt coordinator, Rawn Hutchinson, had worked on the Rob Zombie reboots and thought Courtney would be perfect for the 2018 film.
Encouraged by Hutchinson, Courtney tried out for the part and got a call about his availability before he had even left the parking lot. He then received another call from producers in Los Angeles asking Courtney if he would be willing to go back to meet the director Gordon Green himself.
Michael Myers Is Played By Two Actors
While Courtney may have have been the primary actor and stuntman for the role of Michael Myers, he wasn't the only actor playing the part. Nick Castle, the actor that played the character in the original 1978 Halloween came in and did a few scenes. Courtney was thankful to work with Castle who he described as being "a super talented man, and a quality human being."
While Castle was responsible for recording the Michael Myers breathing sounds, he was also physically featured in the scene when the character Laurie Strode comes face-to-face with Myers for the first time in 40 years.
Courtney Has Always Been A Fan Of Halloween
According to Courtney, the two films that stuck out to him while attending the University of South Carolina were Rocky and Halloween. After seeing the film in theaters he recalls thinking, "There's a whole new paradigm being created right now. So I remember it very, very well."
He went on to say about the franchise, "When the new ones come out you go see them. It's just a part of my life. You know what I mean?" Yet, he never imagined that he would ever have the opportunity to step into the role of "The Shape."
Behind The Mask
After seeing Courtney only with the mask on, it's quite surprising to see what he looks like in real life — quite the contrast to the character of Michael Myers! Nevertheless, he couldn't be happier for the opportunity to play "The Shape," one of the horror genre's most iconic villains.
Courtney opened up about the role saying, "Right now I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
The Pennywise Actor Is From A Famous Family
2017's It features young Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård, who plays the role of the film's horrifying villain Pennywise the Dancing Clown. His last name might sound familiar, as he comes he comes from a long line of Hollywood royalty. His father is Stellan Skarsgård, who has been in films such as Goodwill Hunting, Breaking the Waves, and the Thor series.
Skarsgård also has seven siblings who are all actors although his brother Alexander is most known in the United States for his major roles in True Blood and Big Little Lies. His other brother, Gustav, is also known for playing Floki on History Channel's hit series Vikings.
Being From A Famous Family Gave Him Trouble In School
Since his father, Stellan, is such a well-known actor in Sweden, Skarsgård was frequently bullied in school for being his son. Skarsgård claimed, "When I started working in Sweden, there were people that really wanted to hate me [...] Kids in the schoolyard would be like, 'You think you're so cool because your dad is Stellan Skarsgård, huh?' And I'm like, 'No? Not at all.' But I would get into fights over it."
While some jealous people in the industry still like to say that he got a lot of his roles because of his father, it's clear that his acting speaks for itself.
He Didn't Always Want To Be An Actor
In 2017, Skarsgård admitted to Interview magazine that following in the footsteps of his family members and becoming an actor wasn't always appealing. Instead, he thought that he might want to become a doctor like his mother and brother Samuel. However, in his last few years of high school, he read some scripts that really spoke to him and pushed him in the direction of becoming an actor.
One film, in particular, was Hannes Holme's film Behind Blue Skies. After auditioning and not getting the role, Skarsgård talked to the director personally about his desire to be in the film, eventually landing the part.
He Made Kids Cry On The Set Of It
There's no denying that Skarsgård's portrayal of Pennywise is about as scary as it gets in the movie. Yet, apparently, he was equally as frightening to some young actors while on set. He recalls that at one point they filmed a scene with a group of kid extras that hadn't seen Skarsgård in his costume yet.
When he came out as Pennywise, he scared some kids in the group so much that a few of them even began to cry in the middle of the take. Even though he apologized to the kids after, it became obvious that Skarsgård was right for the role.
His Brother Helped Him Develop His Signature Pennywise Smile
While growing up in an acting family may have caused him some grief as a kid, it has also helped him with his career. He even credits his brother Gustav with helping him develop his signature, spine-chilling Pennywise smile.
He told CinemaBlend, "Well, it's a funny story because my older brother Gustaf, who is an actor as well, he had this ability to point his lip in a very strange way [...] I dunno how I understood that I could do it as well." So, from a young age, he developed this creepy smile that he would use to scare his sibling and later utilized it for his character Pennywise.
He Auditioned For The Role In Full Clown Regalia
Knowing that many people who score big roles do so by standing out, Skarsgård decided to audition for the role in full clown makeup. He says, "I had my girlfriend put on the makeup the morning of, and then I drove through Hollywood in full clown face" [...] I was like, this is really humiliating—the epitome of the Auditioning Actor in L.A. But I'm happy I stuck with it."
He got the part, with director Andrés Muschietti saying. "Bill has this incredible balance between childlike features [and] something that can be very disturbing [...] I wanted him to bring that to the equation."
He Was Scared Of Disrespecting Tim Curry's Previous Portrayal Of Pennywise
Before the 2017 film, the role of Pennywise belonged to Tim Curry in the 1990 miniseries of the same name. Tim Curry's performance has since been considered iconic and is largely what Skarsgård based his own performance on.
He recalls his feelings going into the role, admitting that, "I had a few sleepless nights and these really terrifying feelings of anxiety where I was like, 'Holy [expletive], I'm taking on this iconic character. What if I can't pull it off?" Luckily for Skarsgård, his portrayal of the character was widely accepted and the film was a major success.
He Had A Clown Coach
Besides going off of Curry's original performance as Pennywise, Skarsgård sought out professional help to make the character as frightening and believable as possible. According to The New York Times, preparing for the role took a lot of time and energy on Skarsgård's part.
Becoming a horrifying entity that takes the form of an evil clown to feed off of children and their fear doesn't come naturally for the majority of people. So, on top of makeup and costume testing, Skarsgård even worked with a clown coach to make sure he was getting the subtleties of being a clown down.
He's Looking Forward To Future Projects
While Skarsgård managed to give audiences nightmares as Pennywise, his appearance is shocking without his costume. Yet, after playing such a dark role, he notes that he doesn't want to typecast as Pennywise.
He claims that "I want to be able to do different roles. Pennywise looks and sounds so different from me that I could do a rom-com next, and people probably wouldn't even know I was the same guy." However, it appears that his next role is another Stephen King-inspired TV series for Hulu, although not as Pennywise.
Most Of His Personal Life Is Still Unknown
Since Skarsgård is still a relatively new name in Hollywood, not much is known about his personal life compared to other major actors. Yet, in 2016, he was seen with Swedish actress Alida Morberg who was identified as his girlfriend. However, it appears that the two were not trying to keep their relationship a secret, as she was seen attending the premiere of Allegiant.
Of course, since the two are actors, they're usually separated for their work, although it appears that Morberg is getting more and more roles in the United States. It may only be a matter of time until she achieves Hollywood stardom as well.
Skarsgård Wasn't The First Choice For Pennywise
Even though we couldn't imagine It without him, Skarsgård wasn't Hollywood's first choice for the role of Pennywise. Originally, the film was set to be directed by Cary Fukunaga with Will Poulter of The Revenant and We're the Millers as Pennywise. Fukunaga left the project about a year later and was replaced by director Andy Muschietti, and Poulter left the film soon after.
According to Muschietti, he believed Poulter would have been great for the role, yet Poulter expressed that he was becoming less and less interested in the role. Muschietti respected his decision although was excited to find a new Pennywise himself.
Playing Pennywise Gave Skarsgård Nightmares
Unsurprisingly, playing a character as dark and evil as Pennywise, had some negative effects on Skarsgård's mental health. While getting into character was difficult enough at the start, what he really had a hard time with was leaving the character behind. After wrapping up filming and returning to Stockholm, Skarsgård said he was essentially tortured by the character.
He claimed that "For the following two weeks I would have these really disturbing dreams about Pennywise. It was very strange, it was almost like a really slow exorcism to completely let go of him." He didn't have much recovery time either, as he began filming for the sequel not long after.
