CraveOnline: Is it hard to take on an iconic performance by a beloved actor?
Malcolm McDowell: No, no, you can't think of that. What Donald Pleasance did in the original one was of course brilliant. John Carpenter's movie, I didn't see it but I hear it's absolutely the definitive in that genre. But Rob's no slouch. He's got a good point of view and he wrote a very interesting script. So it was a pretty easy decision for me to want to do it, work with him. And also I've never actually done an out and out horror film. I'm not that keen on them to be honest. I find them tedious, most of them, really kind of schlocky and terrible character development and thin storylines. The ones that I've seen, they're usually pretty bad because they're very low budget. But I think to make a good one, that'll be nice.CraveOnline: Did you watch the originals at all?
Malcolm McDowell: No, because I don't like them. The only one I really enjoyed, to be honest, and I think he's a brilliant director, is Wes Craven. He did a movie called [The People Under the Stairs], which I saw at a film festival where he was a guest and I was a guest. So I went to see the film and I was just riveted by this thing. I thought, "My God, this guy is brilliant. I'd love to work with him."CraveOnline: Why haven't you?
Malcolm McDowell: We got very close to doing something and it wasn't in the horror genre. It was something else and they didn't want him to direct it, which is so stupid to me.CraveOnline: Is the dysfunction and alcoholism in Michael's story similar to your own family background?
Malcolm McDowell: Not that bad. I went to an upper class boarding school. It certainly wasn't anything like these lunatics. My father was an alcoholic but he wasn't abusive. There are many forms of alcoholism and he wasn't abusive really. It was just there was no dialogue or was no emotional ebb and flow in a family with an alcoholic. Although my mom used to get very embarrassed when I said this. She of course was in denial about it. I'd say, "You know, mom, he was totally alcoholic." [She'd say], "Well, he liked a drink." I said, "When you like a drink is being an alcoholic if you have a drink every day of your life." "But he just liked to drink now and again." But my mother was from the north ofCraveOnline: Speaking of remakes, could you ever see Clockwork Orange being remade?
Malcolm McDowell: Well, I could. Anything's possible.CraveOnline: Would you want to?
Malcolm McDowell: I don't think I would. I mean, I've seen certain stage productions which honestly are so bad, it's embarrassing but I couldn't say that at the time because they were all expecting me to love it and I didn't want to disappoint people. In any case, who cares? What does it matter? You don't go around upsetting people for nothing. And also, the work's done. What can you do? There's nothing you can do.CraveOnline: If you don't like horror or remakes, how did Rob convince you to do a horror remake?
Malcolm McDowell: Ah, good question. I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment. No, I read the script and I thought it was very interesting. And then when I met with Rob, I instantly liked him. We got on really well and I knew that we could make a really terrific film. I knew him by reputation and all that so he's just a thoroughly nice guy. And he has a vision. He's a very, very good director and it wouldn't surprise me if he never made another horror film and he went on to have an incredible career inCraveOnline: You have an incredible career with about 150 credits.
Malcolm McDowell: That just means I keep working.CraveOnline: Do you want to keep on doing this until you die?
Malcolm McDowell: Oh, actors don't die. They just fade away, don't they? Actors, we just go on until we just collapse, I guess. The thing is, I've got two young boys. One of them's eight months, one's three years old. What am I supposed to do? I've got to put them through college. I've got to start all this again. So I'm watching f*cking Big Bird now.CraveOnline: Does that influence your choice of roles now, with little kids?
Malcolm McDowell: No, I'll do the odd voiceover for the kids. That’s about it. I'll do one of these weird things for the kids and my son is very anxious to come and see Halloween. He's three years old. Do I want to traumatize this kid for life?CraveOnline: Will you let him?
Malcolm McDowell: No, of course not.CraveOnline: Were you attracted to this Dr. Loomis because he's not so selfless? He kind of sells out Michael Myers to write his book.
Malcolm McDowell: Well, he's a shit. Yeah, but what makes the character interesting is that he has the flaw. He's an egomaniac actually and a very poor doctor. Any man who can be treating a patient for 17 years and end up with a serial psychopath serial killer has got to be a total failure but that's what's great about him.CraveOnline: Do you think he ever cared about Michael?
Malcolm McDowell: Yes, of course he did. Cares about him, I hope that comes across. But he cares about him and then it gets to the point where, it's a nice little scene and it's an ad lib and I believe it's still in the movie, although most of my stuff's cut. I should talk to Rob about that but I think I do say, "You've become my best friend." That shows you how f*cked up this whole thing is. But I had other scenes. Coming in the guard gate, doing Shakespeare and stuff like that, going, "Oh god of battle, steel my soldiers' hearts." Then looking at the guard and going, "Keep your fingers crossed boys, the audition's tonight." And off we go signing out. And Rob goes, "Why did you do that?" It shows that Loomis is a lonely f*cker. All he's got is the amateur dramatics and that's what he's doing at night.CraveOnline: Do you think if he had been a better doctor, Michael could have been saved?
Malcolm McDowell: I think he probably would have been worse. A better doctor, there's no curing a psychopath. A psychopath, what do you do with them? You have to just lock them away and that's it. There is no cure. There's no cure for schizophrenia. There just isn't. And also, I think that's why this Halloween is so terrifying. It's the boy next door sort of suddenly flips out. Now we're getting a little immune to it because there's so much of it in the news. Virginia Tech, the boy next door kills 30 people. It's just like unbelievable. It's just the way he does it, Michael. And also the arrogance of the state I think Loomis represents. The arrogance of thinking that he can be cured when I think they know, any respectable doctor knows there is no cure. I mean, you can drug him up to the eyelids but they don't know how to cure schizophrenia. It's just not done.CraveOnline: Are you pickier with your roles or just want to be a working actor?
Malcolm McDowell: I don't do everything. There are some things I won't do. As you get on, it's a challenge to do sh*t. It really is. When I was a young actor, I insisted on changing the lines. Now I'll never change a line. I refuse. If I can't make that crap work, then I'm not the actor I thought I was.CraveOnline: So there's an extra challenge in doing bad material?
Malcolm McDowell: Exactly. You'd be shocked at the crap I have to say.CraveOnline: What's the hardest line you've ever had to say?
Malcolm McDowell: I just know there was a whole thing. I learned this thing about a year ago, I was going up toCraveOnline: So you did it your way?
Malcolm McDowell: No, I did it. I had to do it.CraveOnline: Would you ever want to direct?
Malcolm McDowell: No. Subtly I direct my own stuff anyway.CraveOnline: Are you signed for another movie?
Malcolm McDowell: That's what they say. He'll be back.CraveOnline: Do you like living in
CraveOnline: What attracted you here in the first place?
Malcolm McDowell: Firstly a woman. And I got into the web of that situation, had two children, got divorced but alas, there were the children. So there was no question of me going back toCraveOnline: How did it feel to be killed off of Heroes?
Malcolm McDowell: How did it feel? I was a little bit pissed off because I was enjoying it so much. Then when I read the script, I let out a huge scream and said, "The bastards have killed me!"CraveOnline: Maybe you can be in one of the Heroes: Origins.
Malcolm McDowell: Are they doing another one? I hadn't heard of that. It sounds like they're just trying to milk the cash cow a bit too much. It's tough. Well, from an actor's point of view, it's the easiest job in television because there's so many in the cast. You only work one or two days a week and that's it. But for the production people, it's a nightmare. Very difficult, all over the place and working very long hours.CraveOnline: Didn't you think Linderman would have more to do?
Malcolm McDowell: You would think. But you know these guys are pretty damn smart. They're very clever. When I was leaving, they came up and said, "Listen, no one ever really dies on this show, you know that?"
