Bill Moseley Talks The Possession Experiement
Matt Boiselle
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When you talk about an absolute staple in the horror industry, you’ve got to have Bill Moseley’s name at or close to the top of your short list – from his early days as the demented Chop-Top in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, to his iconic role as the supremely sadistic Otis Firefly in the Rob Zombie House Of 1000 Corpses/The Devil’s Rejects films, and with a seemingly endless list of portrayals both before and after the above mentioned flicks, there’s no doubt that he’s the man to call for the job when you need an intense performance.
His latest role in The Possession Experiment (review) transports him over to the holy side of the spectrum, and he was gracious enough to give us a few minutes to tell us about the role, and what he’s got coming up next – read on and enjoy!
DC: Can you tell us a little about the film’s premise, as well as about your character, Father Campbell?
BM: Well, the film is basically about a guy who wants to explore the past via a theology experiment, and stumbles upon some dark history which includes the exorcism that my character ends up performing, and things end up going terribly wrong. I think it was an amazing script written by Mary Dixon, and our director was Scott Hansen – I thought he did a fantastic job, and the special fx makeup was great along with the practical effects.
DC: Although your role in the film was a bit abbreviated, it was still pretty powerful. Do you prefer the cameo-like parts that steal a film, or do you prefer the more stretched-out portrayals that run the length of a movie?
BM: Both of them have their merits – short and sweet, you come in, you kick some ass, and you get out of town before you start to sag or droop, and the longer roles are good because you make more money, which is always good. What would be great would be to be on a six-month shoot in the Caribbean, where you’re on the clock the whole time. The only drawback to me as far as the short stints go is when my name ends up on the Blu or DVD box, and there’s that sense of somehow I’m a prominent character, and my fans go to the theater or rent the film, and I’m there for a couple of minutes and that’s it – that can be a bit of a disappointment, but that’s just the nature of the business.
DC: Looks as if your scene got a little bit physical – what can you tell us about it?
BM: It did, actually. The scene that I’m in picks up in the middle of the exorcism that I’m performing. I’m Father Mark Campbell, and exorcism is my game! So, my assistant and I have been working on this exorcism for days, if not weeks – it’s a long slide, and a tough process – more of a marathon than a sprint. We’re reading passages, throwing holy water, and brandishing the crucifix. While not quite Bears vs. Packers, it’s still a competition – my faith and that of the church versus the unholy evil, and I’m completely confident that I can save the soul of this possessed girl, but the devil’s got a few tricks up his sleeve.
DC: You’ve covered many roles over the course of your career, playing a bevy of different characters with different personalities – is there one type of character or topic that if approached, you’d say “no way, I’m not going to touch it?”
BM: I think there’s a responsibility of the actor to play both the good and evil archetypes of the world, and if someone were to come to me with a role that was good but really reprehensible, like a child-molester (which I have played, by the way), or Nazis (played those too), and these are roles that I personally find despicable. I have daughters, and I’m a pretty modest guy in my own life, and what I think is important is that you’re committed to it, and just go for it. I remember on that film The Tortured, I played a child-molester, and the people that were shooting the movie were really reluctant to use the word “pedophile”, and even though that’s what the script was about, there still was a lot of reticence to go for it, and I was thinking, “oh my god, man, you’ve got to go for it, and if you do this, you can’t do it halfway.” These dark roles really demand one-hundred percent, enthusiasm and support. I remember I was shown the home of the pedophile (my role in the movie), in a small town in Vermont – I’m a bus driver, and I’ve been driving this bus for some 15 years, and at the same time I’ve abducted a bunch of kids, killed them and buried them in the yard. They then showed me the house, and I walk in the front door, and there’s all kinds of dolls, horses, balloons and streamers – just overloaded, and I said “you know what? – all of this has to go, because if this is taking place in a small town where everyone knows everyone, it’s got to be somewhat real, not like a circus.” So they took everything out – I mean it’s not exactly something I would do, but when you’re given a role to play, however dark it is – pedal to the metal.
DC: Lastly, after the release of The Possession Experiment, what can fans expect to see from you in the near future?
BM: I did a movie a few years ago in Australia called Charlie’s Farm, and that was directed by Christopher Sun, and the latest film he’s directed that I’m in is called Boar, and it’s about this giant pig in the outback – kind of a Jaws on land, and that I can’t wait to see just for the pure fun of it – it’ll be a wonderful creature feature. I also just did an album on Housecore Records – it’s called “Bill and Phil: Songs of Darkness and Despair” with Phil Anselmo, and that will be coming out on January 20th.
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