Clark, Eugene (Land of the Dead)
This June a new face of horror was introduced to the masses. The long awaited fourth entry in George A. Romero’s legendary Dead series made its way to theatres across the country and is now poised to leave its bloody, bloody mark overseas. This new face belongs to an actor named Eugene Clark or as he is about to become best known to genre fans everywhere — Big Daddy. So join us now for a little talk with the man behind the smartest zombie in town!
Uncle Creepy: It’s a pleasure talking to you, Eugene. You’ve been in the business for quite some time. How did you get started?
Eugene Clark: School plays.
UC: That was your genesis?
EC: Yep. School plays.
UC: Were you a fan of the Romero Dead films?
EC: Yes, definitely. Who isn’t?
UC: Did you get to watch any of them recently before starting the Land shoot? Or did you just work on memory?
EC: I revisited them – looked at them. And then left it alone because it was something kind of fresh, and I just wanted to work organically from there. I definitely wanted to take a look at them and refresh my memory, but you don’t want to duplicate anything. So I just listened to George, took his direction, and then he allowed us to “play.” He allowed us to add certain things, which was great. It was awesome working with him.
UC: The only character from the other films that was even moderately close to yours was Bub from Day of the Dead. He was the first “thinking” zombie. Did you take that performance and build on it? How did you go that step further?
EC: Basically, from the audition. George set up a scenario in the audition. We had a chair, a table, and an office phone. And he said, “You’re a zombie. These are your surroundings. Go!” He wanted a full range of emotion. He did say that we were beginning to evolve, so from the very first audition they were evolving. And then after that, he did mention Bub and that I wasn’t him. We were evolving, and there were some things we may have used when we were human – for instance, the rifle. At some point I may have been a soldier and used one. So there’s a point in the movie where it kind of clicked and I recognized it.
UC: Like instinct or memory.
EC: Exactly. So it came more from George’s direction the very first time we met than it did from anything else. And wanting to make the emotions real.
UC: Did you find it hard to have to convey the emotion without actually having any lines?
EC: No.
UC: Your performance is stellar. There’s a lot of emotion in it. Where did you go to get that? How do you even begin?
EC: I had to sort of open up places in my heart where I didn’t really want to go. Dealing with a lot of atrocities that occur around the world. Dealing with a lot of innocent people suffering. Dealing with heartbreak. Dealing with people dying unexpectedly, children in pain. You know you just go to those places and then personalize it, making it about people you know and making it real. Pretty soon, you find yourself in places where you don’t want to go, but I thought the role warranted that. There were nights where I had to just walk; I didn’t come down easily from some of those places.
UC: I can imagine. Your character was probably more human than anyone else in the film. In Romero’s films he always has a strong Black protagonist. That’s just a trademark of the Dead movies. It was such a different spin to have you portray what is essentially supposed to be a bad guy to begin with. You managed to convey humanity through all the chaos, and I found that to be a very interesting take on the whole zombie genre.
EC: Right, right. Yeah, that was, once again, all George. I think . . . well, you saw it. You saw what was going on. You can see why the zombies did what they did. We’re supposed to be the bad guys, but we’re under attack. Basically, you leave us alone; we’re going to leave you alone.
UC: Like Simon said in the movie, you were just looking for a place to go.
EC: Exactly. I thought it was nice that my character didn’t eat anybody.
UC: Matter of fact, he didn’t, did he?
EC: I didn’t have time for that! You’re messing with me; leave me alone!
UC: For horror fans Land of the Dead is akin to the new Star Wars. It was 20 years of waiting for this film. Was there any pressure on you?
EC: No, I just went with it. The pressure was just to make sure I performed at a level that George was happy with. That was the only thing . . . to tell the truth and do the best job I could. Everything else will care of itself if you do the work and don’t leave anything on the set. Sometimes you’ll get home and go, “Oh my goodness, I should have done something else.” So, no, I didn’t think about that. Actually, that would have been a little too much to think about, you know.
UC: Now, what about working with Romero? He’s an iconic director in a lot of people’s eyes. What was he like on set?
EC: He is one of the coolest cats ever! One of the best directors to work with. He’s really great. He knows what he wants. He gives you a chance to bring something to the table. I’d work with him anytime! It was truly an honor working with him and to see how he loves it. He nurtures it. He wants everything to be just so, and that’s important. You can see how much he cares about it.
UC: Very cool. He’s a really interesting guy as well. It’s so refreshing to meet someone who’s so iconic and yet so down-to-earth.
EC: Yes, down-to-earth. He’s good people.
UC: And he’s also very intense; you can see that. He has his vision, and his material is usually nothing short of brilliant. But enough of me praising George!
EC: Well, you know, he deserves it.
UC: With regard to the special effects, I know you worked on TekWar, but was this the first time you had to work under so much makeup?
EC: No. Years ago I worked on a made-for-TV movie called, of all things, War of the Worlds. I was a sergeant who turned alien, so that was my first encounter with it.
UC: How do you find working under makeup?
EC: It was great! The whole special effects crew on Land did such an awesome job – Greg, all of his guys. They did a great job. In fact, we knew that the emotions we conveyed would read. The technology is so advanced now from the old days that you can’t hide behind the makeup.
UC: How long did it take to apply your makeup?
EC: About three hours on and off in the beginning. Then we got it down to maybe an hour and a half. If I didn’t have a really rough day, we could probably do it in about an hour and a half, an hour and 20. Then of course it was about the same amount of time taking it off. So I slept really good!
UC: That’s very cool. I know there’s a rumored director’s cut of the film hitting DVD, at the very least an unrated cut, so a lot of the stuff that was filmed but didn’t make it into the movie could be put back in. I’m hoping for some more gore. Can you comment on any of the violence that didn’t make it into the movie and any of the exposition?
EC: I have no idea.
UC: Did it bother you being around the graphic violence and stuff like that? Or did you dig it? Was it fun?
EC: Actually, no, it didn’t bother me. It all added to the role – everything that was going on. It helped me get into character.
UC: When did it dawn on you that “Wow, I’m in a Romero zombie movie”? What was the first moment when you knew this was going to be something special?
EC: At the premiere.
UC: Yeah, it’s amazing. I don’t know if you’re aware of it or not, but you’re destined to be an action figure. You’re also a t-shirt. The Big Daddy zombie is going to become one of the most iconic characters. Guaranteed.
EC: Gino, the guy who did my makeup, warned me. He said, “You have no idea what’s coming!” And he was right.
UC: Have you seen first-hand any of the fan reaction yet?
EC: Some.
UC: It’s going to get crazy for you, brother! Wait until you do some of the conventions; your head is going to be spinning
EC: Well, I’m looking forward to it.
UC: But, at the same time, it’s got to be pretty trippy for you as an actor to see yourself on t-shirts and as an action figure. You’re on every poster for the film. How does that kind of stuff make you feel?
EC: You know, it’s fun. I’m jazzed more for my friends and family. I’m more jazzed for them. And yeah, I love it! But you have to take it in perspective as well. Okay, this is cool; this is great. I’ve been in the business for a long time. I’ve done several series, I’ve done other work, but I’ve never done a Romero film, and I’ve never been on the poster.
UC: The first time you saw the poster, you had to go, “Oh, shit!”
EC: Oh, I loved it. I went, “WOW! That’s me!” I had to call my friends, “Yo, check it out, check it out!”
UC: That’s great, man! We wish you all the luck in the world. I know this role is going to end up being really big for you. In terms of fan interaction, there’s going to be a lot of love out there waiting for you.
EC: Well, thank God! I’m ready to give it.
Big thanks to Eugene for taking the time out to talk with us!
Categorized:Interviews News
