I sadly still own my Garbage Pail Kids trading cards, and I liked the movie |
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TM: You have worked on so many great films doing different aspects of film making with special effects, producing,writing,acting,directing,........on films like From Dusk Till Dawn, Army of Darkness, Demolitian Man, Friday the 13th, and even the classic Garbage Pail Kids movie.......which experience
was your favorite and why?
WB:Ha Ha.... I painted all the heads for The Garbage Pail Kids movie......There is so many great experiences but I'll tell you a funny story about Garbage Pail Kids the Movie.....John Carl Buechler will kill me if he reads this. Again I wanted to get into the business and I would bluff my way to get gigs....so we were working on Garbage Pail Kids at Beuchler's shop and he asked me if I knew how to paint foam latex which is what they use for the skin on the puppets, I was like "Oh yeah I know how to do that, absolutely how hard can it be?" At the time you had to mix medical adhesive with the paint because it makes the paint flexible, so when the eyes and mouth moved the foam would not rip. So I painted all the heads and and did not add the medical adhesive. Well it came time for shooting and they took the heads to the set, and I am actually very embarrassed to admit this, I have never discussed this before but they started shooting the first shot and the mouths of the puppets started to get that crazy Jack Nicholson as the Joker grin to them. Everyone was running around saying "Oh My God I cant believe this is happening" there was chaos. So this guy Mitch says to me how much adhesive did you put in them and I remember looking at him like what is that??? So I replied You know I put in how much they showed me, I don't know what happened.
TM: That is a great story man!
WB: Yea and Ive told the story before about being on the set of Night of the Living Dead with John Vulich who was incharge of the special effects for that film, We had a full life like dummy of Bill Moseley for the scene where his head gets smashed on the grave stone, and it really looked real. This was a very wild shoot we would go drinking every night after shooting and one night we took the dummy and put it naked in the bathtub with a towel on his head in my hotel room with blood all over him. So we pranked the cast members with it and were scaring everyone with it and it was fun but then you know I was drunk and passed out, so at 4:00 in the morning I had to go to work and I forgot about it. Well it turns out that the house keeper came in and found it, so I get a call from the AD and he was like you just got kicked out of your hotel because the housekeeper flipped out and went running down the streets screaming holding on to her Rosary beeds. So I had to find another place to stay for the rest of the shoot.
TM: How was it working with Tony Todd?
WB: Tony Todd is awesome, I tried to 
In Night Of The Living Dead William Butler & Tony Todd NOT Loaded Weapon! |
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act like I wasn't but I was actually very intimidated to work with him because I thought he was just such a good actor. I was just thinking what is a stupid hillbilly like me doing in this movie with all these great actors, and I was nervous when I was in scenes with him. I truly loved working with him in fact I wanted him to be in FURNACE but at the time he was doing Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hide.
TM:Going into a film there is alot of times when you do not know people that you will be working with.. Who sticks out to you being an actor or director that you met on a project that really helped you
or that you really clicked with..........and why?
WB: I met Toby Hooper early on in the Return of the Living Dead movies, he was suppose to direct them and I was fascinated by him. He is a genius, just being in his presence made me feel like a better person because I have so much respect for him. He is very smart and very down to earth. He does not fuck around and if I learned one thing from him it is to not be afraid to tell people what you think. I also loved working with Lance Henrikson, again as a fan I was kind of secretly intimidated to work with him and he made me feel so comfortable. He is a great actor and a 100% team player.
TM: Did you have him sign your ALIEN'S DVD for you?
WB: No but actually Todd Stites who plays a crazy trans-sexual in the film did.
TM: HAHA that's funny that would be the first thing I would be thinking of if I met him would be boy I want him to sign my Aliens DVD.
WB: It's really hard to not do that, trust me......I think the only person that I ever asked for an autograph was Mel Brooks. I had a meeting with Mel and I brought my Young Frankenstien DVD with me and asked him to sign it. I was too geeked out I couldn't pass that up. I tried playing it cool like " Hey man whats going on" that's part of the whole game you know, Im horrible at it but I still try. I still freak out when they tell me that certain actors have been cast for my films......Like are you kidding me he is going to be in my film?
TM: What are your goals for 2007:
WB: Im starting a movie called Rush, its shooting here in Los Angelos. Im thrilled about that so that I can go home every night. It is a thriller, it's a little bit like Cruel Intentions with blood and lots of chicks. I just finished INK which is kind of like Final Destination where these kids are getting tattoos and the tattoos are a reflection of how they die. I am also directing the Paul Lynn story, he was the original Uncle Aurthor on Bewitched and a comedian in the 1970's. He was also a violent alcoholic so it's a good story. Other then that Im trying to lose weight and that's about it.
TM: Do you regularly sit in on casting 
Good flick, check it out if you get a chance! |
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sessions?
WB: Oh yeah, every time.
TM: What is your weirdest experience ever where someone was trying to get a job?
WB: We had a guy come in the other day......I said do you have any questions and he said "Yea I don't like the way the scene ends, I would like to change the scene around because the guy shouldn't be mad at the girl so Im going to change it" I said alright thinking to myself ......that is a very dangerous choice to make when the writer of the screen play is sitting in front of you. Also terrifying situations are when actors really pull knives out for a scene instead of pretending. I have had that happen about 5 times in 7 years. An actor during the casting of Madhouse got so excited that he fell backwards and fell through the drywall in the casting office. Sometimes its really hard to keep a straight face when they suck but you have respect for them for anyone that would get in a car and drive across town.
TM: When you are casting what do you look for?
WB: Well it depends, acting is really all about confidence. You got to have confidence, there was a guy that came in today and really good looking he looked like a movie star but he was trembling in his audition and could barly breath so it killed his audition.
Mandatory Matchflick Q's
Favorite actor:
WB:Jack Nicholson
What movie do you love?
WB:The innocent it's the scariest movie I have ever seen, not one drop of blood.
What movie do you hate?
WB:Dreamgirls, Ill tell you why I hate it, quit pounding it into my head already ok I get it.....its good
Who would you like to work with in a film that you have never worked with before?
WB:You....
TM: Thanks man...
WB: do you mean like in a horror movie?
TM: Anyone.........
WB: Most of them are dead isn't that funny....
TM: Actually its not, dead people are a common answer.
WB: Then I will go with Christopher Reeve.
What is one character role you would not take?
WB: I would take any character role but Im just not comfortable in front of a camera right now.....Im a behind the scenes type of guy.
What are your pet peeves?
WB: Car trouble, DMV, and the post office.
Who in Hollywood do you think is smoking hot?
WB: Scarlett Johanson
Who is your favorite co-star?
WB: Kate Hodge from Leatherface
Which film of yours in your favorite?
WB: Night of the Living Dead 1990
I want to personally thank William Butler from the bottem of my heart for taking the time to do this interview. This interview taught me several vital facts about Hollywood that could only come from a professional. As a writer and as a fan.........Thanks...
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Every other Saturday
This column explores every aspect of the film business from a true fanboy's perspective.
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| Tim Malcolm |
Tim Malcolm got his first job at a movie theater in 1996 working as a projectionist. He quickly learned that there was no better job then getting paid to watch movies. Since then he has been an advid film watcher, collector, critic and writer.
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