And if you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman…make sure you read the last part. Doug let some interesting info slip….
As always, if you’d like to listen to the audio rather than reading the transcript…just click here.
Collider: So last time I spoke to you, you were getting ready to leave for the trip. Now, you’ve filmed…
Doug Jones: The Saturn awards right? Is that right?
Collider: It was. So how was the experience?
Doug Jones: Oh my gosh. First of all,
Collider: I’m just imagining that.
Doug Jones: So it’s all good. It’s really a great story. Guillermo hit this one out of the park when he wrote the script. He really did.
Collider: Before you left had you seen any of the dailies? Had you looked at footage?
Doug Jones: No, before I left oh, before I left to come back home you mean?
Collider: Yeah.
Doug Jones: I did see a few cut together scenes that were like a rough cut on Guillermo’s laptop. I’ve got to tell you it was goose bump city for me. I mean some scenes are so funny that I was heaving laughing. His humor is so brilliant and he wrote wonderfully for us and the other scenes that are so touching brings a tear to your eye. It’s a wide range of emotions this time. And I’m not just saying it’s the best thing I’ve ever done because it’s my next movie, it really is.
Collider: Do you think all the projects you had done prior to this film had almost led you to this performance? Do you think you were able to…
Doug Jones: Probably. I’m more mature as an actor now I think and I was able to take all this in and more comfortable in my role as Abe Sapien and also getting the voice back for Abe Sapien really meant the world to me. I went into it this time being very comfortable and very settled with who Abe was and I felt like Abe and I connected to the point where he could play himself through me and that’s really where I want to be as an actor on every character I play.
Collider: I saw a great photo of you and Neil Gaiman on a countryside and I saw you with the mask on and it looked like just this moment of you know--I can’t believe I’m doing this. Can you tell me about
Doug Jones: Well Neil Gaiman was on-set to shadow Guillermo del Toro to get his skills and techniques of directing. Neil will be directing his first film soon, so he was there to learn from Guillermo and they’re also in cahoots as producer/director on other things so meeting Neil was such an honor for me and we actually became good friends and kept in touch and his daughter Maddie was on-set and she took over his blog for awhile and she wrote about me and I wrote about her. It was a big love fest.