You know who’s an awesome motherfucker? Derek Mears. Some people get to live their dreams, and it appears that in being cast to play Jason Vorhees, Derek got to live out one of his. Having met him at another function, he’s one of the most charming and self-effacing talents I’ve talked to, he gets it, he gets the film he made, and more than anything, he gets his character.

Of all the previous Jasons, Mears gives the single best performance, and manages to instill Jason with stronger motivations and feelings than ever has been attempted, and it one of the reasons why the new film works. Which may be more than you might expect from a huge guy with a bald plate and who spent most of his career in bit parts and doing stunts, but Mears is the man. Now, when we sat down I was told they were getting Derek a new shirt, and I thought we were just bullshitting for a bit, so you’ll see him change shirts at some point, as we then focused more on the movie.