You might not know his name but if you are a Jason fan, you have seen him! The hilarious Stu Charno is not only an actor, but also a writer, musician, wood worker, and even studies the martial arts known as Shing-Yi, Jack of all trades! I was able to interview him and this is how it went.
Marcus:: So tell us, when you aren't being attacked by
Jason, destroying a remodeled 1958
Plymouth Fury, or making people laugh off
there ass while doing stand up, what is the real Stu
Charno like? Spare no
details!
Stu:: Actually my first job as an actor
was the film, "The Chosen". Friday the 13 Part 2 was my second
gig. I watched the part one and was astonished that they were
making a sequel -- no that it was "bad" or anything, it's just that
sequels weren't as popular back then. But I guess if something makes
money, they try to do it again.
Marcus:: How did you go about getting the part of Ted and also,
what is it like knowing you are one of the few who have survived Mr. Voorhees?
any way involved in it and also, will you be providing
any commentary? What can you tell us about it?
Marcus:: Have you seen Freddy Vs. Jason? You did you think was
going to win and who did you actually WANT to win? Also, which Friday the 13th
movie is your favorite or favorites?
be an actor. I was sitting in a club watching a friend
perform, when a women at a table near me, sidled her chair over and asked me,
"are you a comedian?". I said, "I feel funny...",
and she gave me her card. She was a talent agent named, Yvette Bickoff,
and she said that she wanted to to study some acting and the she wanted to
represent me! A few months later she started sending me on auditions and
I booked three movies back to back (Fri 13th P2 was one of them). Go
figure...
Marcus:: In 1983, you were in John Carpenter's Christine. You
played Vandenberg one of Buddy Reperton's gang members. What was it like being
in a John Carpenter movie? And what is he like in person and to work with?
Stu:: John
told us to do the scene like we were having the time of our lives. The
first time I hit the car window with a crow bar, introduced some new
sensations to the system. Radically severe. But like anything, I
got used to it. Now I smash up cars all the time...
met. We had a blast working
together. In that film,. in the scene where I'm chasing Jim and Karen,
he hits me with a 2x4 and it does nothing, then she punches me and knocks me
out. She accidentally does punch me in the beak, sending one of
my vampire teeth flying. She felt terrible, but they kept the take.
I later punched her in the nose too, just to make it even.
Stu:: Well, you mean "another"
Steven King movie (Christine and Sleepwalkers). Steven was in the scene
I was in in Sleepwalkers, with another famous writer/director, whose name
escapes me right now.
afraid of
being afraid, so I don't watch scary movies. Some people love to be
scared and love to watch scary stuff, so I don't go to the movies with
them. I just scare them when they get out...
Marcus:: You also do stand up comedy, what is it like doing
stand up? Is it nerve wracking standing in front of a crowd of people? Which
do you enjoy more? Acting, or Stand up comedy?
Stu:: I played an anasthesiologist in
those episodes, and, in the interest of understanding my role better, I
went to watch open heart surgery. Yikes! It was insane
how casual the doctors were! They do this every day, so they're casual,
but I wet my pants...
Stu:: My ex-wife and myself used to
watch the show regularly and we were both writing in those days and had some
ideas for the show. I set up a pitch meeting through my agent at the
time, and she told the story while I acted it out, and they bought three
stories over the years... Ethics, New Ground and The Unforgiven were the
names.
everyone individually and hang, out I'd do it right now! I think
we're all going to have to wait until I get invited to some of the
conventions -- which might happen quicker if you all ask them for me --
and then we'll all have a party in my hotel room together!
