Thursday, January 24, 2013

Jori at Forced Viewing Speaks to Ted White

Jori with Ted White at Flashback Weekend, 2012
from: Forced Viewing
All I've gotta say is that I love this man. Ted may not be a genre fan like Kane Hodder or Derek Mears, but this is a man who really appreciates and loves his fans even if he is not a fan of horror movies at all. What you get is a no bullshit attitude from Ted, but always a smile and a grateful attitude.

Jori from ForcedViewing.com spoke to Ted in November while at Flashback Weekend and he had a lot to say. In the conversation he goes into detail about reading (yes, reading) for the role as Jason and turning down the job, only to reconsider when he heard a "chi-ching."


I was worried a bit about interviewing Ted White. After all, I really only knew him as Jason from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. What could I possibly ask him? But far be it for me to run away from a challenge. (He’s a great storyteller though, so it’s not like I really had to work very hard.) 
How did you get the role of Jason Voorhees? 
I was called on an interview to come in and read for a part not knowing what it was. (They don’t ever tell you when they call you for an interview what you’re going to read or anything.) When I got there, they gave me a script (I don’t remember whose dialogue it was – some man’s dialogue) and it was three pages long. When you do that, you go out in the hall and sit for ten or fifteen minutes and memorize the lines and then come back in and read for the director and executive producer. There were several other people out there – guys my age at that time. So I went in and I read for them and they said, “Would you please wait in the hall for us and we’ll let you know.” I said fine. I guess maybe 45 minutes passed, maybe an hour – I don’t remember exactly – and they called us all back in. They gave us an impromptu question and answer thing and we answered exactly how we felt. It was about different things – it didn’t pertain to the movie at all. 
When that was done we went back outside and about twenty minutes later they come out and ask me to come back in. They said, “Well, we picked you” and I said thank you very much and when do you go into production? They said we’re probably a ways a way from going into production but we need you for other stuff prior to starting the movie. And they said, “Would you like to read the script?” and I said yes. I went outside and sat down in another office. They said by the way, your name in the movie is Jason. Well, I had no idea who Jason was! As I started reading it – I only read half way – and I saw that all he did was kill people! I walked back in and told them that I wouldn’t be interested and thank you very much for the opportunity. 
They said, “Why?” And I said well this is not what I have been doing for the last forty-some years (at that time). I’ve always done major motion pictures and I said not that I’m averse to doing a lower class picture, but it’s not really what I want to do. You need somebody that’s more attuned to what you’re doing than I am. They said, “Are you sure?” I said yes I am very sure but I thank you for letting me read for you and I went home. They called me back several times and I said no I haven’t changed my mind but I’m flattered that you called me but it’s not going to work. 
Meanwhile the prop man on the show only lived two blocks from me. He came by one day – on a Sunday – and he said, “I hear you turned that show down!” I said yeah and he said, “Well you know I’m working on it. You know they have to make a body cast of you from your waist up? And you’re going to be on hold for six weeks while we do that.” Well when you’re on hold in the motion picture business you’re on full salary! So I said “Well! That’s a big difference!” Did you hire anybody yet? He said they’ve got some people in there reading right now! So I called back and got the producer and I said this is Ted White and he said, “Have you reconsidered?” I said I think I have! Let’s go over the salary one more time. 
He told me and the salary was fine, it’s what I was used to making, so I said I’ll do it. Two days later we were done making a body cast from my waist up and then I was on hold for a month and a half! My wife and I went to Hawaii and I did a Magnum P.I., came back in town and worked on several other little features around town, so I stayed busy for that six weeks.

Awesome, huh. Now go to Forced Viewing and read the rest.

Ted White in-between shots in Part IV

10 comments:

  1. I remember every1 hatin Ted back in the day cus he didnt want his name in the credits. glad he turned it around and explained why

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  2. Ah indeed: good ole' NO real bullshiin' a all okie from Oklahoma Mr. Ted White.

    I LVOED his words on the His name Was Jason extended Jason acor interviews where he basicaly said the same things as this inerview in just opened up in anoher ap to read, as well as he jay Reel inerview on YouTube from a few years back.

    I've always apprechiated over the last few years that Mr. White has done numerous convention circut appearances in Germany (mainland Europe) as well as all over North America, too. He is a ruh telling and from the interviews with him I've seen a GREAT, highly respectible no-bullshit-old school Hollywood stunman story teller. wih him you get a real, genuine smile & some nice stories. With him what cha see is what cha get--playful end of discussion.

    Anyway as far as favorite Jason's with moi: I LOVE Richard Brooker's make-up looks & his movements he most so he gets a slight edge and then since it was the same departmen store clothing & hock I love Mr. White's Jason up next. Even though the make-up (and I might be slain for his by our fellow genre fanatics & colelctors but whom now gives a shit?) with his "regular/normal" eyes in many shots, an plus I do no personally like hat he looks more "Alien" in he reveal--I mean in a sense the mae-up F/X from Savini & the Reel EFX Team is fine enough but I prefer Part 3's mold form Douglass J. Whie & Kenny Myers, ect.

    But hen again Richard I feel is a stand off-ish prick in real life whenver I've tried to talk to him, and he needs to lighten-up some. Also I do no like the obvious padding that the more leaner & athleic Brooker had to wear, so it is give & take. both did GREAT jobs, over all. :D

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    1. I like Richard's Jason more, as well. But I think Ted is a lot cooler cat than Brooker.

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  3. Yeah I'm also glad hat he came out of hiding to do some conventions & to get the fan recogniion.

    Let he record show tha I still l like/love Mr. White's pissed off in many sequences of The Final Chaper jason portrayal VERY much so, especially as he is wisely kept in the shadows most of the film, thankfully.

    And I enjoyed his running too and he continuation of the Part 3-D. But yeah Brooker was a great loitering-in-the-barn most of the film slightly superior Jason. I even enjoyed he grunts & his eye movements too.

    I am NO an Ethocentric person and I am even close with a half English & half French native from London that new lives in New York. We met on YouTube & we e-mail & mobile call a lot. She tells me it is probably Brooker's natural ice-cold Anglo-Saxon demeanor. I just means hat he is not as sociable despiate being well-raveled with many cons under his convention circuit belt as well and with his film roles. I also feel from the interviews I've seen that Mr. White is A LOT cooler cat as well. Nice way of puttin' it, bro. :D

    I like both basically, with a slight ege to Brooker for his make up, movements & with how he was filmed. Mean while Ted wins out as the pissed deliberaely sloopy with the kills/work of killin' teenage spam & with running, over all. ;-)

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    1. I grew up believing Richard Brooker was Jason in IV because White wasn't credited and Brooker was (for the flashback scene) so in essence, I was a huge Brooker fan for a long time until I found out.

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  4. I also met Mr. White at Flashback Weekend (which was in august by the way), one of the coolest guys I could have ever met.

    After showing him my Horrorhound magazine with the part 4 Jason on the cover, he said he had never saw it, then he turned to Dick Warlock and showed it to him and said "you see that, you see who's on the cover?", then Dick Warlock bowed down to him and Mr. White said "that's more like it", it was a great moment I caught on video.

    I also met Brooker afterwards at the theater where the after party was, and he was a real cool guy too, no attitude at all, and his friend even took the pictures of him with my wife and I.

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  5. To Jack: Whoa dude man, really?

    Fairly cool! I only thought about it more re-watching the super shit & overrated Part VII because I always watched he film credits by the time of he early '90s as I always looked for the proverbial obscure "Crazy Credit" cut sequence, which sadly doent really exist anymore except for some moern films lie Reiden Evil: Retribution or Fast Five, ect.

    And by that I mean I didn't watch more film credits until around ie '92 as I got older & rentre more from the a-typical "moom & pop" still standing joints for the nex three years or so. And I too noticed Ted's name in the Prologue's credited sequence.

    Lie i said I DO love & admire both performances. I 'd give a slight ege to Richard for his movements as more graceful, a nice menally challanged run (as potentially offensive as that is to say as I love & respect all life myself) and for his stealh, eye movement and he make-up. It wasn't his fault that the film over all had to be so flaly directed with only a limited number of "higher energy take" shots such as the shootinver over his shoulder attack from Chris quicly Vs. Jason from the closet sequence, or he final rundown from the house to the iny shoreline, ect.

    I like Ted's too but later on I feel that we see him a bit too much in the Final Reel, if that maes any sense, and I waned his normal eyes filmed with better & more convincing make-up. Also I like his make-up, the final cut make-up, and at the same time I don't. I mean yeah it looks fine & all if that makes any sense but it (sadly) completely shits all over (in a negative/bad way) of the superior Doubles J White job that came before it and looks FAR too "Alien" as Ive noted. BU I also LOVe his more human-like brisk pace running compared to Daskawitz & even Brooker's fine job, his overall real life sloopy-paced killing sprees when met his newest crop of victims, and his overall stance.

    Him shoulder-rushing the balsa wood dore of the Jarvis cabin-style house in Topanga Canyan is grea, as well as his sunt & weaponary work with the axe sequence (breaking into Tommy's bedroom door down as he did in Part 3-D, so it is still cool, in his character) and with salking rish in hat awesome tracing sho, linking he wo houses' in real prioxity. Also I feel that with Joseph Zito he had to put up wih a dude that came across as a real prick so he mus've not had a good ime on se.

    So yeah I lie boh movies & both performances are different. Both have slight things that are "off" or that couldn't been fixed, especially The Final Chaper's editing in it's final two reels or so worth of footage an with some bad acing, but Part 3-D has it even worse.

    I mean I like both films A LOT, flaws & all so it is indeed give & ake on cerain days with me. :D

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  6. Oh and to the dude up top, even if I assume that 'ya might not ever read this:

    That is cool that you had a fairly nice meeting with Mr. Brooker. I applaude that. Its just that many of us like for me for the short time that I was on Faceboo, added him & his was VERY distant & aloof and he was the same way years ago via e-mail. He mostly only cares about what all he cares about and never rtruly (with me, anyway) wants to seem to give anybody but maybe his current wife the time of day. Its somewhat hard to explain with his super-short answers.

    I WILL, however, give him & Mr. Ted White the benefit of having played easily hands-down THE BEST of the "human, real life flesh & blood" Jason Voorhees of the original batch of films from Paramount. Performance-wise Richard is fine, but as a human being over the years he needs to lighten up some, as with Tom Savini especially. Mr. White comes off as wonderfully old school and much, much more friendly & talative, which means a lot to guys like me & Jack.

    But that is cool that you had a good eperience with him. :)

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  7. Talkative* that was meant to be, of course.

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