From	Paul Taylor paulthomastaylor@gmail.comhide details
To	Steve Hergina stevesteve1121@aol.com
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     This interview is a special one, it has non-other than the newest Pinhead himself Paul Taylor.  He has been acting for years, he first got his movie start in the star studded Sin City film.  He has also done guest roles in a lot of TV shows, but mostly has done theatre work.  He gracious took time to let me do my 10 question segment with him.  So without further ado, here goes:

     S. 1.  Who came and offered you the job of Pinhead, or did you have to audition like everybody else?

     Paull Taylor (PT).  1.  I had to audition.  I have a great relationship with the casting director Chris Freihofer, who is basically the big cheese for casting in Oklahoma, where the film was shot.  He's a great guy and a very gifted actor himself.  He has cast me in several movies and commercials over the last several years.  He first sent me a notice that he wanted to put me on tape for another role called The Auditor.  Then I got a private e-mail about auditioning for Pinhead.  At the time, JUDGEMENT was the only title and the fact that it was a HELLRAISER film was a secret, but I knew it as soon as I read The Auditor's first line, which was a version of a classic HELLRAISER line.  I've been told the studio wanted to cast an L.A. actor, but this casting was really a victory for the "flyover" actors!  Chris was also the person who texted me early one Sunday morning to tell me the part was mine.  "Welcome to the movie, Pinhead."

     S:  Wow, that had to be a special day, nice how they disguised the movie.

     S. 2.  What emotions flooded your system when the job of Pinhead was offered to you?

     PT: 2.  Elation, Joy, Exhilaration, a Feeling of Victory.

     S:  I bet the feeling was overwhelming, to know you landed such a coveted role.

     S: 3.  How did you feel about replacing such an iconic character as Pinhead, who has never been replaced before?

     PT: 3. Actually, Doug Bradley was replaced before me (although the word "replaced" seems inappropriate since nobody can replace the original perfectly) with another actor named Stephan Smith Collins in HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS.  So I'm the third Pinhead.  Anyway, to answer your question:  Gary warned me that hard-core fans of Doug Bradley would not be happy with me no matter how good I was.  At first, this worried me, but not for long.  I have a job to do as an actor and that job has nothing to do with who has played the role before, it has to do with bringing myself to the role as written in the given script.  I love Bradley's work in several of the HELLRAISER's and I honored his creation as much as possible with my own, but there came a point where I had to give that up and do my own thing with the role.

     S:  I did forget about him, saw that movie so long ago and only once cause it didn't strike me as awesome.  I understand everything you say about being Pinhead, if you are that weak you shouldn't take on such roles.

     S:  4.  What did you feel you could bring to the Pinhead character?

     PT: 4. A certain gravitas that was already written into the script. This chapter in the HELLRAISER world has a Pinhead who is a bit more internal than in some of the past HELLRAISER films.  And I brought my own affection for monsters to it.  I love playing monsters and the scarier the better.  This Pinhead doesn't laugh and never doesn't make jokes.  I'm a funny guy, but you won't see that in JUDGEMENT.

     S:  That sounds great.  Internalizing Pinhead sounds like a great script.

     S: 5.  Is this the biggest acting gig you have had the pleasure of doing?

     PT: 5. As far as film, yes, it's the biggest.  I have played many leading roles in theatre, but in my previous film work, it's been small character parts.

      S:  Hopefully this becomes your breakout role.  I have dabbled in acting I don't believe theatre work is for me, being honest.

      S: 6.  All I have heard about Hellraiser: Judgement is bad and that you had know right taking over Doug Bradley's character, did you expect this much backlash?  

     PT: 6.  I ignore the backlash.  Why feed on that unnecessary negative energy?  I have better things to do.  Mature people will give the movie a chance and not judge it before it comes out.  I was warned by the director, Gary J. Tunnicliffe, that there would be backlash. At first, that freaked me out.  But I quickly got over it and did my job. Haters gonna hate. And as far as having a "right" to take over the role...it wasn't my decision.  I'm just an actor doing his job.  I auditioned really well and got the part.  The End.

     S:  Agreed there are to many shallow people out there that believe nothing should ever change.

     S: 7.  What is your favorite horror film ever?

     PT: 7. THE SHINING.

     S:  I have heard that a lot for the unnerving suspense and overall feeling, of the film, you can't argue.

      S:  8.  You have worked with some big names in the industry, which film or TV show have you learned the most from, and which was the most fun?

     PT: 8.  My first film was SIN CITY.  When I walked into that studio and saw all the worker bees swarming about and at the center of it was Robert Rodriguez, sitting in his director's chair strumming a guitar, I learned two things.  First, Robert Rodriguez is the coolest cat in the world and second, the art of filmmaking is about the camera, not the actor.  This is obvious to a lot of people, but I had never actually seen it happening until that day.  It was amazing.  All those people adjusting all of those elements to get it down to one tiny camera lens.  It's a mind-boggling craft to the novice.

I would say the most fun I have ever had on a set was HELLRAISER: JUDGEMENT, no question.  First...I'm Pinhead in a freaking HELLRAISER movie!  I am a huge Halloween kid at heart, always was.  To play this terrifying monster on a movie set was such a head trip.  Fun may be the wrong word.  It was painful (as it should be with Pinhead), it was exhausting, it was grueling. but the fact that I was where I was and was doing what I was doing made it the most pleasurable experience I've ever had on a set.  The pleasure/pain correlation is not lost on me.

     S:  Any Halloween kid would be thrilled by that, wow, I have always heard good things about Robert Rodriguez from actors to some crew, he is just a class act.  And his movies always seem to have a certain flare to them, has to be his vibe on set.

     S: 9.  Why did you decide acting was your calling?

     PT: 9.  Because there is nothing else I can do for money that gives me such pleasure, and I happen to be very good at it.  My dad was an actor and his dad was a vaudevillian.  It's in my blood.

     S:  That is so cool that generations of your family have done this, it's know wonder you wanted to follow the gene pool.

     S: 10.  What do most people not know about you?

     PT: 10. I'm a wicked Pee-Wee Herman impersonator and a disciple of the Church of Tim Curry.

     S:  That almost frightening knowing there are Pee-Wee Herman impersonators out there, lol, given your background of generations of acting Tim Curry is a special sort of actor truly one-of-a-kind.  That is the best question for everyone I love the answers.


     This has been all my pleasure to interview Paul Taylor, what I believe, will be a huge star.  In the near future I expect him to be in with the horror greats, Pinhead is just the start.  He will be a (horror) household name very soon.  I see good things in store for this man in his future endeavors.  It has been a great interview with another quality individual such as Paul.  SUPPORT INDIE FILMMAKERS