[Interview] Brian Andrews on Michael Myers
In celebration of this year’s 35th anniversary of John Carpenter’s original 1978 Halloween, we’ve been talking to various cast members of the film and its sequels for our epic “Halloween at 35″ retrospective series, including an in-depth conversation with Brian Andrews, who was immortalized as young Tommy Doyle in the classic film.
Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2, and then read on for the candid and emotional final installment of our exclusive interview with Brian Andrews, where we will discuss the legacy and the weight of surviving the night Michael Myers came home!
After talking to Brian about Carpenter’s original in Part 2 of our interview, we asked if he had seen any of the sequels in the franchise and what he thought of them.
“I haven’t seen them all, but I have seen Rob Zombie’s two movies,” Brian said. “What can I say about them? I appreciate the acting in the movies, because I know how hard it is to be an actor. I know how hard it is to struggle, and criticism can surface, so I appreciate the acting in the movie. I appreciate that they played the choices of the director fully.
“I did not necessarily agree with the director’s choices, but that’s not the actors’ job. It’s not the job of the actor, but he (Zombie) made the choices and the actors filled them out beautifully. I’m just not necessarily crazy about the choices. I think there could have been better choices and better directions.”
Brian says that he has not seen many recent movies in general, due to both personal and financial circumstances.
“The last movie I saw would be Ice Man,” he said. “That was a small independent. It had Michael Shannon and Winona Ryder, and I thought it was a great film. I do go out sometimes, but I just usually don’t have the time or the energy, and I have not had it for years. So I don’t really have a chance to keep up, unless I’m at a friend’s house or a family member’s house and they have something that I want to see. I just don’t watch a lot of movies right now for personal reasons.
“I might be retiring from the business permanently. I don’t know.
“The only thing that I recently did, I worked on small film directed by Thomas Churchill called Lazarus. It’s a zombie movie, and they made me up to look over 100 years old. It was pretty fun. I can’t give away the plot.”
In discussing the undying legacy of Halloween, Brian got even more candid with us, offering rare insight into what it’s like being a “former” child actor in Hollywood as an adult.
“I can’t imagine not being there,” Brian told us about the upcoming 35 Years of Terror Halloween anniversary convention. “I’m trying to get my name out there too.
“There were some personal issues with my family that kept me away from doing anything for a few weeks now. So I’m trying to just move forward slowly and make a few of the interviews I promised to people, calling a few people and making my contacts again.
“Remember, I’m just a guy from California who was lucky enough to do something iconic. Don’t think that I am anything.”
The actor got emotional in telling us about a recent death in his family that has caused Brian to rethink many things lately, but even in the midst of such a storm, there is one constant he can always count on.
“There are certain things about having such a legacy that have frightened me,” he said. “I was not expecting it, and I don’t handle it well. I do not necessarily handle my celebrity well.
“Not all people can feel this, but for me it’s a heavy weight sometimes. Yes it is. It is much too heavy of weight, and that could also be because I haven’t handled it very well, so I try to keep myself to myself. But I’m trying to re-figure it all out myself.
“I recently had the passing of my brother, so we’ll see how things change. You’re the first person I called after that happened.
“I’m reaching out in this direction, but the only reason I’m doing that is because it’s the only thing I know. Reach out in the direction of the Halloween fans, because they’re always there for you.”
You can click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2 of our interview with Brian Andrews, and then click here to check out our entire “Halloween at 35″ retrospective series, including additional interviews with P.J. Soles, Kyle Richards, and more!
Read Part 1 of our interview with Brian Andrews here.
Read Part 2 of our interview with Brian Andrews here.
You can see Brian in John Carpenter’s Halloween in limited theaters through Halloween night, and you can meet the actor at the upcoming 35 Years of Terror convention Nov. 15-17 in South Pasadena, California.
Be sure to click here to follow Brian Andrews on Facebook.
