Robert Englund: The Nightmare on Elm Street
Now 75, Robert Englund has had a few influence on American pop culture and international. It was in 1984 that the young man made his name by becoming the face of one of the most emblematic figures of horror cinema of all time: Freddy Krueger. He is in fact chosen to camp the big boogeyman of The claws of the night by West Craven. A role that will then stick to his skin, since he will return to play the role of the character a eight times Until Freddy: Claws of the nightthe reboot of the original film directed by Samuel Bayer, released in 2010.
In addition to this lifelong role, Robert Englund has also directed three feature films including The Devil’s Line (1988) and recently appeared in series Stranger things as Victor Creel.
Freddie’s over
On the occasion of the release of the documentary Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story on June 6 Robert Englund returned to his experience with Wes Craven on the microphone of variety. He returned to the influence in his character in all humility:
I know what an icon is. I am not one. Freddy Krueger may be, but I’m not. I’m just an actor. A very lucky actor.
At the crossroads of the 1970s, his beginnings in the seventh art were not easy. At that time, he chained the small rolesworks as a technician on the set of Halloween and often dates Mark Hamill. For the anecdote, it is also he who will push his friend to audition the role of Luke Skywalker. We have to wait until 1983 (that is, a year earlier The claws of the night) so that Robert Englund finally has a real role to put in his mouth. Join the series V: The Visitorsin which he plays Willie, which aired until 1985.
It is between the two seasons of V: The Visitors that he audition for the role of Freddy Krueger:
I felt there was a cultural shift in people’s minds. Horror was starting to make its mark, as if it were cinematic punk rock. There was more recognition for horror then.
The actor, always on the microphone of Variety, also returned to the makeover of The claws of the night, thus marking his last appearance as Freddy. If the film made more than 115 million dollars of box office receipts (for a budget of 35 million), was widely criticized by critics and fans. Robert Englund returned to this failure:
I always thought Freddy was portrayed as a child killer. So when they made Freddy into a child molester, they changed the identity of the character. By bringing him into a dimension like this, there’s no more room for Freddy to develop his personality.
Towards a return to Elm Street?
Variety then asked Robert Englund if a Freddy Krueger return was still possible. The actor, even though he has never participated in any licensing scenarios, still has some ideas for a possible reboot:
We should deal with new technologies. For example, take a young female influencer and compare her to Freddy. The latter would enjoy haunting her in one way or another in her subconscious.
But when our American colleagues ask the star if he feels ready to return to duty in a new story, Robert Englund is adamant: “He’s Too Old For This Bullshit” as Roger Murtaugh would say:
Now I’m too old to play Freddy. I can’t shoot action scenes anymore, my neck hurts, my back hurts, I have arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang up. But I’d like to make an appearance.
Finally, when asked who could take over, immediately think of Kevin Bacon:
I know that he is gender compliant and in great physical shape. I think in the game of silences Kevin Bacon would be very interesting.
In any case, Robert Englund has offered an iconic and inimitable work in the skin of Freddy Krueger. As for Kevin Bacon, we’ll let you know what you think of this choice.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
