Q: Had you done any acting prior to Halloween 5?
JL: At the time I was cast in “Halloween 5”, I was starring as Gavroche in the Broadway production of “Les Misérables”, which was my first professional acting job.
Q: How did you initially find out about the audition for the “Billy Hill” character?
JL: I first heard about “Halloween 5” when my agent called me to tell about the audition. I went to the audition, followed by a call-back (which was on my birthday), and was then offered the part one week later.
Q: What did they ask you to do when auditioning? Do you remember who you auditioned for? Was Moustapha Akkad there?
JL: When I went to my audition, I read a scene from the script. If memory serves me correctly, I read a scene between Billy, Rachel and Tina which turned out to be the first scene I shot. Sadly, the scene was cut from the final film. I auditioned for [casting director] Deedee Bradley; she videotaped my audition, and from that videotape, I was offered the role. I did not meet Moustapha Akkad or Dominiq Othnin-Gerard until I arrived in Salt Lake City to begin production.
Q: Had you seen any of the Halloween films prior to shooting? If so, did the huge red mansion they were dubbing “The Myers House” confuse you (as it did most of the viewers)?
JL: The night before my mother and I traveled to Salt Lake City, we rented “Halloween 3” in an attempt to catch up on the series (“Halloween 4” had not been released on video yet). Imagine how confused I was after that!! When I arrived Salt Lake City, Danielle Harris and I watched a copy of “H4” that she had. Since filming the movie, I have seen all of the “Halloween” movies, and have no explanation for the change in Myers’ houses.
Q: Being a little kid on a horror set, was there ever any moment when you got scared of something?
JL: Being a child on a horror movie set was an interesting experience. I was never scared of Michael Myers, because to me it was still just Don Shanks wearing a mask. The parts of filming that really scared me, however, were the stunts we performed, and the potentially dangerous situations I was put in. For example, I was actually running in front of a car that was actually chasing me through a field. While that was scary, I was never scared of Michael Myers.
Q: Did Don Shanks (Michael Myers) intimidate you in any way?
JL: Don Shanks was only intimidating in size. The man is massive; especially to an eleven year old boy. In person, Don is a very sweet man, and went out of his way to make Danielle and me feel comfortable. I guess it was his way of making sure we weren’t too scared during filming.
Q: What was the most difficult part in shooting your scenes?
JL: I would have to say that the hardest thing about filming was the stuttering. I do not, nor have I ever had, a stutter. That was a character trait written into the script by the writers before I even auditioned. I worked for a few weeks with a speech therapist who taught me about stuttering: the reasons people stutter, when it gets worse, etc. For example, people who stutter usually have a very hard time speaking during times of high stress (ie – during the “cookie woman scene”, Billy stutters more than during other parts of the movie). Trying to keep the intensity of the scene going while having a hard time getting the words out was very hard for me, but I think it all turned out very well.
Q: Were you allowed to improvise? If so, did you?
JL: Everything in the film was scripted. There was no room for improvisation.
Q: Were there any scenes you were in that were cut?
JL: I had a few scenes that were filmed, but cut from the final movie (most of them took place during the daytime):
There was a scene with myself, Tina and Rachel that introduced me and Max (the dog). The scene took over four hours to shoot (it involved both a bicycle and the dog – which is what made it take so long), and ended up being cut. There was a scene where Jamie asks me to follow Tina after the Pageant. I had a scene at the end of the film showing me alive (more about that later). There were also many scenes that made it into the film in which I had more to do, and the scenes were shortened.
Q: Can you tell us about any stories on the set? I hear there were some wild hotel parties with the crew late at night.
JL: I honestly don’t know anything about that, as I was only eleven years old, and spent most of my free time doing schoolwork with my tutor.
Q: Did anything go wrong on the set that caused a problem with the production?
JL: This is not really a great story, but it’s the only one I have: The man playing the announcer at the Halloween pageant at the clinic had a very hard time getting the character’s names correct. He was told that he could make up names for the other contestants, but Danielle and I had to be called by our correct character names. Unfortunately, that scene took a very long time to film, as he kept saying our names wrong. Sometimes she would be “Jamie Hill” or I would be “Billy Caruthers”. Eventually, we got the scene done with our names correctly announced.
Q: How was it working with a cast older than you?
JL: The cast was wonderful ad treated me like an equal. Everyone was especially great to me, since they knew this was my first film. I learned a lot from everyone, and had a wonderful time.
Q: What was it like acting with the legendary Donald Pleasence? Did he give you any advice as a child actor? What memories do you have of him?
JL: Donald was a joy to work with, and it was a great learning experience watching him work. He is such an icon, and not just to horror movie fans, that I am honored to have worked with him. Most of my memories of Donald involve just sitting around at dinner or in the makeup trailer hearing him talk about his career. He was a wonderful man, a great actor, and he is sorely missed.
Q: Do you keep in touch with all the Halloween actors?
JL: I don’t really keep in touch with other “Halloween” actors, but I occasionally see people “out and about” in Hollywood as well as at reunions and conventions. When we shot the film, not only was I a child, but it a time before email and the internet, so it was hard to keep in touch with people – especially since I was on the east coast.
Q: Why do you think that parts 4-6 were “forgotten” when Halloween H20 was released?
JL: I have to say, I was quite hurt that our story lines were forgotten, but I am glad that the series was brought back to the nation’s attention. I felt that disregarding the “middle movies” was an insult to not only those of us that were a part of those films, but also to the fans. Luckily, we have the greatest fans in the world that will not let the world forget about us. The worst part about the whole situation is the fact that everyone assumes I was in H20, because most people have forgotten that there were movies without Jamie Lee Curtis. But the true fans know the truth!
Q: Have you seen the “Official Billy Bashing Thread” on the message board? I think some fans have a problem with Billy! What is your reaction to this?
JL: I just read the Message Board after reading this question, and I have to say “Wow”!!! I never knew that so many people had such strong feelings about Billy!! While some of the comments about my physical appearance hurt, I am glad that people are still thinking about me. To that end, let me clarify a few things: I do not stutter; that part of the character was written in the script. I did not choose the pirate costume; that was also written in the script. I was just a child doing my job!!! Cut Billy some slack – he just wanted to help his friend – he tried his best.
Q: Have the producers of the Halloween series ever considered you in returning back in any future Halloween movie? Would you come back if you had the chance, either as Billy or someone else?
JL: I have never been approached about returning to the “Halloween” series, but as one of the few characters who survived, I would be honored to return. What do you say? Billy’s revenge. Sounds good to me. Someone start a petition!!!
Q: What is your whole take on the series after 20 years and the series is still going strong?
JL: It took me a long time to understand exactly what being a part of this series means. I am honored to be a part of something that has brought so many people joy over the past 20 years. I think the “Halloween” movies have lasted so long because everyone loves a good scare, and the “Halloween” movies can always be counted on. It thrills me that 15 years after we made “H5”, I still get recognized. To some people, I will always be Billy Hill, and that’s wonderful.
Q: Did you ever hear any explanation of who the “Man in Black” was supposed to be from the crew on the set or maybe in the original script?
JL: If I had a nickel for every time I was asked about that the Man In Black!!!! I know nothing about who that man is. There is nothing was the script about his back-story, and people kept telling me that he would be explained in “Halloween 6” – I guess they decided to scrap him when they made “H6”.
Q: What was your relationship like with Danielle Harris and Don Shanks? Did you ever secretly have a real crush on Danielle Harris, similar to your character as Billy?
JL: Danielle and Don were both a pleasure to work with, and we had a blast filming the movie. I spent most of my time with Danielle, since we had to spend much of our time with our tutor, and we got along really well. I never had crush on Danielle: I was 11 and girls were still icky to me. However, she grew up to become a beautiful woman, didn’t she? I should call her.
Q: So, was your character actually killed in H5 or what? It seems that there was something missing in the scene where Billy gets clipped by the car and the scenes afterwards, and I could never tell if it was sloppy directing or if there was something trimmed from the movie. I could just be being picky, but the character’s demise seemed pretty vague.
JL: OK, so here’s the story about Billy. When the car chase sequence was initially shot, it was more graphic, and it was clearer that the car hit me. However, due to industry regulations, the accident had to be trimmed. At the time, filmmakers were not allowed to actually show a child being harmed. So they had to make the accident look less “real”, and now it looks like the car missed me. Additionally, as I previously mentioned, there was a scene at the end of the movie showing me alive and well at the clinic. However, due to circumstances unknown to me, the scene was shot after I had left Salt Lake City and returned to New Jersey. Therefore, Billy’s fate is up in the air. To me, he is still alive and well.
Q: How was it working on set with Danielle Harris?
JL: Danielle was great to work with – especially since she had been through the process before. “H5” was my first experience on a film set, and I was very green as to how things worked. Danielle showed me how to work with the camera, and I learned a lot from just watching her.
Q: Do you have a disability in real life?
JL: No – all of that was written into the script.
Q: In the months of shooting the film (or post production), did you have any nightmares involving any visuals seen in the film?
JL: Not really – when you are on a horror movie set, it is very easy to separate fantasy from reality. In many ways, it’s no different from filming a romantic comedy or a drama.
Q: Are you a horror movie fan yourself? If so, what is your favorite scary movie?
JL: I am a fan of pretty much all genres of film, as long as the movie is made well. As for scary movies, my favorites include: “Carrie”, “The Exorcist” and the original “Halloween”. And “Halloween 5”, of course.
Q: Did you keep anything from the set of Halloween 5?
JL: I have all of my costumes, as well as Billy’s eye patch and ID bracelet.
Q: What are you doing now?
JL: After “H5”, I returned to the world of theater, and have been working both on and Off-Broadway for the past twenty years. Currently, I am living in Los Angeles, working in theatre, and auditioning for film and television work.