Q: You explain in the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror documentary how you got the role of Michael Myers, but did you feel any bit of pressure of having to fill the shoes of Nick Castle from the previous film? (from David in New York)
DW: No David. At the time I was interviewed for the job as stunt coordinator on the film I hadn’t even seen the original Halloween. It wasn’t until I talked with Debra and Rick Rosenthal that I was aware of the original film and viewed it for some hints as to how to play him. I chose the scene where Michael rises up from the bedroom floor after Laurie has stuck in the eyes with the coat hanger as the idea to play him in a mechanical manner.
Q: This question has popped up in my head many times… how can such a nice guy play such an evil character so well (as in the best of the entire series)? And please ask this one too: How many times did they have to shoot the bullets to the eyes scene near the end of the movie? (from Ryan)
DW: Ryan … You are too nice. Thanks for the very kind words. (He don’t know me vewy well, do he) The shot in the eyes gag we did only once. That gag, by the way, was done by hiding tubes up the back of my head on the inside of the mask which ended just above my eyes. I had a rubber bulb in my hand filled with the blood mixture and on cue I squeezed the bulb and out comes the blood into my eyes. If you look real close though you can still see my eyes and they are not shot out.
Q: What is your fondest memory of working on the set of Halloween II? (from Kenny)
DW: Well, Kenny. Every day was a blast. Everyone was great to work with right down to the little boy who had the razor blade in his mouth. I especially liked the Hot Tub Scene and not for the reasons you might think. Pam (nurse Karen) Shoop was a dream to work with in that scene. One more thing about that scene that I don’t think I have ever mentioned. I was behind her and therefore I didn’t get to see what you might have thought I did.
Q: In HALLOWEEN II, Michael’s executions were performed with a significantly higher level of aggressiveness and sadism. It seems that getting shot 6 times only served to piss him off even more. What are your thoughts on this? (from Kennon)
DW: Thanks Kennon. I think he was shot seven times. Not sure about that. Go back and count them for me will you. Yes, I’d say that would upset him a little. I hadn’t given that a lot of thought to be honest. I wouldn’t say the kills were no more violent than hanging a guy up on a cupboard door with a butcher knife was. Would you?
Q: If we were to remove Michael Myers’ mask, what would your face have looked like during filming of HALLOWEEN II? Were you ever making weird faces to get yourself in the mood, or did you mostly maintain a stoic expression? (from Scott)
DW: I don’t know if I’ve ever told anyone this before but I would breathe like it was on the soundtrack in the original Halloween. I don’t know if anyone ever heard me breathing under the mask but that’s what I did.
Q: H2 continues to be my favorite movie in the Halloween series. Did you get a chance to watch this film in the theater and if so what was your reaction to seeing your performance? (from Dean)
DW: Yes Dean, I saw it at what is called a screening. That’s where the producer provides a viewing of the finished film, before the general audience views it, for the cast and crew of the movie. Honestly, I hated the part where I was slashing at Jamie Lee’s character in the operating room before the “Flick Your Bick” explosion.
Q: Was the walking through the glass door scene a hard shot, how many takes did you need to get it right and was anyone hurt from the shattering glass? (from David)
DW: The glass was made of a special material for just such use in motion pictures. We did it in one take and I’m glad for that because that glass is very expensive. No one was injured from the glass.
Q: A lot of fans consider II and III to be the only really good sequels in the entire series. As where others think that III is some sort of sacrilege because it is not apart of the Michael Myers saga. What is your feeling on Halloween III? Personally, I think it is better than any of the Michael Myers movies. (from Jason)
DW: Well, it figures that “Jason” wouldn’t like any of the Myers films doesn’t it. LOL. Just a little humor there Jason. I think Halloween III is a very good stand alone movie. I also think that the producers slipped one in on the real Halloween fans by advertising it the way that they did.
Q: There is a different kill scene in the TV version of HALLOWEEN II involving the marshall at the Haddonfield Hospital. In the TV version, you stab him in the back, however in the theatrical version you slit his throat. Why was this kill filmed two different ways? (From Trevor)
DW: Well, Trevor. It was probably for the very reason that you mentioned. One was for T.V. and the other for the theatre. In all honesty, they never revealed their reason for doing it the way that they did. That’s a part of film making that is fairly common. To make alternate scenes when they are subject to Pricilla Goodbody scrutiny. She is the official film and T.V. censor. Another bit of humor.
Q: On the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror DVD, director Rick Rosenthal talks about a scene that was cut from the movie… it involved Myers hiding in a closet in the nursery room and one of the nurses comes into room and goes to open the door, but never does. Rosenthal talks about how the suspense builds here, but they opted to cut this from the final film. Do you remember this scene, and can you comment on it? Can you comment on any other scenes that didn’t make it into the movie?
DW: I honestly don’t recall the scene he mentioned in the way that he told of it. He was the director and should remember those things better than I do because he designed them. I can’t recall any scenes that didn’t make it into the final cut but I’m positive that there must have been some. Just like the one I don’t recall.
Q: Can you explain what went into creating the fire scene at the end of the movie? What does it take as a stuntman to create that scene? And what does it feel like to be on fire? (from Daniel in Germany)
DW: Daniel. Thanks for asking. I hate giving away the secrets of how a particular stunt was done. It takes the magic out of it. However, since everyone in the business seems to enjoy giving away those secrets, here goes. First off you need a good special effects team and a group of dependable safety people. In my case the safety team were all stuntguys, along with my son Billy, who I had worked with and for on many occasions. The effects team sets up the fire portion of the gag. When, where and how it will work. We do a walk through rehearsal with them, the safety guys and the camera and lighting departments so that everyone knows what will happen. Next, I determine that all departments are in the ready. I then put on the fire suit that protects me from the flames and heat. I don’t do this too soon as if I do I will begin to sweat and that means steam. Steam is the enemy of the stuntguy when doing a fire gag. It causes sever damage to the skin tissues etc. Not a good thing. LOL. After the suit is on the mixture that will actually catch fire is applied by the effects guys. Ready! Roll cameras, start the fire, Action is called out, I start forward and the rest is what you see on celluloid. The cue for the scene to stop is when I fall to the ground. That’s when the safety team rushes in and puts the fire that is on me out and quickly gets me out of the suit which by now has gotten pretty warm inside. By the way. We did that stunt two times due to technical problems. My arms got burned while doing this one.
Q: What was it like working with the actors who played the nurses at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital? (from Anonymous)
DW: Alright. Which nurse wrote this one ? The only one I didn’t get to know was Gloria Gifford. We just didn’t have much contact with each other during shooting. I didn’t realize either that Anna Alicia has bad feelings about the scene we did when she got the needle in the temple until I saw the 25th anni dvd. It has to be the fact that she hit her head on the desk during the rehearsal. I can’t say that I blame her. Especially since it was my job as coordinator to protect her. It was very tough at times to be in the mask doing the Michael thing and still keeping an eye on the actors. To Anna I apologize.
Q: What was it like working with the beautiful Jamie Lee Curtis, and the iconic Donald Pleasence? (from Quentin)
DW: At the time Jamie was still a young ingénue. She was full of spunk in my opinion. I felt we had a good working relationship that was fun. Had I not been married at the time I’d have made a run on her big time. I might have been turned down but I’d have gone for it. I don’t think she knows who I am today. She might remember when she said something like. Oh, the stuntguy, when asked about the possibility of my doing the role of Michael in H20. It’s sad what success can do to your memory. As for working with Mr. Pleasence. He was the consummate professional. I had worked with him on Escape from New York and was aware of how he worked Always prepared and always on time knowing not only his dialog but that of everyone else. That was one of the highlights of my career. He has such a tremendous body of work.
Q: What advice can you give to someone who wants to do stunt work as a career? (from Edward)
DW: Edward. I hear this question a lot and I still haven’t found the right answer for everyone. If you have a dream, go for it. Here’s my advice right or wrong. Save enough money for at least a years rent and food. Go to one of the places like L.A. where you stand a good chance of meeting a high profile stunt coordinator and attach yourself to him or her in a way that they will accept and be willing to help you achieve your dream. Be prepared when the door swings open. By that I mean, practice your skills and always be developing new ones. Driving (Bondurant Driving School or Rick Seamen’s school in L.A.) Fights, High falls, water work, etc. Above all, and I learned this the hard way, don’t piss people off.
Q: What are you up to now? And how can fans get autographs from you?
DW: I now live in east Tennessee along with my beautiful wife. I have a Goldwing Trike that we both enjoy touring the U.S. on. I do some volunteer work for the city. I have stopped doing conventions. That is unless my wife says, Let’s do some more conventions. She likes the money she keeps from those. I break my hands signing and don’t even get to keep any of it. We attend a non-denominational church and the pastor is a blast. I play a lot of video games on the computer. Work out three days a week to keep in shape. You know, all the usual stuff that a retired guy does.