Ian - You're also a pretty prolific writer. Gunnar - I know that my gravestone is going to say, "Gunnar Hansen - He Had His OwnĪction Figure." And, in truth, there are worse things to be remembered for. What's it like to be immortalized in 9" plastic form? Some based on the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and some based on the original film that you starred in. Ian - An odd question maybe, but there have been a few Leatherface action figures, Polite, more talky, less committed to unnerving the audience. And thatĪlso, Chainsaw changed horror movies. So people comeĪway from seeing it feeling very disturbed by what they have seen. Is also very realistic - it looks almost like a documentary. Gunnar - Chainsaw has survived - and continues to grow in stature - for a lot of Ian - Why is it, do you feel, that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is as beloved - if not more so – today than it was when it was first shown decades ago? To what do you attribute its ongoing success? The whole notion is very far away from what my life is really like. It's certainly nothing I ever expected in my life, and Ian - How do you feel about being remember as one of the most notorious
In a horror movie and also learn a bit about how movies are made.
Real movie and thought it would be an interesting experience to get to act My reasons for doing the movie were simple. We had a long meeting, in which we discussed theĬharacter of Leatherface and his relationship to his family. Then I got aĬall back and met the Tobe Hooper, the director, and Kim Henkel, theĬo-writer with Tobe. Gave me the name of the casting director and I gave him a call. Production in town and that I would be perfect in the role of the killer. We were reminiscing over a cup of coffee when aįriend of his joined the conversation and said that there was a film Gunnar - I ran into a fellow that I had been in "Of Mice and Men" with - he had Ian - How did you come on board The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and what drew you to the project initially? Which involved walking through a scene and looking menacing or befuddled,Īs far as work, I was fresh out of grad school and working as a carpenter Otherwise, I was also in a couple of student movies, Gunnar - I was in a couple of plays in college - "Of Mice and Men" and a production
Ian - How did you get into acting and what did you do before working on The Here's what Gunnar had to say about his work on an undisputed horror classic and a few other projects.
Just in time for the upcoming Dark Sky Film's amazing two-disc Ultimate Edition re-release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ian Jane had the chance to ask the man a few questions via email. While Gunnar Hansen has been known as Leatherface ever since The Texas Chainsaw Massacre made horror movie history, there's more to his life and his career than just that classic character.