William Butler Interview
Interviewed by Maggie Roberge
William Butler is an actor, director, and writer from Fresno, California. He has been in a few memorable horror movies, such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. He has also directed and written some horror sci-fi films, and was even involved in a couple seasons of Power Rangers.
How did he get into the entertainment industry?
When William was 17, he moved from Fresno to Los Angeles to try and become an actor. He started out sweeping floors in a studio called Magical Media Industries and eventually started helping with some painting and special effects building. Eventually, he met Charles Band of Full Moon Entertainment, and moved on to become a liaison in Italy for Charles Band’s company which at that time was called Empire Films.
Did he go to any special schools?
While William never actually went to any acting or film schools, he did take a few acting classes and joined a local theater when he was young. He became aware of the process, learned how to be comfortable acting in front of a camera, techniques, and from this developed a passion for acting.
How does he like working with horror as opposed to other genres like sci-fi?
William has been a horror fan ever since he was a young boy, so he developed certain expectations that he thought all horror movies should have, so to him sci-fi can be a bit more freeing and he feels he can do a lot more with sci-fi sometimes. He feels less pressured and like he has fewer obligations when it comes to making sci-fi movies as well as acting in them and writing stories for them.
How does he feel about directing in comparison to acting and writing?
William loves story-telling and being in charge, so directing comes naturally to him. He currently directs a short 2 minute program that airs on Disney Channel called “Get Connected” which is currently going into its 4th season. While acting, he frequently had to keep a close eye on his physical appearance, so he had to watch how much he ate regularly, while with directing he’s behind the camera, so it doesn’t matter as much how he looks.
He has worked on some make-up and special effects, but has he built anything?
William has built many things, including some of the Hellmouth for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, lizard bodies for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Earth 2, Sea Quest, etc. Ever since he was young, besides acting he also had an interest in art doing mostly painting, though he thought of it more as a means to an end.
What is Transition Films?
Transition Films is a company William owns that makes 1-2 movies a year, commercials, and even makes the “Get Connected” show for Disney Channel. They have a new movie coming out in January which he’s really excited about as well.
What other future projects is he working on?
Currently William is working on Waffle Hut, a show about women working in a Waffle House type restaurant and most recently has written and directed Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver for Charles Band. In January he will be directing a Science Fiction film about an alien invasion in a small rural town.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124834/
