Interviewed by Michael Juvinall – Horror Society
Barry Bostwick is a seasoned veteran of the acting game. He’s been in Hollywood for over 45 years now and still going strong as ever in both TV and film. Bostwick’s roles have run the gamut from comedy, drama, musical, sci-fi, horror, and everything else in between. For most of his fans, he will forever be known as Brad Majors from the musical comedy, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. He has worked on many TV shows such as War and Remembrance (TV Mini-Series) from 1988 and made a big splash as Mayor Randall M. Winston Jr. in Spin City (1996) opposite Michael J. Fox.
Bostwick is out promoting his latest project as the star of one of the segments of the highly anticipated horror anthology, Tales of Halloween. I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Barry to ask him about his role in Tales of Halloween, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and more.
Horror Society: You’re here for the Wizard World Comic Con this weekend in Chicago to promote one of your latest projects that’s screening tomorrow night, Tales of Halloween.
Barry Bostwick: Yes I am. The film is playing tomorrow night as part of the Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival.
Horror Society: Can you tell us briefly about your part in your short segment of the film?
Barry Bostwick: Well, I play the Devil in a segment that’s called “The Night Billy Raised Hell” and it is directed by my friend Darren Lynn Bousman who I’ve had the opportunity to work with a couple times this year. I’m just a small little part of this movie which is put together by ten really good, young filmmakers. It’s got everything in it. It’s funny, it’s scary, it’s gory, it’s sexy, and it’s everything an anthology film should be. There haven’t been a lot of them out there that have been really….well you would know. What was the last anthology horror film that you saw that was good?
Horror Society: Probably Trick ‘r Treat which was also Halloween related.
Barry Bostwick: Yeah, yeah, this is being compared to that but even more favorably. I think when the reviews start coming out, it will be quite popular. I’m happy to be involved with it because of so many talented people involved.
Horror Society: The film Tales of Halloween has the opportunity to achieve cult status based on the filmmakers and the talent that’s involved with it. That’s something that you’re already familiar with because you played Brad in Rocky Horror Picture Show which is incidentally celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Barry Bostwick: That’s right; we’re having a big convention in New York in about a month and a half.
Horror Society: When you were filming that, did you have any inkling that it would become as huge of a classic as it has become over the past 40 years?
Barry Bostwick: No, no I don’t think any of us thought the audiences were quite as witty and quite as desperate to yell back at the screen as they ended up being and to become part of the experience and actually become the experience. In fact they took over the movie and created their own entertainment and it’s something you could never anticipate and could never reproduce.
Horror Society: The Rocky Horror fans are a totally different breed of fan. Do you have any stories of your strangest Rocky Horror fan experience?
Barry Bostwick: You know my Rocky Horror experiences have always been so positive, so positive. I’ve never had a negative experience. That’s probably been my best experience is that you would think with that audience all around the world gathering such a strong, diverse community of people that someone would attack me with a knife or put a gun to my head somewhere in the last forty years. It has always been a communication filled with respect and joy and I’ve always felt the same about them. I hope that for another ten years we’re still celebrating together the experience that Rocky Horror has given them.
Horror Society: I’m sure it will be a lot longer than that. If you had a dream project without any limitations that you could work on, what would that be?
Barry Bostwick: I think probably some kind of a musical. It would definitely have to be a musical and it would have to be a musical where I play a character that has an awful lot of heart and sense of humor and hipness to it. Something that’s very up to date, to the moment but not hip hop.
Horror Society: So besides Tales of Halloween, what else do you have coming out in the near future?
Barry Bostwick: I’ve got Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival, I’ve got Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves, Slay Belles, Diani & Devine Meet the Apocalypse and a web series I’m actually shooting this weekend called Inside the Extras Studio, which is a takeoff on Inside the Actor’s Studio. It’s very funny and done by a young filmmaker who I enjoy and I like working with these young clever guys. Thank you very much.
Horror Society: Thanks so much for talking with me, I really appreciate it!
