Role Call is a series in whichVulturetalks to actors about performances they've probably forgotten by now, but we definitely haven't.
Once I got in this character, I couldnt turn him off, says William Sadler of playing Death in Bogus Journey. Photo-Illustration: Vulture and Nelson/Orion/Kobal/Shutterstock
The fun of the Bill & Ted movies comes from juxtaposition. Take two daffy metalheads from San Dimas, California, place them alongside disapproving parents, famous historical figures, or worshipful citizens of the 27th century, and watch the sparks fly. But its likely that the Wyld Stallyns front men will never have a better scene partner than Death (William Sadler), whom they encounter in the afterlife after being killed by their own robotic imposters in 1991s Bill & Teds Bogus Journey. At first, Deaths appearance is one more pop-culture reference in a movie full of them just like in Ingmar Bergmans The Seventh Seal, our heroes must best him in a game of skill if they want to save their souls. But then he sticks around, following Bill and Ted first to Heaven, then to San Dimas, revealing previously unseen layers: a childlike lack of sportsmanship, a fragile ego, some smooth grooves on the bass. (The films credits reveal he eventually left Wyld Stallyns to release a solo album but rejoined the band after it proved a critical and commercial flop.) Many of Sadlers laughs as the Grim Reaper come from simple physical cringing, as he conveys his embarrassment and lost dignity, Roger Ebert noted in his review, which hailed the actor for providing the funniest moments I have seen in any movie in a long time.
The performance is even more surprising given that Sadler, a veteran character actor, has primarily made his name in dramas, playing either creeps (a rogue colonel in Die Hard 2, a pedophile in Kinsey) or authority figures (a sheriff in Roswell, the president in the MCU). Before Sadler reprises the role in the long-awaited Bill & Ted Face the Music, he spoke to Vulture about the origin of Deaths Czech accent, creating some of the characters most famous lines, and bonding with George Carlin between takes.
I read that you started off as a stand-up.Yeah, back in high school. I called myself Banjo Bill Sadler. I told corny jokes and played a four-string banjo all over Buffalo at parties, conventions, and fire halls. I enjoyed it, but when I discovered acting, that seemed far more satisfying.
Why was that?Well, I was better at it. And I was reading the words of people much wiser and more experienced than me. The second play that I did, The Subject Was Roses its a Pulitzer Prizewinning play about this dysfunctional three-person family it just ripped my eyes open. I had so much to learn from these great writers that telling corny jokes and playing the banjo paled in comparison.
By the time you went out for Bogus Journey, how were you feeling about your career?When I started, I did about 11 years of theater before I came to Los Angeles to try to break into movies and television. And an awful lot of that was comedy. I spent a year and a half doing Biloxi Blues with Matthew Broderick on Broadway. I was steeped in that world, but when I got to Los Angeles, they took one look at me and said: villain. Youre edgy, evil, cold-blooded the guy who could murder you and then sit on your chest and eat a sandwich while you bled out. It was all these despicable humans. But I was just breaking in, so I wasnt going to turn my nose up at villain roles. And to be honest, theyre wonderful. If you cant be the hero, its great to be the villain. So I was getting cast in that kind of role over and over again, and I started wondering, Will I ever get a chance to use this comedic side of myself? Then Bill & Ted came along, and I thought, Well, here we go. Lets give this a shot.
You fought really hard for the role. Was that unusual for you?I guess I did. I had seen Excellent Adventure and thought it was terrific. The Reaper was an opportunity to make this wonderful transition, because the Reaper himself starts out as this scary figure. Hes Death, the most frightening image you can imagine. And then, almost immediately, as he starts to lose the games with Bill and Ted, he starts to unravel. And in the unraveling he becomes more human and more likable. I thought that was pretty wonderful, so I went for it. I put myself on tape with [casting director] Karen Rea, and I did the Czechoslovakian accent too. I told them ahead of time I was going to do an accent, and they said, Thats probably not a good idea, I think because they dont think American actors do accents very well, but I knew I could nail that one because I had done it before.
How did you come up with the idea that Death should speak in a Czech accent?That, again, I drew from my theater background. I had done a play called New Jerusalem at the Public Theater, a Len Jenkin play, and there was an actor in it named Jan Tska from Czechoslovakia. [In Czech accent] The way he spoke, everything was like this. I thought it was funny and appropriate, so I stole it.
Did Jan ever find out you were doing his voice?I dont think so. I really should buy him dinner if I ever see him again. But he was just one of the actors in the show. He could read the phone book. It was just funny: The accent was always on the wrong syllable and so on.
So I did the audition with the accent and then I didnt hear anything for several weeks. I think they went around putting other people on tape, looking at people like Christopher Lee and Christopher Lloyd. I mean, hes Death; hes thousands of years old. Finally, one day, I got a phone call from Karen Rea. She said, Can you come in tomorrow and do the audition again? But go to a Halloween store and get some gray to put in your hair and black out your teeth. I thought that was going to look awful, so I called the makeup man from Die Hard 2, Scott Eddo, and told him my problem. He said, Come over to my apartment. So at seven in the morning, I showed up at his apartment, and he did this old-age makeup. He made me look like a believable 80-year-old man. I got in my car, drove to Orion Pictures and did the audition again, and that apparently worked. I was old enough. Which is ironic because the makeup that they ended up using was just a big white face and hollowed-out eyes. Age wasnt really going to be an issue anyway.
Did people treat you differently when they thought you were an 80-year-old man?Apparently, after I left, one of the producers turned to Karen Rea and said, He looks a lot older in person.
I guess it was believable.It was believable makeup, but I think, at the end of the day, it was the fact that it was funny. Because it wasnt all that funny on the page or not obviously funny, anyway. I think that was the edge: that I found a way to make him silly.
What was Death like in the script?The game sequence was always there. I didnt really bring anything to it except that silly Czechoslovakian character. I made him more vulnerable. I made him needy. At the end of it, when theyre admiring Stations butt, I added that line, Dont overlook my butt.
I love that hes got such a wounded ego.Exactly. Hes been humiliated. They dragged him to Heaven and back down to earth and then, finally, they let him be a member of the band, and hes the happiest person on earth. He goes on this really wonderful journey. That was all in the script; I just embodied it for them.
The director called you unstoppable. He said you came up with all of his favorite stuff in the movie.We were shooting in a hardware store one night, the sequence where were buying all the bits and pieces to make the robot. Once I got in this character, I couldnt turn him off. I thought, Wouldnt it be great if the Reaper walked by somebody whos smoking and just said, See you real soon, and the guy panicked and put the cigarette out? I told Pete Hewitt, the director. He liked the idea, but they hadnt cast someone to play the smoker. So he [played] the smoker. Thats Pete Hewitt. He said, Bring the camera over here, and two minutes later it was on film. It went like that: a really wonderful collaborative effort.
Were you a big Ingmar Bergman fan when you took the role?I had seen a number of his films. I think I may have seen The Seventh Seal. When I was a younger actor, I made it a point to watch the Bergman movies. I felt that was part of my training. The takeoff on The Seventh Seal, thats all the writers, Ed [Solomon] and Chris [Matheson]. That was their humor hes not playing chess; hes going to play Battleship and Twister and Clue.
I feel like thats the Bill and Ted joke in a nutshell: You take a highbrow reference and filter it through these California dudes.It was brilliantly written. The other interesting thing about that sequence was that it was my first day of filming. The first day I had all the makeup and the robes, the first time I had met Alex [Winter] and Keanu [Reeves], it was the day that we shot the game sequence, best two out of three. Theres always some nerves around the first day, and I think the producers, the director, and so on, they were a little bit nervous that this was all going to work. I remember everybody gathering around the set as we shot the game sequences. Then, the next day, when they had seen the dailies, there was a noticeable relaxation. Everybody went, Oh yeah, thats going to work. I could finally relax.
Im curious: What were your impressions of Alex and Keanu?They were lovely to work with. We didnt really socialize much. They were bigger stars at the time, even before The Matrix. I looked up to them. Also, there was this constant flurry of makeup folks and costume folks around my character because the white makeup kept getting on the black robes. So there was the endless picking and wiping and rubbing and then we would break for lunch. Everybody else would go and eat. I couldnt lie down because of the bald cap and the makeup, so I ended up having to stay to myself, more or less.
Was that lonely?Yeah. I would love to have sat with the rest of the cast and the crew and eat. You know what I mean? You had to drink from a straw, and you had to be careful. It takes so damn long to get it all on that I was always really super-careful not to screw it up. In fact, by the time we got to the wrap party, there were people in the crew who didnt recognize me. They had never seen me without the bald cap and the boots that made me six-foot-two. That was fun.
Tell me about those boots.They were probably six or seven inches. Very big but well designed. There was a bit of a rounded bottom so you could walk. You could roll through your steps. I practiced with them and got pretty good at it. It was harder the second time around, 30 years later. I wasnt quite as athletic when the time came to do it again.
Do you have a favorite memory from the set?That opening sequence, the following day, when they had seen the dailies and everybody relaxed, I think that was one of my favorite moments.
Oh, why am I forgetting this? George Carlin! One of my favorite things on the set was getting to hang out with George Carlin for hours and hours. We would joke, talk about our families. I had been writing songs and performing them in coffeehouses around Los Angeles. I made a cassette tape with 12 of my songs on it, and I gave it to George. We finished filming and we said good-bye, and everybody went off and did other things. About ten years later, I was living in New York, and I got a phone call one morning from George Carlin. He said, Bill, you remember that cassette you gave me of your songs? I barely remembered, but I said, Yeah, yeah. He said, I wore it out. Can you send me another one? To this day, I honestly dont know whether he was just using that as an excuse to get in touch with an old friend or if he actually played the tape so much that it broke, but I sent him another one. And then we lost him shortly thereafter. That was a wonderful memory from Bogus Journey.
What was Carlin like off-camera?He wasnt on. He had a performance mode. If youre just sitting around in chairs waiting for your scene, hes relaxed. Hes having as much fun doing this as you are. We hit it off well, I thought. He was a lovely man, and we had lots of hours to kill on the set, which is unusual for comedians. I dont think he did a lot of filmwork, so it was all a little strange to him. I think he enjoyed having someone to talk to.
I was reading the old reviews, and it seems like most of them spotlighted your performance as the best thing in the movie. Did that have any impact on your career?I guess the reviews helped. I remember one compared me to the best of Peter Sellers, and I thought, Wow. It was one of the highlight reviews of my career because I was such an enormous fan of Peter Sellers. But as far as it affecting my career, I dont know that reviews actually do, you know? I mean, they help. It doesnt hurt for people to be saying, Oh my gosh, he was wonderful in that. But careers are long and funny things. I went from Bogus Journey to The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile and so on. I didnt get pigeonholed playing Death over and over, which was good. They never came to me and said, Do you want to do Reaper Madness?
Its interesting that you took the role to prove you could do comedy, but you didnt end up doing too many straight comedies after that.If you watch Shawshank carefully, that funny side of myself, I cant keep a lid on it. Its a serious film, but I feel like Im the comic relief in that.
Otherwise, Im not sure why that is. Its a funny thing. Careers are strange. I never got typecast as a comedic actor. You hear actors complain, They wont let me play anything serious, or They wont let me do a romantic role, or whatever. I think you try to find the joy in all of it whenever it comes down the river.
Thirty years later, the original films have held up. They still have a fan base; theyre getting a sequel. To you, why do you think these movies work?I think its the innocent optimism that Bill and Ted both have. Theyre killed, theyre murdered, and they go to hell, and the two of them look at each other and say, [Bill and/or Ted voice] Whoa, we were totally lied to by our album covers! Youve got to love somebody who stays as buoyant as that in the face of a calamity. They just embody a hopefulness that we could use right now.
In the mid-80s, Sadler played a similarly Czech version of Death in the short-lived sketch series Assaulted Nuts. Tska died in 2017 at the age of 80.
Originally posted here:
William Sadler Answers Every Question We Have About Bill & Teds Bogus Journey - Vulture
- BFI: First Look at The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee - Blu-ray.com - May 9th, 2024
- Prolific British actor Christopher Lee dies at age 93 | AP News - May 1st, 2024
- AA Alum Christopher Lee is featured in The Business Times - Architectural Association School of Architecture - May 1st, 2024
- Christopher Lee Was Furious About This 'Lord of the Rings' Moment - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- Airdate: The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee - TV Tonight - April 2nd, 2024
- Christopher Lee's casual shorts and slippers outfit in Taiwan made heads turn - TODAY - March 16th, 2024
- Christopher Lee Dead: Horror Icon and Legendary Movie Villain Was 93 ... - February 19th, 2024
- "Chris wasn't hearing a bar of it": Christopher Lee Forcefully Auditioned For Another Lord of the Rings Character Before ... - FandomWire - February 11th, 2024
- 'Cancel everything': How Christopher Lee disciplines his son with this one phrase - Yahoo Singapore News - February 3rd, 2024
- Actress Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The Straits Times - February 3rd, 2024
- Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The New Paper - February 3rd, 2024
- Christopher Lee: The actor and hunter of Nazi war criminals - Far Out Magazine - January 9th, 2024
- Sir Christopher Lee's Favorite Performance is in a Film You've Never Heard Of - MovieWeb - December 12th, 2023
- Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 - The Guardian - April 27th, 2023
- Christopher Lee - Tolkien Gateway - March 31st, 2023
- Christopher Lee filmography - Wikipedia - February 10th, 2023
- Where to Start with Christopher Lee - The Film Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- 'Were you desperate to get proposed to?' Christopher Lee crashes Rebecca Lim's new show and roasts her while dishing out relationship advice - AsiaOne - October 19th, 2022
- The Wicker Man TV Series In Development With Andy Serkis The Imaginarium And Studiocanal-Backed Urban Myth - Deadline - October 19th, 2022
- Tim Burton names his five favourite horror movies of all time - Far Out Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- Ten celebrities who served in the military, from Adam Driver to Prince Harry - The National - October 19th, 2022
- These 13 Actors Have Earned the Right to be Called Scream Kings - Dread Central - October 19th, 2022
- David W. Smith | Obituaries | thedailynewsonline.com - The Daily News Online - October 19th, 2022
- Jennifer Hudson Recounts "Fanning Out" Over Duet With Sheryl Lee Ralph: "I Wanted to Make Her Proud" - POPSUGAR - October 19th, 2022
- Tangipahoa Parish Jail - October 11th, 2022
- A monster calls: why the horror universe is an idea whose time has come - The Guardian - October 11th, 2022
- Oblong Box, The (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - October 11th, 2022
- Was that the balrog that killed Gandalf in the Rings of Power? - Polygon - October 11th, 2022
- Every James Bond movie ranked by critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes - Insider - October 11th, 2022
- Overwatch 2: All Voice Actors And Cast - eXputer - October 11th, 2022
- She got Covid-19 four times this year alone - The Star Online - October 11th, 2022
- Nursing School Collaborates with Nursing School in The Philippines - Boston College - October 2nd, 2022
- The Terrifying, Terrific Horror Movies of 1972 - Nerdist - October 2nd, 2022
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: A beautiful conclusion to the iconic trilogy - The Shield - October 2nd, 2022
- Tyson Fury through the years: Photo gallery - MMA Junkie - October 2nd, 2022
- Duncan man jailed, accused of madness on meth - The Lawton Constitution - September 24th, 2022
- Conor McGregor "can't believe" he's being paid to film Hollywood movie - The Mirror - September 24th, 2022
- The Government of Malaysia Launches the National Energy Policy 2022 - 2040: What it Means for the Renewables Landscape - Lexology - September 24th, 2022
- New Brockton native Brandon Lee part of team cherishing NASCAR win at Bristol - Dothan Eagle - September 24th, 2022
- Cape Cod theater reviewers' thoughts on 2 scary plays and a comedy - Cape Cod Times - September 24th, 2022
- 'His presence is going to be there': Lee Roy Selmon will attend in spirit as trio of OU brothers honored with statue - The Oklahoma Daily - September 24th, 2022
- Nicolas Cage inspired by Christopher Lee for vampire movie Renfield - The Digital Fix - September 16th, 2022
- Reece Shearsmith Tells Richard Herring About Christopher Lee - Beyond The Joke - September 16th, 2022
- 8 Horror Movies So Awful They Were Pulled From The Cinema - WhatCulture - September 16th, 2022
- Man-Thing Makes his MCU Debut in Werewolf by Night - Here's what we know about Man-Thing - Attack of the Fanboy - September 16th, 2022
- Summer of Blood (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - September 16th, 2022
- Get it over with: Suspect in Kokomo child exploitation case tells police to arrest him on the spot - FOX 59 Indianapolis - September 16th, 2022
- Alabama says it won't be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia method at Sept. 22 execution - USA TODAY - September 16th, 2022
- Christopher Lee, The Real-Life "Most Interesting Man In The World" - August 31st, 2022
- Inside The Fact And Fiction Of Christopher Lee's World War II Service - August 31st, 2022
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and the series in chronological order - Lifestyle Asia India - August 31st, 2022
- Court and arrest reports for Martinsville and Henry County - Martinsville Bulletin - August 31st, 2022
- Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked from Worst to Best - Consequence - August 31st, 2022
- Court lists defendants to appear in Criminal Division on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 31st, 2022
- Lee County School Board makes minor revision to Parents' Bill of Rights - Wink News - August 31st, 2022
- A Cardiologist Breaks Down the AHA's New Report on the Most Common Heart Disease Symptoms Best Life - Best Life - August 31st, 2022
- Exclusive Interview: Director Philippe Mora On His Films With Christopher Lee - FANGORIA - August 14th, 2022
- 10 films turning 10 in 2022 - NewsNation Now - August 14th, 2022
- Persephone and the Poultry of the Night | Thumper Forge - Patheos - August 14th, 2022
- Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors - Looper - August 14th, 2022
- Rings of Power: Everything you need to know about Amazon's 1bn Lord of the Rings prequel - The Mirror - August 14th, 2022
- Slash Tells Us Why There Will Never Be a Guns N Roses Movie - MovieMaker Magazine - August 6th, 2022
- On the record for Aug. 4 - Seymour Tribune - August 6th, 2022
- Judge Talley will hear criminal docket on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 6th, 2022
- Dr. Christopher Reber Receives ACCT 2022 Northeast Regional Chief Executive Officer Award - The Hudson Reporter - August 6th, 2022
- Theatre Review: This 101 Dalmatians is barking up the wrong tree - The New European - August 6th, 2022
- Christopher Lee Euro Films, Dennis Hopper's 'Out of the Blue' Among Titles Due on Disc From Severin and MVD July 26 Media Play News - Media Play News - July 28th, 2022
- 25 Scariest Movies of All Time (2022 Edition) - Cultured Vultures - July 28th, 2022
- Fans Wonder Why a Fantasy Epic Too Big to Fail Did Just That - We Got This Covered - July 28th, 2022
- The Best Witch Movies of all Time, Ranked - The Mary Sue - July 28th, 2022
- NASCAR Driver Christopher Bell and CRAFTSMAN Raise Awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals; No. 20 Special Edition Paint Scheme to be... - July 28th, 2022
- Singer Stefanie Sun turns 44 with cakes and loved ones - The Straits Times - July 28th, 2022
- Tony Dow dead: Wally Cleaver 'Leave It to Beaver' actor was 77 - USA TODAY - July 28th, 2022
- Roane Co. authorities looking for man convicted of neglecting and murdering an elderly relative - WBIR.com - July 20th, 2022
- 22 Incredible Facts About The Life and Career Of Sir Christopher Lee - July 20th, 2022
- Police and Fire Report - Winchester Sun - Winchester Sun - July 20th, 2022
- What We Do in the Shadows cast shares their favorite vampire movies, books, and more - Polygon - July 20th, 2022
- Courteney Cox Set To Make Horror Movie History With 'Scream 6' - We Got This Covered - July 20th, 2022
- Every James Bond Movie, Ranked: The Best of Bond - CNET - July 20th, 2022
- Grandparents of Dean Kerrie say he was just defending his mother and should not be jailed - Sunday World - July 20th, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero