In Night of the Animated Dead, siblings Barbara and Johnny visit their father’s grave in a remote cemetery in Pennsylvania when they are suddenly set upon by the undead. Barbara flees and takes refuge in an abandoned farmhouse along with stranded motorist Ben and four local survivors found hiding in the cellar. Together, the group must fight to stay alive against the oncoming horde of zombies.
Revisiting George A. Romero’s 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead in an altogether unprecedented presentation, this star-studded animated recreation of the movie was released on September 21 on Digital and arrives on October 5 to Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD.
As part of the star-studded cast, Jupiter's Legacy alum Josh Duhamel takes on the role of Harry Cooper. Despite typically being perceived as an antagonist in Romero's classic horror movie, the actor has a very different take on what drives the character and explains how that affected his performance.
Duhamel also talks to us about his role as Two-Face in Batman: The Long Halloween, the possibility of returning to the Transformers franchise, and whether he'd be interested in starring in a live-action zombie movie. He also expresses his love of the sheer amount of gore in this animated movie!
Harry Cooper is an interesting character in the sense that he’s not an overly nice man, but is clearly looking out for his family; what about that juxtaposition interested and excited you most as an actor?
You’re right, he’s a guy trying to protect his family and we see him as kind of the antagonist in this story. Any time I have a role I’m playing where the character is the antagonist, I try not to look at him like that, but rather what does the world look like through his lens? In this particular situation, he is completely overwhelmed by what is going on outside. He doesn’t know what these things are. His daughter seems to be infected by whatever these creatures have, he’s retreated to the cellar to protect her and try to make it through the night, and just the situation and the pressure brings out the prickliness and agitated vibe that he puts out. Who wouldn’t in this situation? Any social graces are thrown out of the window and it’s pure survival mode at this point.
You’re coming off the back of playing an iconic villain like Two-Face, but did you feel a similar sense of pressure being part of a retelling of a movie as iconic as Night of the Living Dead?
There is some pressure that comes with that as there will be comparisons drawn to the previous people who have played Harry and all those things. I try not to take any of that on. I just go into a job and try to play it as realistically as I can. As far as Harvey Dent and Two-Face goes, that was a guy dealing with marital stuff at home, trying to make his marriage work, and once he is doused with that acid, his life is put into a tailspin. That really brings out that dark side that is present in all of us. His is right at the surface already, and as far as the voice went, I had a lot of fun playing with that. We sat there for quite a while figuring out what he would sound like and physiologically what would happen to your vocal cords if you were burned by this acid and how that would affect the way you speak. For me, it was really fun. As an actor, these are the jobs you really love. Not just for a voiceover part, but as an actor in front of the camera. It’s exciting to explore things I wouldn’t otherwise do because I wouldn’t go so deep into the vocals of something. The reality is that the vocals support what you do visually. It allows you to really exercise some things that are sometimes forgotten when you’re just working as an actor in front of the camera.
You’ve worked with a lot of great writers and filmmakers over the course of your career, but what did you enjoy most about diving into that original John Russo screenplay, especially given the time it was written and the fact many of the themes in there are still relevant today?
What do you mean by themes that are still relevant today?
Well, something that’s always generated a lot of discussion even after George A. Romero said it wasn’t necessarily intentional, is whether Harry treats Ben the way he does because of his race. There seems to be a fair bit of sexism too, which all these years on, still resonates with a lot of people I think.
Oh, I don’t know about that. I didn’t see that in this. If you really look at the situation…I don’t care what colour Ben is, Harry is more concerned about his family and how he’s going to keep them alive and safe. It doesn’t matter whether he’s white or Black. He comes through the door with a different idea about how to keep his family safe, so Harry was always going to have that reaction. At that point, all colour, all race, and all genders are out the window; it’s about keeping your family alive. I think, if anything, he looks at him like another human being who might pose a threat to his family’s safety. Too often we look for more meaning in things, but I didn’t see that at all. I feel he’s just a guy trying to save his family.
I see where you’re coming from, and it’s interesting to see how differently people read into things. However, do you think you’d have been as interested in this project if it had been a typical reboot or reimagining rather than a retelling of that original movie?
I liked the fact it’s animated and the fact they kept true to the original tone. They really preserved what the original movie felt like in a lot of ways because there’s a lot of silent moments that are really tension-filled. So often in modern remakes, we fill in those spaces with effects whether it’s CGI or sound effects. This one breathes. It’s the same as The Long Halloween. They do a great job of letting these films breathe, and it’s not easy to do because you’ve got to trust that the audience will stick with it. Sometimes, I don’t think we give the audience enough credit and they will stick with it because those silent moments are just as powerful as when you fill them with something else. At the same time, they were able to do some things that George Romero wasn’t able to do back in ‘68. They could make it a little bit more gory and intensify some of the scenes in a way he wasn’t able to do probably because of the budget.
This may be an animated project, but there’s still plenty of gore for horror fans; did the brutality of the violence surprise you when you got to watch the finished product?
[Laughs] Honestly man, I was like, ‘Whoa, they didn’t hold back on this!’ This is like a real horror film. It was actually really scary. I thought it wouldn’t be as scary because it’s animated but I was like, ‘Geez, they really went all out.’ When a couple of the characters die and one of them gets hit and half his head is taken off and half her neck is gone, it was insane. Even at the end, when you-know-who takes a bullet between the eyes I was shocked that it happened so suddenly. I like that they didn’t tone it down and let it happen. I’m not even a big fan of gory stuff, but I liked it and if you can shock me that way, I feel like it’s doing what it is intended to do…and that’s to scare the piss out of you!
On another note, it’s been a few years since we last saw you in the Transformers movies, but do you think the door is open to possibly stepping back into Lennox’s shoes?
Oh, I don’t know. I don’t see that happening any time soon. I feel like it’s run its course but, you know, I thought I was done after 3 and they brought me back for 5, so...I’d be happy to do it. Those movies changed the course of my career and if something good came along, I’d be happy to do it.
You’ve mentioned Batman: The Long Halloween a couple of times now, and the response to your take on Two-Face has been so positive. What’s it been like to see that?
They liked what I did with that? I didn’t see any of that! That’s great, man. I love that and didn’t know that. It’s good to know.
Finally, in terms of zombie films, are you a fan of the genre and do you think you’d like to step into a live-action project yourself having experienced this animated story?
I’ve never been a huge fan of zombie films, but I’m always of the opinion that if it’s a really good or interesting take on something, I’m down. If it feels fresh and new, I would absolutely do it.
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