Penn Badgley steps into thriller genre in 'Stepfather'
Alexandra Kahrer
Issue date: 10/13/09 Section: Arts & Society
"I had to exhaust myself before takes to make the scene realistic. I'm sure it looked silly behind the scenes. I would run around in circles and scream to get my adrenaline going."
His most memorable scene was also one of his most challenging: "There's this scene where I go head to head with David on a roof. We were working with movie rain, which is really heavy and I was only wearing a cotton t-shirt and jeans. The scene was scheduled to be filmed over the course of probably the three coldest nights in L.A. I've ever experienced. It was impossible to get dry in between takes. It was almost unbearable, but it made me stronger as an actor."
The intense physicality of the role was what initially attracted him to it. He had to get into shape in order to perform some of the stunts. "I have the bruises and scrapes to prove it," he claims.
Staring in a film is a bit different than in a TV series, but Badgley felt that he was able to make the transition seamlessly. His biggest concern was that was not able to have much say in his role, whereas in television, he is able to make suggestions about his character. In The Stepfather, Michael is "borderline petulant and a insolent. I would have tried to soften his role up to make it more relatable, but I had to make it work."
Badgley also thinks that this film is important for young people as it follows the theme of teenagers having issues with their families. Not necessarily issues with a killer stepfather, but many teens deal with broken families.
"Many marriages go sour and it created a torn and tense family life. In my own life, my parents are separated and have had different partners here and there. It's an issue many people can relate to. "
College students may especially relate to the family issues in The Stepfather, because Michael is essentially returning from military school and comes back with a stranger in his home. Anyone who has had a stressful relationship with their family after coming home from college can relate to this.
His most memorable scene was also one of his most challenging: "There's this scene where I go head to head with David on a roof. We were working with movie rain, which is really heavy and I was only wearing a cotton t-shirt and jeans. The scene was scheduled to be filmed over the course of probably the three coldest nights in L.A. I've ever experienced. It was impossible to get dry in between takes. It was almost unbearable, but it made me stronger as an actor."
The intense physicality of the role was what initially attracted him to it. He had to get into shape in order to perform some of the stunts. "I have the bruises and scrapes to prove it," he claims.
Staring in a film is a bit different than in a TV series, but Badgley felt that he was able to make the transition seamlessly. His biggest concern was that was not able to have much say in his role, whereas in television, he is able to make suggestions about his character. In The Stepfather, Michael is "borderline petulant and a insolent. I would have tried to soften his role up to make it more relatable, but I had to make it work."
Badgley also thinks that this film is important for young people as it follows the theme of teenagers having issues with their families. Not necessarily issues with a killer stepfather, but many teens deal with broken families.
"Many marriages go sour and it created a torn and tense family life. In my own life, my parents are separated and have had different partners here and there. It's an issue many people can relate to. "
College students may especially relate to the family issues in The Stepfather, because Michael is essentially returning from military school and comes back with a stranger in his home. Anyone who has had a stressful relationship with their family after coming home from college can relate to this.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Persuasive essay writing services
posted 10/31/09 @ 4:00 PM EST
Generally I do not like horror movies, but this I liked!
Post a Comment