The horror genre and Skeet Ulrich go hand-in-hand. Or do they?
As Peter Gray spoke with the actor for his latest project Blood, a horror/thriller following Michelle Monaghan’s Jess, who moves her two children back to her childhood home where their lives quickly deteriorate into terror after the family dog bites her son, giving him a horrific infection that tests her motherly morals when the only cure to keep her son alive proves deadly, the Scream star touched on his relationship with the genre (” I haven’t done that many of them on screen.”), his first reaction to Brad Anderson’s offer (“I was stunned by it.”), and the joy of making it out of this one blood-free (“It was nice to not deal with that this time.”)
Thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to me. Before I get to Blood, I have to say as a 12-year-old who saw Scream for the very first time, my younger self is having a bit of a freak out right now. So, thank you for being a part of a very formative film for me.
Thank you. Thank you for saying, sir. I was lucky to be a part of it.
Have you found that because of your appearances in both the original Scream and Scream 2022 you have found a new audience that have embraced that character?
You know, it’s interesting. I do signing conventions throughout the year, and I saw it prior to the release of Scream 5. But I think it was a bit to do with Riverdale exposing a younger (audience), but that film (Scream) has a fanaticism that is unrivalled, in my opinion. Maybe Star Wars and Star Trek, you know, the upper echelon type stuff, but it really has a following that is incredible, that even if Scream 5 and Scream 6 weren’t a part of these canon movies, it would still be remarkable how into that movie people still are. It seems to have worked across generations for whatever reasons. I should ask you why (laughs).
You obviously have a certain confidence in appearing in horror films. Are you actually someone that enjoys the genre?
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I haven’t really done… it’s interesting. I haven’t done that many of them on screen. I guess The Craft is arguably a horror film, but I don’t really think it is. It doesn’t play like a horror film to me. Escape Room, I guess…I mean that’s a low budget thing that I did for fun for a friend. I haven’t done that many of them, but I do love them. I don’t necessarily seek them out. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is my favourite religious horror. That effs me up! I’m not religious, but I don’t know what it is…I’m a fan of the genre, for sure.
Going into Blood I didn’t watch any trailers. I knew very little about it. It definitely took me to places I wasn’t expecting. Was it the same for you? When you read that script, are you thinking “Holy shit! This is where they decided to go?”
First of all, I have loved Brad Anderson’s films for a long time. Just the fact that an offer landed on my desk from him was like…I just prayed it wasn’t some horrific thing (laughs), which I knew it couldn’t be with him. But as I read it I was just blown away by how much of a page turner it was, and, like, “What the hell is going?” What was this world we were in and who is this kid? I was stunned by it. And so blessed to be asked to be a part of it. With Michelle (Monaghan) too, brilliant. And the kids were amazing. I was into it from the get go.
There’s that old saying that states “Don’t work with kids or animals”, and this film decided to just throw both of them at you…
You can only say that if you’re a narcissist (laughs). Because if anyone really notices, they’re adding a lot of value to the film.
Because of the intensity of how the film comes across, does that make the feeling on set a little more lifted to offset that? Or did everyone stay in the mentality of the film itself?
You know, Michelle and I have been doing this a long time. And Brad, as well…Maybe the best analogy is something to do with sports or football, because it’s football season, but everyone is pretty loose. Loose but focused. The moment the huddle breaks, everyone has their game face on. No one was going mad method or practicing anything weird, but it just seemed like we’d all been doing it for so long. It just kind of flowed. The emotional tones flowed, but you knew when you could make a joke right before someone was going to bawl, or if they were in the corner getting prepared, you knew to give them space. We all wanted it to be the best it could be. But it was very loose. It was a great environment. Brad is incredible and open to every idea. But he had a complete vision. It was a lot of fun in a very cold Winnipeg (laughs).
Because the film touches on that notion of how far a parent would go for their child, and you being a father yourself, does that determine the types of roles you gravitate towards?
You know, I’m always clear. I’m trying to be very careful about not allowing my life or my politics or my religion or my beliefs guide me towards which story I do. I think that would be kind of boring. I’m into things that don’t really align with me. But that being said, yes, being a parent, for sure…it’s easy to feel and grasp the lengths of what we would do for our kids. That was something I felt intently in the story. And from both my character and Michelle’s (perspectives), I think we both have the same goals. We’re just not necessarily on the same page.
Being a parent, and having been a single parent for a long time now, I understood it in a way that Brad allowed me to bring my own experiences and my own emotional understanding to the role. And in this case, it did align perfectly.
The horror films you have been in haven’t always ended well for you. Was it nice to be involved in this and…
Not die? (Laughs)
Yeah, just let Michelle get covered in blood and you can sit back and be the responsible parent?
Yeah, it was really interesting. It was amazing. It felt so raw and real. But it was nice to have to unstick myself every day from fake blood. When I did Scream, and I don’t know if anyone really knew, but there’s a trick to getting fake blood off and I didn’t find out until many years later, and it’s just shaving cream. For whatever reason it cuts that blood. But it was nice to not deal with that this time.
Have you found that with the landscape of cinema shifting the way it has these last few years that there’s a sense of “normalcy” on film sets again? Does it feel like it’s back to any type of way “pre-pandemic”? Or is distancing on set just part of the practice now?
I don’t know, I wish they were, to be honest. I think we’re the only industry still using these protocols. It’s fully masked and you’re tested every day, and it adds about a quarter to every film’s budget. It’s an oddity that I don’t quite understand. I won’t get into the politics of it all, but it’s not like it used to be at all. It is a bit tough. I went to LA for the first time in a while to (see) an improv show, and they required everybody to mask up, and I thought how hard that must be on stage to not see people’s faces or feel their reactions. I get it in terms of insurance and protecting people, but some of it seems a bit far. We’ll leave that. It’s above my paygrade (and) I certainly don’t want to get told off by some union.
Well the film itself was a really nice surprise. It’s always good to watch a horror film that isn’t checking every expected box. It does have this emotional additive too, so I just have to say hats off to yourself, Michelle, and Brad. It’s so great to have a horror film that aims for a little more originality in a time when that isn’t always prevalent.
That is great praise we will take to the bank. The emotionality was that I felt when reading (the script), so it’s nice to hear that came across. Thank you.
Blood is currently screening in theatres in the United States, before arriving On Demand on January 31st, 2023. An Australian release date is yet to be determined.
