Halloween’s Original Michael Myers Actor Wishes He Hadn’t Done This One Stunt

Original Michael Myers actor Nick Castle reveals the one regret he has from Halloween (1978). Though Castle’s face was largely hidden behind Michael Myers’ iconic mask, he was just as instrumental as Jamie Lee Curtis to making John Carpenter’s slasher movie into the horror classic it is today. Although Castle didn’t return for any of the Halloween sequels, he remains an important part of the franchise.

In fact, when Curtis reprised her role as Laurie Strode in the quasi-reboot of the franchise, 2018’s Halloween – which serves as a direct followup to the ’78 film, ignoring all other sequels – Castle was also brought back to play Myers in a scene and provide the villain’s menacing breathing. Castle shared the role with James Jude Courtney, who played Michael Myers in all other scenes. Now, as the Halloween franchise continues, with two sequels to the 2018 movie set to release in the coming years, Castle looks back on his first turn in the mask 42 years later.

Talking to The Thing With Two Heads, Castle revealed his one regret from the original Halloween movie was filming one particular scene instead of letting his stunt double do it. His regret is rooted in how uncomfortable the scene was to shoot, rather than any issue with how it fits into the movie. He explained:

I wish I would have let the stunt guy do the first scene where it’s in the rain and I’m jumping up on the car so I didn’t have to freeze to death. [It] was horrible. The worst part on the show for me… [It] was like 40-something degrees that night and it was late and they put on the hoses… those [big] hoses. And when those drops came down on me, through the gown, it was like knives. And then, of course, [the director] had to go, ‘Take two.’

Despite how uncomfortable – and downright painful – the scene must’ve been to shoot, it’s unlikely Castle’s one regret left him with any bad feelings about the Halloween franchise. After all, his Michael Myers made horror film history. He may have been masked in both the original movie and the reboot, but that doesn’t negate the weight of the accomplishment. His willingness to return for David Gordon Green’s Halloween reboot further proves his willingness to return to the role – even in a limited capacity. Considering Castle only donned the mask once again for a single scene, and it’s sure to have been much easier to film than the rain scene in the 1978 movie, that no doubt helped convince the actor to return.

It seems Castle’s time in the Halloween universe isn’t over yet, either, as the actor will return to the Michael Myers role again in Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, though they’ll be brief. Even if his Halloween Kills cameo gets cut from the final version of the movie, it’s no doubt special to both Castle and the fans to have the actor that originally brought Michael Myers to life involved in these new movies. It remains to be seen how well received the final two Halloween movies will be, but Castle’s involvement is one way in which the films work to honor the franchise’s history.

Source: The Thing With Two Heads