Bill Moseley interview "Holy Miss Moley, got us a live one!" Actor Bill Moseley, who will shortly reprise his House Of 1000 Corpses role of Otis B. Driftwood in the upcoming The Devil's Rejects, has been a beloved genre staple ever since his inimitable "Choptop" character in 1986's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II. With appearances in Silent Night Deadly Night 3, The First Power, Army Of Darkness and a nifty cameo in Tom Savini's 1990 remake of Night Of The Living Dead, Bill has remained a familiar face among horror fans. Indeed, the Boogeyman is real, and John Gray found him....ready to dish out the details in all-new interview! The Pit is proud to interview you once again, this time about The Devil's Rejects, the sequel to House of 1000 Corpses that hits theatres nationwide July 22nd. Thanks for asking! Always a pleasure to descend into the Pit! First off, can you tell us how your character Otis has changed since House? To start with, I look different! I'm no longer the albino I was in House of 1000 Corpses. And that's a good thing, if only because I no longer wear the brown-and-red-flecked contact lenses I wore as Otis B. Driftwood, resident genius of HO1KC! Also, I grew a beard for Rejects--didn't think I had it in me, but after a couple of months of not shaving, here's this Brillo-thick reddish brown mass of chin spinach! Impressed me, and I needed something to tug on, especially after they shaved my head so they could glue on my new wig! Oh, I'm also a lot more real, more calmly cruel and matter-of-factly sadistic and vicious. My work in the studio (see Fish-boy) has been rudely interrupted by Sheriff Wydell and his bunch of trigger-happy rugrats, but in this picture, it's all about the road! Do you think Rob (Zombie) tried to break you out of the stereotype of ‘psycho killer’ in Rejects by humanizing the character of Otis B. Driftwood? Rob knows me better than I know myself sometimes. When he originally cast me as Otis B. Driftwood, I thought he wanted a reheated Choptop from Texas Chainsaw II. It took his gentle nudging to get me to put down the hanger and pick up the pistol. By the time we did Rejects, I had Otis down pretty good so I felt confident enough to take him to the deeper, darker places Rob wanted me to go. As my girlfriend said to me of Otis when she'd finished the Rejects script: "It's a juicy part for an actor!" We learn some interesting things about the ‘Firefly’ family in Rejects. Going into making the sequel, did you have any direct input into the characters' relations? I didn't get a copy of the script until a month or so before we started shooting, so my input was limited to growing a beard and on-set inspirations. Originally, House was thought to be a stand-alone film. Were you surprised that Rob decided to do a sequel? I was happily surprised that Rob wanted to do a sequel, knowing as I did his attitude about sequels in general and horror sequels in particular. There was obviously a lot more life and depth to explore in our characters, not to mention a whole new genre in which Rob could track our exploits! In Rejects, there are some great cameos in the film, ranging from 70’s grindhouse to mainstream sitcoms. Were you excited about working with any particular person/people? What makes the movie great are the cameos, and one of the things I appreciate about Rob is how he uses his horror heroes. All of their appearances are working cameos, not just star turns. Sometimes cameos can jar you, take you out of the flow of the film; that does the movie, and the actors, a disservice. Steve Railsback, Michael Berryman, P.J. Soles, Ginger Lynn, to name a few, all do great work in Rejects! It's exciting to see them, and they enrich the story. Any musings from the mind of Otis that you can share with the fans before Rejects hits theatres July 22nd? I'm just happy to be onboard. I had a ball working with Rob, Sheri and Sid Haig. We have a great relationship off-screen, and I think that comes across in the movie. Kudos have to go out to Director of Photography Phil Parmet and his crew and of course Lionsgate Films for providing us with their full and enthusiastic $upport! What can Bill Moseley fans expect to see from you in the future? Any current projects that you would like to speak of? I'm working on another Cornbugs CD, that's the band I have with guitar god Buckethead. The title is Skeleton Farm, and it should be available at cornbugs.com by the middle of September. In the meantime, you can listen to samples and purchase our other CDs, Donkey Town, Brain Circus and Rest Home For Robots at Cornbugs.com or Choptopsbbq.com. Finally, as a fan myself, it is a pure joy to see you evolve as an actor and go from a cult icon into the mainstream. Will this ‘newfound success’ determine the roles you take in the future? Are we ever going to see Bill Moseley play the ‘hero’? I'd love to play the hero, the love interest, but let's not forget that once you dance with Choptop, Choptop calls the tune! Thanks again Bill. You are the best! Cheers, Bill M. << Back