Behind the scenes with Doug Jones _{by Madelaine Empson}

Wellingtonians will have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to meet a legendary actor at Sky Stadium this Easter weekend. Famous for his unforgettable transformations into mythical creatures like Abe Sapien in Hellboy, The Faun and the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth, Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water, Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus, and many more, we went behind the scenes with Doug Jones ahead of his hotly anticipated appearances at Armageddon Expo for panel chats at 1pm on Friday the 18^th and Sunday the 20^th of April, with photo and autograph times available all three days.

As an actor, contortionist, and mime artist, did you imagine the kind of prolific career you’d have in Hollywood?

I dreamed of it all, yes, but had no idea if those dreams had any probability of coming true. Any actor will tell you the odds of making a full time living out of this artform are slim. So when I found myself standing on the stage at the Oscars with the entire team from The Shape Of Water accepting the Best Picture award, it was absolutely that dream come true from when I was a teenager watching the Academy Awards back in Indiana, wondering if I could ever make it to that stage.

What would you say was your gateway to the ‘creature feature’? 

I wish that were a simple answer, but it took a few factors to end up where I did. I had to be an actor who understood character development first, before considering creatures. Then, being very tall and very skinny with patience and an athletic mentality, added to a background as a mime with fluid limbs, helped win me a few early TV commercials in my first years as an actor. Those commercials often came with a look that had to be suited up or glued onto me, so that meant meeting and working with many creature effects make-up designers who I got along with so well that they would refer me again and again. Those referrals landed me in front of masterful directors like Tim Burton for Batman Returns, and of course my very favourite director ever, Guillermo del Toro in his first American feature film, Mimic. Thankfully, Guillermo kept me around for much more after that.

What does the process usually look like – from your own character development to makeup and prosthetics – to become an otherworldly creature for a film or TV show? 

It takes a village to make a monster. It all starts with the writer and what I can gain about my character from the script. Then notes and thoughts from the director will fill in more details. Then a full-length mirror will help me find the posture, stance, and body language for the character. But it all comes together once the creature effects makeup and suit are added to the mix with those early fittings and video tests to see how it will all work in unison.

What is the most involved process you’ve undertaken so far?

The further from human I get, the more difficult and involved the process will be. For instance, The Faun from Pan’s Labyrinth took five hours a day to apply to me, while the Pale Man from the same movie took six hours a day. But the most ever was the blue fish man Abe Sapien from the Hellboy movies taking seven hours a day. 

An odd question, perhaps, but do you ever get a fright when you look in the mirror once you’ve transformed? The Gentlemen from the Hush episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth are characters that have personally terrified me! 

Nothing validates me in those roles more than hearing you were scared of me, thank you, hehehe! I have never frightened myself in the mirror, because I was watching the entire process as they built it on me. But the only two times I’ve truly creeped myself out were the very two characters you just mentioned. Buffy’s Gentlemen and Pan’s Pale Man when I finally saw the finished show or movie all cut together on film with the entire sense of story.

You’re known as the Boris Karloff of our time. Do you ever get starstruck yourself? 

First off, thank you so much for comparing me to the icon that is Karloff. I get so humbled when I hear my name in the same sentence with him or Lon Chaney. I tend to get starstruck when meeting or working with actors I was a fan of in my youth. I had been a longtime fan of Bette Midler’s from when I was in university until my adult life, so when I played opposite her as her former boyfriend from 300 years ago in Hocus Pocus 1 & 2, I never got over my fan-boy jitters. I behaved the same way when I met Margot Kidder when my appearance manager took her on as a client, and we started doing convention events together. I never got over the fact that I had become friends with Lois Lane from those early Superman movies.

Not to make you play favourites, but is there a project you’ve worked on that has particularly impacted you, or a character you’ve played who really jumps out?

They all impact me in one way or another, as I have to fall in love with any character I play to do him justice. I put so much of myself into them, and I end up learning or getting something back from them. Billy Butcherson from the Hocus Pocus movies is special because he’s become a part of so many people’s childhoods at Halloween. Saru from Star Trek: Discovery helped me work through my own fears and anxieties as I played through his. Baron Afanas from What We Do in the Shadows allowed me to be as over-the-top goofy as I wanted. I loved Abe Sapien’s calm intelligence in the
Hellboy movies. And both Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water will always hold a special place in my heart for their beloved audience reactions and their critical acclaim that brought both films to multiple award shows with multiple wins in multiple categories.

What are you most looking forward to about visiting Wellington, New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo?

This will be my second trip to Wellington, so I’m excited to see anyone I met at the last con I did there 10 years ago, including acquaintances from the Wētā Workshop. The Kiwi kindness and humour are good for my soul.

What’s the most interesting or out-the-gate question a fan has asked you during a Q&A session? 

Probably when a fan has asked if I would adopt them, which has happened more than once. A bit much, and impossible to fulfil, but I also take that as a huge compliment that anyone would find me to be a safe place like that.