John Carpenter is at the point in his life when he just doesn’t have any more fucks to give. He’s reached the highest highs a filmmaker can have, creating iconic films that have stood the test of time and inspired millions of people, and he’s experienced the lows, such as commercial and critical failure. And now, at 70-years-old, Carpenter is just living his best life. And in a new interview, he proves that in spades.
First, a little background. The recent interview with Carpenter is in honor of his 40-year-old film, “Halloween,” being put back in the spotlight thanks to the upcoming sequel/reboot of the same name. And as Revolver interviews the filmmaker to talk about his iconic film and the upcoming sequel, he’s watching the recent Brett Kavanaugh hearings on TV and obviously couldn’t care less about the questions being asked. This might sound like criticism but it’s far from it. This interview is purely and simply…magical.
Carpenter begins by explaining his role on the new “Halloween” film, where he’s credited as an executive producer. “I’m just there to be a sounding board, when I’m asked — they handed me the script and I reacted to it. I gave my comments, but they could be ignored,” the filmmaker said.
It’s when the filmmaker is asked about the origins of Michael Myers that you begin to realize that Carpenter’s mind is elsewhere at the moment and he begins to turn the tables, asking questions himself. “I have a cheap answer for you. I saw ‘Westworld,’ the original movie, and Yul Brynner’s character was this unkillable robot. I thought, ‘That is a really cool character.’ That’s how I came up with it, but it evolved — it wasn’t exactly Yul Brynner. [Pause] I’m watching the Kavanaugh hearing now on television. Do you know about that?” asks Carpenter.
When the interviewer admits he is aware of the hearings, and asks if Carpenter has been watching all day, the filmmaker says, “Yeah, oh man, it’s unbelievable. Right now, he’s just walked in — he wasn’t very happy.”
He continues by explaining his thoughts on Dr. Ford’s accusations, “It’s just really credible. She’s an amazing witness. I’m riveted by the image of Kavanaugh on my TV screen.”
Focus, Mr. Carpenter! Let’s get back to “Halloween.”
After answering a couple of questions about the film, the director is asked about how the next generation of filmmakers look to him as a source of inspiration. He replies, while changing the subject back to what he really cares about, “I didn’t think about it — I really didn’t. It’s very flattering. [Pause] Man, I am just listening to [Kavanaugh]. He is just raving.”
“‘This is a character assassination.’ What a whiner,” Carpenter adds.
Desperate to steer the conversation back to film, the director is then asked about watching his own films out of necessity when he has to approve Blu-ray releases and whatnot, and whether Carpenter enjoys that process. Unsurprisingly, Carpenter doesn’t enjoy it, saying, “Oh, you know, I have to sometimes. I watched ‘Halloween,’ and I didn’t want to do that. I don’t want to see them anymore. Oh, god, no.”
Keeping with the short, curt answers, when he’s asked about whether or not the director had any hesitation or apprehension about someone else touching his franchise, he simply said, “No, not my movie.” Okay then.
From there, Carpenter takes another detour to bring up one of his other loves — basketball. Talking about producer Jason Blum, who has made a career out of profitable micro-budget horror films, Carpenter described him as the LeBron James of film. He clarified that he’s James because “he’s successful.”
READ MORE: ‘Halloween’ Producers Want Sequels: “For Sure, 100 Percent!”
But really, it’s all about Kavanaugh. Carpenter continues, “Well, he’s angry, and then he’s calmed down just a bit now, but he’s really pissed off at people who call him names. He’s flailing away here: ‘I’ve never sexually assaulted anyone,’ that’s what he says.”
The interview ends in the most fitting way possible, where Carpenter describes his “dream life.” The interviewer asks if he’s perfectly happy sitting back and letting others use his properties and make films, while he just collects the royalties, the filmmaker said, “Oh, man, you talk about a dream right there — that’s the dream life.”
For those young people out there reading this, if you want to know what a picture of success looks like, it’s John Carpenter. We should all strive to have a life like this, full of video games, NBA games, watching the news, and collecting paychecks. Pretty amazing.
