Comic-Con 2017 Interview: Meat Loaf and Vincent D’Onofrio on Joining the Cast of GHOST WARS

Set to premiere this fall is SYFY’s new paranormal-themed series, Ghost Wars, which boasts an incredible ensemble that includes Vincent D’Onofrio, Kim Coates, Meat Loaf, Avan Jogia, and Kandyse McClure. While in San Diego last weekend at Comic-Con, Daily Dead spoke briefly with two of Ghost Wars’ co-stars, and veteran actors, Vincent D’Onofrio and Meat Loaf. The duo discussed the big appeal of joining the cast of Ghost Wars, and Meat Loaf also reminisced about his time collaborating with Dario Argento for his episode of Masters of Horror, entitled "Pelts."

So, coming into the show, what was the biggest appeal for you guys? Was it the different genre elements, the characters, or the fact that it was something different?

Meat Loaf: The reason that I came into the show is because when I got sent the script, the writing of Simon Barry, who I was a huge fan of already, was great. When I found out that he had written the pilot, I had to read it. And, when I read the character of Doug, I said, "This is without a doubt the best character I will ever play." I may play better ones in the future, but up till now, Doug is now my favorite. Before this, Robert Paulsen [from Fight Club] was.

Vincent D’Onofrio: The script. I read the first two scripts and they were really good, and there were a couple of particular things that struck me that I really liked. And, I called Simon to tell him that, and I just wanted to make sure that I was on the same page as he was about what the tone of the show was. Because there were these particular things that I liked, and I wanted to make sure that it wasn't a mistake or something, that the show was actually what I thought it was going to be. And, he assured me that I had gotten what he meant.

So, yeah, we had a couple of phone calls, and by then, I was in. I like this character of Father Dan. A lot happens to the Father, and it's pretty crazy. Everything with Father Dan is based in emotions, but he has this incredible relationship with his daughter. And, I have these incredible relationships with the people that come to my church, and Avan's [Jogia's] character, Roman. There's a real social comment aspect to the show, too, but at the same time there's gore and a lot of scares, and a lot of just straight out freaky shit happens. So, I liked it because of that.

Is working in the horror genre something that appeals to you guys as actors?

Meat Loaf: Well, if you have seen it, I did do something with Dario Argento. It was called "Pelts." And when the producer called me on the phone, and he said to me, "Do you watch horror movies?" And I went, "Nah, I can't stand them." And about four minutes later, the phone rang, and there's Dario Argento with that Italian accent going, "How can you possibly be in a horror movie if you don’t like them?" I said to Dario, "Listen, whether I watch horror movies or not, it has nothing to do with whether I can play the role of the character." One has nothing to do with the other. Just cause I don't watch them, doesn't mean I can't play a character in them. And then he agreed with me. On the second day of shooting, he came up to me and said, "I'm so glad you're here." I said, "Well, I told you I could do it." Because I'm pretty blunt [laughs].

---------

In case you missed it, check out our Comic-Con 2017 coverage hub for all of our news and features from San Diego.