Flashback Weekend 2017: William Forsythe and Lew Temple Reflect on Rob Zombie’s THE DEVIL’S REJECTS

From August 4th through the 6th, Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Con took over the Windy City, and Daily Dead was on hand for all the horror-fied festivities. Throughout all three days, this writer served as one of Flashback’s co-hosts, and brought back some highlights from several of the panels held over the course of the convention.

First up is a discussion on easily one of the greatest horror movies of the last 20 years, Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, between two of the film’s co-stars, William Forsythe and Lew Temple. During their panel, the duo discussed their initial feelings on working with Zombie, collaborating alongside their fellow cast members (including the late, great Geoffrey Lewis), which scenes were improvised, and what it is about Zombie as a cinematic storyteller that has fueled them to return on several of his other projects post-Devil’s Rejects.

Lew Temple on the amazing talents of The Devil’s Rejects veteran actors:

"My first experience to work with Mr. Forsythe was that I got to be with him in Devil's Rejects. I had known his work so well before that, but then to be around him, it was amazing. That movie is amazing because of him, and Ken Foree, and both Bill Moseley and Sid Haig, too, who are like pros. We did this table read and you realize this thing's going to be special just based on those four, plus Geoffrey Lewis was there, too, and he was also a pro. So there was something that was really unique and special with that cast that will never, ever, ever, ever happen again anywhere. And that's why it's so good."

William Forsythe on Zombie’s concise vision for The Devil’s Rejects:

"I met Rob on the phone. I spent two hours with him having a conversation. He called me up and it was kind of an interview. He knew my work, I think he kind of wanted to work with me, but by the time the phone conversation was done, we were united and we were going to make this film together. From the very first moment I spoke to Rob, I could see he was a man who knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he was also somebody who had the confidence to allow people who knew what they were doing to get on and have a good time."

Lew Temple on his initial fears over working with Zombie:

"I was scared to death, because I knew White Zombie and I knew of Rob Zombie, but I wouldn't say they were on my soundtrack of life. I went in to audition for a casting director who liked me very much, and thought I was right to play Adam Banjo, but I had never done a horror movie or anything near that before. I actually called a friend of mine, Walton Goggins, who had done House of 1000 Corpses; we were very close Southern boys and friends. I said, 'I'm just a good Christian boy from the South, so I don't know if I could go work for this devil worshiper.' He said, 'Oh, shut up. Do yourself a favor, go do a good movie and you'll have a friend for life,' and truer words were never spoken."

William Forsythe on how his character transitions from hero to villain in The Devil’s Rejects:

"Rob and I discussed very much about how we could make this transition in a way that would be very effective to the audience. We only had a couple of scenes, beginning with the dream with Tom Towles, our departed buddy, so we had to figure out to how make this happen in such a short time so that it would have that impact. It's actually the genius of the film. I don't know if you guys noticed, but whenever bad things happened, the cowboy hat comes off with me. The white hat comes off and something else happens.

I asked Rob one time on set, 'Rob, do you mind if we do this setup and do a scene in the mirror?' And he goes, 'What are you going to do?' I go, 'Well, let's see.' That scene was entirely an improvisation. Rob put a lot of trust in me, he let me go, and he let me create that so I was able to get into the mind and the dark side of who this guy is—somebody who became obsessed with vengeance, and then it took him down this horrible path that leads to the ending of our film.

I think the genius of the film is that really it's only two or three scenes and we make that transition. What I tried to find out was, what is John Quincy Wydell like on an average Wednesday, when he's not chasing down this family? There's only one scene in the movie when we kind of get to see what he is like, and that's the scene that I had with Steve Railsback playing the other sheriff. You see the two of them just sitting there shooting sheep and you see these guys breathe as they would as normal people except for the fact that now we're on this mission because they killed my brother as well as all these other people. That to me is the key, that's what an average day would've been like for him.

My other favorite scene is the Elvis scene, which, by the way, was not scripted. It was scripted to some degree, but I told Rob, 'Rob, this guy is not saying good things Elvis, and my character just doesn't want to put up with this.' Rob, without telling the other actor, God bless him, says, 'Do whatever you want to do.' So, if you ever watch the movie again, and you see when I go, 'What did you say about the King?' and the look on that actor’s face like, 'What?', that was all real. He had no idea that stuff was coming, even me throwing him on the table.

Lew Temple reminisces about working with Geoffrey Lewis:

"Well, you know, again, we've lost Geoffrey as well, God rest his soul. What a talent. We all knew him. I first met him and it was like I was out there working with my heroes, you know? I wasn't green, but I was greener than I am right now. So, the first day Geoffrey gives me a card, and it says, 'Clint Eastwood's Best Friend'. That broke the ice, and then we walked a lot, too. Out on that ranch, he and I would take nature hikes and he would just talk about life, growing up, being a young actor in New York City, having girlfriends, smoking cigarettes till noon in bed, and really cool stuff that William probably did, too. But he would give you little snippets of fun advice like, 'You know, when you're working with the lead, always put your hand on his shoulder when you're talking to him. That way they can't cut you out of the movie.' Just brilliant.

Our group became a foursome—there was Roy Sullivan, Geoffrey, and then, of course, Priscilla Barnes played his wife, and Kate Norby played my wife. Kate, Priscilla, and I were really excited about our scenes, and Geoffrey was really easy, because he removed himself from connecting with the scene. You know, all that mayhem that happens once Bill [Moseley] and Sheri [Moon Zombie] show up. It was like, 'Look at what's on the television, that octopus is doing crazy things.' It was brilliant. Geoffrey’s stuff was always so perfect because he didn't do anything with forced intention, but there's still a lot behind it."

William Forsythe on what makes Rob Zombie a special directorial talent:

"Rob's fun, and I mean he's truly fun. We've already said he knows what he wants and all of that, but what makes Rob really fun to work with on the set is that he is great with actors in a way I’ve never seen before. I remember times when Rob would go, 'Come on. Just make something up so you can totally shock the hell out of everybody,' and I'd do it and suddenly I'd hear all this laughter going on. I'm in the middle of the take and I hear somebody laughing, and it's Rob! It was just this great feeling where anything can happen, and that possibility is a wonderful thing. A lot of people that call themselves directors are stiffs who barely know their way around a film. It's a title they gave themselves, or somebody else did, but great directors are hard to find, especially these days. I can tell within ten seconds if a director knows what the hell he's talking about, and Rob certainly knows.

When you create an environment where people feel free, you get the best work. I've walked on sets where everybody's all tense, and it could be the worst script ever written, and they're like, 'I'm sorry, we need to have this verbatim,' and I'm like, 'Screw you, you're not Shakespeare.' That's why even now, some 12 years later, we're sitting up here talking about this movie at this show. It's because that kind of work exists when you do a film with Rob. It's a great experience, and believe me, I would not say it if it wasn't true."

Lew Temple on the intensity that comes from collaborating with Zombie:

"Yeah, he's entirely fun, but make no mistake, it's still a day's work. He brings you in to get the job done, and it is a J-O-B. He has a great sense of humor, as good as anyone I know, but even still, there's an intensity to the day that you have to deliver, and if it doesn't work, he will shit-can it. I've watched him remove actors from scenes if something is unfortunately not working, but I think that he recognizes what he knows that he wants. He keeps coming back to the ensemble that can deliver. Also, he is a performer who speaks as both an actor and director—that means you can trust him. He has that actor instinct because he's been up there on stage, too, so he knows when he can call bullshit. That's what I love about him. When I'm false in a scene, he can say to me, 'Lew, I don't buy it,' or, 'That's bullshit,' and I believe him. I trust that feedback, and I appreciate it."