Interview: Jamie Kennedy Talks TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL

Out today on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms everywhere is the latest sequel in the Tremors film series, A Cold Day in Hell, which has franchise stalwart Michael Gross once again teaming up with Jamie Kennedy to take on a new batch of Graboids, this time up in the colder climates of Canada. Daily Dead recently spoke with Kennedy about the latest Tremors, and he discussed his experiences working with Gross for a second time, how Travis evolves as a character in A Cold Day in Hell, going deep inside a Graboid, and the art of keeping a straight face when dealing with “Ass Blasters.”

This Tremors felt like such a different ride for you guys. For you personally, what was different about this experience versus you coming into the franchise with your experiences on the last Tremors film?

Jamie Kennedy: With the last movie, there hadn’t been another movie in like 14 years, so there was a certain type of pressure that came with that. We didn’t want to disappoint the fans. They introduced my character, the son of Burt Gummer, which brought in this new generation with YouTube and social media, where my character is always telling Burt that he's got to reinvigorate his “brand.”

And when we were doing Tremors 5, we were really running by the seat of our pants. We got together on this big action production in Africa where we had a limited schedule, and we're all getting to know each other's styles. But this one felt like more of a controlled environment. We had more time to get the script tight and refine everything. I'm really happy with this one. I was happy with the last one too, but my character grows into more of a leader in this one, which I thought was great.

I think what's interesting, too, is that your character really challenges a lot of Burt's stubbornness in a whole new way in this Tremors. There are even aspects of this story that force Travis to step up in a way that he didn't have to do in the last movie. Was it fun to explore that different dynamic to him, so that he felt more grounded this time, and he was more than just a guy who's really good with his quips?

Jamie Kennedy: That's so true. That's really a great point. It was. When I came in the first movie, this was all Michael's world. He knows it better than anyone. He is Tremors. But then, here's this kid Travis who comes in, and he’s poking around and doing all these funny lines, and that was me still learning the ropes of this world. The same for my character, too. With this one, things get a little bit more serious where Travis has to step up, and I feel like that's what I had to do as an actor in this movie, too. It was really cool, actually, to do that in both respects, as a character and as an actor.

There seems to be a rite of passage now for characters in the Tremors movies, where they have to go into a Graboid. Michael has done it, and now you’ve done it, too. Did they make you go all the way into one of these things? It seems like an experience that would have my claustrophobia peaking.

Jamie Kennedy: Oh yeah, we had to go deep into the Graboid to get the shot, and I went all the way in. That is a rite of passage to crawl into the Graboid, I guess it’s a “like father, like son” scenario. No, I actually went in it. Obviously, it wasn't a whole Graboid, but it was a big part of one, so I had to get in, and get covered with all that stuff. That was quite the day when we shot that.

You mentioned Michael earlier, and how he has become the heart of this series over the years. How has it been working with him now on these two different films, and building that chemistry between you two, and being able to really play around with these characters in this world?

Jamie Kennedy: Michael and I have a chemistry that we didn't know we would have when we first started working together. Michael raised me as a person watching TV. He was one of the building blocks of that era of television on NBC. Michael was one of the biggest stars on there, so I feel like in a lot of ways that he raised me.

So, to work with him, it has been a real honor. And I'm very different than he is. Michael is a theater guy, an actor's actor, and I am more of loosey-goosey type of performer who likes to improv. I like to try things to see what works, what doesn't, and I think those two styles conflict in a beautiful way. Because, if you think about it, that's what the characters are too, through the work that Michael and I have done together, we have really bonded. Sometimes we argue, but we respect each other’s style, and we realize that we do have a good shared chemistry. We've given over to it, and so that's just us being real on screen.

Since you’re a guy who has a great handle on comedy, I just have to ask, how much do you guys have to rein it in when you're saying, "Ass Blasters?” I mean, it’s a pretty ridiculous name for these creatures, and I say that lovingly of course, but here you guys are, all straight-faced, saying, "Hey! It's Ass Blasters." I don’t know if I could keep it together.

Jamie Kennedy: Oh, I know, right [laughs]? Ass Blasters in the Arctic, what the hell? Michael is so diligent with it, and knows the genealogy of it so well, so I think he has a handle on the terminology with a note of seriousness. He's like, "If you do not have Graboids, you've got Ass Blasters." So, when we were doing it, I'm just so locked in with him that I can treat it seriously too, but yeah, when I watch it I realize just how funny it is. We’re just used to it. We're used to talking about Ass Blasting all day. That's all we talk about, in fact [laughs].

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In case you missed it, read Heather's interview with Michael Gross, and watch the trailer for Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell below.