Vincent D’Onofrio talks about new films “Chained” and “Sinister”

Vincent D’Onofrio  is known best for his roles in projects like “Men in Black”, “Full Metal Jacket” and TV’s “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”. Vincent recently directed an amazing horror film called “Don’t Go in the Woods”, starred in Jennifer Lynch’s “Chained”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Vincent about that role in “Chained” and if we can expect him to direct again soon.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with Jennifer Lynch’s disturbing “Chained”?
Vincent D’Onofrio: We had a mutual friend and she wanted me to read the script. I have known Jennifer for a longtime, even before she did “Boxing Helena”. So she sent it to me and I thought it would be a really good idea to do. I got in touch with her immediately and then we were off.

MG: How did you transform yourself into Bob for “Chained”?
VDO: It is all about telling the story correctly. You have to figure out a way to get away with the character that you are not going to overshadow the story but at the same time do it right. I brought this speech impediment into it to give notice that something is wrong with this guy and he has a past. His posture and that sort of stuff is in the story and is scripted well and a lot of that helps the character along. Mainly my job was to bring in this guy that can get away doing these horrific things.

MG:You have taken on so many unique character roles from “Men in Black” to “The Cell” to “Full Metal Jacket”; do you always aim for the most challenging roles or does it just end up working out for you?
VDO: I think it is a little bit of both. I worked on TV for almost ten years and it is nice to get back into playing different types of characters. I think that when you are a character actor you some great opportunities like the antagonist. I really enjoy it. If you pick the right ones, you can get lucky. I always look for a challenge and always try to pick different roles. I think sometimes I get asked and then sometimes I go after parts like that because I find them interesting.

MG:What do you enjoy most about working in the horror genre?
VDO: I love it. I just really do. It is a really fun genre to work in. I directed the horror film “Don’t Go in the Woods” and that was fun in one way and “Chained” was fun in another way. “Chained” is a very character driven piece and “Don’t Go in the Woods” is basically a horror/slasher musical. The idea of living in that world of horror, there is a lot that can be done creatively to make it different than something you have seen before. That is best thing about good horror films and why I watch them. The bad ones – the ones that are not as entertaining are the ones you’ve seen over and over. The ones that are the coolest are brand new and finds a way to re-tell the horror. Those are fun to watch.

MG:You are also working again with Jennifer Lynch on “A Fall From Grace” & “The Monster Next Door”; how those come about?
VDO: “A Fall From Grace” is definitely happening. I am will be working on that with her soon, once she gets the financing ready. So yeah, once she is ready…I am good to go.

MG:Tell us about your role in “Sinister”?
VDO: That is basically Ethan Hawke’s film. He is a good friend of mine. They asked me to cover over a help out with a character. I only worked on it for a couple of hours. I am only in the film a little bit as a favor but it is suppose to be really intense. The testing is amazing. I am looking forward to seeing it.

MG:I am a big fan of “Don’t Go in the Woods”, you plan on directing again soon?
VDO: Yeah I am doing to do it again. It is going to be completely different from that film. It is going to have to be something that I am committed to give a couple of years to. The next one will hopefully be a little bit bigger of a budget. We did “Woods” for only 100K and shot it in 12 days. So not too much bigger but I am working on this other thing currently. So keep an eye out.