“Lloyd Kaufman Gives 15 Answers” by Perry Krootjes
posted in Interviews |The on December 30. 1945 in New York, USA born Lloyd Kaufman would make by only some people a wake-up call. This is not weird if you know that this horror legend (with his own company Troma Entertainment) makes independent movies which are hard to get. Besides that he also works at movies for the big public. As an actor you could see him in for example movies like ‘Rocky 1 and 5’, ‘Orgazmo’, ‘Midnight 5’, ‘Bleed’ and ‘The Bonesetter’. While he was working behind the scenes at movies like ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘The Rowdy Girls’. Recently he was in Holland for the new Dutch horror movie ‘Horizonica’ where he has a small part in it. Perry Krootjes from Moov.nl had the honour to interview this very nice actor/writer/producer and director for the site.
1. What’s your favourite CD and why?
I don’t really have a favourite CD, but I do like the works of Cole Porter and Art Tatumvery much. It’s nice to listen. There music is really brilliant and emotional.
2. What’s your favourite number and when do you listen to it?
At least one’s a week I listen to the number “La Forza Del Destino” from GiuseppeVerdi. And every day I listen to the title song of my own movie ‘Poultrygeist: Attack ofthe Chicken Zombies!, performed by Calamari Safari.
3. Do you ever listen to music before you gonna film?
I listen to music when I work and when I’m writing. While I’m walking I’ve listen to myCD’s with all kind of different artists. I get a lot of inspiration because of it.
4. How important is music for you in your life?
I like music very much. It’s nice to listen to music each day. Personally I think music isbetter then TV.
5. Who’s your favourite singer (male or woman)/group?
Then I go for John Lennon and Edith Piaf.
6. With whom do you like to sing a duet someday?
It’s seems a nice idea to sing a duet someday with Fiona Apple.
7. How important is music for you in your movies?
Music is just like a movie. And a movie is like a big symphony.
8. What’s your favourite sport to watch? And which sport do you like to do yourself?
I like to watch baseball and self I do jogging.
9. You’re an actor, producer, director, writer, cinematographer, production manager
editor and composer. But what do you like the most of it?If I really have to choose, I choose for directing. I like the most to work behind thescenes and as an actor I’m not important. Mostly I play small parts then. Also I haddirecting more movies in my career.
10. You already have worked with a couple of big names: Oliver Stone, Vincent
D’Onofrio, Marisa Tomei, Michael Jai White, Ron Jeremy, Corey Feldman, Stan Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Jorge Garcia and Fred Williamson. But who have made to most impression to you until now?Then I would say Mitchell Cohen, Ron Fazio, John Altamura and David Mattey. The fouractors who have all played the Toxic Avenger. This because ‘The Toxic Avenger’ isprobably the biggest hit of my company Troma Entertainment. And there I’m very proudon of course. The worst person ever whom I’ve worked with was director Don Taylor,from ‘The Final Countdown’ from 1980. I played the part of Lt. Cmdt. Kaufman in it. Hewas a horrible director and died in 1998. With the actor Takashi Miike from ‘Ichi: TheKiller’ from 2002 I would love to work some day.
11. You’ve worked three times with your wife Patricia Kaufman, eight times with your
daughter Charlotte, three times with your second daughter Lisbeth, one time with your third daughter Lilly Hayes, three times with your father Stanley, three times with your brother Charles, one time with your mother Ruth and sister Susan. Only, you’ve never worked all at one and the same movie. Is this not a big wish of you?That’s a nice idea, but not a wish of me. Also in the future my family will play smallparts in my movies. But I prefer young girls, haha.
12. Could you tell me how important your company Troma Entertainment and your
friendship with Michael Herz is for you?Both are very important for me. Together with Michael I create our company TromaEntertainment and we help each other when we need. Also in difficult times. BecauseTroma Entertainment is an independent company I’ve got as director totally freedom.There are no studio’s who are watching on my fingers by my movies.
13. You’re always making horror/comedy-movies. Do you not like to surprise your
audience with a complete new genre-movie?Oh no, absolutely not! I only make movies with I like, it has to feel right. What I do at themoment feels right and is most fun.
14. What could you tell about the new Dutch action/horror-movie ‘Horizonica’ where
you had a scene in?I understand that the people of ‘Horizonica’ saw some of my movies. After that they callmy company Troma Entertainment and asked if I would play a small part in there movie.I didn’t do this because I want to play in a movie from another country, but just becausethat the company of ‘Horizonica’ is (just like Troma Entertainment) an independentcompany. And I think it’s very important to help that kind of company’s. I had only onescene and for that I stay two days in Amsterdam. Thank God I had also enough time tosee some things. For example: director Ramon Etman has taken me once to the Red-Light-District. Also I saw the van Gogh-museum and the Anne Frank-house. Speaking aboutRamon, it was a pleasure to work with him and he’s a very good director. Whole the teamof ‘Horizonica’ was great. They where all very nice. There’s not much differencebetween working at a Dutch movie and a movie in the USA. I think people in Hollandmake even better movies. And the people in Holland also speak better English than thepeople in the USA does.
15. What could we expect in the near future of you?
First of all I play in ‘Black Dahlia’. Then you could see me as Ted Roma in the newDutch action/horror-movie ‘Horizonica’. Also I play a part in the new comedy ‘The Cops Did It’. The horror-movie ‘Hoodoo for Voodoo’ comes after that. Then it’s time for the documentary ‘Dancing Into the Future’ which I had produced. After that I play a part in the comedy/horror-movie ‘A Grave for the Corpses’. ‘War of the Dead’ comes after that and all in this year. And last but not least, in 2007 I play together with Tony Todd (‘Candyman 1 – 3’) and George Wendt (“Cheers”) in the horror-movie ‘Bryan Love You’.
Follow on Twitter