It should go without saying, that as another Halloween approaches, so does another Saw film. Recently, Lionsgate had a Saw VI media day at the Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Maze, that Killer Film attended. So we hope you enjoy our round table discussion interviews, with the cast of Saw VI: Tobin Bell (Jigsaw), Costas Mandylor (Det. Hoffman), and Tanedra Howard (Simone)!

By Senior Writer Jon Peters and Melissa Molina.

Killer Film: You won a role in Saw VI from VH1’s Scream Queens show. Can you explain the long process from getting on that show to actually winning a role in horror’s biggest franchise?

Tanedra Howard: Actually, doing Scream Queens was actually pretty fun, I almost didn’t do the show. I almost actually quit completely to be honest before the audition processing was started. Oh yea, cause you know how reality shows are so I was like “You aren’t gonna be in a jacuzzi drinking champagne, blah blah blah” and I was like “No way”. But once we did it, once I actually won, I was like oh my God I couldn’t believe it, cause it all happened so fast…

Well you know what, the Scream Queens it was an acting competition with ten girls and each week we had an acting challenge. James Gunn was our directing coach and Shawnee Smith (Amanda from Saw I-III) did our immunity challenges, and then he…

Tobin Bell: Immunity?

Tanedra: Yeah, immunity, like it was a certain little acting skit we had to perform in there, and then Shawnee got to pick who won. Then, if you won, you’d escape from being eliminated.

Tobin: Oh…

Tanedra: So, I won immunity like four times I think, like three or four times. And then after that each week we had a director’s challenge where they direct us in a full scene and then they went over it and then each week a girl got eliminated until there was one left.

Tobin: Yeah? (laughs)

Tanedra: Yeah. (laughs)

Tobin: Yay!

Tanedra: Yeah, and then Mark (Burg) and a few other people went over it cause our final scene was actually having to redo the scene from Saw III with the bomb.

Tobin: Yeah, oh…

Tanedra: We had to recreate that scene, that was our final challenge.

Tobin: Yeah, yeah, cool.

Tanedra: It was fun.

Tobin: Did they have the neck thing?

Tanedra: They remade a whole replica, the whole room, and everything. Well, of course you (looks at Tobin Bell) weren’t there, so they had a little speaker box made with your voice on it.

Tobin: Oh, yeah? Can I expect a check?

Tanedra: (laughs) No they actually used another guy but then just like, I guess slowed it down. Yeah, that was it, so that was how I got to it was doing that scene over again. It was fun.

Costas Mandylor: I was just thinking about, talking to the girls and just like being mysterious on the thing. If it was me I’d be like “Hello girls…what are you wearing?”

Tanedra: (laughs) Yeah, that sounds about right.

Costas: I had a different take on it (laughs).

Killer Film: Mr. Bell, the evolution of Jigsaw/John has been pretty interesting to see unfold throughout the series. Was this something as an actor that brought you back film after film?

Tobin: Yeah, I mean the arc of any character is the most interesting part of playing the character. You guys will all follow your own individual arc in your life as writers or broadcasters or whatever you are, and there’ll be times when there’s conflict, difficulty, struggle and so that’s what makes a character the most interesting and connecting the dots. Thats the part that is the most interesting to me, is like being truthful to what’s preceded in terms of his character. That’s what I care most about is that the scenes seem like they’re happening for the first time, that the stakes are high. Like, even though in Saw II, I was just sitting across the table with Donnie Walhberg, the stakes were high. We worked very hard to recreate those scenes, to reshape the dialogue in those scenes so that it, because two guys sitting across a table in a Saw movie could be deadly.

But with the tension, we needed to keep the it up, and there’s a scene in Saw IV with Costas where he sits in a chair with a shotgun under his chin and we, its a testament to all the actors who work on these shows, that we always are trying to keep the tension up, or to try to. There are lines in that scene that directly connect back to things that have been set up in Saw IV and connect. I think what sets the Saw films apart from other just special effect horror movies, is that there are some smart ideas and smart concepts. So, you know, in that scene in Saw V we were definitely trying to connect to some other thing that proceeded it and try to explain to the fans the relationship between Hoffman and John Kramer. So that’s the fun part of it, I mean the special effects and the blood, make up and the props and all that, these guys are very good at what they do. But the actors need to create what appears to be reality on screen and that’s not always an equation that’s easy to arrive at. Sometimes its really an evolution, a kind of improvisation although by the time we shoot the scene hopefully we know what were going to say. In arriving at that, you know I mean Costas will come up to me and he’ll say ‘You know what? I think, why don’t we do this?’ I remember it was a fuck you?

Costas: Yeah, yeah! (chuckles)

Tobin: It doesn’t seem like terribly Shakespearian, but it was after we pulled the trigger, after I pulled the trigger on the shotgun and we had a number of different things for him to say. By the time we shot it that seemed the most appropriate for his character, for the moment, and to keep him stronger. (To me) So what’d you ask me? (laughs)

Costas: What was that question again?

Tobin: I know what the question was, it had to do with the character’s arc and yes that’s absolutely the most important thing. Is the arc complete? It’s not.

Killer Film: How has it been working with Kevin Greutert, and what did he bring to Saw VI?

Costas: He’s great, he’s very specific as Tobin has said before, (looks to Tobin) he’s edited all of the movies?

Tobin: Since part one.

Costas: Since one, so you know he knows every nook and cranny, every frame and its easy to trust him. He’s got a great sense of humor and we need to laugh once in awhile over there cause it gets a little mundane. He’s got a great eye and Tobin’s seen some of the work that he’s done. I haven’t seen anything but he was great to work with and Tobin says he’s done a great job.

Tobin: He’s smart, he’s a smart guy. He understands the films, he understands the connecting of the dots and where this potential richness, and that’s great. Its absolutely critical, these films that everything that is potentially rich, be everything that it can be. We know the special effects, we know the traps, we know the twists and the turns, or the plot turns, but in terms of shooting the actors in the moments. The camera sees everything; you know, and the smallest moment between two people is giant on the screen and that’s not mechanical, its human so a director who can get that from his actors has got a lot.

Killer Film: How much influence have you had on Jigsaw through the duration, which has been all six (films)?

Tobin: Happily, a lot. You know I’ve been working with writers, producers, actors who care about the result. Not every idea I had is accepted, but it’s a collaborative environment and that’s been great, because I feel that we’ve been able to get more out of that environment than we had. When the script was done, then we start with that script and then we try to make it as good as we can. Like ‘Wait, wait, wait, we’ve got an opportunity here. What if we did this? What if we did that?’ and sometimes it’s accepted and sometimes it’s not, for a variety of reasons creative, financial, or time, they can’t do it.

I’ve done a lot of films and television, and with the exception of I can recall one moment in Washington DC, and going up to Wolfgang Peterson for In The Line of Fire, there’s a scene with Clint Eastwood and I wanted to change one word and it was major discussion. I can’t remember what the word was, but it was a major discussion. With Saw, it’s been a much more theater where you can work on stuff and can make it better. Depending on the situation, it gets in or doesn’t get in. Darren Bousman was very good drawing on people’s ideas. You know, one actor would have an idea, another actor would have an idea, and say ‘Good, that’s better, lets do that’. That’s what a good leader does.

Killer Film: Do you feel you’ve become kind of like a Kane Hodder, Robert Englund where your like this horror icon now or do you feel, personally for you do you feel that way?

Tobin: Some people say that, but I haven’t seen Robert Englund. I haven’t seen any of those films so I don’t know what, I mean, I know what they’re talking about, but horror icons? That’s from like that side of the room that way, I’m on this side, I’m looking that way.

Costas: And he’s not wearing a mask.

Killer Film: (To Costas) I’m sure secrecy is an issue everyone wants protected, but did you know Hoffman’s arc in this film before shooting, and what can we expect?

Costas: Well, you know what, its all a bit of a surprise, because we get the scripts very late. I’ve never been able to take a script home, because I have to go and read it in the office. So they keep stuff, last twenty pages of (Saw) four and five I didn’t have. I think (Saw) five maybe I got way before we shot it. You know what, our secrets, were not allowed to share them, and I kind of love that because every time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, I become an audience member. We’ve shot alternate endings, things like that so it keeps it exciting for me just to see the movie as a movie goer that I happen to be in, and very proud of and very grateful. Yeah, all the secrecy stuff works for me. We can talk to you generally, but we can’t say too much, which is kind of cool too, because you’ll see the movie and if you like this kind of movie you’ll be pleasantly surprised, hopefully.
Oh, don’t worry Costas, Killer Film is. Now, keep it here only on Killer Film, for Part 2 of this round table discussion, as we talk to Saw VI’s creative team with director Kevin Greutert, writers Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton, along with producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules. Saw VI opens this Friday!

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Tags: Costas Mandylor, James Gunn, Saw, Saw II, Saw VI, Scream Queens, Tobin Bell