Along with recent appearances on TV ("Six Feet Under," "24") Balfour's been busy with "Secondhand Lions," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and playing gigs as the lead singer of his band, Fredabla.
ERIC BALFOUR ('Kemper'):
Could you relate to this character?
Kemper, my character, he’s Jessica Biel’s boyfriend and he’s sort of the leader of the group. I truly understood playing the character in that way, playing the role of the caretaker of your friends and wanting to protect them. I understand that.
What attracted you to the role?
I like that Kemper was the leader of the group. I like the valiant hero. There are so many anti-heroes nowadays. I like the guy who wants to take care of his friends and protect them. I like that.
Did you actually get injured before filming started?
I broke my hand. There was a little scuffle with some boys and I broke my hand.
I thought I heard it was a basketball game or something like that?
Well, we stuck to that story for a while but now that we’re here and it’s all done, I can’t get in trouble for fighting.
And I also read you had a scary experience filming a scene where you swing out over a lake. What happened?
I got caught on the rope swing. The rope coiled around my leg and I got stuck. It literally [tightened] on my leg and I got stuck there hanging upside down for about 20 minutes.
How did you get rescued?
I didn’t. I had to get myself out of it because no one could reach me. Because I had a broken hand, I only had one good hand to actually deal with it with, so that’s why it took so long.
Was swinging out over the lake the most difficult stunt you had to do, or was there something even worse?
That was definitely the most difficult – and the most dangerous. This was the hardest work I’ve ever done [on a movie]. You really had to work hard every day. It was amazing.
What do you think fans will think is the biggest difference between this remake and the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre?"
I think this one is much more of thriller where the original is more of a classic horror/slasher film. This one gets inside of your head a little bit more. I think the biggest difference is the characters themselves. I think you really get to know them and care about them before they die.
When you got the script and you saw it was for a remake of a classic horror movie, were you like, "No way, I’m not going to do this," or were you immediately attracted to it?
You’re obviously curious when you find out it’s Michael Bay. The man is so good at what he does. He knows how to make movies, he knows how to entertain people. So you’re automatically curious.
ADDITIONAL "TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" PREMIERE INTERVIEWS:
Jessica Biel ('Erin') and Director Marcus Nispel
Mike Vogel ('Andy')
Producer Tobe Hooper
Special Guest - Sala Baker ("Lord of the Rings")
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Photos, Trailer, Credits, and Websites
