Michael Papajohn: "Yes, I do."
Could you have any more big summer movies?
Michael Papajohn: "Well I only die in one of the four, so that's exciting. My wife would say, 'Hey Michael, guess what? You only die in one of the four.'"
That's too funny. What do you do in Land of the Lost?
Michael Papajohn: "I'm an astronaut. When I first walked on the set I saw Will Ferrell riding a 60-foot dinosaur, like whipping it and screaming out, it was really funny actually. But you talking about sets, Brad Silberling is a really cool director and he also gave me freedom to play and have fun. This is one of the most amazing sets I've ever been on. I couldn't believe it was a soundstage when I walked in it. You know, when you see the movie you'll know what I'm talking about, but it was amazing. I've been on a lot of different sets - big budget, low budget, all kinds of budgets - but when I walked in there I've never seen a soundstage look like that. What they actually did with it and how they transformed it..."
Did you watch the TV show when you were a kid?
Michael Papajohn: "No, I did not. It's funny, when I read for things and I get something, then I'll do that biography and find out what's going on, where does it come from. And when I did Spider-Man, I worked with Sam Raimi on For Love of the Game and I had the opportunity to come back and read for that part, the carjacker, I didn't know anything about Spider-Man. I didn't know who the carjacker was. On some of these bigger films, they just give you sides and they never let you read the script, so you've got to kind of bring in your own thing and then later maybe look into it. But like I said, when I read for Spider-Man I didn't know that that's the guy that kills Uncle Ben. And I know Sam used to always say, 'Your evil creates Spider-man,' you know?"
You had a pivotal role and you didn't realize that your character was that big of a player in the Spider-Man mythology?
Michael Papajohn: "No, I did not. I was on The Animal when I got a call that I got Spider-Man and the guy next to me, I go, 'Hey, I just got Spider-Man.' And of course they guy goes, 'What are you playing?' And I said, 'I'm playing a carjacker.' And his eyes got real big and he grabbed my arm and took me over to the producer, Carr D'Angelo, and he goes, 'Papajohn's playing the carjacker in Spider-Man,' then his eyes got big. Then he goes, 'Oh my god, do you realize you're the reason Spider-Man becomes Spider-Man?' Then they all started talking to me, getting me all pumped up on the set."
And, being a huge True Blood fan, I have to ask you about getting a part in that HBO series. Are you playing a vampire?
Michael Papajohn: "I do not die."
Okay...
Michael Papajohn: "What I can say is my wife treats me totally different now, she loves the show so much. A real quick story, my wife, she locks the door – 'Watch the baby, True Blood's on.' You know, I love the show, I watch it [on Tivo] but my wife watches it when it comes on that night. So when I got the audition, she was giving me notes while I was running lines with her. She's not an actress, which is really refreshing for me, but I run lines with her all the time. But this time she's like, 'No, no, no, Michael. You're playing it all wrong. You're playing it way too fast. You've got to watch the show; they play things slower.' I said, 'Paula, I'm just running lines with you,' and she goes, 'But your accent's not even there.'"
"It was hilarious. And then right before I went out to go on my audition, she goes, 'You have to get this. Now how can I go to the set with you?' Now she's figuring out how she could go to the set."
"But no, it was cool. We went in the audition room to read for Alan Ball and you know the projects that he's been involved with. Working on it, in my experience you walk on a set - even if it's television - you kind of get a vibe of how the crew is and the actors with the crew. You can see why that show is so successful, because the collaboration with everyone and the energy on the set was amazing."
Alexander Skarsgard and Carrie Preston couldn't say enough good things about the production in our interviews.
Michael Papajohn: "Well I actually got to work with him. Everyone was awesome. And I can tell you I don't die."
How many episodes will you be in?
Michael Papajohn: "I don't know. Who knows? They may have me back. That show can turn any moment. I can see watching it how anything can happen and anything can become anything."
And characters you don't know are going to become big can become big all of a sudden. It's an interesting show.
Michael Papajohn: "My wife has been telling me for a year, 'Michael, you have to get on that show,' for a whole year. But I didn’t know it was about her wanting to meet all those good-looking vampires. [Laughing] She loves those vampires. I thought it was more about me and my career... She has an ulterior motive. I found that out later."
Was the set as interesting to be on as it looks? It looks like they're actually filming in Louisiana.
Michael Papajohn: "Well they do go to Louisiana to film but the majority of True Blood is filmed in LA and the set that they picked was, when I was working, was a cemetery. It was a really cool church that they picked, a great location for the scenes we did. [It was] a really cool cemetery outside of LA. I mean I drove up and the sun was going down and I was like, 'Well the vampires are coming out tonight.' What a set. I'm parking my car in the middle of the cemetery and it kind of felt too real. I was like, 'No acting required,' you know? I'm looking over my shoulder with my bag, waiting, just hoping for the van to come pick me up."
