Roger Bart Q&A

The 'Desperate Housewives' star discusses making the transition to hardcore horror in 'Hostel: Part II'

I know you aren’t really a fan of this genre, so how does a non horror fan ending up making a hardcore film like ‘Hostel’?

The most fun you can have when you’re doing what I do is the excitement of freelance work, and with that means different kinds of parts and things that you’d never thought you’d do. The horror genre isn’t something that I’m a huge fan of but it seemed like such a wonderful opportunity to jump into the skin of somebody who is only a dark force and to explore some of the most evil parts of being human. I thought maybe I’d quenched myself with ‘Desperate Housewives’, but this guy makes little George the pharmacist seem meek by comparison. He was kind of a passive killer, except in the case of the therapist. But it seemed like a great opportunity to explore parts of myself I would never normally get to act out. I was interested in Eli and it looked like a challenge to try and get past the gore. Because my problem with those movies was the blood and guts and the suddenness of stepping out and slashing someone’s throat – how scary that is and how I didn’t really want to watch it. But having seen the passion of the creative team here – from Eli to the producers to the special effects guys – everyone is so impassioned and enthusiastic and the clarity of their vision in what they want to express is so contagious, I’ve become much more appreciative of the genre and the fun that’s behind it.

Is it fun to literally get your hands dirty?

It is. It’s daunting at first but it is fun. It’s the darkest form of make believe. It’s that little part of you as a kid that loved jumping out of a closet and shouting boo and scaring your brother. It allows us to play in the darkest of ways. I don’t think I’ve unleashed something terrible or I’m a changed person.

When did you first see ‘Hostel’?

When I found out about the role because I really didn’t watch those sorts of films. I watched it at about 3:30 in the morning and I got up to the first death scene and that was it. I thought, ‘I get it’ and switched it off. I hear the ending is good but it was too late at night, I was alone, and it scared me so that was the end of that.

So has this lived up to your pre-conceived notions?

The one thing that I did not know it would be is that the humour in it is so much a part of it. That may just be my twisted personality. There’s an element of camp to it that I recognised. I don’t think you’ll walk out of this movie thinking ‘That’s the campiest thing I’ve ever seen’, but there’s this fun, campy quality that I’ve now become acquainted with. And there’s such artistry and passion behind it whereas before I though it was just gross and gratuitous and it was just blood and guts and loud noises. It’s more artful.

Tell me about your character then?

I play Stuart, who with a buddy of his Todd, played by Richard Burgi, decides to push the envelope and do something a bit more exciting than they’ve done before and explore the darker side of the world. The interesting and yet not so interesting thing about these characters is their normalcy. I’m really just a businessman – somebody who’d be sitting two bar stools over at TGI Fridays, and I think that’s one of the things that Eli is intending. These aren’t people like Charles Manson with the big eyes and crazy talk, these are people that are all around you. There are so many criminals in our culture these days who are so capable of rather hideous acts, and you hear in retrospect about how normal they were, and I think it’s an interesting take on what humans are capable of when put in a room where it’s OK to do whatever you want.

How have you found working with Eli?

He’s great. He takes great care of us as a director. He knows exactly what he wants and he’s sensitive to the fact that we’re travelling to such dark places. He encourages us to explore the darker sides of our personalities and what we’re capable of. I’d say he’s pretty great and it’s been a real treat being with him on this movie.

Has it been fun working in Prague?

I had about three places in the world I wanted to go to and within a couple of weeks someone asked me if I wanted to be a part of 'Hostel' in Prague, which was one of them, so I said great. The Czech crew has been great. I wish I knew their language because usually I’m the funny person on set and I’ve had to resort to bodily noises…

And some singing.

Yes, you heard me singing – I’ve become desperate in my fifth week.

‘Hostel: Part II’ is in cinemas now.

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