Brent Lydic in HANSEL & GRETEL | ©2012 The Asylum

In the new horror film HANSEL & GRETEL, actor Brent Lydic plays the sweets loving character (albeit a much older version) from the classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale as he, along with his sister Gretel (Stephanie Greco) end up taken hostage by a malevolent witch named Lilith (Dee Wallace) who has a penchant for making some pretty tasty meat pies at her bakery.

Lydic is a familiar face to the horror genre, having also starred in FLU BIRDS and HEADLESS HORSEMAN (for HANSEL & GRETEL director Anthony C. Ferrante).

In this exclusive interview, Lydic talks about working on the new film, the original Grimm fairy tale and how his character literally eats himself alive in the new film.

ASSIGNMENT X: Were you familiar with the story from childhood?

BRENT LYDIC: Definitely familiar. You don’t forget stories where little kids get eaten by a psycho witch, no matter how hard you may try. I don’t remember being all that scared but that’s only because somehow the adults always seemed to gloss over the witch eating kids part. It wasn’t until I was older that I fully understood what was actually happening.

AX: Do you find the finished film scary as a viewer?

LYDIC: Being in the film makes it hard to completely let go and let yourself be scared but it’s definitely disturbing. There are more than a few moments that had my stomach turning and Dee Wallace is absolutely terrifying in this movie.

AX: How do you see Hansel as a character?

LYDIC: Hansel was definitely written as one that had to grow into becoming a “hero.” He definitely wasn’t volunteering. Obviously he doesn’t want to grow up and really doesn’t want anyone telling him what to do. I think that’s what causes tension between him and Gretel but deep down we know that he would never let anything happen to her.

Brent Lydic in HANSEL & GRETEL | ©2012 The Asylum

AX: What was the hardest part for you to do as an actor on set?

LYDIC: The hardest part of working on a low budget feature like HANSEL & GRETEL is keeping track of where you are in the script. We shot everything out of order, so Stephanie and I were constantly having to remind each other of who we were running from or who was just killed, and where we needed to be at emotionally. That and going through a few hours of make-up for the hallucination scenes.

AX: Did you find it challenging that you were cast the day before you shot the film?

LYDIC: One of the biggest thing an actor can bring to the table is being prepared, so being cast as the lead 12 hours before shooting definitely wasn’t ideal. I have worked on a quite a few of these low-budget horror flicks so I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into. That having the chance to work with the amazing Dee Wallace definitely helped me make a quick decision.

AX: What were the hardest stunts for you?

LYDIC: There weren’t really a ton of stunts other than running and falling down a lot.

AX: What was the most emotional scene for you?

LYDIC: The most emotional scene would have definitely been outside the diner between Gretel and I. One of things I have to give credit to [screenwriter] Jose Prendes and Anthony is giving the characters a chance to develop. In most low-budget horror movies actors don’t really have any time to build up any relationships between characters. Steph and I worked really hard on coming up with back stories and developing the relationship of brother and sister. Hopefully it paid off.

HANSEL & GRETEL Blu-ray | ©2013 The Asylum

AX: How did you like working with Dee Wallace?

LYDIC: Definitely the highlight of my acting career. I am a huge fan of E.T., like everyone I am sure, so when I found I would be playing opposite Dee Wallace I was ecstatic. She was great and honestly she gives one hell of a performance. Just watching her in the trailer gave me nightmares.

AX: This is the second time working for the director, what’s the difference between both experiences.

LYDIC: First off, let me thank Anthony for bringing me back on for another go around. We did a film together a few years back called HEADLESS HORSEMAN, it was actually my first movie and I was really green as an actor. This time around I really felt like I was ready and all the hard work of studying and being class over the last few years finally paid off. Anthony does a great job of bringing people onto his films that he has worked with in the past and knows he can count on. This was by far the most talented cast I have ever worked with.

AX: Can you talk about eating yourself?

LYDIC: Of course I can. I taste great. Like I said earlier this was definitely one of the most challenging scenes but seeing how it came out I honestly couldn’t be happier. It was a scene that Anthony and Jose added half way through the shoot and I definitely didn’t have any clue how they were going to pull it of. I have to give credit to Jose for writing me one of the best lines in the movie. You will have to watch to find out.

AX: Is it tough to shoot movies on such a short shooting schedule?

LYDIC: I honestly love the short shooting schedule. Everything moves so fast you don’t have time to really over think your performance. It would be nice to have a little more time to prepare and go over the script but at least you don’t have to sit around and wait for hours like on a lot of movie sets. It’s unbelievable what we were able to accomplish in 12 days. I still have no idea how we did it!

AX: There’s another HANSEL & GRETEL movie coming out starring Jeremy Renner as Hansel. Which Hansel would win in a hand-to-hand combat fight and why?

LYDIC: What am I supposed to say here, of course I am going to choose myself, but that being said, Renner is an unbelievable actor and I would be lucky to have half the career he has had. From what I have scene from the trailers of the other H&G movie, our movie still has the scarier witch. Hands down.

AX: What is your favorite fairytale?

LYDIC: HANSEL & GRETEL course! Are there other fairytales?

AX: How do you hope audiences react to the movie?

LYDIC: I really just hope the audience has a good time and can appreciate what we accomplished in 12 days with no money. Of course this movie isn’t perfect, what movie is, but it’s damn good and I am very proud of it.

AX: Do you have any upcoming projects you want to talk about?

LYDIC: I actually do have a few things in the fire. I just finished up a web series with some H&G alum that should be premiering online in the early spring. I’m also currently producing a short called the BIG LUG with plans of developing it into a full-length feature. Also, be on the look out for some comedy sketches to be premiering on Funny or Die in the near future.

AX: Anything else you would like to add?

LYDIC: Just to go see the movie. I promise it’s the scariest adaptation of HANSEL & GRETEL you have ever seen!

Click on link to Purchase HANSEL & GRETEL [Blu-ray]

Related: Exclusive Interview with HANSEL & GRETEL star Dee Wallace

Related: Exclusive Interview with HANSEL & GRETEL star Stephanie Greco

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Article: Exclusive Interview with HANSEL & GRETEL star Brent Lydic

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