Robert Englund: American Actor on his iconic role as Freddy Krueger, horrors moment in culture

·15 min·1 clip

Robert Englund was yanked from a limousine and passed over a crowd chanting 'Freddy' in front of Milan's La Scala opera house.

The episode opens with host Jack Tame noting horror's dominance in current cinema, citing Oscar nominations for films like 'Sinners', and introducing guest Robert Englund, the actor behind Freddy Krueger. Englund is visiting New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo. Tame asks about Englund receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Halloween 2025, which Englund arranged to align with Hollywood's Halloween parade. Englund then describes two key moments when he realized Freddy Krueger had transcended film. First, in 1984, a Hell's Angel showed him a massive Yakuza-style anime tattoo of Freddy wrestling Jason, revealing crossover into biker and subculture communities. Second, in early 1985 in Milan, he was yanked from a limousine and passed over a crowd chanting 'Freddy' outside La Scala opera house, demonstrating international fame. He also notes Italian grandmothers recognizing him, highlighting horror's acceptance as a genre there. The conversation shifts to horror's current moment, with Englund praising 'Sinners' for its Oscar recognition and themes of race and music evolution, and recommending 'Weapons' for its originality. Tame asks about Englund's classical training at RADA and Shakespeare, and Englund explains how it provided technique for roles like Freddy, especially when covered in makeup, which liberated his physical and vocal performance. He notes playing Freddy allowed him to explore other roles like Vincent Price-type characters. The interview concludes with Englund expressing excitement about visiting New Zealand, mentioning actors like Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis, and the show 'Flight of the Conchords'. Tame promotes Englund's Armageddon appearance and directs listeners to the Newstalk ZB website for details.

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