Actor Interview:

Jay Costello: Introducing the Latest King of Horror!

Brian: What were you're earliest performing influences - Kermit the Frog trying to woo Miss Piggy - the saber wielding heroics of Luke Skywalker - a crazy uncle's punk rock band?

Jay: Ha-ha. Though all those choices had influenced me one way or another, I would have to say some of my earliest came from 'The Monkees', old 'SNL' sketches and of course, the king of pop.

Brian: As a musician do you find that music informs your choices and characterizations as an actor?

Jay: Coming from a music background has helped me connect and better understand character and emotion. It frees me.

Brian: As Juan in 'Snakes on a Train' you were all heart! Were you around for the gooey gore stuff or were those scenes inserted later? I am, also, assuming you filmed on an actual train. If that was the case I imagine it was incredibly helpful in getting you in the right mood for the action at hand.

Jay: I was around when they were filming the gory parts, but I believe I was at the craft service table at the time. We did film on an actual train located in Santa Clarita. The train hadn't run for I'm guessing decades. Being on it definitely added to the mood, ha-ha, there were moments where it felt like it was actually moving.

Brian: Having seen so many horror films I find I am immune to a lot of stuff. BUT - I love those snake films because snakes freak me out. I can actually get a little shiver going watching them. Were you around many live snakes during the filming of 'SOAT'?

Jay: I can see where you're coming from. I was around at least 6 or 7 live snakes, but they behaved. I even got to play with a couple of them. Not as bad as I thought.

Brian: How did working on 'Halloween Night' differ from your experience working on 'Snakes on a Train'?

Jay: Unlike 'Snakes On A Train', when I worked on 'Halloween Night' I already new some of the people involved. I pretty much hung out in the make-up room with Gage Hubbard and Liz Mendoza (both from 'Butcher House', 'Socket') whenever I wasn't filming, I love those guys. We all slept on location, so after we'd wrap for the night, we'd have a few drinks and hang out (this was around 8am). Then we'd go to sleep, wake up, and film in the night again. Good times.

Brian: 'Butcher House' just got a nice profile in Fangoria magazine and recently debuted on cable. What was it like working on that project?

Jay: 'Butcher House'. What can I say? It was one of the best experiences I've had working on a film, and others will agree. The cast and crew were amazing. Chris Hutson kept things professional and fun. It was a great ensemble, no, family. I still remain good friends with some of the cast and crew. I look forward to working with these people again.

Brian: 'Socket' has a much more Sci-Fi, emotionally obsessive quality to it than other horror films. What was it like working with Sean Abley and your fellow cast members in the group? Was there any kind of improvisation done to help you bond?

Jay: Sean Abley was a phenomenal director. Easy going and gets the job done. The others were also awesome. They all made my job a lot easier. We had a few rehearsals to get that "AA" chemistry between us. We'd have it at the producers' place, very welcoming. I enjoyed my time spent on this film.

Brian: 'Socket' deals somewhat with addictive personalities. What could you get hooked on in real life - Cadbury Easter eggs - long naps - Country Western CDs?

Jay: Ha-ha. You know, I actually do have an addictive personality. I can get hooked on almost anything, as long as it catches me in some way. But at the moment, I can get hooked on pursuing a dream...

Brian: What is 'Torture Room: Cerebral Experiment 6' about and how much research did you have to do to play a patient suffering from seizure activity?

Jay: I can't really say much about 'Torture Room', mainly because I only worked for one day. But from what I've seen, it is definitely a crazy Eric Forsberg creation and fans of gore will love it. I wish I could say that I had months of researching through books, internet and actual epileptic patients, but that wasn't the case. Tom Devlin ('Butcher House', 'Poultrygeist') called me and I simply showed up without knowing what I was going to do. They told me that I was going to have seizures so I relied on what I knew already, and good ol' improv.

Brian: Lastly, any future plans or words of wisdom (IE: Don't hop on a freight car filled with child eating cobras) that you'd like to leave us with. And - thanks for doing this! It's been a trip!

Jay: Future plans: I have a couple of films coming up, but I'd like to get recurring role on a series or something. We'll see. But don't forget to check out 'Edges of Darkness' and 'The Unfortunate', two great films made by people who love horror, they'll be releasing in the near future. As for words of wisdom: do what you love and always enjoy it. Thanks for the interview!

Brian: You got it, man - looking forward to seeing you on that TV screen!