Brian: You did an episode of Fame.
Do you have any special memories about that? Was
there talk of you returning to the show? In fact,
I didnt catch Friday the 13th,
Pt 3 until cable, a year after its release,
and I remember thinking you looked familiar. At
that point in time I had a mind like a steel trap
when it came to people who had been on
television, so Im wondering if I had
remembered you from your small role in that show.
Could be crazy, who knows, but as an aspiring
performer, I did watch Fame vigilantly for
the first couple of years until I outgrew
it.
Larry: Fame was a lot of fun. I was a big fan of the
show so it was kind of a kick to be on it,
although I only got to work with Lee Curreri and
Morgan Stevens and didn't have much to do.
I was actually up for the role of
the tuba-playing Nazi-like
hall monitor(Damn you David Greenlee!) but
lost out and they gave me the small part of the
stage manager as kind of a consolation
prize. If they had only let me dance . . .
Brian:
You were still a teenager when your Friday the
13th moment
happened. Was there a period of time when you
thought that you had made it and
stardom was just around the corner or were
you pretty aware of the realities of the business
from the get go?
Larry: I don't think even the big actors ever
think that they "made it."
Insecurity is just part of being an actor.
But in my case, there was never a time where I
really thought I was going to be a star.
There just aren't that many parts for fat, nerdy
kids with big afros. If only Napoleon
Dynamite had been made 20 years ago.
Brian: As
you know, I am crazy about Dana Kimmell, but I,
also, thought Tracie Savage would have been the
absolute coolest older sister ever! You have
stated that you had a huge crush on her. Do you
have any cool memories or stories about working
with her?
Larry: Tracie was a lot of fun and I just remember
always hanging in the dressing rooms with
Tracie and Jeffrey Rogers and David Katims and
just shooting the breeze and we all had a great
time. Unfortunately, me and Tracie didn't
really have any big scenes together so there
aren't any good war stories.
Brian:
Obviously your appearance has changed greatly
since the Friday the 13th
film. Was there a specific event that convinced
you that the weight had to go or was it a series
of things? Was it a difficult process for you and
is there a strict regimen that you still have to
follow to stay in shape?
Larry: I guess at some point I realized that if I was
going to get some female companionship in my
real life I would have to lose weight.
Going on a diet was tough and I have certainly
gone up and down over the years, but in the
past few years I started drinking
Slim-Fast and cutting out sweets and that really
worked. My weight is currently below
170 (from a high of 220) and I've been able to
keep it off for more than a year. But there
are always temptations out there.
Brian:
You stated that once you lost the weight you went
from a pool of 5 actors to compete with at
auditions to a pool of 10,000. Were you still
auditioning while you were studying law- or did
you just give that side of show business up cold
turkey?
Larry: I
had pretty much given up acting by the time I
started law school. It's just impossible to
be in law school and go to auditions.
Brian: I
know so many bitter actors who never had the
degree of success that they hoped to, so I think
your attitude of feeling lucky to have had your
15 minutes of fame is great. Still, is there a
certain role or type of character that you would
have loved to have played that you werent
given the chance to in your acting career?
Larry: I
started out as a comic actor and, although Shelly
has his humorous moments, I would have loved to
be in an "Animal House"
type comedy
Brian:
You seem honored and humbled by the fans
continued loyalty to you. Aside from the fellow Friday
the 13th film series actors
that you have met, is there any one that you have
admired and/or met that might have been baffled
by your enthusiasm upon meeting them?
Larry: I
haven't met that many famous people, so I guess
the answer is no. Sorry.
Brian: Now that you have delved into entertainment law,
are there any other sides of the business that
interest you such as producing, writing or
directing?
Larry:
Yes, I've been working on an idea for a horror
movie with Dan Farrands (Writer of Halloween
6) and hopefully we will write and
produce it in the near future.
Brian:
Finally, I know you have been asked numerous
questions about your involvement in the Friday
the 13th film series. Is
there anything a story, an incident, an
emotion- that you feel hasnt been touched
upon and that you would like to end with?
Larry:
I'm just really grateful that I had the chance to
be in Friday the 13th. I
know that to many (if not most) people it's just
a dumb part in a dumb movie. But for me, it was a
great experience, and over the years I have met
so many amazing people and had some fantastic
experiences because of my involvement in the
film. I know that I'll probably never be in
another movie. But to know that by giving
Jason his trademark hockey mask, I had a small
part to play in movie history is really cool. |