The actor John Carpenter labelled entirely “unique”
There’s a real edge and authenticity to the movies of John Carpenter, the kind of grit that has helped to establish the New York-born director as one of the greatest and most important figures in the history of American cinema, particularly in the realms of the horror, action and science fiction genres.
Throughout a remarkable career, Carpenter has delivered some of the most memorable moments in the cinematic medium. For instance, he is considered a master of horror after delivering several classic works in the genre, including the likes of Halloween, The Fog, The Thing and Christine.
Among some of Carpenter’s other most acclaimed efforts are movies such as Escape from New York, Dark Star, Assault on Precinct 13 and Big Trouble in Little China. With such acclaim to his name, it’s only right that Carpenter has been able to work with some of the most notable actors in Hollywood, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Kurt Russell.
While such figures have found themselves in a position of celebration after appearing in Carpenter’s movies, there’s another actor who worked with the director who Carpenter seems to have the most respect for. Harry Dean Stanton collaborated with Carpenter on a handful of occasions and Carpenter had once stated his admiration for the acting legend.
“He was an accomplished character actor and a unique man,” the director once told The Guardian. “He would come absolutely prepared for his part and ad-lib things that weren’t in the script but which were hilarious.” Stanton had mostly played supporting roles throughout his career, including those in the likes of Alien, Repo Man, Cool Hand Luke, and Wild at Heart, but he also made his characters his own and often stole a movie’s limelight from its so-called stars.
Stanton first acted for Carpenter in his 1981 science fiction action film Escape from New York, which tells of Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken and his mission to save the United States President from terrorists in order to receive a pardon for his crimes. Stanton played Harold ‘Brain’ Hellman, an advisor to a New York City crime boss and former associate of Snake’s.
In the Guardian interview, Carpenter spoke of how Stanton swayed from the script and doused his character in his own improvisions. The director explained, “He did that, especially on Escape from New York; he made that character his own. He saw that character as a sort of poet, like Lord Byron. I hadn’t thought of it, but it was great.”
Two years later and Stanton again played for Carpenter in the supernatural horror movie Christine, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The film tells of a young man who experiences a complete change of heart after buying a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury that seems to exert an influence on him and Stanton’s effort saw him play a police detective looking into a series of crimes caused by the car and its owner.
When Stanton passed away at the age of 91 back in 2017, Carpenter was sure to offer his respects for the legendary actor who he was fortunate enough to work with on two glorious occasions. The director took to Twitter to noted, “Harry Dean Stanton was a wonderful man, kind and full of humor. He was also a great actor. Goodbye, Harry Dean. Rest in peace.”
