So when I got to ask my own question with stars Richard Sammel and Ruta Gedmintas of
THE STRAIN, what did I want to know? I asked them collectively if they were fans of the Horror genre, or, if not, had appearing on THE STRAIN turned them into fans. I found their responses not atypical from things I’ve read, things said by other players in the Horror genre, which is that they don’t like the stuff themselves. Ruta admitted to being a “wimp” who couldn’t get through more than twenty minutes of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Sammel conceded to “coming out” as a “triple wimp” who can’t stand gore and who needs “ice cream, beer,” and “dancing” to help him shrug off the evil patina he creates while playing Eichorst.
Both of them, however, gave much credit to the make-up crew on the series—although Ruta did say she was “constantly terrified” of the things she saw on the set—both for the professionalism and realism of the FX and for how easy, Richard said, they made it for him as an actor undergoing sometimes heavy prosthetics. Also, both Sammel and Gedmintas stated that they enjoy watching the show as spectators, as fans, and that, thanks to Guillermo del Toro, they may in the future tune into more genre offerings.
More on the interview to follow.
