![[Interview] Devon Sawa for BLACK FRIDAY](https://www.nightmarishconjurings.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/merlin_197737554_425830d8-964e-4de3-969f-770151e571bf-articleLarge.jpg)
Prior to the release of the film, Nightmarish Conjurings’ Shannon McGrew had the chance to chat with actor Devon Sawa where we discussed everything from what drew him to join BLACK FRIDAY, working with the legendary Bruce Campbell, and how it feels to have fans follow his work through the horror realm throughout all these decades.
To start things off, when you read the script for BLACK FRIDAY, what stood out to you about the film?
Devon Sawa: The thing that stood out most was it was different than a lot of scripts I was getting at the time. Not a lot of people are doing horror/comedy right. This is the first time I felt like this could be something close to the fun I had doing Idle Hands. It didn’t take itself seriously. It was a movie about Black Friday shoppers going crazy and a group of really cool characters having to deal with it. [Director] Casey Tebo, I watched his movie Happy Birthday and it was done for a very low budget, but he killed it. It was a phenomenal film and I felt like that particular style fit this particular script, and that’s why I wanted to do it.
This was your first time working alongside the legendary and iconic Bruce Campbell. What was that experience like for you?
Devon Sawa: I had to tell him I was a fan right off the bat so we could get the nerves out of the way [Laughs]. Here’s a guy when I was a young fella who’s films meant a lot to me. I love the Schwarzenegger films. I love the Stallone films, but Brace Campbell…Army of Darkness and Evil Dead 2 were films that I watched a lot, and they were quotable films when you were 12, 13 years old. He had this heightened performance in both the films that were done right at that right level. It was perfectly done. It was bordering the believable and unbelievable right at that sweet spot of awesomeness, especially for a 13-year-old. He’s a great guy to work with.

Many of us have grown up with your work beginning with Casper (1995) then sliding into the insanity that is Idle Hands (1999), followed by the terrifying Final Destination (2000) franchise. Recently, you were in the horror/thriller Hunter Hunter and the highly acclaimed “Chucky” series. How does it feel to see your fans who grew up with you still following your career to this day?
Devon Sawa: It’s flattering. I know that I’m lucky. I did a couple of those fan conventions and I didn’t know whether I would… I still don’t know whether I particularly like doing fan conventions because I’m a quiet, private person, but the one thing that I was very surprised with is that every person that stood in that line and came up to me and got a picture, most of them, 99% of them have these amazing stories and had particular things to say about particular films. I’ve had a long journey and I’m so lucky for some of the people that have stuck with me and continue to watch my stuff. I’m just blushing, I’m a lucky guy.
It’s hard to navigate the film industry without bringing up the pandemic. That being said, what was your experience like filming BLACK FRIDAY during this time?
Devon Sawa: It was bittersweet. A lot of my peers have not been as fortunate as I was because things shut down, there wasn’t as much work, and it was harder to find work. It was amazing that I stayed as busy as I did, but it was hard especially doing the comedy, for me. You gauge your performance [by those around you] and if they got smiles on their face during a scene that you’re supposed to have smiles on your face for, you might be doing it right. And you didn’t get to see that on this. There were a lot of masks and hoods and a lot of the crew had to go away when another crew was there. But we did it. We did it safely, and we were fortunate enough not to have any cases. Everybody worked as a team and we’re kind of adapting to the new way of doing things for as long as we have to.
With this film being a horror/comedy, were you able to do any improvising?
Devon Sawa: I didn’t improvise too much. I stuck with a lot of the stuff that came out. There might’ve been a line here or there, a little bit of twist here and there, but I stuck with what I thought was great material, to begin with. It was all there on the page.
With this movie being about the wretched tradition of Black Friday, I have to ask, have you ever participated in all of that insanity?
Devon Sawa: I don’t think I have. I don’t like to go to stores…it’s really crazy because I don’t like ordering things online and I hate going to stores [Laughs]. I’m really just like this really difficult person [Laughs]. So the idea of going to a Black Friday shopping experience…because I’ve only seen the bad stuff, I’ve never seen a good Black Friday. I’ve never seen somebody walk into a store and get the TV they want. I’m sure it exists somewhere but that’s not what we see. What we see is what we see and that’s, you know, chaos.
And before we wrap up I just want to say congratulations again on both BLACK FRIDAY and “Chucky.” But also, I gotta give you some love for your performance in 2019’s The Fanatic.
Devon Sawa: Thank you! I’m still optimistic that that film will grow and it’ll hit differently in like 10 years. It’s like Idle Hands, no one liked Idle Hands when it came out, and then all of a sudden we have rooftop screenings and this and that. So I’m hoping The Fanatic will be like…10 years from now some young kids will be like, this movie is great!! [Laughs].
BLACK FRIDAY is now in theaters and On Demand. For more on the film, check out our review here.
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