October 28, 2008

'Twilight' Star Cam Gigandet Talks About Creepy Kids In 'Unborn,' Being Shirtless Onscreen

By Larry Carroll (MTV.com)

Happy Halloween Week, everyone! In the coming days, we'll be celebrating this most cinematic of holidays with exclusive horror-movie sneak peeks and interviews, and it seems only appropriate to kick off the week with Cam Gigandet - after all, he's having one hell of a year.

The fast-rising 26-year-old already took home a Best Fight trophy at the MTV Movie Awards for Never Back Down, will soon star in the eagerly anticipated Twilight and has an impressive slate of high-profile flicks under way.

Top among these is The Unborn, a creepy thriller written and directed by Dark Knight screenwriter David Goyer. Gigandet stars alongside Odette Yustman (Cloverfield), Meagan Good (Saw V) and Gary Oldman in the tale of a young woman being tormented by a dead soul denied heavenly entrance.

When we caught up with Gigandet recently, he was eager to talk about the creepy Unborn shoot, the family curse that may someday endanger his ab-flaunting movie roles and his life mission to find Johnny Depp's hat.

Tell us about your favorite scene in The Unborn.

Cam Gigandet: Well, I'm thinking of the one at the end of the movie, which is probably my favorite scene. But I can't really say anything about that. ... What happens in the movie is, a spirit is taking over people's bodies to get to Odette's character. So at the beginning, since it's kind of weak, it starts off with younger people - [my favorite scene] happens when it goes into a child, a toddler, and he is performing acts that are, well, certainly illegal in most states.

That must have been weird to shoot with kids who were "evil" but normal between takes.

Gigandet: Well, [my character] comes up the stairs and saves the day, and I didn't meet the child before - when I first walked up there while we were shooting it, I almost sh-- my pants! It was so freaky and so unnatural for me to see a child doing things and looking the way he was.

Did you ever feel like the set itself was haunted?

Gigandet: Yes, actually. We were filming on location at the insane asylum and were in this big hall that looks like the inside of a church, and we needed lighting to look like moonlight. What they did was bring in this huge light - it's taller than me - and it's a ball that has the light on the inside. It's lifted up into the sky. It was just a massive ball, and while we were sitting there filming an intense scene, all of a sudden the thing just exploded! The whole light on the inside just shattered, and the glass started falling everywhere. [The actors] thought it was fake, that it was a joke - but it wasn't. That was so eerie!

The Unborn also stars one of my all-time favorite actors, Gary Oldman. What's he like behind the scenes?

Gigandet: He's actually really funny. ... Once we had to start a scene in the end spot, and then we had to reverse our walk and basically walk backwards ... so he did this whole scene basically rewinding himself [laughs], like all his dialogue and motions. It was like someone pressed the rewind button.

This movie is about a family curse, so we wanted to ask you: Does the Gigandet family have any curses of its own?

Gigandet: Curses? [Laughs.] Well, my dad ended up fat. And so did my grandpa. No, I shouldn't say that. My dad is not fat.

So the curse of weight gain will be coming at you someday?

Gigandet: Yeah, but I'm not sure if it's a curse or just bad genetics. Either way, I'm going to be screwed in about 15 years.

Which leads to our next question: You have a knack for getting shirtless in nearly every movie you do - is that your doing?

Gigandet: No! [Laughs.] It's definitely the other way around. In the movies Never Back Down and Twilight it happened - in Twilight, I'm practically naked throughout the entire movie - and for Never Back Down they asked me, and I prepared accordingly. But Twilight was just a decision that Catherine made, and I just said, "Oh, sh--, I should start working out." [Laughs.] I never like to [take my shirt off], because I'm just as insecure as everyone else in the world. But you've just gotta take the good with the bad, I guess.

Here's your chance to sell a few hundred more movie tickets: Do you take your shirt off in The Unborn?

Gigandet: I think I kept it on. I'm trying to think. ... There might be a five-second scene where it's off, but other than that, I don't think so. At least, I hope not. [Laughs.]

We have some Halloween questions for you: What are your five favorite scary movies of all time?

Gigandet: Well, the original Amityville Horror, definitely. The Exorcist, The Omen. ... You know, there are two different types of scary movies: The ones that make you jump, and the ones that make you have that other kind of fear. Some of the older Freddy Krueger movies, watching the acting and this and that, I get sidetracked [and can't get scared]. I like Rear Window, and I liked Secret Window too with Johnny Depp, but I'm not sure if that was a scary movie - I think I just liked his hat. [Laughs.]

You love the movie because of Johnny Depp's hat?

Gigandet: Yeah, I have actually been going to stores lately looking for that exact hat. But the ones I find don't look right. I always look like a fisherman in most of them. It's not working.

Well, this leads into our next question: What's the best Halloween costume you've ever had?

Gigandet: I was just talking about this, because I'm trying to think of a new one. Every year, I like to go as famous people who aren't costume people, but actual people. My favorite one was probably Kurt Cobain - I went all out with him. I also did Vince Neil once. For some reason, I always end up doing musicians, which is odd.

What advice do you have for people in selecting the Halloween candy they'll be handing out?

Gigandet: Well, I like chocolate stuff; I don't like any of that other gross sugary candy. We always protected the houses that gave full candy bars - we would even write down their addresses. So if you can muster up some full candy bars, even if you want to just give them to the people who have good costumes, I'd do that.

Your fans know how much you love Skor bars. So is it your dream to trick-or-treat at a house where they hand out full-sized Skors?

Gigandet: No! [Laughs.] I had to stop eating them, because I would have, like, six a day! I haven't had a Skor bar in so long! Aw, those were good times.