Actor stars in films, but his heart remains in Marines
Although R. Lee Ermey makes his living as an actor, his heart remains in the Marine Corps. The 62-year-old veteran, who spent 11 years in the military and left due to a battle injury received north of Danang, has traveled to Iraq three times to entertain the troops since the war began, with each visit lasting two weeks. Ermey, who came to fame as the tough-talking Marine Drill Instructor with profanity-laced rants and rapid-fire delivery in Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket (1987), put on a uniform, flak jacket and helmet and went on missions with the U.S. fighting forces.
“There’s no feeling that compares to having the troops laugh at your corny jokes,” Ermey said during a Los Angeles telephone interview to promote his new film, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” opening Oct. 6. “Everyone in the Marine Corps knows me, and they’re the people I spend the most time with.
“I devote 200 days a year to working with the military for free, because I believe these guys are great and deserve our support for stepping up to the plate and fighting for our country.”
With “Full Metal Jacket,” which take a cynical and clinical look at Vietnam, Ermey drew upon his service experience and found that the notoriously secretive Kubrick was extremely interested in hearing the combat veteran’s thoughts on the script, which was based on Gustav Hasford’s novel, “The Short Timers.”
“Stanley and I would get together on Sundays and go through the scenes for the coming week,” Ermey recalled. “He would start the tape recorder and then say to me, ‘Go for it!’ I would take a couple of breaths and (with much improvisation using Marine Corps jargon) do the scene as a drill instructor.
“At the end of the day, we’d send everything to a production secretary, who would transcribe it all. Then, we’d take the juiciest lines and add them to the script.”
Over the years, Ermey has developed into a character actor known for bringing punch to even the smallest parts.
He made his screen debut in Sidney J. Furie’s “The Boys in Company C” (1978) and followed it with two other Vietnam pictures, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and Furie’s “Purple Hearts” (1984).
Three years later, he exploded in “Full Metal Jacket” and found himself constantly employed on television shows or movies such as “Body Snatchers” (1993), “On Deadly Ground” (1994), “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995), “Seven” (1995), “The Salton Sea” (2002), “Willard” (2003) and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” remake (2003). He also provided the voice of Sergeant in “Toy Story” (1995) and “Toy Story 2” (1999).
The energetic Ermey knows that people may shrug off a prequel like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning” as a simple splatter picture, but he defended the R-rated tale.
“I wanted to be a foul individual under that straw hat (as the evil Sheriff Hoyt),” said Ermey, who hosts the History Channel series “Mail Call,” which focuses on military technology. “I’m one of those guys who won’t be in a remake or prequel unless the script is good.
“I won’t do a picture if they throw a piece of junk together.”
In addition to screen roles, Ermey has a couple of talking toys, which he refers to as “motivational figures” that sound off with his military jargon. (The figures and other items are available on his Web site, rleeermey.com.
And the ever-busy Ermey stops working for two months each year to devote himself to his pet project.
“I take off November and December and do Toys for Tots with the Marine Corps,” he said. “Once that starts, I don’t have time for much else.”
Chilling Celebrities at expo
A flashy rock star, a stunning Bond girl and a former teen star -Peter Criss, Gloria Hendry and Anthony Michael Hall, respectively -will be among the many guests at the Chiller Theatre Halloween Extravaganza Expo.
Criss, the original drummer for the glitter-rock group Kiss, Hendry, star of the 007 favorite “Live and Let Die,” and Hall, whose credits include “Johnny Be Good,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Edward Scissorhands” and the TV series “The Dead Zone,” will be among the many guests at the fantasy-film convention, which will be held Oct. 27 to 29 at the Crowne Plaza, Two Harmon Plaza in Secaucus. N.J.
The semi-annual event, which ranks as the biggest fright-film gathering on the East Coast, will also feature a huge dealers’ room, special events and numerous other celebrities, who will greet fans and, for a fee, sign autographs.
They will include: Lisa Loring (TV’s “The Addams Family”), Lou Ferrigno (TV’s “The Incredible Hulk”), Bill Moseley (“The Devil’s Rejects”), Robert Culp (TV’s “I Spy”), Jennifer Rubin (“A Nightmare on Elm Street 3”), Bill Hinzman (the original “Night of the Living Dead”), Peter Lupus (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”), Christopher Atkins (“The Blue Lagoon”), Sheryl Lee (TV’s “Twin Peaks”), Betsy Palmer (“Friday the 13th”), Cynthia Rothrock (“China O’Brien”), and Michael Beck and Deborah Van Valkenburgh (co-stars of “The Warriors”).
Two horror-film legends – the one-named TV horror host Zacherle and the Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J Ackerman – are also scheduled to attend.
Tickets cost $25 per day at the door. For hours, directions and other information, go to chillertheatre.com.