Decades after Freddy Krueger 's chilling debut as one of horror's most notorious monsters,
Robert Englund still credits his time as the character for taking his career to new heights.
However, taking on the role of Freddy Krueger also completely changed the actor's life.
Robert Englund never set out with the intention of playing a monster like Freddy Krueger.
In fact, his earliest work was in theater, and from there, he often found himself playing
sidekicks in supporting roles. He also played some unsavory characters in films like Eaten
Alive and appeared in controversial movies like Dead & Buried, but playing Freddy was
an entirely new experience. Englund told Hollywood Chicago:
"I had gotten typed early in Hollywood as a Southerner. [...] Then it was the 'best
friend' and 'sidekick' roles."
Although playing Freddy was a big step up from his previous parts, Englund has said
that the reason he got the role was simply because of typecasting. He had experience
working in the horror genre, and this time, he just got to play the main villain instead
of a side character.
"This is it, Jennifer. Your big break in TV!"
But Englund isn't resentful of the fact that he was typecast. As he explained:
"I didn't choose to be in horror movies, I just like to go where I'm wanted."
One of the perks of playing an iconic monster like Freddy Krueger? Englund may not be winning
Oscars or raking in the biggest salaries in Hollywood, but even though he's in his early
70s, he never finds himself wanting for work, and he has plenty of freedom to choose the
projects he wants.
Englund acknowledges that if he'd never gotten the opportunity to play Freddy, he probably
wouldn't be enjoying the same level of success today. He's been consistently working in Hollywood
since landing a supporting role in the 1974 film Buster and Billie, but after playing
Freddy, the offers started flooding in. As a result, he's acted in movies like The Phantom
of the Opera and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, TV shows like Bones and
Supernatural, and in 2020 he hosted a show on the Travel Channel called True Terror.
The role literally opened up a whole new world for the actor. He told Looper:
"I started working abroad. I've done about a dozen movies in Europe. I've done movies
in Africa and Russia. I've done movies in South America and Mexico. Lots of movies in
Canada. And that is the greatest gift that was given to me by the success of the Nightmare
on Elm Street franchise."
Englund also attends conventions around the world. He told Den of Geek:
"I don't think I'd have this longevity without the genre [...] I can't believe I'm still
here. It keeps changing and growing, and I feel like I'm on cruise control now — I
can go where I want."
Robert Englund had been a working actor for years before playing Freddy, but after Elm
Street came out, his life seemed to change overnight.
"There's all these fans around now, I mean the crew brings their kids in and stuff, so
I'm kind of on a little bit."
Suddenly, audiences all over the world knew his name, and the film made a huge cultural
impact. Englund told Hollywood Chicago:
"The Freddy phenomenon was international, I had no control over it. [...] I realized
it's best to surrender and enjoy it, because you can't fight it."
For the first time, he was experiencing what it was really like to be an international
star, not just an actor with a few films and TV shows under his belt. It was a whole new
level of fame, but he simply embraced the changes and didn't allow it to overwhelm him.
In fact, Englund enjoys the attention, especially when it comes to seeing his name appear in
different languages around the world. He told Looper:
"I really like foreign posters, especially the ones where my name is written in Russian
or Chinese. I think that's cool. And some of them are just amazing. There's one from
Thailand from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors with the Freddy snake. [...] It's
a strange, creepy [...] poster. But it's an image of me swallowing an Oscar-winning actress,
so I had to have it."
Robert Englund always knew that what he wanted to do for the rest of his life was theater.
After attending a professional acting school and working in regional theater, he started
to get opportunities in film, but he still valued everything he'd learned acting in plays.
And when he got the role of Freddy, he was finally able to put those skills to good use
again. There was so much he could express about Freddy's character through body language,
and his theater skills gave him a leg up. He told Looper:
"I learned back in my theater days that villains are better written. They're more complex.
There are more layers. And it's fun to do it. When I finally got all that makeup on
and found the voice and found the moves, I realized I didn't have to worry about what
Robert Englund looked like."
"It's traveling time!"
Fear seems to be an international language. Englund realized just how well the narratives
in films like Elm Street could translate across cultures when he saw the worldwide response
to the film. There are certain primal terrors that affect all of us, no matter where we're
from, and Elm Street played on those emotions. The thought of someone attacking you in your
sleep, when you're most vulnerable and totally defenseless, is an ancient fear, one that
we've lived with since humanity's caveman days. Englund told Movie Hole:
"These movies have traveled so well [...] you don't really need subtitles with them, because
they're not that culturally specific. Every one has this great primal basic hook which
is the nightmare, the bad dream, so people can identify with these films."
Following Elm Street's success, Englund accepted more offers to work on films shot abroad,
where he was able to indulge his love of travel and history. The actor has worked on movies
shot everywhere from Italy to Israel, and he's always been very grateful that playing
Freddy opened up those doors for him. In fact, he says that nowadays, he often prefers working
abroad. He told IGN:
"I would never have been able to go down into the caves in the Dordogne region and see the
original Neanderthal graffiti. I would never have been invited to Lake Balaton
in Czechoslovakia. [...] I never would have spent six weeks putting my make-up on in the
same room that Rasputin was shot in [...] These are all things that happened because I'm Freddy
Krueger — pure and simple."
Although Englund is certainly best known for his work in horror films, he also enjoys comedy.
Unfortunately, the fact that his name and face were so strongly associated with Freddy
Krueger in the '80s and '90s meant that comedy directors weren't exactly knocking on his
door and asking to work with him. Audiences knew him as a villain, not a comedian, and
Englund knows that he missed out on some roles because of it.
"I'm sorry I kept scaring you, but I work on commission."
"And worth every penny."
But at the end of the day, he's come to accept that it was all for the best. Englund admitted
to IGN:
"I think in the middle '80s, there were a couple of gigs in comedy, both as an actor
and a director, that I lost because I was so, so connected with Freddy Krueger. I wish
it hadn't happened."
However, he has no regrets about pursuing work in the horror genre and sacrificing some
comedic roles because of that decision. After all, no actor can really do it all, and in
the long run, his career decisions have clearly worked out in his favor.
If you ever found yourself lying awake at night after watching Elm Street, afraid to
close your eyes because Freddy Kruger just might show up in your dreams, you're in good
company. Elm Street has resulted in plenty of sleepless nights for audiences over the
years... as well as a few cast members. In fact, Englund himself admits that he's had
nightmares in which he's Freddy.
"Wait a second. Let me get this straight. You're having nightmares about Freddy? As
in me?"
While shooting at night for the original film, Englund spent hours and hours wearing the
heavy makeup that created Freddy's frightening look. He got used to seeing himself looking
monstrous, but every once in a while, he would catch a glimpse of himself in a mirror at
the end of a long day and feel disoriented and confused by his own reflection. And that
feeling has haunted him for years. Englund told This Bird's Day:
"Occasionally I do have a nightmare. [...] I dream of me sitting up, and I'm looking in
the mirror and it's not me, it's Freddy in the mirror."
So yeah, that's how you know a slasher villain is truly terrifying — when the guy behind
the mask is having bad dreams.
At this point, you could definitely consider Robert Englund to be an expert on horror films
in general. The genre is certainly in the midst of a modern resurgence, and Englund
says that after so many years of playing creepy characters, he's developed an eye for which
films will be successful and which ones will flop. So what qualities can really make or
break a horror movie? According to Englund, it all depends on whether or not the film
offers something genuinely unique. He told Flavorwire:
"If something is good or original, it does eventually get discovered. It can take a while,
but it will rise to the surface."
And as you might expect, Englund is glad that horror is finally getting the recognition
and respect that he's always believed the genre deserves. Back in the 1980s, he often
found himself defending horror films for their artistic merit because they weren't taken
as seriously, and now, the genre has entered a whole new era.
For Englund, one of the best parts of playing Freddy is the fact that younger generations
still love the Elm Street films. Although it's been decades since the original movie
was released, Freddy still scares new audiences today.
"Dad, you've got to see this movie, it's totally terrifying."
"Well that's because it's based on a true story."
"Wait, what?"
"Freddy's coming for you. You can sleep when you're dead!"
Englund credits technological advances since the first film with its long standing appeal,
although the continuation of the franchise certainly didn't hurt, either. With several
Elm Street films coming out in the years since the original, including the Friday the 13th
crossover, Freddy vs. Jason, fans had a whole lot of new material to look forward to. Englund
told Nerd Bastards:
"A Nightmare on Elm Street came of age at the same time as MTV, early cable, and then
VHS generation, and the DVD generation, and then Blu-ray and Netflix. So I'm probably
on my third generation of fans by now."
The actor said that the digitally remastered versions of the films represented a significant
improvement in quality, adding:
"The movies look better now than when they did when they came out. So there's a great
advantage I have."
"You forgot where you came from, kid. But I know where you're going."
Englund talked to Looper about what he's learned over the years as far as what the character
means to fans, saying:
"I've met thousands of fans whose memory of Nightmare on Elm Street is not as a horrible,
violent film. They have great, fond memories of watching it with their moms and dads, and
brothers and sisters. [...] They have these memories of a family experience."
Can Robert Englund ever really say goodbye to Freddy Krueger? As of right now, his answer
is a definite "maybe." In 2018, Englund appeared on the Halloween episode of the sitcom The
Goldbergs as Freddy. It was the first time that he'd played the character since appearing
in Freddy vs. Jason in 2003. But as far as returning to the role for another movie in
the future, he's not sure he can commit to it.
"They're gonna need a new actor to play Freddy because they're gonna have to do eight of
them.”
“Maybe it’s Freddy’s son.”
“I might have one left in me."
At this point, it would be pretty unrealistic to expect Englund to sign on to play Freddy
in eight more films. Actor Jackie Earle Haley took on the role for one film in a 2010 reboot.
But since this is the role that means more to Englund than any other, there's a good
chance that we'll see him on screen, and in our nightmares, as Freddy once more.
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