Let's all be honest, we all knew it was coming but it was still a kick in the teeth when Warner Bros. officially delayed The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Warner Bros. Pictures announced the delay back in July and set a new release date of June 4th 2021. Until then we'll just have to wait I suppose. Luckily Steve Coulter, who plays Father Gordon in The Conjuring films was nice enough to give us an interview on The Conjuring 3 and some of his other iconic horror roles.
Hooked On Horror- Firstly Steve, thank you so much for giving me this interview. You've had some fantastic roles especially within horror the last few years, what would you say has been a personal favourite of yours?
Steve Coulter- I always enjoy playing Father Gordon in the Conjuring movies, it's like coming home to see the whole gang again. The most fun I've had recently is in the film The Hunt, which came out last June. A lot of action and humour, plus I got to fight Betty Gilpin and get shot...big fun.
HOH- That sounds great, must be nice seeing everyone again. So how did you land the role of Father Gordon?
SC- It was years ago, and I don’t think I’d heard of James Wan. They were shooting it in Wilmington, North Carolina. I thought it was just some small horror film. Little did I know the kind of reception it would get around the world, and that it would lead to a franchise. Just got an audition the usual way, through my agent.
HOH- That's great. When you got the role did you read up on The Warrens and their work?
SC- Yes, did a bunch of research on the Warrens. Did a ton of research on how the Catholic church deals with cases of possession, especially for the latest one, Conjuring 3.
HOH- I can imagine that must've been interesting to read about. Were you particularly surprised by any of the information?
SC- I think I was mainly surprised at how common exorcisms are. For Conjuring 3, I worked with a priest whose small church only deals with exorcisms. Really fascinating...and pretty scary.
HOH- That's crazy, must've been fascinating though. Of course Father Gordon has only made appearances in the films so far. You said briefly in our Quizshow that he features more in third Conjuring film, can you tell us a bit more about that?
SC- Can't say much, but this time Father Gordon gets out of the church and gets his hands dirty. I've always compared him to Commissioner Gordon in Batman...Father Gordon usually just has cases which he assigns to Ed and Lorraine Warren, then sends them on their way. This time, he goes out in the field with them.
Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga & Steve Coulter in The Conjuring.
Credit- Warner Bros. Pictures
HOH- That sounds fantastic, I really can't wait to see the film! I'll give this one a go- can you give us any more information regarding the story for The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It?
SC- Nope! Haha. Sorry...signed the ol' non-disclosure agreement. All I can say that it's different from the first two, but in a great way.
HOH- Ah you can't blame me for trying! This will be the fourth film in The Conjuring Universe you've starred in. What is it like working with your co-stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga?
SC- It's always delightful to see Vera and Patrick again. Patrick and I give each other a good bit of good-natured teasing. We all laugh a lot on the set. The plots are always so intense, so it helps loosen things up and makes performances better to lighten up between setups.
HOH- That sounds nice. Of course the film's release has been delayed due to the current pandemic. Do you think it'll be worth the wait for fans?
SC- Definitely. 100% worth it.
HOH- It's gonna be difficult waiting for this film! What is the future looking like for The Conjuring films and your character? Will we be seeing more Father Gordon in later films?
SC- I can't say, or that might spoil some story points.
HOH- That's understandable, fingers crossed we'll see more of him in The Conjuring Universe. Onto one of your most recent roles of The Doctor in Blumhouse's The Hunt. Am I right in thinking it was a lot of fun to make?
SC- It was TOO much fun. The director, Craig Zobel, is a great guy. That script was so tight and good. It was like being 11 years-old again...running around, shooting guns, fighting, getting shot. Oh yeah, and killing a guy with a ballpoint pen.
The Hunt Poster
Credit- Universal Pictures & Blumhouse
HOH- That kill was fantastic! I think that's a bit of a fan favourite, how did you shoot that?
SC- It was pretty straightforward. Shot it from several angles. The only thing real was the pen...everything else (blood spurting, etc.) was done in post-production. And the champagne bottle I got whacked on the head with was rubber. HOH- It looked great. Hard to believe that! The film as a whole was wonderful if I'm honest. Unfortunately the film did cause some controversy due to its storyline and Universal originally pulled it from its initial release. What were your thoughts on that?
SC- We had anticipated the controversy...although none of us thought that the President would tweet about it! While we were shooting we discussed that when the media (especially conservative media) got wind of the plot, there would be an over-reaction. Like "it's about liberal elites hunting deplorables!" The film, for those who have seen it, is clearly a satire that pokes at both sides of the aisle. In fact, the liberal elites are the bad guys in the movie. We had bad luck with the release date (March 13th). Everyone was happy that after its original release was postponed because of the controversy, that it was going to be released in theaters. But it's opening weekend was when the country first shut down for the pandemic. Luckily, though, I think a bunch of people still got to see it on VOD.
"Liberal Hollywood is Racist at the highest level, and with great Anger and Hate! They like to call themselves “Elite,” but they are not Elite. In fact, it is often the people that they so strongly oppose that are actually the Elite. The movie coming out is made in order........to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!"
President Donald Trump vented his anger at the film via his official Twitter Account (@realDonaldTrump) in August 2019.
This caused the film to be shelved by Universal Pictures.
HOH- I suppose you can only plan for so much, and of course no one sure the pandemic affecting the industry like it has this year. I forgot Trump tweeted about the film. Any publicity is good publicity right? Now onto another great role of yours- Reg Monroe in The Walking Dead. When you got the part did you read any of the comics or did you just want to make the character your own?
SC- I did read some of the comics, to get an idea of the origins of the character. Curiously, in the comics Reg is a female character named "Regina". The TV show reversed the genders of the characters in the comic.
HOH- I didn't actually know that. I know they made a lot of changes but that's mad. Regarding your character's death, were you disappointed about the way you died in the show?
SC- Although I was very disappointed that I would be leaving the show, I wasn't disappointed at all in how he died on the show. Quite the opposite...I was pretty thrilled. Couldn't be disappointed to die in the last scene of the season finale. When the showrunner, Scott Gimple, called me to tell me that Reg was going to die, he was very apologetic and then said "But your death is AWESOME! You go out in the climactic scene at the very end of the season closer!"
Reg Monroe bleeds out in the final episode for Season 5 of The Walking Dead.
Credit- AMC
HOH- It was a fantastic death scene. and of course it kickstarted a lot for the next season. You're also well known for another fantastic role in the Insidious films. You talked a little about them in our Quizshow recently, where you played Carl. What was it like working with James Wan on those films?
SC- James is delightful to work with. He has so much joy and enthusiasm on his set. He LOVES to make movies and that is very infectious. And he's very loyal to people he's worked with (I think I've worked on 7 films that he either directed or produced. HOH- Wow, that's great. That's bragging rights working on 7 films he's been involved in! If they were to do another Insidious film, would you like to reprise your role?
SC- I would love to work with the remarkable Lin Shaye again. If she's in it, then I'm in.
HOH- It must've been great working with her. And lastly I just wanted to ask what's next for you? Where can fans expect to see more of you in the near future?
SC- I'm currently playing a recurring role on a show called P-Valley on Starz. I did a film with Charlie Day which we shot a year ago that will hopefully come out soon.
HOH- I've heard a lot of good things about that series. You'll have to let us know when your film with Charlie Day comes out! Thank you again for taking the time to do this interview Steve.
Sounds like we've got a lot to look forward to in regards to the third Conjuring film, great to hear more about some of his other iconic roles as well. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It will now release 4th June 2021.
"The Devil Made Me Do It reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they'd ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defence."
Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed chatting to him. You can catch Steve Coulter as one of our Quizmasters on Hooked On Horror Presents Quizshow.
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