Stepping into the role of an established and iconic horror movie villain is something that can be frightening for many actors, but for Hulu's Hellraiser reboot star Jamie Clayton, it's beyond thrilling. Originally, the legendary Pinhead character was played by Doug Bradley in the first Hellraiser along with most of its sequels. Clayton will be the first female actor to take on the role following prior movies featuring Stephan Smith Collins and Paul T. Taylor as Pinhead.
There's a lot of excitement surrounding this new reboot coming to Hulu next month. While Clayton's Pinhead is a physical departure from the version made famous by Bradley, many longtime Hellraiser fans appreciate that her incarnation more closely resembles how the character is described in the original novella by Clive Barker. In a new interview for Jake's Takes, Clayton spoke about how it felt to have the task of paying tribute to the original Pinhead while offering something unique to the character and the Hellraiser franchise.
"What a thrill. I mean, what an absolute f***ing thrill. I wanted to do it in my own way, and not do it in an over-the-top way, but it is like an homage, those Easter eggs for the fans. I mean, oh my god, what an absolute f***ing thrill."
Recently, Bradley commented on the Hulu reboot while at a fan convention. He is not personally involved with the film and couldn't say too much about it just yet, though he did offer his blessings to Clayton in the role based on her work in Sense8. Clayton also spoke about how wonderful it was for her to get that praise from Bradley.
"The other day he was asked at one of the conventions where he was doing an appearance, and somebody asked him about it. He's actually a fan of a show I did called Sense8, and gave me his blessing. So, that was really fun for me. That was really sweet."
Meanwhile, Clayton was also told that Bradley used to deal with people on set wanting to touch the pins on his face. When asked if she had that same problem on the set of the reboot, Clayton revealed that it was the opposite experience for her, as no one was approaching her this way.
"That's so interesting. No, nobody came anywhere near me. And if they had, hmmm... no, the only people that touched me were the makeup artists. I'm fascinated that that happened to him."
Jamie Clayton is the New Pinhead
David Bruckner directs the new Hellraiser. Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski penned the script with a story they conceived with David S. Goyer. The film is inspired by the original novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker along with its feature film adaptation, the original Hellraiser. But the new movie is not a remake as it follows original characters with an all-new storyline.
Hellraiser premieres on Hulu on Oct. 7, 2022. You can check out the official trailer below.