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Jeff Fahey is filled with gratitude. The iconic character actor has been in the industry for nearly half a decade, and yet he still has the excitement of someone getting their first big break. From his very first film Silverado through Lawnmower Man, Wyatt Earp, Machete, and Alita: Battle Angel to iconic roles like Frank in Lost and Zachariah in Justified, Fahey is beloved for his work in genre films and the gravitas he brings to even schlocky B-pictures.
The famed director Robert Rodriguez was one of Fahey's many big fans, and it's obvious to see why — people who love B-movies and cult classic films likely know Fahey's name pretty well. "Robert, God bless him, he was a fan since he was young. He told me Body Parts was one of the reasons he became a filmmaker, he saw it 13 times," said Fahey, whose innate humility immediately kicks in when he clarifies that he's only "one of many reasons. We have a film coming out, Hypnotic with Ben Affleck [now titled The Gray Guardians], that Robert did." In the meantime, Fahey spoke with us about his new shark attack movie Maneater and the continued joy of acting.
Jeff Fahey Supports Small Movies Like Maneater
Maneater follows two intersecting stories connected by a shark, which come to a head on a desolate tropical island. A woman who has experienced a bad breakup (Nicky Whelan) is dragged along by her friends on a beautiful island vacation where, unbeknownst to them, a vicious great white shark is on the hunt for human flesh. Meanwhile, its first victim was the daughter of a tough cowboy kind of guy (country music star Trace Adkins) who decides to hunt the hunter, but gets a little help from a shark expert, Professor Hoffman, played by Fahey.
Fahey is honestly not in Maneater for much of its runtime, but he's an important part of its exposition, providing valuable information and adding his typical touch of atmosphere along the way. He's also important behind the scenes; Fahey isn't a big part of the film, but he's a big name, and loves being able to bless small films with it in order to give them a little more visibility.
"It's near impossible to get the small films made," said Fahey, "it's hard enough to get any film made, but near impossible for the small ones. You've got people that would sell the film, but a lot of the time, these people aren't going to jump in who can sell a film. When you get a certain group of actors together, you can sell that film according to its budget, so they asked if I would jump in on the team." Fahey can help sell a film like Maneater, so he does:
Trace [Adkins] I also know, because we've done a couple of films together, and these two scenes that I did were with Trace, who I really wanted to do some scenes with, and help out friends. So I jumped in. And that's exactly what it is, and I'm proud of it. The thing is that I'm just as proud of the little films that may not work for the critics or may not work for some people, but do work for their audience. And then I can go from there and work with Robert Rodriguez, or go from there and do a play in London or in New York. It's all fulfilling to me. I deliver the goods as best I can, and then jump on my horse and ride out of town.
Jeff Fahey Loves Making Movies
With Fahey's disposition, it wasn't a hard sell to swiftly ride his horse onto the Maneater set, where he got to spend time with friends in Hawaii. "Daemon Hillin, who's the producer, he and I have known each other and done a number of projects together. He's a friend, and [director] Justin Lee, he and I are friends, and we've done a couple of westerns, Apache Junction and Badlands," said Fahey, who was able to get his scenes done in a day, having only one week free between two other films.
Fahey is prolific like that, someone who obviously loves to act and cherishes the jet-setting profession, no matter how small or weird the film. "The great adventure," Fahey called it. "You know that old saying, no two days are ever the same on a film set? I love what I do. I mean, it's a great job. If you're talking to a working actor, and they're complaining, I don't know how much advice you're gonna get from them. Because it's such a wonderful gift to have a career, because the odds are against one, going in. So I feel blessed to be able to keep going and keep meeting new, interesting people in new projects."
Fahey further explained:
It's about 47 years I've been in the industry, and I'm really coming into this new place in my life and career, and a new approach to the work. I mean, I've always felt good about it, but now I'm looking at it like, "If we just stay in there and keep comfortably and coolly honing the instrument, the craft, and the technique, and more importantly, the way we work with people and with the crews, things will be good."
"I'm actually feeling like I'm getting younger, I don't know what the hell's going on," joked Fahey. "You can take anything, whatever that screenplay is, whoever the director is, whomever the other actors are, and you can make it work. Going in with that joy, rather than the ego of worrying about whether something's going to be successful or not, just going in and constantly improving that instrument and the approach to it. I'm truly enjoying it. I always did, but I'm enjoying it more now than ever."
Maneater is a Fun Movie For Fahey's Audience
Jeff Fahey's sense of joy and passion for his profession carries over to everything he does, including Maneater and other small B-pictures. Maneater is a silly and fun film, and Fahey knows it. "Have a couple of beers, jump on the roller coaster ride, and have some fun for a little bit. You know, go to the serious movies later, or something that is going to change your life," said Fahey. "But if you want to go for a quick roller coaster ride and have some fun, that's what Maneater is. And the wonderful thing with Justin Lee, the writer/director, and Daemon Hillin, the producer, and everyone else involved, they understood that that's what it is, to just show up and deliver the goods and have some fun."
As such, Maneater definitely appeals to a specific audience, many of whom might be fans of Fahey's wackier films, such as Scorpius Gigantus, Manticore, or Locusts: The 8th Plague. Maneater is a little more polished than those ridiculous movies, but it's still the fun, self-consciously silly type of movie that would make a good drinking game or late-night party with friends, especially within the horror movie community. Surprisingly, Fahey isn't that big a fan of horror.
"I think there's that audience that enjoys being scared for a moment," said Fahey. "I think there's a safety in the scare film, because there are people going in that like to be scared. Personally, that's not my jazz, but I don't judge the films I do. I think audiences enjoy knowing that they're going to have the bleep scared out of them, but they're going to be saved in the end, because in two hours, they can get up and walk away." Fahey is certainly grateful for his career, but audiences have just as much gratitude for him.
From Saban Films, Maneater is now in theaters, on demand, and digital.