Jamison Newlander is known best for his role of Alan Frog in “The Lost Boys”. Jamison and Corey Feldman are back for the return of The Frog brothers in “The Lost Boys: The Thirst”. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Jamison about what was it like returning to the role and what we can expect for the future of “The Lost Boys” franchise.
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Mike Gencarelli: How does it feel to be reprising your roles as Alan Frog in “The Lost Boys: The Thirst”?
Jamison Newlander: It was really great. Back when the first movie came out, the fans have always wanted a sequel. Different times we felt like we got close to it, maybe 10-15 years ago but it never happened. For me this return was really exciting. “The Tribe” happened first and it was great that they were continuing the franchise. I was happy to be involved with that but my involved was limited. It is great to come back and really give some meat to my character. It feels great fighting side-by-side with (Corey) Feldman and having the Frog brothers back together again. Having the dynamic that we had back from the first movie for some really key moments for this film is really exciting for me.
MG: Do you feel that your character has grown through the series?
JN: Yeah, definitely. It is a couple of things though. It is different for Feldman because his character, Edgar, has a certain arc. He has been getting better and better at vampire hunting through his life. With me there was that part of history of my character between the first movie and now. The other element that we chose to deal with in this movie, which makes reference to the comic book actually, of me turning into a half vampire. That is a real challenge for me to wrap my mind around. You think of Alan Frog…you think of this guy that hates vampires. Now to be struggling with those feeling. It is self-hated. It is conflict. That was some of the main emotions that were going on for Alan during this movie. I think it was a big change for him.
MG: Any moments during the shoot of “The Lost Boys: The Thirst” that really stood out?
JN: Working with Feldman in some of the scenes that happen towards the end of the film, we really great. We actually shot it though in the beginning of the shoot. We really LOOK like the Frog brothers. When we were in costume and getting ready to go on set, we were together and they were snapping some pictures. We looked at them and we were just so excited to be back as the Frog brothers. Probably one of the best moments for me.
MG: “The Lost Boys: The Thirst” is said to be a true follow-up to the first “The Lost Boys” and it has alot of heart, what can you tell us about that?
JN: It is an interesting aspect of the film. When we shot it, we wanted to make it scary but also bring a new view on what “The Lost Boys” vampire has become. I am sure that the writers were thinking about this, but for me it was a nice suprise for me how much heart there was in it. Also, we even referenced Corey Haim’s character in it. Which was really touching I think.
MG: What can you tell us about the reference to Corey Haim’s character in the film?
JN: People are thinking that the stuff was put in for Corey’s character afterwards. There is kind of an eerie similiarity with what happened with him in the movie compared what happened in real life. We make reference that his character Sam dies. The fact is that, that was already in there. Corey Haim did a press conference saying that he passed on the third film but it looks like he could return for the fourth one. It wasn’t added after the fact.
MG: After “The Lost Boys”, your career launched but tell us about you switch to theater and directing?
JN: I appreciate asking me that. I feel that people always dance around that a bit. A lot of people from “The Lost Boys” moved on to their successful careers. For me it was a tricky time in my life. I was 16 when we shot the movie and was 17 in 1987 when they released it. When it came out theatrical it did well but it was on video that it really became a cult classic. But that point I was 18 and I already made the decision that it was worthwild for me to go to college. I left LA and moved to NY and studied theater. I ended up doing theater in NY for like 10 years after that. I ended up doing smaller theater projects. It was really fulfilling. I enjoyed it a lot. I was dedicated to the craft of acting. As part of theater, I started writing plays. I have since moved on to writing screenplays. I am working on an internet project right now that I am trying to launch. It is kind of like a web series but more of an user generated content site. This forced me to get creative about the projects I was going to do. Projects like “The Lost Boys” just weren’t coming my way. So there was a bit a gap for me in Hollywood. It is only a gap though in perspection for me, because I was busting my ass trying to get other projects done. It is nice to be working again with Warners Brothers again.
MG: Do you think we will see the Frog Brothers return again?
JN: I do not know officially what the plans are. What I do know is that everyone is really excited about this movie. This is mostly due to the fans reaction to this film. I think everyone at Warners Bros is excited. Feldman was talking about maybe doing another trilogy. It would go into more about the adventures of the Frog brothers. I even heard rumors about a possible TV series, though I am not the official word of Warner Bros or the franchise. “Lost Boys” is uniquely in touch with what the fans are looking for, it is up the reaction of how this movie does. Also how the fans want to see the franchise continue. Either way it is exciting to hear news about seeing more of the Frog brothers.
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