If you're seen a Friday the 13th movie from 7 to 10, you know who Kane Hodder is. He's pretty much the man that made Jason into an icon - even after stepping into the successful series after several films (you can argue that Jason doesn't appear in the first film and only appears in hallucinations in Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, so Hodder only missed out on four chances to be Jason). But who is the man behind the iconic hockey mask and makeup?
After surviving a childhood filled with bullying and an early career near-death burning, Hodder worked his way up in the stunt game before getting the roles of Jason and Victor Crowley from the Hatchet films. There's a nice balance here, as Hodder faces the camera and explains how close to death he got, particularly being moved by how he upset a child when she saw his burns.
There's a lot in here that reminds me of pro wrestling, as Bruce Campbell remarks that most of the heroes from movies end up being the worst people and the worst villains, like Hodder, are the ones that treat their fans and other people the best.
There's also a wonderful little moment where Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson shares how she and Hodder bonded over their shared survival of being burned. I would have never guessed in her case and felt that was a pretty brave thing to do for this film.
For being the guy who has probably killed more people on screen than any other actor, Hodder comes off as a likable fellow, a great family man and someone willing to discuss his failing, like his OCD that nearly ruined his connection to his family. Plus, the fact that he's always willing to push himself into new roles and new places in his career is pretty inspiring. It's well worth a watch!
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