2016 (Production)

2016-08-09 (Production)

English

Interviewee: James Karen
Interviewer: Susan King

Professional production

United States

Actor James Karen is interviewed by Susan King at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood in 2016. Karen covers his early beginnings in theater and subsequent work as a film and television character actor. He discusses acting roles from ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) and POLTERGEIST (1982) to WALL STREET (1987) and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (2006).

Actor James Karen is interviewed by Susan King at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood on August 9, 2016. He begins by describing his upbringing in a family of Russian immigrants. Karen remembers his introduction to cinema with Buster Keaton’s STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (1928) and cites the actor as having a profound influence on his childhood experience. Karen recalls his introduction to acting, mentioning his roles in plays at the Wilkes-Barre’s Little Theater. He details his move to New York City to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse with the renowned teacher Sanford Meisner. Karen briefly mentions his enlistment in the United States Army Air Corps. He goes on to discuss his return to New York and making his 1947 Broadway debut in A Streetcar Named Desire. Karen recounts making his first film, the documentary-style JOURNEY INTO MEDICINE (1947), emphasizing his working relationship with cinematographer Boris Kaufman. Karen discusses his enrollment in The Actors Studio and mentions his interactions with the school’s alumni of actors. He talks about his time performing in the 1957 summer stock production of MERTON OF THE MOVIES with Buster Keaton and recounts their second collaboration in the experimental short movie FILM (1965), musing fondly on working with his childhood idol. Karen speaks on making FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER (1965), lightheartedly joking on the circumstances in being cast in the film. He discusses his role in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) and goes on to praise the direction by Alan J. Pakula. Karen recalls being cast in THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979) and favorably reflects on working with the film’s producer, Michael Douglas. He continues with a discussion of his role in POLTERGEIST (1982), noting his collaborative efforts with director Tobe Hooper and producer/co-writer Steven Spielberg. He talks about co-starring in the comedy horror film THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985) while reflecting on how the film established him as a cult classic icon. Karen continues with descriptions of his collaborations with directors Oliver Stone (WALL STREET, 1987), Bryan Singer (APT PUPIL, 1998) and Gabriele Muccino (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, 2006). Karen closes with thoughts on the contemporary film industry and further reflections on his roles in THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and POLTERGEIST.

James Karen (1923-2018) was a veteran character actor whose career in film, theater and television spanned 70 years. Born Jacob Karnofsky in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, James Karen moved to New York in 1940 to attend the Neighborhood Playhouse. He made his Broadway debut in the original production of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE directed by Elia Kazan in 1947. He appeared with his childhood idol Buster Keaton in 1957 in a revival of the vintage comedy MERTON OF THE MOVIES. Karen joined Keaton in 1965 in playwright Samuel Beckett’s experimental short movie FILM and made his feature film debut that year in the sci-fi thriller FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER. Karen accrued over 200 film and television credits playing everything from a college professor to a lecherous film producer to a zombie. Among his best-known films are James Bridges’s THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979); Tobe Hooper’s POLTERGEIST (1982); Oliver Stone’s WALL STREET (1987); and David Lynch’s MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001). He’s also known for his role in Dan O’ Bannon’s 1985 zombie comedy THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD.

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