Read our exclusive interview with actors Corey Feldman (Stand By Me, Goonies) and Jamison Newlander, who starred as the Frog brothers, Edgar and Alan, respectively, in the hit horror movie ‘The Lost Boys.’ They have both returned to the series, and are currently appearing in the third movie, ‘Lost Boys: The Thirst,’ set to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray by Warner Home Video on October 12, 2010. Read our movie review here.
Shockya (SY): The original ‘Lost Boys’ was released in 1987, and has since become a cult classic. What was it about the movie that made you want to participate in it?
Corey Feldman (CF): Well, personally speaking, I was excited about the fact that I would get to go back to work and have a job. After doing other movies, like ‘Stand By Me,’ I thought I might not ever work again.
Jamison Newlander (JN): Well, for me, I wasn’t a Corey Feldman of the time. I wasn’t doing all kinds of movies. It was a great opportunity for me, I loved the movie. When I met (director) Joel (Schumacher) and Corey, when I auditioned for it, I thought this is something I could do. I knew Corey and I knew Joel a little bit, and I wanted to play one of the Frogs. But the reason why I originally got involved was because of Richard Donner, who was supposed to direct the film. But because of circumstance, he ended up taking ‘Lethal Weapon,’ and Joel took on the reins before pre-production started. So I had to go in and audition for Joel. I was this sweet little kid, who watched action movies with Sylvester Stallone, and created a character portraying what those guys represent. So I took a few months, grew my hair out. I was just very lucky, and I still am.
SY: Many people today still associate you two with ‘The Lost Boys’ and its sequel, ‘Lost Boys: The Tribe,’ which was released in 2008. Do you appreciate the recognition you still receive for the series?
CF: It’s very exciting. Every time we go somewhere and do a ‘Lost Boys’ event, you see people’s enthusiasm. I just got off tour with my band over the summer, and one of the biggest shows we did of the tour was an event over at Santa Cruz boardwalk, where we shot the original film. It was a free show, and they ended up showing the film on a big, giant inflatable screen. The amazing thing was that there were 50,000 people attending the concert. I don’t think anything had really been done like that before, and the response was overwhelming. It was really tremendous. So it actually inspired us to do a short concert series. Coming up in the next month, with Live Nation and Warner Brothers, we’re actually going to show the original film. We’re performing at the House of Blues, and we’re going to show clips from the new movie. It’s going to be a media campaign and a costume party to help promote the movie and the band. It’s really kind of amazing, the legacy this film has created and the special place it’s taken in the hearts and minds of so many people. Even so much so that I’ll be backstage at a show, and people will come up to me and have, literally a tattoo of my face on their body from ‘Lost Boys,’ the Edgar Frog character. It’s pretty overwhelming.
JN: For me, it’s usually that I don’t get recognized outright, because I look a little different. I had cooler, longer hair back in the ’80s. So usually, it’s someone who says, who look kind of familiar, do I know you, have I met you before? Then it comes out that I was a Frog brother, the other Frog brother, Corey Feldman and his brother, I was the brother. People are like, “That’s you? That was great!” That’s the fun part for me, when they realize who I am, and they realize I was in ‘Lost Boys,’ and I was a Frog brother. People get really excited.
SY: You’re both now starring in the second sequel, ‘The Lost Boys: The Thirst.’ Why did you decide to continue with the series?
CF: Well firstly, we knew we could do better than ‘The Tribe.’ ‘The Tribe’ was obviously very successful, in some levels it was well received. On other levels, there was some disappointment surrounding it. Our feeling was, the fans deserve more, they deserve something a little stronger, something a little better this go-around, something a little more retrofitted that the fans wanted to see. Based on their outreach, it was the return of the Frog brothers. That’s what this film delivers, and I think people are going to be very excited. I know people are going to be excited, because we’ve been reading the reviews that have been coming in, which have been very outstanding. We’re excited that people seem to be receiving this very well. What they demanded was more of the Frog brothers, and that’s exactly what they’re getting.
JN: In ‘The Tribe,’ I was in it for just a second, and I was in the special features section. It just seems like my character came back so briefly, but people seemed to be very excited about it. Also, ‘Lost Boys’ was a fun project. A couple of times, Corey and I have made appearances as ourselves, and sometimes as the Frog brothers. We work off each other, and it was a great opportunity to do again.
SY: After ‘The Tribe’ was released, fans requested that the Frog brothers return for ‘The Thirst.’ Why do you think they still resonate with fans?
CF: Well, I think it was because we’re the original vampire slayers. Nobody stakes a vampire like the Frog brothers. Never have, never will!
Written by: Karen Benardello
