To celebrate the release of Final Destination 5 on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download in Australia today, Warner has sent us this exclusive Q & A with stars Courtney B. Vance, Arlen Escarpeta and P.J. Byrne.
In Final Destination 5, Death is just as omnipresent as ever, and is unleashed after one man’s premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death’s sinister agenda.
QUESTION: What is it about Final Destination 5 that made you want to be in this film?
COURTNEY B. VANCE: I wanted to be with the director, Steve Quale. Then once I found out what a great team he surrounded himself with, cast and crew, I was excited.
ARLEN ESCARPETA: I think horror’s huge. Everybody loves horror films. They break new talent and I’ve been fortunate enough to get the opportunity to be a part of such an iconic franchise. I got to work with New Line on Friday the 13th and now to be back with a Final Destination, that’s just a double whammy.
P.J. BYRNE: These guys are involved, they got other great actors and they get a stud 3D director in Steven Quale. They get a super writer with Eric Heisserer. New Line got totally behind the film. That makes you want to work on a 5th, because it could be a little scary. Also, when I looked at my death, I had this big action sequence where I fly at the camera at 50 miles per hour and fall off a bridge. That’s a big action sequence that I will potentially never have a shot at playing again, unless I play James Bond.
QUESTION: Tell me about your characters and what they go through in this film.
COURTNEY B. VANCE: My character Agent Block, is really trying to figure it all out. Initially he’s skeptical and he thinks the kids are holding something back, but then he realizes they’re trying to figure it out, and are just as scared as they can be. So, he tries to help them instead of trying to put them in jail.
ARLEN ESCARPETA: My character Nathan, he’s not really drinking the Kool-Aid. He’s not really buying that whole death-chasing-you-down thing. He’s not sure what’s going on but he’s a little bit skeptical.
P.J. BYRNE: My character is the guy in the office that everybody hates. We all know that guy. He’s really obnoxious, he loves himself, he loves the ladies, and he loves getting ladies for himself.
QUESTION: What was it like to be in Vancouver and to climb the Grouse Grind?
P.J. BYRNE: Do you know what the Grouse Grind is? It’s literally a two-mile hike straight up. There’s nothing flat about it.
ARLEN ESCARPETA: It’s little stairs.
P.J. BYRNE: It will be the worst day of your life. I’m sorry, Grouse Grinders. Everything was bad about it. It’s a terrible, stupid thing to do. It took me like three days to get up to the top of that hill.
ARLEN ESCARPETA: True. Physically I was okay. Mentally I was defeated. To this day I plan to go back and beat it.
P.J. BYRNE: I will never go back. I’ll go to Vancouver because I love Vancouver but not that hill.
COURTNEY B. VANCE: Vancouver was fine, but in the springtime. I want to go when it’s sunny.
QUESTION: What do you think of Steven as a director?
COURTNEY B. VANCE: The best. It’s rare that you find a director that’s a nice guy and super talented, and he’s both.
P.J. BYRNE: The best. 3D is his world. Watch out for him and whatever’s going to come out of his brain next time.
ARLEN ESCARPETA: He’s built for this. He’s built for this franchise.
