The actor who originated the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' serial killer struggles to film fight scenes now that he is getting older and would be happy to pass the baton to the 'Footloose' star.
- Jun 1, 2023
AceShowbiz - Robert Englund feels "too old" to play Freddy Krueger again. The horror icon has starred as the "Nightmare on Elm Street" serial killer in eight films but argues that his advancing years mean that he is unable to return as the child killer who terrorises his victims through their dreams.
"I'm too old and thick to play Freddy now. I just can't do fight scenes for more than one take anymore, I've got a bad neck and bad back and arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang it up, but I would love to cameo," the 75-year-old actor said to Variety ahead of the release of the documentary, "Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story".
Robert tipped Kevin Bacon to play Freddy in a future "Nightmare on Elm Street" project as he has the physicality to take on the blade-fingered villain. The star said, "I know he respects the genre, and he's such a fine physical actor. I think that in the silences and in the way Kevin moves - it would be interesting."
Despite ruling out another appearance as Freddy, Robert does have ideas on how to bring the antagonist into the modern world. He explained, "You'd have to deal with technology and culture. For instance, if one of the girls was an influencer, it would be interesting to somehow haunt her subconscious and manifest himself, perhaps exploit everybody that followed her."
Freddy is one of the most popular horror villains in Hollywood history and Robert reflected on how appreciation for the genre has increased since he first played the part in 1984. He said, "I felt there was a cultural shift that people recognised. Horror is the punk rock of cinema in its own way. There was a recognition of pulp as a great ingredient in our cultural world. There's room for pulp and melodrama, and the door opened wider for horror."
