Kevin Redzinski Playing Freddy Krueger & Elm Street's Future

Actor Kevin Redzinski stood in for Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in both A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and the television spin-off series Freddy’s Nightmares. With recent announcements regarding the franchise’s future and Robert Englund’s return as Freddy Krueger in video game form, Redzinski took the time to discuss his contributions to the horror icon with Brain Mutant and what the Elm Street franchise needs to succeed with handling Freddy Krueger in the future.

Redzinski, who has already written about his experiences playing Freddy in his book, I Was Freddy Too!, is a unique authority on the character and what it takes to not only play Mr. Krueger, but to live up to the performance of Robert Englund. Below you can read about the challenges that come with such an undertaking and how any new Freddy Krueger actors will need to compare.

Part 1: Kevin Redzinski on Becoming Freddy

You’ve discussed playing a large number of scenes in which we see Freddy Krueger throughout the first season of Freddy’s Nightmares in addition to major effects sequences from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. What went into making your performance seamless when trading places with Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger?

A completely open mind, and fate. At the time I got the job on Freddy’s Nightmares the only Elm Street movie I had ever seen was 4, one time because I was in it. When it came to Freddy, my mind was a blank slate, completely. I was your typical young starving actor lucky enough to land a gig on a movie set, the gig was looking like this guy doing that thing, you keep getting it right you keep eating with a roof over your head.

My frame of reference was built block by block watching Robert as though my life depended on it. It wasn’t watching Robert act like Freddy, it was watching this guy doing what he does, it just happened to be what he did was portray Freddy. My knowledge isn’t based on just what you see in the finished films.

My knowledge includes watching multiple takes, things that worked, things that didn’t work, things they never used, improvs. I watched everything Robert did each and every day he was there, both on and off set. I watched him eating French Fries sucking on a McDonald’s shake in full Freddy gear, joking with crew, walking to the bathroom, taking a phone call, all of it. I wasn’t trying to be Freddy, I was trying to keep my job so I could eat.

Due to your shared experiences on The Dream Master, Robert Englund specifically insisted the production track you down to reprise your duties for Freddy’s Nightmares. What were the challenges in moving from film to television?

The biggest challenge was having the confidence. Clearly I was getting it right because they wanted me back, but I couldn’t get my head around what I was doing right. The best way to describe it would be, I was “task oriented.” Robert raised his hand, tilted this way, held it for an eight count, then brought it down in a swipe left to right, versus Freddy raises the glove and kills somebody. Like relating 100% in every way to a bowl of cherries, but having no idea how they become a cherry pie or what one looks like but knowing people love cherry pie, so don’t screw with the cherries, if that makes sense.

How supportive was Robert Englund regarding your role in bringing Freddy Krueger to life?

Robert is a supportive guy all around, as long as it doesn’t hurt somebody, do your thing. I sat with him for about half an hour in the warehouse/studio where we shot the show a few days before we started on the first episode “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” He wanted to give me some pointers and a bit of coaching with the glove. We’re passing it back and forth: “Do this, not that, more like this, less like that,” etc., etc.

Towards the end he said something to the effect of, “You’ve seen me using the glove, you’ve seen what works, doesn’t work, if anyone ever asks you to do something you don’t think I would do or they’re taking the glove and doing stupid shit or asking you to do something you know is stupid, don’t do it. If they give you shit about it, differ it to me, tell them to call me. They know how to reach me anytime.”

It was equal parts empowering and scary. Empowering because I was given the authority to tell people “no” when it comes to working with the single most important part of the show next to Robert himself. Scary because I’ve been so empowered, having that kind of authority is one thing, having the balls to use it when needed is another, it’s not like he announced it to the whole crew either.

If something stupid or shitty looking involving the glove made it on TV it would have been my fault. I mean, Robert told me, call him. Luckily it only came up a few times and they were minor. During filming the crew really did consider me final word when there was any question on glove stuff, which is wild when I remember I was barely 22 at the time.

Part 2: Studios vs. Social Media

The internet has allowed fan movements and campaigns, like “Leavy for Krueger,” to take the center stage on social media. How do these endeavors compare with the reality of major studios and how they make casting decisions?

I don’t think big studios pay much attention to social media unless one of their people or projects is in trouble. Think about it, they say something like 50% of the chatter on these platforms is Bots, then add to that how easy it is to completely steer a narrative wherever you want it to go. You can scrub comments, edit clips, use them out of context. Now there’s AI. It’s an entire world where you have no way of knowing what’s real, who would make a decision based on that? They know how the platforms work, you can’t bullshit a bullshitter, you know what I mean?

There are plenty of discussions regarding what an actor needs to play Freddy Krueger following the foundation left by Robert Englund. What do you actually think is necessary to portray the character and what element is most misunderstood when playing Freddy?

The most basic element is the carriage, either you’re built the same or you’re not. And I mean the same. Robert and I, so many of our measurements are so close or spot on, it’s uncanny. Shoulder width, shoulder height, arm pit height, you name it. How you’re constructed dictates how you move naturally. Most misunderstood is, hands down, pardon the pun, the glove. Everybody has to constantly flick the glove, tap it on something, make it do something, anything, every two seconds with the glove.

Looking back at Freddy’s Nightmares, is there a specific experience while working that stands out as your most difficult or fun moment on the series?

Difficult would be some of the stand in stuff. When I wasn’t doing Freddy stuff I would stand in for the male talent. Basically you take their place and move around, sit in a chair, walk through a door as them so they can place the lights and camera where they need to be. You just run the scene over and over. The worst was a scene laying in bed with the camera looking down at you. The camera was like a boat anchor, this big heavy chunk of metal clamped onto a camera dolly on wheels that can raise the camera up and down, pretty much wherever you want it.

Too many times they wanted it directly over my face anywhere from three to ten feet above just hovering over me. All I could think about was that thing falling and crushing my head like a grape. Fun? There’s really so many things I still laugh about. I won’t say which episode but the actor really shit the bed, just couldn’t get their lines out. It was a scene with a bunch of extras so they cleared them out to maybe take off some pressure, didn’t work.

So there’s just the actor and the camera crew and someone off camera starts by feeding him line by line of dialogue, nope, then just two to three words at a time, nope. So as this unfolds we are just off set literally on the other side of a fake wall, no ceiling, hearing it all clear as day and one of the crew is mouthing the words as this guy struggles with them.

He’s making faces, the poor guy is dying and the last thing we can do is laugh because it will crush the guy, which makes it that much harder to hold your laugh but God forbid you let loose first because everyone would straighten right up and point right at you. People were running outside before they just lost it. It wasn’t about making fun of the guy, it was about trying to get someone to laugh and fuck up the take.

Part 3: Elm Street’s Legacy & Future

You’ve recently reunited with Robert Englund for the first time in decades. What was it like catching up and recalling your work on the franchise together?

It was great. He recognized me right away, big hug. We talked a lot about Freddy’s Nightmares and getting the show the recognition it deserves. I mean, so many people worked on that show, people went on to win Tony’s, Oscars, successful writers, make up, set design, actors Brad Pitt, Mariska Hargitay, Eva LaRue, and it was so twisted. You have to watch each episode a few times to really catch all the little goofy details they snuck in there.

Robert Englund finally reprised his role as Freddy Krueger via voice acting in Fortnite. How do you feel about Englund’s Freddy transitioning into digital platforms when compared to the character’s origins in heavy practical effects work?

Well, I’m an old school pinball guy, the games I started on were EMs, Electro Mechanical with the score reels, I still play them. I’m down to two at home. Pinball made a comeback and it’s all solid state stuff, beep beep instead of ding ding. Everything changes, is it for the better?

Sometimes, most progress seems to be fed by a drive to make more money quicker and something good spinning off that is almost a happy accident. I think there’s a warmth to the older stuff. Of course, using film is a big part of it. I also think practical effects, although not the intention, can provide a few split seconds of mental relief on some subconscious level that doesn’t happen with perfect looking computer generated stuff.

Like when they split someone’s head open with an ax and all the goop and goo is squirting everywhere and you’re just in it, your body is electrified by the horror and then there’s a split second you see a little something and think, “Oh damn, that’s a coconut. It ain’t no head, it’s a friggin’ coconut!”

But it flies by barely detectable, and for those few moments some part of your brain takes a little break like, “Oh, it’s fake, we’re safe, let’s take a breather.” Then bam! The moment passes and bam you’re scared shitless again. I think those tiny breaks have a positive effect, help keep you sane, as opposed to a computer assisted bloodbath that runs your fight or flight at a high RPM, non stop every other minute for an hour with no pit stop in reality.

What’s the main thing you want fans to take away from reading your book, and where can they grab a copy?

Keeping moving, it’s the only way to get somewhere, no matter what you’re after. I like to be prepared for important stuff but I also think you’re better off showing up unprepared than not showing up at all because you were too busy preparing, I mean at least you’re there. I had a lot of stuff happen to me on my way to Elm Street and people that read the book have asked, “Why didn’t you just go back home, to New Jersey?” Without thinking about it, the first time someone asked I just said, “Because that wasn’t where I was heading, I was heading to Hollywood.” The book is available at WWW.FREDDY-2.COM.

Paramount is developing the next installment of the Elm Street franchise. If you were invited to be involved – whether as a consultant, stunt coordinator, or Freddy himself – would you be open to returning?

Oh yeah, 100%. I’m actually in better shape now than when I did it the first time. I was in good shape then too but I was livin’ like a maniac.

A special thanks to Kevin Redzinski for speaking with Brain Mutant regarding his contributions to A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Freddy’s Nightmares, both of which are invaluable to the franchise’s modern-day success. His book, I Was Freddy Too!, is now available and features even more details regarding Redzinski’s life and his path to playing Freddy next to Robert Englund.