TNT Roughcut Interview
May 3, 1999
Idle Hands is Sawa's 12th movie in 20 years.
Not Sitting Idly
Devon Sawa, who is 20, has done 12 films already. Not bad for a guy who got his start in Casper and his career is only now warming up with this lightweight shriek-fest, Idle Hands. He's already committed to at least five more films that may hit screens in the coming year, including a strong supporting role in SLC Punk! that shows the promise of what young Sawa is capable of. He's already hit teen-heartthrob status among the pre-teen set, thanks to a turn in Wild America that makes him a regular in the pages of Teen People and their ilk. But Devon says he's getting tired of all that and it's time to grow up.
Devon Sawaroughcut.com's Andy Jones
Andy jones
Tell me about Flight 180. This is the one where you have a premonition of the crash and then the people on the plane who don't die start dying?
Devon Sawa
Yes. They cheated Death's plan, so Death is killing them in order of their seats. And they discover that early on and they decide to try and beat it.
Andy Jones
Sort of creepy.
Devon Sawa
It's very creepy because you know you're going to die next and you could die, anyway. Death finds the strangest ways to kill these people. I mean, one time I'm sitting in a chair and a fishing pole falls over which hits a cup which lets water fall and it runs down into this electric box and starts shorting out, which hits something else and then finally at the end of it, a knife comes flying at me and I just duck in time. But it's very, very well written. And very interesting. James (Wong), the director, did a brilliant job writing it.
Andy Jones
Is it random that you're following a horror movie with a horror movie or is there a plan?
Devon Sawa
Right. Flight 180's more suspense than horror. We're not dealing with Death as a character, we're dealing more with a supernatural thing. So, it's mostly just fantasy or drama. Idle Hands is more comedy, it's more Beetlejuice than horror, as well. So, I haven't really done any of the serious horror things.
Andy Jones
I think that genre is dying out fast. The horror thing?
Devon Sawa
It's dying out fast for young people. And I think we're moving on to a new genre of the romantic comedies and stuff like that.
Andy Jones
So, when will you do your romantic-comedy?
Devon Sawa
I don't know. I'm not really interested in doing any ensemble teen stuff. You know what I mean?
Andy Jones
Does this all feel like a roller coaster to you? You have 12 films at age 20. I mean, is it as bizarre to you as it is to, let's say, me?
Devon Sawa
Yeah. On your 12th film, you're like, "Why did I do all these films?" It's been a long road. And does it feel the way you wanted it to feel? Yes. Except for the teen-genre thing... it's kind of opening up a lot more competition and decreasing the amount of good work. So, that's one thing that's kind of starting to bother me. The whole teen thing is starting to get to me. Because, you know, I stayed away from TV. I just couldn't see myself doing the same character for five years and went the hard way just by doing film -- film that I found interesting and now... I mean, you get a lot of these kids who just do a pilot and all of a sudden they've got five features booked in their down time.
Andy Jones
You said that your parents are really supportive. Are they like showbiz people, though? Are they actively involved with the direction of your career?
Devon Sawa
No. My mom is definitely actively involved in the financial side, just 'cause if I was, I'd have a full-scale arcade in my house.
Andy Jones
Which is not a bad thing.
Devon Sawa
No, it's not. But you've got to look at the longevity of things. When I grew up, I was on [the] set a lot, so she came on [the] set with me. She was definitely a set mom. Not the typical set mom, but she came on set.
Andy Jones
So, she wasn't like Brooke Shields' mom?
Devon Sawa
She wasn't Brooke Shields' mom, no. She wasn't like the typical crazy set mom. She was very cool. She let me do my thing. And she traveled. She got to see the whole industry. And now she's at home and I'm off on my own. [She's] very, very supportive and learned a lot, a great deal about the industry, as well.
Andy Jones
What about the rest of your family? Are you an only child?
Devon Sawa
No, I have a younger brother and a younger sister who are both not in the industry, either. And I now have no intentions of getting [them] into it.
Andy Jones
Do you have a girlfriend now?
Devon Sawa
I do.
Andy Jones
Is she in the industry?
Devon Sawa
She is. She's an actress. She's a well-known actress as well, and I'm not going to reveal who.
Andy Jones
You're not going to tell us?
Devon Sawa
It's a brand new relationship.
Andy Jones
Right. You have to protect that.
Devon Sawa
Well, we're taking it day-by-day.
Andy Jones
Is this transition from being a child actor into more serious adult stuff scary at all?
Devon Sawa
Very.
Andy Jones
Does it feel natural? So many people go wrong right here.
Devon Sawa
Right. It's a very hard transition, I think. I mean, I took a year off just to let the transition be that much easier and my hype that was left would sort of die down and I could start over again. But it is definitely difficult. You know, you still have to live with Teen Beat covers and Wild America. Although, I really enjoyed that movie because it was more of a teen movie. It's really wacky what kids pick up on, isn't it? I mean, you did Casper. And all of a sudden, you're like this teen heartthrob. You know, if you go into any house with any 6-, 7-year-old kid, Casper's always there. It was one of the highest-grossing videos or something. Everybody's got it. And of course, you're not thinking this when you're doing it. You're like, "Whatever. It's Casper." When I got the part, I was still doing a lot of Vancouver work and not thinking anything would happen. I sent a tape down for Casper. I didn't even know how big it was or anything. The next day they called and asked if they could fly me down. And so, my parents were out of town, I had to take my poor grandmother around with me and we showed up on the biggest sound stage on Universal with this big mansion built, and the director meets me first. And he's like, "I like you but we have to get the final decision from the big guy upstairs." And so we climb these stairs, this mansion, there's (Steven) Spielberg sitting on the steps. My grandmother was like, "Oh, hi, Mr. Spielberg." [She was] looking around... she didn't have a clue who he was. She's a little Polish lady, you know, doesn't speak that great of English and doesn't know the American films.
Andy Jones
Was that one of your biggest Hollywood moments so far?
Devon Sawa
Yeah. And then he gave me Little Giants after that. Meeting Spielberg was definitely one of the biggest moments in my career. And the biggest speechless moments.
Andy Jones
Yeah, I'm sure. So, you worked with Christina Ricci twice. Is there any chance that you guys will work together again?
Devon Sawa
I hope so. I really liked working with her. She's a great girl and I really enjoy her work now. I mean, Buffalo 66 and The Opposite of Sex were both great films.
Andy Jones
Very grown up movies.
Devon Sawa
Yes. She's definitely made the transition already.
Andy Jones
Is she one of the people you look to in terms of, like you said, making this transition? Christina Ricci, Jodie Foster....
Devon Sawa
You can look and try to follow someone's career, but really, it's a luck thing and being in the right place at the right time. But, she did a great job doing it. I think she took some time off, too -- Christina -- and eventually got into it. But, yeah, I'd love to work with her again. I just recently saw her a couple of months ago at a premiere. And, it was the first time in a few years and she looks great. And, you know, she's doing well. And I'm happy for her.
Andy Jones
What does Devon mean?
Devon Sawa
The devil. I don't know. [My parents] got it [from] page 106 from the baby book.
Andy Jones
Did they really just pick it out of the air?
Devon Sawa
Yeah, they picked it out of a baby book.
Andy Jones
You just worked with Bill Pullman again. What's your favorite Bill Pullman movie?
Devon Sawa
Spaceballs.
Andy Jones
Really?
Devon Sawa
I loved Spaceballs.
Andy Jones
That is one of the all-time worst I have to say...
Devon Sawa
Really? You didn't like it? Oh, come on! If you're a Star Wars fan, there's some funny stuff. You know what? Actually, when I worked with him on Casper, he's so cool to work with and he's so smart and, he's just cool. The way he talks and this whole Bill Pullman thing, you know? Like, "I'm so cool." And I said, "I've got to work with this guy again." This movie came out, The Guilty, and I was like, "Yes, sign me on." He's one of the main reasons I took the movie, and now I'm working with him and learning tons of stuff. And he tells me lots of great stories. And at first, he didn't recognize me. We went for dinner and we were all sitting there and I knew that I had met him five years ago on Casper and finally at the end of dinner, I was like, "You don't remember me? I'm from Casper." He was like, "Oh, yeah!" And so, he's cool.
Andy Jones
The physical part of this role looked fun. I was particularly enamored with your pinkie. It was doing so much. I was like, "How does his pinkie and his thumb do all that stuff?"
Devon Sawa
I broke this [right] hand in several places, so the joints are a little messed up. It never got fixed, so the pinkie was like... I broke it and chipped it up and they had to re-break it and cut it open and put it back in. So, that pinkie does weird things.
3 May 1999
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