James Hetfield Didn’t Need Acting Tips for Ted Bundy Biopic
Metallica frontman James Hetfield didn’t need any acting tips for his debut role in new Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile, star Zac Efron said.
Hetfield plays Bob Hayward, the first cop to arrest Bundy, which started a chain reaction that led to the serial killer’s execution in 1989, after confessing to the murder of 30 people in the ‘70s. He is thought to have had many more victims.
Complimenting Hetfield for “absolutely nailing” the part of Hayward, Efron told Jimmy Kimmel that he wasn’t sure if the musician had acted before, but gave him a round of applause for his work. “He comes on the set, and it’s one of the more pivotal moments. It’s the moment that Ted actually got caught for the first time. He ran a stop sign and James Hetfield plays the policeman that picks him up.”
You can watch the interview below:
He continued: “James Hetfield, to his credit, he came in and absolutely nailed the part – he just crushed it. You’d think he’d been acting his own life. He had no fear. He did a great job. I was ready to maybe give James Hetfield a tip, but he didn’t ask for a single one. James Hetfield is the shit… he’s just, like, been through it all.”
Efron said that, even though he was in character as they shot the arrest scene together, he thought it was “so cool” hearing Hetfield speaking his lines. “[W]hen I got pulled over by James Hetfield it was kinda like a dream come true. A lot of dudes, it would be their dream come true: ‘No friggin’ way! You! James, right? I’m a b-b-big fan, James!’”
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile is launched today (May 3) on Netflix. Hetfield’s appearance came about as a result of director Joe Berlinger’s experience of making controversial 2004 Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster. “I have experienced his charisma and powerful presence close up,” Berlinger said. “It seemed only natural that he would bring that same power and magnetism to a dramatic role, so when he agreed to my pitch that he be in the movie, I was thrilled.”
‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile’ Trailer