After making his first appearance in the post-credit scene of 2018's Venom, Woody Harrelson returns to Venom: Let There Be Carnage as the villainous Cletus Kasady. The serial killer comes face to face with Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom when the reporter goes to interview him in prison. After a failed execution, Kasady comes to bond with his own symbiote - Carnage.
Screen Rant spoke to Harrelson about what he wanted to bring to the character this time around, working with director Andy Serkis, and his thoughts about the potential of a Zombieland 3.
Screen Rant: So it's been a few years since we first saw Cletus Kasady and his lovely red curls. When it came time to fully dive in, what was the number one thing you wanted to accomplish with this character?
Woody Harrelson: Oh, thank you. That's very nice. I don't know. I just wanted to... I felt like with that first thing, even though it was only one scene, I certainly felt at the end of it, I could've done a much better job. So I just wanted to try to make the character more interesting. And [to] have some things in spite of being a serial killer that endeared you to Cletus Kasady.
When you said you could've done a better job, do you mean you were unhappy with it, you were like, "Oh, I just want to dive in more?"
Woody Harrelson: I felt when I did the first one, I was a little bit... I mean, I think of Tom Hardy as one of the great actors. I really do. I think this guy is such a phenomenal actor. And just being in the Marvel Universe, and I don't know, everything all put together, I was a little nervous when I did that first one.
And so I wasn't free enough to be able to... If you're too nervous, you go into an audition, people who audition and they go in, they're so nervous, they could've done a good job, but they were just so nervous. So I felt like I was a little... I never even told Tom this. So anyway, I'm revealing it to you. But I was a little nervous, and I just didn't feel like I was free enough to be more creative.
You were brought in by Ruben Fleischer who did the first one, I assume because you guys have worked together in the past. How did you react when the news came out that Andy Serkis will be directing? And what do you feel like he brought to the table that was unique in terms of comic book movies?
Woody Harrelson: Well, there was a little interim between knowing that Ruben wasn't doing the first one and Andy being hired, during which time Tom Hardy and I both lobbied for Andy. And so when it came down that he was doing it, I couldn't have been more thrilled because it's not like I have a lot of self-doubt, but sometimes. I'm an actor, so you got to have some insecurities. I mean, what actor doesn't? To be able to look behind the camera and see a very good friend of mine and Andy Serkis and someone I trust implicitly, it helped a lot.
Speaking of working with Ruben, it took us 10 years to get Zombieland 2. I'm hoping not another 10 for Zombieland 3. Is there anything there? Do you feel optimistic about completing that trilogy? Is there an idea around? What do you think?
Woody Harrelson: I haven't heard anything about it from any of the creative elements. I would love to do it because I just love those guys. That's a singularly wonderful, fun, amazingly funny group of people. So what I'm saying is I'm open to it. And Ash, if there's anything you can do to make it happen, I would be most grateful.
