In this interview, Spencer Breslin chatted about his new film Murder, Anyone as well as classic past projects such as The Cat In The Hat and The Santa Clause series.
Having been acting from an early age, Spencer Breslin has appeared in several enduring projects throughout his near-three decade career.
These include 5 films with Tim Allen, such as the latter two Santa Clause movies, with other roles in The Cat in The Hat, Disney’s The Kid, The Ultimate Christmas Present, Zoom, Harold and many more.
In this interview, Spencer discusses his new film Murder, Anyone? as well as some of his past work.
You’ve been in the acting business since you were a child, with your sister also entering the industry. How did the journey first start for you personally?
Spencer Breslin: That journey started when I was three. I was three years old and someone suggested, because I was kind of a rambunctious toddler, that I would be good in commercials. I was such a crazy little kid.
It worked out because I really enjoyed it. I didn’t really see it as a job back then, it was: “Oh, I get to go and play”. I was lucky and fortunate enough to keep booking stuff, keep going and my love for it kept growing over time.
We’re here today to chat about your new film Murder, Anyone? What drew you to this project – script, the cast or a bit of everything?
Spencer Breslin: A bit for everything. James Bressack, the director and I had been friends for a while before we did the movie. We’d been trying to find something to work on together. He presented me with this movie and told me: “Hey, I’m adapting this from a stage play originally done by my late father. Would you read it?”
The truth is, I love James and would work with him without reading the script, even. He’s one of those guys where I’m just like: “Yeah, sure, let’s do it.” The script was so great and the movie… I’m really proud of it. I think it turned out really nice.
We had a great cast, great crew, a smaller budget and not a lot of time to do it. Everyone who was working on it from the crew to the cast, everyone really wanted to be there.
I think that always makes a better movie when everyone’s really dedicated to the end result. We all wanted to be there, so, it was fun.
How would you describe or set up Murder, Anyone? for anyone who’s unfamiliar with it? Where/when can people watch the movie?
Spencer Breslin: I don’t even know how to set up the premise for this one. It’s a crazy movie. Basically, without giving too much away, it’s about two playwrights who are trying to come up with the idea for their next stage play.
They have constant disagreements about where the plot should go. Neither of them really has a clue as to what the plot should be in the first place.
So, after that, chaos ensues, without giving too much away. You will get to see me wearing a giant chicken costume though, if that’s any incentive to see it.
Having already played several fun characters in your career, what did you enjoy about playing ‘Blain’ in Murder, Anyone?
Spencer Breslin: This character… I think what I enjoyed was that because it was supposed to be such an absurd movie, there were no boundaries. I kind of just got to go as crazy and over the top as I wanted.
Also, I’m a pretty sensitive person in real life. I’m sarcastic, but I’m an extremely sensitive guy. This character’s a total amoral, evil, maniacal guy who lacks any empathy whatsoever.
It’s kind of fun to just be like: “Oh cool, I just got to play this totally awful person, but it’s a comedy. I’m gonna have fun with this.”
It’s fun to kind of play a psycho bad guy. I really haven’t gotten to do that before.
It was a lot of fun, especially in a comedy where it’s not too serious and too depressing.
Speaking of past projects, you’re well-known for several family films – such as The Cat In The Hat, Santa Clause 2&3 and Disney’s The Kid, to name just a few. Which of these older projects do people still ask about most to this day?
Spencer Breslin: I’d say probably The Santa Clause ones and The Cat In The Hat, but also a lot of people recently have been coming up to me [and] talking about The Kid, with Bruce Willis.
They’re like: “Oh, I watched it again as an adult and it had a totally different meaning now as a grown-up. That’s always kind of cool to hear.
I’d say those three are the most frequently asked-about ones.
On the flip side, are there any of your projects you felt were underappreciated or deserve more recognition?
Spencer Breslin: I don’t know if I’d say underlooked or underappreciated. I feel like if one person likes any of them, it’s the right level of appreciation for me, in my mind. It’s thrilling.
There are a couple that I’m really fond of. I guess one of them being the movie Harold, which was a crazy independent comedy with all these comic legends in it. I got to play this 14-year-old kid with male pattern baldness who acts like an 80-year-old man, that was pretty fun to do.
It’s a tough one. I’ve been approached about all of them and they’ve all kind of had a positive impact on people in one way or another. From what they tell me, at least. So yeah, I don’t know.
With over two decades having passed since some of your earliest roles, what’s your overall takeaway from doing them?
Spencer Breslin: Yeah, it’s cool. I was thinking lately, especially this past Christmas because Santa Clause 2 and 3 were on TV, like, every day. Me and my roommate would be watching TV and we’re flipping channels – we’d see it a few times at the same timeslot.
It’s weird that the kids who were watching that movie when it came out are now showing it to their kids. That’s kind of a trip.
The fact they’ve stood the test of time that long and are kind of like Christmas classics. The babies who were seeing it in theatres are now showing their babies.
It’s cool to think they’ve lasted and aged so well.
Aside from Murder, Anyone?, what else can people expect from Spencer Breslin in 2023?
Spencer Breslin: Yes, I’ve got two movies that I just wrapped up. One of them is a very heavy drama. It’s a story about a husband and wife – I play the husband, a very talented actress named Meghan Carrasquillo plays my wife in it. She’s brilliant.
It’s a movie written by Ashley Berry, it’s based on her memoir. All [a] true story, directed by Canyon Prince and produced by James, who directed Murder, Anyone? It’s called Four and should be coming out later this year.
I just wrapped a movie called Darkness of Man, directed by James, with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kristanna Loken. That one’s going to be a really badass movie. You know, it’s Van Damme and that’s awesome. That was super fun.
So yeah, I’ve got those two coming up.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat, Spencer. Take care and stay safe!
Spencer Breslin: Thank you very much and same to you, thanks for having me.
Murder, Anyone releases on Demand and on Digital, February 7, 2023.
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