Bill Moseley’s career in horror has spanned decades, but he’ll probably always be best known as Otis B. Driftwood from the murderous Firefly family. The prolific actor first took on the iconic role in Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses back in 2003. The directorial debut from the renowned musician quickly gained a cult following and led to the even more popular sequel The Devil’s Rejects.
The chaotic film stars Moseley as the most sadistic member of a depraved group of criminals who seem to enjoy nothing more than causing pain and destruction. Now, after many, many years, the Firefly family is finally back and ready to wreak more havoc on unsuspecting victims.
Bill Moseley was kind enough to sit down with us here at We Got This Covered for an exclusive interview recently to talk all about the long-awaited movie 3 From Hell, in which he revives the character for the first time in fourteen years, as well as reflect back on his filmography and tell us what he has planned for the future.
Check it out below, and enjoy!
What should fans of the series expect from this movie that maybe they haven’t gotten in the first two?
Bill Moseley: Well, that the Fireflies and Otis continue to march on. That’s good. They might’ve expected that we were dead, but we’re not. The good news is that it’s not because someone woke up from a dream. The good news is it isn’t because we died and went to hell and the devil rejected us. The bottom line is just that the Sheriff’s Department couldn’t shoot straight.
Just like stormtroopers.
Bill Moseley: Exactly! They just can’t shoot straight. That’s a big part of this. You can also expect more of the same in terms of that the Fireflies and Otis have not really been rehabilitated by long prison stretches. If anything, we’ve gotten stronger and more evil and are ready to do more chaos.
It’s been fourteen years since The Devil’s Rejects came out. Why do you think this film took so long to get made?
Bill Moseley: That’s more of a Rob Zombie question. If you get a chance, I’d ask him that. I don’t know, I think that Rob went on to, right after Devil’s Rejects was Halloween. That was bigger budget, you know, a story that Rob loved. Then it was Halloween 2, 31, Lords of Salem, etc. Plus, this is Rob’s… I wouldn’t call it his avocation, but by day he’s a world famous rockstar, so he probably has a couple things on his plate. But I don’t know, it’s a good question. I’m just glad that however long it took, I’m just glad we’re back in the saddle.
Did you think that you’d ever get to play Otis again?
Bill Moseley: I didn’t really. You know, I knew that I’d certainly like to, but it really did seem like that was the end of the road for us. Again, I did not bank on how bad a shot the Sheriff’s Department posse was, but I’m very glad to do it. Otis is the only character in all of the movies I’ve done over the years that I’ve played more than once. I did play Chop Top in Tony Hooper’s All American Massacre, but that was probably twenty years ago, I think, and that really never saw the light of day. It was a little weird at first, but then once we started shooting and everything got going and underway it was a real pleasure to get back in his skin.
Was it difficult for you to get back into character after all these years, or did it all just come back naturally?
Bill Moseley: It was at first, because I kind of psyched myself out about doing justice to Otis from Devil’s Rejects and trying to figure out how Otis would’ve evolved with fourteen years of prison time under his belt. You know, kind of the self-torture of a Hollywood actor. Once I got on the set and started actually just doing it, it got easier and then there was one kind of mini-monologue where I was dropping lines and having trouble and I took a timeout, I sat down and this voice in my head said “Bill, get out of the way. I got this.” And it was Otis. It was the character just saying, “we don’t need you, Mr. Actor. I think I’ve got this.” So once I got out of the way, it went great.
Are there any plans for another movie in the franchise after this one?
Bill Moseley: That’s another Rob question. I will say, in terms of doing 3 From Hell, that it was always fun to get back and work with Rob and Sherri, Wayne Kroff, Dave Daniels…and it was a lot of fun for the first time to work with guys like Richard Brake. I’ve never even met him until the first time we started shooting and Jeff Daniel Phillips, Pancho Moler. You put it all together with that sense of mission. We’ve gotta do Devil’s Rejects proud and take it even farther and in a new direction. All of that was at first a little daunting, but then it became the fun part of it.
You’ve worked with Rob Zombie several times now. Do you have any plans to work with him again?
Bill Moseley: I would be happy to! This is Hollywood, so you never know what’s going to happen, but I’d be more than happy to do it, absolutely. Plans meaning anything specific? No, but I’m looking forward to a good opening for 3 From Hell. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. I can’t believe I get to say that after all these years. It’s incredible. I actually bought a suit for the opening. Took the pants up to the tailor to get them hemmed in and I’m ready to go.
You’ve played so many crazy characters over the years. Is Otis the one you’re most recognized for by fans?
Bill Moseley: It’s a toss-up between Otis and Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. It’s easier to spot me as Otis, I guess. Especially because I have a little beard right now so I look a little more like Otis than I do Chop Top, which is actually a good thing. Chop Top is pretty frightening [laughs]. I have better teeth than Chop Top, though Otis and I have the same teeth. And mercifully, I don’t have a bloody plate in the side of my head.
When I go to the supermarket or some place around here in Los Angeles, very seldom am I recognized and that’s actually a blessing because you look at the Kardashians and some of these famous people who are dogged by the paparazzi and all that kind of stuff and I’m very grateful to not look like those guys, so nobody really recognizes me.
Are there any upcoming projects on the horizon for you that fans should be excited about?
Bill Moseley: I have about three movies that have just come out or are coming out. One is called Cynthia with a C, one is called Exorcism at 60,000 Feet. I then have another movie called Crepitus, where I play a scary clown. I learned at the feet of the master: Sid Haig. I always have something in the works and I’m really looking forward to continuing this crazy career. The nice thing about my career is the older and uglier you get, the more work you get in this genre, so that’s good [laughs].
As you look back on your career, is there anything you’d want to change?
Bill Moseley: Not really, only because it’s like a little thread on your suit. If you start pulling it, pretty soon the whole suit falls apart. Nope, I consider myself pretty young in my career and I’d probably have a more contemplative answer in ten or fifteen years.
What would you like to see more of in the horror genre moving forward?
Bill Moseley: There are some new exciting directors. Ari Aster. I loved Midsommar. Panos Cosmatos. I loved Mandy. A Quiet Place, I loved. There’s a bunch of new directors who are doing stuff. Rabid. There’s a lot of cool stuff. I’m always excited by new innovations and new ways of telling stories in my genre. I wouldn’t mind playing a little romantic comedy [laughs]. But I don’t think that’s in the cards. But other than that I’m just happy to be alive. Happy to have dogs, kids and a wife.
That concludes our chat, but many thanks to the great Bill Moseley for his time. Be sure to check out 3 From Hell when it opens in theaters on September 16th for three nights only! Tickets can be bought at FathomEvents.com/3FromHell
