PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Mark Holton has been in many groundbreaking cinematic experiences, from Leprechaun to Teen Wolf. His work has impacted a lot of fans around the world. With no special genre to answer to, Mark is a top player in Hollywood. You may not recognize his name, but you have probably seen a lot of his work. To me, he will always be Francis Buxton in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.
We were able to sit with Mark and ask a few questions about both Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Teen Wolf, which turn 40 this year.
In his own words
PopHorror: When did you first find a love for acting?
Mark Holton: My freshman year in High School, I had an opportunity to improve a really low grade by entering an intramural Oratory contest, so I did. I had the soundtrack to Patton with George C. Scott and the first track was Patton’s address to his men. I memorized it from the record. I could never stand up in front of half the school as myself, but playing the role of Patton using the inflections of George C. Scott, I was able to deliver a performance full of expletives to an audience in a school located somewhere on the buckle of the Bible Belt.
I was called to the Vice Principal’s office, and after he reminded me that such language was never allowed. The head of the English Department and the man responsible for the contest took the stance that it was a historic speech and not my words. I was awarded the first-place medal. That was 1972. In 1990, the man who stood up for me and my bride, also a former student, read our vows at our wedding. Howard Hudson was my first mentor.
PopHorror: You’ve been cast in several movies that became cherished films in both horror and classics and blockbuster hits. how many film credits do you have?
Mark Holton: Well, honestly, too many. I look at my filmography on IMDB and wish I could make some go away. There are also never enough of the good ones. More please.
PopHorror: Did you find it easy to get into character as Francis Buxton in Pee Wee’s Big
Adventure?
Mark Holton: Yes. There was a Francis in every school, and we all knew him. That detestable snob that you instantly want to slap. I had a personal frame of reference to draw on. ‘nuff said.
I know you are, but what am I?
PopHorror: You and Paul Reubens had such great scenes and played off each other so well. Was
it just natural?
Mark Holton: The writers made it easy. We did the “I know you are…” scene well in my audition, and it got better when we started shooting. It was the first scene we shot.
PopHorror: One of the funniest scenes in movie history for me will always be the bath scene. It
still makes me and my kids laugh. Did it come naturally, or did it take a few times?
Mark Holton: We didn’t need several takes. I played as Francis just as I would play in the tub with cool toys now. The rest was rolling like Tarzan and a crocodile, adding a tsunami courtesy of Professor Tanaka and Ed Herlihy as Mr. Buxton.
PopHorror: Which one of your recognizable films was the most fun to film?
Mark Holton: Most fun? It’s a toss-up. Leprechaun and Teen Wolf Too, in no particular order.
PopHorror: In Teen Wolf, you had a strong character, but it wasn’t a very big speaking role. Do you feel like you had to rely more on gestures to speak without too many words?
Mark Holton: Chubby started out as a fat kid joke in the script. As Chubby made shots and put points on the board, he was accepted as a member of the team instead of a liability. His relationship with The Wolf gave him a cool factor.
I was a teenage teenwolf
PopHorror: Did Teen Wolf’s campy storyline fuel your character more?
Mark Holton: Yes. A laughable storyline that led to some big laughs.
PopHorror: The scenery in Teen Wolf looked a bit simpler. Were there a lot of different locations, or was it set around the main locations, like the gym?
Mark Holton: The scenes in the halls and classroom were in the next building, across from the basketball court. The location was an abandoned High School closed because of gang violence. Most mornings, there were either spent pistol brass or a few shotgun shells in the parking lot. The only security guard was a lady who carried her baby with her. That still blows my mind.
PopHorror: With both films come out in 1985, did you have to do multiple shooting locations, or were the productions far enough apart?
Mark Holton: Far enough apart.
PopHorror: Did you ever think that 40 years later, these movies would be iconic?
Mark Holton: Not in my wildest dreams.
