PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Star of the new Dread Central Presents film, Lasso (you can read our review of the film here), Andrew Jacobs admits to having always been the entertainer in his family. Andrew is young, talented and on the road to an amazing career, already boasting two successful horror movies (Lasso and Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones 2014) under his belt. I had the honor of speaking with Andrew, and we talked about being covered in blood in Lasso, who inspires him, and of course, horror movies.
PopHorror: What inspired you to take the part in Lasso?
Andrew Jacobs: What I had enjoyed about my first film was that I was a person turning into a demon in a horror film, and I said, “Okay, this is going to be my second time running around in the horror world.” So, being on the opposite end of that for the first time – being the victim that turns into the hero – that’s what I liked about it, so I wanted to see the other side and see if I liked it.
PopHorror: And you’re talking about Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones?
Andrew Jacobs: Yes.
PopHorror: I saw that was your first film. That brings me into my next question. What made you decide on horror for your first film, and then continue to with the genre?
Andrew Jacobs: Being an actor, especially when you’re first starting off and a beginner, you don’t necessarily get to choose your genre, I guess you could say. It just happened to be the first thing I went for, and I enjoyed it a lot. I’ve always been a fan of the genre, so I’m definitely not going to say no when the opportunity is given to me.
PopHorror: (laughs) I like that answer! What was it like working on such a gory film?
Andrew Jacobs: Bloody, first of all. And cold, because of the blood all night. I guess just having to get your body used to being up for late hours of the night every day for five weeks was tough. Also always having to shock yourself, remembering that you’re constantly having to look scared and always screaming and making people believe that you’re really running for your life… Getting your body used to all that was the toughest.
PopHorror: I think that if I were going to be in a horror movie, I would say, “The gorier the better.” But that’s just my preference.
Andrew Jacobs: This one was definitely gory!
PopHorror: It had some really great kills in it, too. I liked that. If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?
Andrew Jacobs: I’ve always been a dancer, a breakdancer, a b-boy. I guess that would the route I would go for. I always thought that, when I grew up, I saw myself being a part of the dance competition shows, and I thought maybe I’d win one of those. And as I got older, I was just like, “Okay, every dancer that I know that’s in the actual dancing business, once they hit 35, they sort of start going downhill.” So I tried to think of something that would last me longer, and I always liked performing, so I tried acting. Just a couple months into it, I was honored with the opportunity to be in a Paranormal Activity film, so now I’m sticking with it. I like being an actor.
PopHorror: And you’re still young, so you have a lot more time to change things up if you want. I read about you entertaining your family when you were younger, and being in and out of foster homes before being adopted. I’m adopted, too, so we have that in common. My friend also spent a lot of her life in the system, and often uses film as a means to escape the real world. Did you find that film was an escape for you as well?
Andrew Jacobs: No, because I was in that environment from when I was born until about nine or ten – that’s when I finally got adopted – and I’ve been with my mom ever since then. I became an actor was way down the line from then. I guess certain things from what I’d been through as a kid does help in that, maybe with some emotions or things like that. But as a complete breakaway, no, it was a little too far down the line for me.
PopHorror: Who inspires you?
Andrew Jacobs: Honestly, I’m still learning about this world. There’s obviously big actors out there that I look up to that inspire me. But, most of the time, what I learned in the past year or two about the auditioning process and seeing peers and other friends landing big roles… I get inspired by them. The ones that are close to where I’m at, or close to where I can get to, and I know personally, I just take their experiences and their success and that inspires me.
PopHorror: Who is your dream director or actor to worth with?
Andrew Jacobs: For me, it would be an actor. I’ve always loved his work and everything about Leonardo DiCaprio. If one day, I got to work with him, that would be awesome. He’s my favorite all around.
PopHorror: Can you tell us anything about what you have coming up next?
Andrew Jacobs: Well, as of right now, I can’t talk too much about anything, I guess. But what I can say is that I’m always going hard and studying and reaching for the next step.
PopHorror: Good for you! And because we are a horror website, I always like to ask: what is your favorite scary movie?
Andrew Jacobs: Oh, boy. That is a good one! Growing up, I was into Freddy Krueger. I liked the classics growing up. I don’t know why, but right before bed, I’d be watching all the Chucky movies, Freddy Krueger, and all those kinds of things. I’ll stick with Nightmare on Elm Street.
We want to send a great, big thank you to Andrew Jacobs for taking the time to talk with us. Be sure to check him out in Lasso, which is available on digital platforms and DVD.
