David Bruckner’s upcoming Hellraiser reimagining will feature Jamie Clayton in the role of Pinhead, marking the first time a female has stepped into the role. According to the original Pinhead actor, though, he’s not too concerned about what’s to come.
RELATED: Hellraiser Remake Teaser Trailer Sets Hulu Premiere Date
During a recent appearance at this weekend’s Silver Scream Con in Massachusetts (via Bloody Digusting), Doug Bradley — who played Pinhead in the original Hellraiser film, as well as its first seven sequels — was asked about his opinion on Clayton taking up the role. According to Bradley, he found the casting “interesting” but did note that he was a fan of Clayton’s role in the Netflix series Sense8.
“It seemed like [a female Pinhead] was coming,” said Bradley. “It’s an interesting piece of casting,” Bradley says. “I don’t know Jamie. Of course, they’ve taken even a little bit of a wrinkle in that, because Jamie is transgender. I’m not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called Sense8, which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that.”
Bradley went on to note that “female Pinhead” doesn’t necessarily mean what some fans may think due to the varying shades of femininity in the world. He also touched on the fact that Hellraiser as a franchise has always been “transgressive,” joking that he did wear a skirt as Pinhead in the films.
“I really can’t say more than that,” Bradley said. “I do like to point out that I did wear a skirt as Pinhead,” he adds with a chuckle. “It’s an interesting casting decision. Well, that only goes so far. We say ‘female Pinhead’ like we know what that means, but there are a million shades of femininity. Where exactly are they going to go with that?
“Everything about Hellraiser has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It’s not a new idea in that sense, but I’m intrigued. I’m in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes.”
RELATED: David S. Goyer Confirms Hulu’s Hellraiser Remake Has Begun Filming
The Hellraiser remake is directed by David Bruckner (The Ritual, The Nighthouse) from a screenplay written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, based on the story treatment by David S. Goyer. The ensemble cast includes Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, and Kit Clarke, with Goran Visnjic and Hiam Abbass.
