GUNNAR HANSEN

Chainsaw's Renaissance Man
by Mike & Michelle Baronas

My wife Michelle and I have been lucky to know Gunnar Hansen for 13 years now. To tell you the truth, GASPetc wouldn't even exist if it weren't for Hansen's graciousness back in 1993 when a newly plopped out of college grad had a dream to create his own cult magazine. With countless Metal contacts under my arm – having just left as my school radio station's ‘Metal Director’– I thought the Horror biz was going to be the make-it-or-break-it challange. It was his accepting to do an interview with me during an apperance at the legendary Spooky World in Berlin, MA that got the whole ball rolling.

When I caught wind that a new double-DVD set of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was going to be released, I asked Gunnar if he would be up for another line of questioning. I didn't want it to be a "chat with Leatherface," as I'd already done that. With Michelle's assistance – she concocted the majority of the following inquiries – we aimed to focus on the man himself. A gentle, selfless and multifaceted character with a sharp wit...and even sharper blade (couldn't resist...)

GASPetc:  How often are convention goers taken aback by how intelligent “Leatherface” really is?

Gunnar Hansen:  Well, I’m not sure they’re impressed by my “intelligence,” though many people are surprised by my personality. I am nothing like Leatherface. I think some are relieved, and some clearly are disappointed. I’d say that at every convention some people are surprised by the difference.

GASPetc:  Was it a conscious decision to live somewhat like a recluse after completing Chainsaw?

GH:  It wasn’t a decision to live like a recluse. And I never really have lived like a recluse. I have a very enjoyable social life. But I did decide I wanted to live outside the city, in a quiet environment. I like small-town life, and I like living on the ocean. I’m perfectly comfortable not being entertained by the outside world. I am an introvert, so I need solitude to recharge my batteries. I also write, and a quiet environment without a lot of intrusions is much less distracting for me.

GASPetc:  Is there any lore on the island that you live surrounding your past?

GH:  Nah. People here know about me, but for the most part they don’t care. There are a lot of much bigger fish around than me. Young kids at the elementary school seem to be excited to learn that Leatherface lives nearby. But once they find that out and have said hello to “Mr. Leatherface” a couple of times, then I’m just another uninteresting adult to them.

GASPetc:  Would you have made the same choices in life if you had been paid what you were rightfully owed from the film?

GH:  Yes. I do the work I want to do, and I live where I want to live. Being paid my proper share of Chainsaw would have meant that life would have been a bit easier for me during the first few years of my life as a recluse.

GASPetc:  How bizarre is it to see your likeness on everything from lunch boxes to thongs?

GH:  Actually, I think it’s pretty funny because this kind of fame is so different from my personality. I certainly never dreamed that this would happen. It’s fun to think that my gravestone will say, “He had his own action figure.” I’d rather have it say, “He won a Nobel Prize for literature,” but I might as well be realistic.

GASPetc:  Do you feel that the decision to embrace the fame associated with the film has made you a more well-rounded person?

GH:  More well-rounded? No. I think it has strengthened my appreciation of how hard it must be for people who really are famous to have any privacy. I am a private person, and though I enjoy my limited fame as Leatherface, I try to keep it from intruding in my private life.

GASPetc:  How many autographs do you estimate you’ve signed since 1974?

GH:  I don’t know. It must be in the tens of thousands.

GASPetc:  You mention in the new DVD's “Flesh Wounds” documentary that you’ve written many screenplays that have yet to turn into films. Do you have any other projects that you’ve spent a ton of time on without a true payoff?

GH:  Of course, there is the book about Henry Lee Lucas, which I spent two years on. Lucas was convicted of 11 murders and for a period was touted by the Texas Rangers as America’s biggest serial killer. The book argued that he was not a serial killer and that his whole reputation was a put up job. My writing partner and I never could get a publisher. At one point an editor at a major New York publisher was very interested. But then several weeks later the publisher suddenly dropped the book without explanation. I wondered if maybe their legal department had pointed out the kinds of lawsuits they would be facing, since we did some finger pointing (with supporting evidence).

GASPetc:  What was it like meeting a real killer?

GH:  Well, of course the question is “Was he a real killer?” I don’t think he was the killer that he was made out to be, though he had killed his mother accidently in an argument. When I met him, he just seemed like a poor schlep in a cage. The prison guards certainly didn’t treat him like he was dangerous.

GASPetc:  Do you or have you ever kept a journal? If so, might we someday see this turn into an autobiography?

GH:  Yes, I did the first winter I was in Maine, way back when. I don’t think it’s ever going to be an autobiography. I suppose it’s possible that someday I might write a book about making Chainsaw, but the inducement would not be my ego’s need for self-expression -- it would be a publisher with a convincing “argument.”

GASPetc:  What are some of your dream writing projects?

GH:  I have a novel I want to finish. It might turn out not to be very good, but I want to find out the hard way. Otherwise, I have some script ideas that I would love to develop.

GASPetc:  Is it more satisfying being in front of or behind the camera?

GH:  Well, that’s a hard one. The satisfactions are very different. I find writing more satisfying than acting -- if I’m writing the right thing. Directing and producing documentaries is very enjoyable work, but the problem is that very little of my time in making a documentary film is actually spent writing. So I would rather write a film than produce it.

GASPetc:  With regards to your photography hobby, have you switched over to digital yet, or do you still prefer shooting on film?

GH:  I switched to digital quite a while ago. In fact, I just gave two of my film cameras to my nephews, who both enjoy photography and seem to prefer film. The advantage of digital to me is that I can quickly see what I have shot, can experiment quite a bit, and can have a darkroom in my computer.

GASPetc:  Have you ever wanted to have to have a gallery showing of some of your work?

GH:  Sometimes I’ve thought it would be nice to have a few pictures displayed somewhere. But I don’t know whether I’m good enough.

GASPetc:  Getting back to acting, what were your family’s opinions after seeing Chainsaw?

GH:  My mother went with me to the premier, and when I asked her afterwards whether she had been scared during the movie, she said no, that she knew it was just me up there. Afterwards, as the movie’s fame grew, I think she was proud of my involvement in it. I think my brother was a bit surprised to find out that I had gotten some bit of fame from the movie. He phoned me when he first encountered one of the action figures. He was laughing. He also bought one and had it by his computer at work.

GASPetc:  Do you feel more “immortal” than the next guy knowing that you’ve done something that will live on forever (cue The Kinks’ “Celluloid Heroes” here)?

GH:  No. Immortality is an illusion. It’s nice to think that I’ve done something that people remember, but that’s as far as it goes. It doesn’t make me a different person. When I die I plan to be just as dead as the next fellow, and eventually all human endeavors will be forgotten.

GASPetc:  Will “Leatherface” ever retire?

GH:  Well, he would if movie producers would let him. I think it’s a mistake to keep making more Chainsaw sequels. Each one seems to miss the point in a new way. They seem to be more about milking more money from the Chainsaw name than about making a great film. If these people are so talented, maybe they should think about coming up with their own idea.

If you mean, will I ever retire from making appearances, sure. But for the time being I’m happy to go to a few conventions every year and meet Chainsaw fans. My time spent at a convention is so different from my day-to-day life as a “recluse.”

GUNNAR on...

Photography

It’s a hobby. I’m not very good at it.