Tobias Jelinek, who some may remember as ‘Jay’ from the cult classic Hocus Pocus, headlines Tom Woodruff Jr’s directorial debut Fire City : End of Days.
Jelinek plays Vine the Demon, who must square off with an even eviler Demoness, Cornelia (played by Danielle Chuchran).
Hi Tobias, how did you get involved in the film?
When I first heard about the film I knew I had to be a part of it. The concept of demons living among humans and crossing back and forth between these two worlds is pretty badass. When I found out Tom was directing and planned to shoot the film with a dark noir tone…that was it. I did some detective work and made sure I got in to audition.
Were you attached before the crowdfunding exercise?
No, I didn’t come in until the final stages of casting.
What was the initial appeal?
Aside from the world, because the world created by Brian and Michael is fucking spectacular, I mean there’s an entire cosmology which still eludes me, but aside from that it was the character of Atum Vine. Here’s a guy, well a demon drug dealer, who has spent centuries feeding on people’s missteps and troubles, their suffering, that’s literally how he feeds. That part’s nothing new… but, what interested me was the story picks up at a crucial shift in Atum’s long life when he mysteriously develops compassion for humankind. He begins to feel compassion and it scares the shit out of him. Suddenly the world he’s known for hundreds of years, the rules of how it works and how one needs to behave in order to survive, completely changes. And that’s where it gets fun as an actor.
Can you say the character is anything like yourself?
I’m only 1/4 demon but…no, I definitely identify with Atum. I’ve always had a bit of the alchemist in me and I think of Atum as an alchemist.
Backtracking, what are your memories of Hocus Pocus?
If I can get this off my chest that would be great. I remember feeling awful after calling Sarah Jessica Parker an “ugly chick”. Both Larry Bagby, I should say ICE, but both of us had a crush on Sarah. He never admitted this but I know it’s true. Anyway, we both felt bad about calling her an ugly chick. It’s small but for some reason I remember this. Aside from that deep-rooted guilt, I have many memories of just… having an adolescent ball. Driving with Omri Katz to set in his retro VW van, Bette Midler larger than life all done-up in witch garb…and those kids— Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, it was a lot of horsing around, running from witches and zombies, getting locked in a cage for hours, good times.
Think there’s any truth to those Hocus Pocus 2 rumors?
Absolutely. It’s just a question of finding a virgin to light the candle. Virgins are smarter these days.
Fire City : End of Days is on DVD and Digital October 6
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