Lonnie Elam’s backstory unfolded during John Carpenter‘s 1978 classic Halloween, and in the franchise’s latest sequel, Halloween Kills, viewers got to see more from that terrifying night in Haddonfield, including Lonnie’s close call with Michael Myers.
Tristian Eggerling, who made his big-screen debut in the movie by taking on the role of a younger Lonnie Elam, recently spoke to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY while walking the carpet at the 46th annual Saturn Awards on Oct. 26, and he said he was shocked upon finding out he had landed the role.
“It was surprising [to find out I landed the role],” Tristian said. “It was like, ‘Oh my God, really?’ I mean, it had been under wraps because when we were auditioning, it was Rob Rules and they substituted a lot of the lines, but at that point we had known we were pinned for it and they were like, ‘Oh yeah, this is Halloween Kills,’ and we were sweating. We were like, ‘Oh my God,’ and they told me I got the part. It was absolutely insane. We were like, ‘Ok, we’re going to go to North Carolina, it’s going to be super nerve-racking but we’re going to have tons of fun’, and that’s exactly what we did.”
To prepare for the role, Tristian said he “watched a few clips of young Lonnie” from the original Halloween. “I deconstructed what he did and then kind of built up a personality and made my own take on it, so I could continue his legacy,” he added.
Tristian didn’t spoil much about the movie while talking to us as the Saturn Awards, even though the movie’s been out since Oct. 15, but he did tell us, “It’s very gory. I’s called Halloween Kills for a reason.” He also said, “I really like how they shot [the movie] because they kind of lull you into a false sense of security especially with the first few scenes and then they have jump scares in the beginning without Michael Myers. So they get you used to being in a tense environment. And then once you’re ready to face it, he pops out and he kills somebody.”
Want to see what he’s talking about? Halloween Kills is now in theaters and available for viewing on Peacock — so go check it out!