Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies, Sony | Tagged: eli roth, exclusive, interview, Jeff Teravainen, Patrick Dempsey, sony pictures, thanksgiving, tristar pictures

Thanksgiving: Jeff Teravainen on Eli Roth's Refreshing Flexibility

Jeff Teravainen (Dark Matter) talks to Bleeding Cool about joining Eli Roth's holiday horror thriller Thanksgiving, expectations, cast & more.

It's not every day as an actor that you get to work with a horror mastermind like Eli Roth. However, once actor Jeff Teravainen met the director on the set of the holiday-themed Thanksgiving, it became one of the best memorable experiences of his career. The character actor and voice specialist has appeared in several memorable projects throughout his career, including Syfy's Dark Matter, The Expanse, Ubisoft's Rainbow Six: Seige, and Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles. Teravainen spoke to Bleeding Cool about how Roth eroded his initial anxiety, exceeding his expectations as an actor's director and working with his costars.

How 'Thanksgiving' Became a Pleasant Surprise for Jeff Teravainen

Bleeding Cool: How did you get involved in 'Thanksgiving?'
Teravainen: The usual way is to have your agent send you things. It's funny, though, because you audition for so many things and don't get them. When I came across this, I remember saying, "This is such a waste of time. There's no way they're going to cast me in this." Surprisingly, when I got it, I was overjoyed and shocked at the same time.

How do you break down working with Eli Roth?
You have your toolkit, where you get the sides, learn about the character, and develop things. The script was well-written between him and Jeff Rendell, so there was a lot there to take from. Then you hope that the director and that are good people. In Eli's case, he's unbelievable and such a great guy. I was intimidated going in because you sometimes see an actor, and you think they will be like their character.

I've seen him in a few things where he was intense, and he loves what he does. It shows because he leads from the top and lets you run wild. He'll say, "Jeff, this is what we're doing here. If you feel something that you want to add or do something, but it doesn't work, we'll try again." A lot of directors wouldn't even go near that. They want to stick to their script or the blocking, and that's where Eli would be like, "If it feels right, do it." It was such a treat. It's hard to get used to returning to a more rigid director after that. You get a little spoiled.

What was it like with your costars and the camaraderie with Patrick [Dempsey], Addison [Rae], Gina [Gershon], and everyone else?
Everybody's different. Sometimes, you're dealing with your peers as actors and other times as superstars, right? I always get my time to see what people are like, and on 'Thanksgiving,' we were lucky because the cast and the crew were tight-knit. Everybody had fun together, even Patrick. He's the sexiest man alive and a real bonafide star. When I first met him, he was pleasant, and sometimes he would do his thing, but other times he would talk your ear off. It was fantastic, like a regular person. Everybody's got stuff going on, and if they're busy that day, that's one thing. Like I said, I love talking to him because we have both raced cars for a while.

You've been in multiple thrillers and horror projects, some maybe less serious than others. How do you approach a project like this instead of something that might be campier?
This was my first horror feature, and I've done some scary things, but nothing on this level. It was interesting because I've always wondered, "What is it like in some of these master horror movies?" I love horror movies, and I've always wondered, "Is it dreary on set? What is it like?" Again, off-set, everybody was having such a good time. I'll call the kids "kids" because I'm getting old. They were always up to something in this TikTok sort of world. It was a fun environment, and then you'd get serious on camera, do your thing, and make jokes again, which was nice. I've been on sets where it's rigid cold; you do your part and say goodbye.

TriStar Pictures' Thanksgiving, which also stars Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, and Rick Hoffman, is in theaters.

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