Redeem now - Robert Englund is best known for playing Freddy Krueger in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise.
- The actor spoke to Insider about his new documentary, "Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story."
- Englund said he's done playing Freddy — but suggested Kevin Bacon take over the role.
"I kind of knew after 2004 that I wasn't up to playing Freddy again," says Robert Englund, the star of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise, and the man behind Freddy Krueger's disfigured visage.
Englund is currently looking back at his career, and his enduring legacy as Krueger, in a new documentary, "Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story," which is streaming now.
The 76-year-old actor has racked up over 150 acting credits over his 50-year career, with roles in the original "V" series, "Wishmaster," "Urban Legend," and hordes of other horror movies. More recently, Englund even delivered a scene-stealing performance as the intimidating Victor Creel in "Stranger Things" season five.
But Englund is best known as Wes Craven's bladed glove-wearing killer. He's played Freddy in eight different movies since the first "Elm Street" in 1984, and even hosted a short-lived horror anthology series, "Freddy's Nightmares," as Krueger.
It's been two decades since Englund last donned the slasher icon's raggedy red sweater in the 2003 crossover, "Freddy vs. Jason," which pit Krueger against "Friday the 13th" killer, Jason Voorhees.
But Englund says the physical aspects of the role started to have ramifications on his health, which is why he had to retire from his nightmarish alter ego.
"I was in my 50s, and 'Freddy vs. Jason' took a lot out of me," Englund tells Insider, noting that he was "still doing a lot of my stunts," including most of the underwater scenes because, as a seasoned surfer, he was comfortable holding his breath for a long time.
"But I kind of knew I didn't have a lot of stunt work left in me, or a lot of takes to physicalize it," Englund admits. "And my torso had shifted, along with my face getting older, which doesn't matter because I'm under all that crap — that makeup. But my torso... your weight shifts, and you get thicker as you get older. And I sort of lost Freddy's silhouette."
Robert Englund had a near-brush with 'Star Wars'
As he reflects on his career, and says farewell to Freddy, Englund is taking stock of what could have been, too. Because along with his most-lauded role, there have been some famous near-misses.
One of Englund's most interesting career "what if" moments is his brush with the role of Han Solo in "Star Wars," which ultimately went to another screen icon, Harrison Ford.
Englund recalls that he very briefly met with the casting directors of the cosmic adventure while auditioning for "Apocalypse Now" at the Samuel Goldwyn Studio in West Hollywood.
While Englund was reading scenes for Francis Ford Coppola's groundbreaking war movie, George Lucas was in the same building working on his galaxy far, far away.
"Apparently, across the hall, they were having a bit of a problem with a role in this space movie that George Lucas was going to direct," says Englund. "And, for five seconds, they saw me. They literally took a Polaroid of me, I think. And that was it. And that may or may not have been Han Solo. I was dressed for 'Apocalypse Now,' so I was sort of sexy military, or as sexy as this old face could be back then."
Looking at pages of the script, the name Luke Skywalker stuck out to Englund. He recalls that he went home and give them to "this guy who was always on my couch."
That guy turned out to be Mark Hamill.
"We both love George Lucas, because we were both big fans of 'American Graffiti.' And Mark got on the phone with his agent. So that's the story," says Englund, nonchalantly downplaying his role in cinema history.
Englund reels off a number of other roles he nearly landed — from almost leading the "Kojak" TV series when they wanted "an Irish street kid in New York," to nearly working with Jack Nicholson in "The Last Detail."
The star occasionally wonders about how differently things would've worked out for him if he'd gotten those roles.
"Those would've been major life changes," says Englund. "I think, for a while, they had me in maybe half a dozen times for 'Dukes of Hazzard.' I mean, how would my life have been if I would've wound up on 'Dukes of Hazzard?'"
Perhaps if he had landed "The Dukes of Hazzard," which aired between 1979 and 1985, Englund would have missed his chance to play Freddy Krueger in the first "Elm Street" movie.
It's hard to imagine the horror genre over the last 40 years without Englund in that sweater, fedora, and bladed glove.
Who should play Freddy Krueger next?
The days of slashers like "Elm Street," "Friday the 13th," and "Halloween" may be behind us, but the horror genre continues to evolve with innovative movies like "M3gan," which topped the box office earlier this year.
Englund points to one filmmaker, in particular, he thinks is leading horror to new heights.
"There's extraordinary work being done now," he says. "I don't want to live in a world without Jordan Peele. 'Get Out' is absolute genius."
Of course, as proven by Jamie Lee Curtis' recent "Halloween" legacy sequels, and the resurgent "Scream" franchise, there is still a chance that older horror villains could have their day — or night, in Freddy's case — again.
Englund has often thought about how he'd return to the "Elm Street" franchise.
He says he "might have had another Freddy or two in me back in 2005 to 2010, but I don't any longer."
"I would be honored if maybe they invited me to do a cameo," he adds.
So, who should be stalking teenagers in their dreams? "They need to find a new Freddy," says the veteran actor. "It could be somebody unknown or it could be someone established, like Kevin Bacon."
"Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story" is available to stream now.
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