Linda Cardellini reveals the ‘Friday the 13th’ icon she honored in ‘Crystal Lake’: 'You can’t duplicate...'
Linda Cardellini is set to play the fan-favorite character, Pamela Voorhees, the mother of Jason Voorhees and the killer revealed in the original 'Friday the 13th.' Cardellini says she is not attempting to recreate Betsy Palmer’s Pamela Voorhees in Peacock’s ‘Crystal Lake.’ Instead, she is carrying one part of Palmer’s performance into the prequel: Pamela’s devotion to her son, Jason Voorhees. The actor also confirmed that the series includes a visual tribute to Palmer, who originated the character in the 1980 film ‘Friday the 13th.'
Cardellini discussed her approach during Peacock’s NBC Backlot Press Day alongside ‘Crystal Lake’ writer, showrunner, and executive producer Brad Caleb Kane. According to Deadline, she and the team considered whether her version of Pamela should have the same short hairstyle associated with Palmer’s portrayal. They ultimately decided that the prequel's earlier timeline gave Pamela time to develop the look associated with Palmer's portrayal.
“You can’t duplicate what Betsy did, which was to play this devoted mother. So I can take that and bring it to the early childhood years of Jason’s life. I also think that you don’t get to where Betsy is without really, truly loving Jason and getting to know him. That was really important to us going in. And no, you can’t be another Betsy. But I do do a little bit of an homage with a certain sweater that makes an appearance,” Cardellini said.
The sweater links Cardellini’s performance directly to Palmer’s appearance in the original movie, where Pamela wore it during her confrontation with a camp counselor. The prequel, however, begins years before that point, giving Cardellini room to explore how Pamela’s relationship with Jason shapes what comes later.
“We all know where Pam ends up because she starts all the killing in the first movie. So, what Brad gave me was a beautiful beginning and somewhere to go. There’s an arc there from somebody who means well and is trying to survive. She’s doing the best that she can and fighting hard for things that she thinks are right to [become] somebody who then turns out to do all the wrong things. That gives me a lot of places to go. I think that dissent is very necessary,” she said.
That timeline makes Pamela’s change a central part of ‘Crystal Lake’ rather than beginning with the killer seen in ‘Friday the 13th.’ Cardellini’s comments explain how the series will focus on Pamela as a mother before reaching the events associated with Palmer’s version of the character. Cardellini also discussed a blood-soaked sequence in the pilot. The scene required about a bucket of blood to fall over her head and face, but the effect had to land in the correct place for the stunt to work. That led to repeated resets during filming.
“That blood has to fall exactly in the right position for that stunt to work. So there were several ways we did it; for it to really have its full impact on my face, it took a few takes,” Cardellini said.
Kane said the effects used in the series were complicated and difficult to reset, which gave the production limited opportunities to complete each shot. Praising Cardellini’s work, he said, “And I’d like to give my props right now here in front of all of you to Linda; she nailed it every single time.”
‘Crystal Lake’ premieres Thursday, October 15, on Peacock. The prequel introduces Cardellini as Pamela and centers on her relationship with Jason before she becomes the killer, first played by Palmer.
