JV: You’ve had small roles in movies like Ghost World and Magnolia.  How did this part come to you?

EB: I heard that Alexandre Aja and Greg Levasseur were attached to it, and I freaked, because I’d seen High Tension at Sundance.  And it was just relentless.  I loved the way he and Greg managed to capture the energy of an unstoppable, ultimate evil.  So I thought, “That’s perfect for The Hills Have Eyes.”  So I contacted my agent, and my manager, and we just started lambasting the casting director.  Then about a month later, they called and offered me the role of Goggle.

I loved the script.  A strong sense of humor, and all of the characters were well-drawn.  And also, I just wanted to be part of a genre I’d not been a part of before.

JV: When you first saw the original, were you a big fan?

EB: When I first saw it, it scared the hell out of me.  But, when I rented it . . . it just didn’t hold up.  It has a real seventies mentality.  The new Hills, we just kicked up the quotient and cubed it.  What you view  in the seventies as horrifying or sexy now is tame.  Not that the original is dull, but the script, the acting style – it’s all kind of camp.

JV: Can you elaborate on your character of Goggle?

EB: Sure.  Goggle is literally the watchdog of the family.  He is pretty much the first hill person anybody can see.  The character has basic canine qualities.  I played him very low to the ground.  He growls, very doglike.  He has a heightened sense of smell . . . he has, really, no features at all on his face, which does not mean he’s emotionless.  Goggle has a very huge heart.

There was a backstory I came up with for why he wears the derby hat:  in the sixties, he got lost from the hills family during a blizzard, and he got lost in the hills.  It started to get dark, he got frightened, and he hid in a little crevice.  Then he saw someone approaching, and he tried to run, but he fell . . . . . next thing he knew, he was being carried in the arms of a normal hippie with a derby hat and long hair.  And he brought him [Goggle] back to camp, to his friends.  At one point the hippie kid gives him the derby hat to comfort his wounds.  Now, Goggle knew they were near the mine, which meant they were near the home, which meant . . . something was probably going to be happening (laughs).

Goggle’s a very sweet soul.  He just has a strong defense mechanism.

JV: That makes sense, because the original was about what people will do to survive.  Challenging morality like that.  Along with that, does this remake tries to distance itself from the original?

EB: I don’t know that anybody’s intent was to distance from the original, not that they wanted to make an homage.  But they certainly wanted to make a horrifying film following the storyline of the first film, and they succeeded admirably.

In the original, there’s some question of who the bad guys really are, and that, I think, is definitely at the core of 2006’s version.  That and the sociopolitical ramifications.  The clan of the hill people are, in a very real way, as American as the Cunninghams are.  They’re just a little more truthful about their cannibalism.  I certainly don’t see the hill people as bad guys, and that’s not just because I’m a hill person.

JV: So you have seen a finished cut of the film, then?

EB: I saw the director’s cut, so I don’t know what they’ve eliminated from the NC-17 that I saw to take it to an R.  But even if they took out half of the film, it’s still gripping.

JV: Alright, so I’ll try to see the DVD, the unrated cut, in addition to seeing it in the theaters.

EB: Good, I really want to, too, cause some of the stuff I saw was just really, I mean . . .   Oh man.

JV: Just really out there?

EB: Totally creepy.

JV: Awesome.  You said that you were a big fan of Alexandre Aja.  What was it like working for him, especially after High Tension had become such a hit?

EB: Well, as an actor, you never really know, going into a film.  Alexandre really loves to watch actors play.  Gregory, probably a little more technical in the approach.  So a technical scene where something has to hit a mark, and, say a freeform improv scene, both get the same attention.

I’m kinda known for working with great directors.  I’m both very lucky and very picky.

JV: I don’t know how many horror remakes we’ve had in the past couple of years.  Were there any ones that you particularly enjoyed or disliked?

EB: Dawn of the Dead.  I went absolutely nuts for that.  I loved loved loved it.  Just grabbed hold of my armrest and never let go – it was just a thrill-ride.  And several of my friends are in the horror industry, and, now that I’ve done it, I’m in love with it.  I have a Fangoria on my desk right now.  And there are two horror projects right now that I might be attached to.  But I have to wait, but I’m really hoping to have a stronger presence in the horror genre.

JV: Oh yeah, because, to me, it seems like no other genre has that kind of loyalty where people just, you know, band together and try to help get stuff seen or made.

EB: Well, you really have to, don’t you?  People in horror are incredibly dedicated to the genre, and that appeals to me.  Passion speaks a lot for me, and the people on set . . . you could tell the dedication was high.

JV: Let’s talk about Zodiac for a moment.  You worked with David in Fight Club.  What does your role in this new film entail?  How involved are you in the story?

EB: The role I eventually ended up playing, he is convinced he knows who the Zodiac killer is.  My character is convinced that there is someone out to get him.  It’s certifiable paranoia.  It hopefully adds a bit of humor to the film.  David knows that one of my strong suits is improv, and he just let me play.

I was in for Zodiac four times.  And the role kept getting smaller and smaller.  And I said, “Am I eventually gonna be the guy who holds the end credits?”  I mean, come on.  But David is probably the most specific director I ever worked with.  And I like that specificity . . . I think this one will have a different kind of tension.  You can’t put your finger on it, but it’s all around you at the time.

JV: Before I sign off with you, would you want to talk about your website?

EB: It’s www.EzraBuzzington.com.  It’s general news, which I never update enough (laughs).  The other one, I’m just getting started on, it’s called GogglesEyes.com.  Right now, it’s just a series of links to interviews and stuff like that.  Hopefully, by March 10^th, we’ll have more there.  And what I’d like to do, I’d like to make a blog for Goggle, like a Bloggle (laughs).

Also, I directed my first feature, a comedy called Outta Sync.  We just had a screening with something like 95% approval.  So that’s good news.

JV: Excellent to hear!  Thanks a lot for doing this interview, man.  It’s been great talking with you.

EB: Alright, try to keep warm in Iowa.

JV: I'll try, man.