2025’s ‘The Toxic Avenger’, which is a reboot of the 1984 cult classic and was directed by Macon Blair (‘Brothers’), is scheduled for release in theaters on August 29th.
ONHy8weYYsZexyU7f3Yu66The film stars Peter Dinklage (‘Game of Thrones’) in the title role, as well as Jacob Tremblay (‘Room’), Taylour Page (‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’), Elijah Wood (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’), and Kevin Bacon (‘X-Men: First Class’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with legendary actor Kevin Bacon about his work on ‘The Toxic Avenger’, the original movie and why he wanted to be involved with the reboot, his approach to playing Bob Garbinger and his relationship with his brother, working with Elijah Wood and director Macon Blair, and his own personal history with Moviefone.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video payer above to watch our interviews with Bacon, director Macon Blair, and producer Lloyd Kaufman.
Related Article: San Diego Comic-Con 2025: ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Panel Brings Crazy Action
Moviefone: To begin with, were you a fan of the original movie and why did you want to be a part of this new version?
Kevin Bacon: I don’t know if I was not really the right age or whatever, but I didn’t really know that much about the original. But of course, I went back and not only watched the original, but also of did a Troma deep dive and really loved it. I mean, really when you think about it, it’s a combination of independent filmmaking and popcorn filmmaking. Which are two things that I really like, but a lot of times they don’t live in the same movie. You know what I mean? Because these oftentimes are Oscar contenders or dramas, that kind of stuff, and popcorn movies are big, flashy and cost a lot of money. So, to me, to hit that sweet spot is something that not a lot of people have done. That’s the thing that I really admired about the whole world of Troma and came to admire. I also knew Macon Blair but didn’t really know him personally. I knew his work and I thought that he had a good take on this. Clearly, Pete Dinklage was great. I mean, it’s a great cast so it was kind of a no brainer.
MF: Can you talk about your approach to playing Bob Garbinger and why you decided to play him that specific way? Was that how he was described in the script, or did you find the character improvising on set?
KB: We did do a lot of improvising, although I think that a lot of what’s in there is what Macon wrote, which is fantastic. But he is a guy that is very collaborative and very interested in improvising in terms of how Bob would be manifested in terms of the hair and the clothing and the whole thing. That was, again, ideas that we bounced back and forth. When you really get into the weeds on something like that, you forget what came from what. I would have to go back and read the script to see what was in there, but I do know that I was given free rein. Anything can happen here. So, I thought a lot about televangelists. I’ve thought about today’s billionaires who oftentimes have very larger than life characters. In the old days, the billionaires were the very quiet guys behind the closed doors and in back rooms and that’s not really the case anymore. They’re more like personalities in your face. So, to sort of embrace that and just push things as far as I could, knowing that hopefully Macon was going to protect me from embarrassing myself too much.
MF: Can you talk about Bob’s relationship with his brother Fritz, and what was it like working with Elijah Wood?
KB: I mean, I didn’t know Elijah’s whole look and everything. Of course, I had seen drawings, so I kind of knew where I was going, but to see him come out and embody that, it was so great. They’ve got this very abusive codependent relationship, but, again, just funny. And Elijah, we’d not worked together before and he was very focused, hilarious and just a lot of fun.
MF: Can you talk about your experience working with director Macon Blair and at this point in your career, what is it like for you to work with a new generation of filmmakers?
KB: Look, I mean, I am a huge fan of the movies and I get especially excited when I see someone who is doing something right out of the gate or in the early stages. I mean, I’ll give you an example. I saw a movie years ago called ‘Slither’ and I thought, “Wow, this is well done.” No one’s going to be walking the red carpet at the Oscars for ‘Slither’, but I can tell that this is an excellent filmmaker, and I got a chance to do James Gunn‘s next movie (‘Super’). James comes from the Troma world of very small independent productions and not completely outside of the tone of ‘Toxic Avenger’. Then the next movie James did was ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Just recently I reached out to the guys that directed ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ just because I want to talk to people that are making movies. I’m not dismissive of things that are the genre because I feel like there’s a lot of genius that’s kind of come out of that. I mean, in his own way (Steven) Spielberg was a genre director when he started, so that’s an exciting thing for me. I’m often hoping to get in on the ground floor with someone like James Gunn or John Watts, who I worked with on ‘Cop Car’, which was a similar situation with Macon on this film. What usually happens is they lose my number, all of them. They become much more famous and in demand than I am and then suddenly I can’t get in touch with them.
MF: Finally, Moviefone has been proud to partner with ‘The Toxic Avenger’ for this new release and explore the nostalgia of both brands. What is your history with Moviefone? Do you remember calling for showtimes back in the day?
KB: 100%. Oh, my God, yes! Yeah, of course I called up Moviefone. It was amazing. With a little bit of work, I could probably do the voice because it was just such the classic announcer voice. “Hello, welcome to Moviefone.” Or do you want me to be Bob Garbinger? “Hello, this is Bob Garbinger. Welcome to Moviefone. Press one for ‘Toxic Avenger’.”
MF: Just so you know, you can call 802-377-FILM now and hear Peter Dinklage as the Toxic Avenger doing the Mr. Moviefone voice.
KB: That’s cool. I got to do that.
gMUigPJCWhat is the plot of ‘The Toxic Avenger’?
When a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage), is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to savior, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son (Jacob Tremblay), his friends, and his community. In a world where greed runs rampant… justice is best served radioactive.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Toxic Avenger’?
- Peter Dinklage as Winston Gooze / the Toxic Avenger (voice)
- Luisa Guerreiro as the Toxic Avenger (suit performer)
- Jacob Tremblay as Wade Gooze
- Taylour Paige as J.J. Doherty
- Kevin Bacon as Bob Garbinger
- Elijah Wood as Fritz Garbinger
- Sarah Niles as Mayor Togar
- Julia Davis as Kissy Sturnevan
- Julian Kostov as Budd Berserk
- David Yow as Guthrie Stockins
- Macon Blair as Dennis
- Rebecca O’Mara as Shelly Gooze
- Jonny Coyne as Thad Barkabus
- Jane Levy as Cheerful Insurance Representative (voice)
List of Movies and TV Shows in ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Franchise:
- ‘The Toxic Avenger‘ (1986)
- ‘The Toxic Avenger Part II‘ (1989)
- ‘The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie‘ (1989)
- ‘Toxic Crusaders‘ (1991)
- ‘Toxic Crusaders: The Movie‘ (1997)
- ‘Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV‘ (2001)
- ‘The Toxic Avenger: The Musical‘ (2018)
- ‘The Toxic Avenger‘ (2025)
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