Friday The 13th Blog

To many fans, the Friday the 13th series means many different things. Most of the time, it’s remembered for creative kills and crazy characters. Perhaps none more crazy than good ole’ Junior Hubbard and his mother Ethel in the Jason-less Friday the 13th part V: A New Beginning. Played brilliantly by one Mr. Ron Sloan, Junior (quite dysfunctional himself) whirred around on his motorcycle ,with his momma Ethel right behind, tormenting the trouble kids of a halfway house who had settled down for a retreat new the Camp Crystal Lake campground. Though it was hard at times for some to separate Ron Sloan himself from Junior, the backwoods hillbilly who got decapitated by a Jason clone, Ron Slone prides himself on being part of the extended legacy of the Friday the 13th series. Mr. Sloan shared some stories with us about what it was like getting the part, the moment Junior lost his head, losing a blind date thanks to the film, and his very first convention appearance this coming October!

FRIDAYTHE13THFILMS: So tell us about yourself. (Where did you grow up? How did you get into acting? Prior acting experience before Friday the 13th part 5? etc)
RON SLOAN: I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California.
I started doing Shakespeare in my early 20’s at Will Gear’s (grandpa Walton on the Walton Show) Theatre in Topanga Canyon
First television experience was bit parts on many of the top sitcoms such as Different Strokes, Facts of life, One day at a Time and many others
I was fortunate to be able to work in many TV commercials as well

F13F: How did you manage to get cast as Junior in Friday the 13th part V?
RS: I was discovered by the casting directors Fern Champion/Pamela Basker during a scene show case in Hollywood.

F13F: What was the auditioning process like?
RS: I auditioned originally for the casting directors and then I was called back to audition for the director Danny Steinman and the producer Frank Mancuso Jr. I had a lot of fun and just truly enjoyed the whole process. What a blast it is to be totally different from yourself.

F13F: How familiar with the Friday the 13th series were you before accepting your role?
RS: Very familiar. Actually horror movies scared me

F13F: What was the general feeling amongst those on the set to be making a film in a series that was going to be on its fifth film?
RS: At first none of us knew we were in a Friday the 13th movie. Our scripts were titled, ” Repetition.” It wasn’t until I saw Jason walk by, then I knew I was in a Friday the 13th sequel.

F13F: Though a lot of people seem to unfairly dismiss Friday V for some reason, it has always remained a strong entry for me personally. It had the highest body count of the entire series for a while. It had some invented killing sequences. And Roy Burns was really convincing to me. I’m a fan of a lot of Friday the 13th clones. So I see no reason not to love this film as well. Was there any mixed feelings amongst those working on the film when it came to the fact that this film would ultimately reveal that Jason was not the one doing the killing?
RS: He didn’t???? Just kidding There wasn’t any mixed feelings, we all had fun. It was another twist that wasn’t expected.

F13F: Do you recall if there were any rumblings on set about where they planned to go in future installments of the series after “A New Beginning”?
RS: No rumors….we all wished we could be in a sequel but only Jason can come back from the dead…

F13F: Carol Locatell (Ethel) and yourself played a pretty convincing mother and son. What was it like working with her?
RS: Carol and I were a great team. We really worked well together. Carol and I had a lot of fun rehearsing and improvising.
We motivated and inspired each other…

F13F: The fight scene featuring yourself vs. John Shepherd portraying Tommy Jarvis is a great scene. What do you recall about shooting that sequence?
RS: During rehearsals, John Shepards stunt double actually knocked me down. During the actual shooting of the scene. John Shepard’s punch connected, and knocked me down. I didn’t realize acting was so painful.

F13F: Did anyone perceive you are a redneck after making this film? How did making this film effect your overall?
RS: The character Junior was definitely different from Ron Sloan, but my blind date that I took to the screening ,couldn’t separate the two, and refused to go out with me or Junior again. I guess she couldn’t separate the two after watching me eat. ha ha I am proud to be associated with the Friday the 13th series

F13F: Having grown up in a very small town in Central/Eastern Kentucky, Junior and Ethel remind me so much of a lot of people I knew back home. Did you base your portrayal of this character on anyone you knew in life? or perhaps your experience with any particular person?
RS: Junior sort of reminded me of the character “Lenny” in John Steinbecks “Of mice and men.” Lenny was a big, lumbering, gentle soul, who didn’t realize his strength. Junior was big and lumbering and wasn’t the brightest bulb on the Christmas Tree

F13F: Your kill in this film, it easily one of my top 5 kills in the entire Friday the 13th series. Junior ripping around on his motorcycle, screaming and crying about his fight with Tommy is great stuff. When I was much younger, I kind of got creeped out when I would ride my bike down a hill around a curve thinking that there would be someone holding out a sharp object when I got around the corner. What can you recall about shooting your Death scene?
RS: It was a very difficult night. Screaming constantly at the top of my lungs was beginning to take it’s toll on my throat. Not to mention trying to balance a very heavy motion picture camera attached to my handle bars, was a feat in itself. I was warned whatever I do, DO NOT drop the bike. It was very difficult reenacting the decapitation. I was hooked up to a harness which jolted my body backwards. A notched out meat cleaver was placed against my Adams apple to look like I was decapitated. The film was shot in reverse. The director would trigger the harness and I was to change my facial expressions from screaming to normal. This reversal film technique was quite challenging, but looked real when played forward

F13F: Do you have any crazy stories from the set that you would like to share with Friday the 13th fans?
RS: It was pretty wild talking to other actors and asking them how do you die. None of us knew if we were going to die that night. It was kind of like a lottery as long as you were alive you would keep working and making money. If you died it was all over. I was only able to witness a couple of other actors deaths, because it was a closed set and very secretive. It was eerie and bizzare

F13F: Do you recall anything from the script that didn’t make it to the final film regarding your character or the film in general?
RS: My original decapitation/close up looked so real that it didn’t pass the censors. Originally, when my head rolled on the ground, it actually stopped and looked up at the camera. It really freaked me out and apparently freaked out the censors. Quiet mild by today’s standards and would pass without a problem, today’s censorship

F13F: After Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Jason made his return to the series. Did you follow future entries in the series and are you a fan of horror films in general?
RS: I did see a couple of the later films in the series, but then my interest went into a different direction. I enjoy science fiction horror , and would love to be in one

F13F: How is your role in Friday the 13th: A New Beginning looked at amongst your family and peers these days? Do you show people your work when you meet new people? How do they take it?
RS: I am very proud of being apart of a true horror classic, it’s always fun to view and re-enact Junior Hubbard at Halloween for family and friends

F13F: What are you up to these days?
RS: This October I will be at Fearfest in Dallas,Texas October 3-5. This will be my very first appearance at a horror convention. I will be there with most of the cast…. Hope you can make it.

F13F: Anything you would like to add and say to fans of Friday the 13th, fans of “A New Beginning”, and fans of Junior and yourself?
RS: Thank you for appreciating and enjoying Part V and Junior Hubbard. If you asked Junior what he thought of the film he would say, ” Best God Damn film in the whole wide world Momma!!”