Kane Hodder

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hodder's path to playing Jason began with a severe burn injury early in his career. During an interview, he offered to demonstrate a fire stunt that went horribly wrong, leaving him with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over much of his upper body. Those burns initially led to him being considered for the role of Freddy Krueger in *A Nightmare on Elm Street*, though the part ultimately went to Robert Englund, with whom Hodder formed a lifelong friendship. Hodder went on to portray Jason in four consecutive movies, from *Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood* through *Jason X*. He also played Leatherface during the stunts of *Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III* and did motion capture for the video game *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre*. In *Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday*, he not only played Jason but also acted as a police guard and performed as Freddy Krueger's clawed glove hand in the ending scene. He appeared in costume as Jason on *The Arsenio Hall Show* to promote *Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan*.

In Their Own Story

When New Line Cinema planned *Freddy vs. Jason* in 2003, Hodder offered to reprise his role as Jason Voorhees. Director Ronny Yu replaced him with 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Canadian stuntman Ken Kirzinger. The switch sparked controversy among fans, with rumors citing Kirzinger's location in Canada and his height compared to Robert Englund. Yu stated it was New Line Cinema's idea. Though Hodder expressed resentment over not being chosen, he remained good friends with both Kirzinger and Englund. In 2011, Hodder co-wrote his autobiography *Unmasked: The True Story of the World's Most Prolific Cinematic Killer* with author Michael Aloisi. The book was turned into a webseries in 2014 titled *The Killer & I*.

Reader's Guide

Hodder's portrayal of Jason Voorhees is defined by physicality and deliberate movement. His favorite kill from his Jason films was originally the 'sleeping bag against a tree' scene from *Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood*, though he later cited the scene where he rips a woman's face in half from *Hatchet* (2006) as his favorite overall. Hodder also played the main character Victor Crowley in the *Hatchet* series, a role that earned him the Horror Jury Award for Best Actor at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. He reprised that role in *Hatchet II*, *Hatchet III*, and *Victor Crowley*. Beyond horror, he co-starred with Doug Jones and Michael McShane in the horror comedy *Love in the Time of Monsters* and appeared in Adam Green's webseries *Adam Green's Scary Sleepover*.

Did You Know?

• Hodder has the word 'Kill!' tattooed on the back of his bottom lip.
• He is a noted Juggalo and has a custom charm of Insane Clown Posse's hatchetman logo holding a machete instead of a hatchet.
• He founded the Hollywood Ghost Hunters group with former stuntman Rick 'Stuntman' McCullum.
• Hodder spent time working with children in burn centers, despite the violent roles he often plays.
• He appeared on the December 4, 2012 episode of TruTV's *Hardcore Pawn* with a miniature gold mask a fan had made for him.