The Doctor Will See You Now | Exclusive Interview With Jesse McDonald

As I said in my earlier review for New Fears Eve, "this is a film made by horror fans, for horror fans: unashamedly gory, often hilarious, and relentlessly entertaining." You can read my full review HERE. And one of the highlights of the film for me was the film's iconic slasher The Doctor. I was lucky enough to catch up with the man behind the mask, Jesse McDonald, who was more than happy to discuss how he brought this character to life on one of the best indie horrors I've seen this year.

The Doctor is one of the most talked-about slashers recently — what was your

first reaction when you learned you’d be bringing this masked killer to life?

Jesse McDonald: "Believe it or not, I didn’t an audition for the doctor. I auditioned for an FBI agent. P.J. called me after the audition and said, “you did great - it's not that you're a bad actor, it's just we auditioned better actors.” I laughed and said that's fair, it's my first audition ever, so I really didn't know what I was doing. Then he said, “but you're six foot two. Do you want to kill everyone?” I said absolutely! I was in my kitchen when I got the phone call, and I'll always remember thinking how much depended on me getting The Doctor right."

You’d never acted before this — how did that unconventional start shape your

approach to playing a character whom, rather than talking, says so much with

posture and movement?

JM: "For me a lot of thought went into posture and movement. When I've got on the mask, right before a take, I find a corner or a table out of the way and start getting

angry. Then as I'm standing there and they’re about to yell “action”, I convince myself how angry I really am with the person in front of me. I bring my shoulders up a little bit, tilt my head down and get ready to charge like a bull. Some of the kills in the movie are brutal and violent and I wanted it to come across that way visually."

What discussions did you have with P.J. Starks and Eric Huskisson about the

Doctor’s backstory, given that the audience learns almost nothing about him

upfront?

JM: "We talked a lot about the character. He's obviously well planned but as you can see from the movie, has no problem improvising when an opportunity arises. That's one of the things I like the most is thinking about who he is as a person. How meticulous he is but how easy he is to adapt to changes to accomplish his goal. There's other stuff that will come out later but that's confidential."

The Doctor’s costume — from the plague-inspired mask to the coat and gloves —

is creepily unforgettable. What was it like wearing that look, and did it help you

get into character?

JM: "There's a lot of attention that went into creating the mask but for me it's the jacket and gloves. The jacket is a suit of armor. It's the utility belt that hides all the tools. The jacket is the way to slip into the shadow and pop back out before anyone knows what's going on. When I put the gloves on it's definitely go time. We went through a lot of gloves on set. The red gloves I think should be a calling card for this character. I really love how the mask and the hat bring me to and intimidating stature. With everything on, The Doctor's almost seven feet tall. I love being able to use that towering physicality in the scenes to create intimidation."

In New Fears Eve, horror and comedy collide. How did you balance the physical

comedy of some scenes with the eeriness required from a slasher like The

Doctor?

JM: "There’s an important distinction between The Doctor and the physical comedy, but the movie does a great job of weaving them in and out. There's one kill that was extremely hard for me to keep it together. I would say that's the place where the seriousness of The Doctor's brutal murders and the physical comedy of the movie intersect. If you've seen the movie, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if not “keep an eye out for it”."

Were there any specific horror icons (like Myers or Voorhees) you referenced

when crafting The Doctor’s physical presence, or did you find your own rhythm

entirely?

JM: "I love that you mentioned Myers and Voorhees! The thing I wanted to add to The Doctor is relentlessness and that's what those two have over everything. In the middle of filming some of the cast and crew watched a scream movie at the movie theater. After leaving that I was ready to do some parkour and leap over couches and things, but I had to reign it back in based on the tone that I set at the beginning of the movie.

I'm grateful for the leeway P.J. and Eric gave me with developing The Doctor's demeanor. Sometimes I would ask them, “Do you like this? Is this what you're going for?” They would just tell me I'm doing a great job."

The Doctor Will See You Now | Exclusive Interview With Jesse McDonald

There are some pretty outrageous kill scenes in the film — was there one on set

that made you laugh, or maybe even have to reset because you couldn’t stop

smiling behind the mask?

JM: "The one I told you to keep an eye out for was definitely hilarious but one of them I had a lot of fun with involved actor Cody Webb, who played Agent West. I was laying on my back. We had already shot a couple of takes. During this the lenses in the mask had fogged up a while ago and I had to stab him in the leg. I’m looking straight up and there's no peripheral vision in the mask. So, take after take I kept missing his leg.

After about four or five attempts I just reached over and grabbed his leg and jammed the scalpel into it which scared the crap out of him. Like legitimately scared him. He was not ready for that."

You got to work alongside horror royalty like Felissa Rose — did filming any of

those scenes with her influence how you shaped The Doctor’s intensity?

JM: "Talking about how awesome Felissa Rose is? How much time do you have?

Honestly, I didn't know much about her before the movie, but I knew she had a large fan base. After getting to know her on the set of the movie and working with her in a very physical altercation, I absolutely understand why she has so many adoring fans and it's completely well deserved.

We had to do some very physical acting to get her to the point of what is arguably the most disgusting scenes in the entire movie. She was such a trooper. I like to have a brief conversation with people before I get physical with them. To understand their limits and what they are comfortable with. We'll just say that I had to lift and move Felissa Rose several times while she was kicking and screaming. I'm now a huge fan of hers."

If The Doctor were to return in a sequel, what aspects of his personality or

mythology would you love to explore further as an actor?

JM: "I really like the mystery of The Doctor. At some point I'm sure there needs to be back story and motivation explained but I love how in the first movie none of the

characters have any idea who he is or why he's targeting them. Well, some of them do but it's peppered in well and mysteriously.

I think it's right to assume that The Doctor is educated and that there are layers of motivation to what he's doing. I would love to explore that motivation more deeply in the sequels and as an actor."

Now that New Fears Eve is out on multiple platforms and fans are reacting, what’s

the wildest feedback you’ve received from horror fans about The Doctor so far?

JM: "The fans that I’ve talked to love the brutality of The Doctor but the wildest feedback I've gotten so far comes from me taking pictures with fans while I'm in costume. At the premiere and recently at Horror Con, a lot of people like taking pictures with me in costume while I'm choking them.

I'm so excited about being The Doctor and the production that I would do anything for the fans. Including but not limited to choking them on film."

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Huge thank you to Jesse McDonald for taking the time to give us this interview- and bringing another great slasher to life on screen! If you haven't seen the film yet, you need to make time to check it out. New Fears Eve is available digitally, on Screambox and via select streaming services now.