Kevin Roach didnât care much for horror movies until his freshman year of college when, after coming down with the flu, he told a friend to rent every scary movie imaginable.
âI used to hate scary movies,â he said. âThey were too much for me and they gave me nightmares.â
Roach said he binge watched classics such as âA Nightmare on Elm Streetâ and âFriday the 13thâ and eventually grew to love the genre.
Now Roach has the opportunity to become Freddy Krueger on the big screen in the reboot of âA Nightmare on Elm Street,â due to a petition from a fan.
The petition started after Roach played Krueger in the fan film âConfessions of Fred Krueger.â
The film is classified as a prequel to the original âA Nightmare on Elm Streetâ and focuses almost exclusively on the 1984 film.
âItâs extremely humbling. Itâs not something that I ever thought would happen,â he said. âIt wasnât by anybody associated with the film, it wasnât anybody I know. It was some random stranger who lives in Florida.â
Jeremy Boreske said he started the petition because he didnât think any actor could pull off Freddy until he saw Roach.
âI believed he was Krueger,â Boreske said. âNot an actor trying to mimic (Robert Englund), but truly owning the role and doing it in full-on creep mode.â
He said itâs fairly easy to make a petition as long as you know who you want to address and have a good cause.
The horror enthusiast initially said he hoped to gain 100 signatures for the petition. The document had 736 signatures as of Monday.
Boreske said he wants to send the petition to Warner Bros. Entertainment and New Line Cinema Film Productionsâa subsidiary of Warner Bros.âwhen it reaches 1,000 or more signatures to increase Roachâs chances at the role.
Roach said he feels getting cast as Freddy is a long shot, however, he hopes it will at least give the film some attention.
âI hope this petition is seen by somebody, even if itâs not for âFreddy,ââ Roach said. âI hope it gets to someone who might say, âHey, who is this Kevin Roach guy?ââ
Roach said he doesnât think anyone can say they are âready for Hollywood,â but he will take on anything that comes his way.
Roach said when he acts he aims to get into the mindset of his characters.
While making the Freddy fan-film Roach said he would glare continuously at the man playing the role of the cop to scare the actor.
â(The cop) remarked early on that I have a very creepy stare, so I went with it,â Roach said.
Nathan Thomas Milliner directed âConfessions of Fred Kruegerâ and said he got the idea to cast Roach while on the set of his short film âThe Encyclopedia Satanica.â
After he witnessed Roachâs acting, Milliner said he knew it would be a mistake if he didnât cast the actor as the infamous killer.
âHe is just a damn good actor,â the director said.
Milliner said he didnât want Roach to copy Englundâs Freddy, but wanted the actor to create a new, more realistic Freddy.
â(Roach) walks the balance of being recognizable as the character but at the same time being fresh, exciting and creepy as hell,â Milliner said. â(Roach) made Freddy scary again. He is what the new film needs.â
Milliner said Roach deserves a âbig breakâ and is proud that his film could lead to a turning point.
âI can honestly say I think (Roach) is in this for the long haul and has a very bright future ahead of him,â Milliner said.
Roach always speaks passionately about his acting and directing, said Gracie Craft, who acted alongside Roach in the local short film âGrown Men on Tricycles.â
âIt is really cool to watch (Roach) because I know how passionate he is,â the freshman theater major said.
Craft said Roach can portray any character from a villain to a romantic hero and has a look that many other actors do not.
âHe is like a Swiss Army Knife,â Craft said laughing. âHe can do anything.â
Roachâs strong professionalism will earn him a spot in Hollywood, Craft said.
The professionalism in Roach is so strong, Craft said. He knows enough to get him through Hollywood.
âYou say, âKevin I need you to do thisââ Craft said. âAnd he does it with honor, strive, power and charisma.â