SPOILERS: This post contains details for the Season 1 finale episode of Peacock‘s Crystal Lake, “The Final Chapter”
As Jason Voorhees’ origin story unfolded in Peacock’s Crystal Lake, fans of the Friday the 13th franchise were treated to a familiar face in the finale.
Jonathan Tison, the 26-year-old actor who plays the grown version of Jason in the Season 1 finale episode “The Final Chapter”, told Deadline the fan response has “been crazy” after he was revealed as the burlap sack-clad Jason fans remember from Friday the 13th: Part 2 (1981).
“I really love hearing from them, because we haven’t seen Sackhead Jason in so long, since really Part III, so it’s nostalgia for the fans,” said Tison. “People are really excited.”
Following Callum Vinson’s performance as young Jason in the first episode, which sees the deformed child drown at Camp Crystal Lake, Tison’s Jason haunts the woods throughout the series before making his big reveal in the finale.
For Tison, it meant some homework, as he’d never seen the Friday the 13th movies, and he wasn’t even aware he was playing the famed killer until he arrived to the set of the prequel series, which filmed under the codename Mama’s Boy.
“I started watching when I found out that I was Jason,” he admitted. “I’m sure a lot of people know now that I did not know that I was Jason. I thought that I was a part called Joey in a show called Mama’s Boy, and I was like, ‘OK, sure, I’ll do this.'”
While he put in his research to play Jason, Tison “didn’t think of the fandom and the massiveness of the character” until seeing the cast and crew’s reaction.
“So, putting the prosthetics on was super cool. I got to look at the mirror and see myself, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m Jason,'” he explained. “And then everyone else around me is like looking at me like, ‘You’re Jason.’ So, it was really, really cool.”
Tison added, “The prosthetic went into my mouth, they had one that went into my eye. I couldn’t hear out of this ear, I couldn’t see out of this eye. I kept thinking if Jason actually had to chase someone down, he’d fail. It would not work out. It was pretty comfortable besides the contact in my eye.”
The actor praised Linda Cardellini for being a generous scene partner as his murderous mother Pamela Voorhees, as well Hamish Linklater as his sinister father Elias Wittering, calling them “really great actors to act off.” Additionally, he noted that Vinson “set up the stage so well” as a young Jason.
“So, I just think they set up the show so well for me to show up in the end,” added Tison.
Read on about Jonathan Tison’s experience taking over Jason Voorhees’ machete in Brad Caleb Kane’s Crystal Lake, all episodes of which are now available to stream on Peacock.
DEADLINE: Were you a fan of the Friday the 13th movies before getting this role? Do you have a favorite?
JONATHAN TISON: I started watching when I found out that I was Jason. I’m sure a lot of people know now that I did not know that I was Jason. I thought that I was a part called Joey in a show called Mama’s Boy, and I was like, “OK, sure, I’ll do this.” And then, I found out when I got to the FX studio, I had to put my finger into a skull. They complimented me on my thumbs because I have really long thumbs and they’re like, “This is gonna be exciting.” I was like, “Why is this exciting? I’m playing Joey.” They’re like, “Who’s Joey?” And I’m like, “I am,” and they’re like, “Nope, you’re Jason Voorhees.” I was shocked. They were shocked when they were telling me. And then I knew I had homework to do, so I watched all the way to Part VI right away. I don’t know what my favorite one is. I think Part III stands out because it was supposed to be in 3D, and I didn’t get to see it in 3D like all the other original fans. I wish I could have seen it in 3D and just heard everyone’s reactions around me. So, I think if I could go back in time, that’s the movie I would go see with fans.
DEADLINE: What’s the fan response been to seeing grown Jason in the finale?
TISON: It’s been crazy. I mean, I’ve only been getting positive feedback from the fans. They’re in my comments section, they’re in my DMs, and I really love hearing from them, because we haven’t seen Sackhead Jason in so long, since really Part III, so it’s nostalgia for the fans. People are really excited.
DEADLINE: But what was it like undergoing all the facial prosthetics?
TISON: It was pretty awesome, I have to say, because the people around me are such big fans. David Presto, who did all the prosthetics, he’s such a fan of the movies, he’s becoming a horror legend of making monsters. And so, everyone around me was telling me stories about growing up with Jason, and it just kept dawning on me how big this was and how cool it was, cause in my head, I was like, “I’m playing Jason, I know who he is as a person. I’ve done a lot of research.” But I didn’t think of the fandom and the massiveness of the character until I got on set. So, putting the prosthetics on was super cool. I got to look at the mirror and see myself, and I was like, “Oh, I’m Jason.” And then everyone else around me is like looking at me like, “You’re Jason.” So, it was really, really cool. The prosthetic went into my mouth, they had one that went into my eye. I couldn’t hear out of this ear, I couldn’t see out of this eye. I kept thinking if Jason actually had to chase someone down, he’d fail. It would not work out. It was pretty comfortable besides the contact in my eye.
DEADLINE: Well, that’s another thing I was curious about. Jason doesn’t speak either, so what was it like emoting through all of the prosthetics and having to do that without speaking?
TISON: I have to put a lot of respect onto Hamish [Linklater] and Linda [Cardellini] for being just really great actors to act off of, because I had lines in my head that I was saying to kind of convey emotion through my eyes, but it really takes a great actor who’s working with someone who can’t speak to really allow you to convey those emotions. And then also, Callum [Vinson] set up the stage so well. From the first episode, people fall in love with this character, because you just feel so bad for him, and he is so sweet, and we wish he had friends. And so when they see me later, they still have all those wholesome feelings about me, and they feel almost motherly towards me, as of Callum’s performance. So, I just think they set up the show so well for me to show up in the end.
DEADLINE: Yeah, it’s nice to see that because Jason’s story has always been tragic. So, it’s good to actually humanize him a little bit.
TISON: I agree. I mean, they’ve kind of been doing that since Part II with Jenny’s monologue, and she was like, “this is actually really sad,” while everyone else is like, “it’s just a legend, it’s not true. And she’s like, “No, this is like really sad. We should leave this camp.” She’s the smart one. They should leave the camp.
DEADLINE: Tell me about building the physicality of the kill scenes and if you took any inspiration from Kane Hodder and the movies?
TISON: I took most of my inspiration from Part II, because that is Sackhead Jason, and that’s the most recent young form of Jason that we really have. So, the chase sequence between him and Jenny all throughout the whole end of the film, I base most of my physicality off of him, because she pretends to be his mom in the end, and Pamela kind of has a similar thing where she’s like, “I’m your mom.” He’s confused and stuff, so the head tilt, the different motions of how he did things, I was like, “that’s what I want to do for this Jason,” because Jason just gets stronger and stronger the more he’s injured, so it just didn’t make sense to do a later version of Jason, because he’s not at that strength level yet.
DEADLINE: Yeah, that makes sense. And I’m curious, have you had a chance to meet Kane Hodder yet?
TISON: No, I’ve not. I hopefully will at these conventions.
DEADLINE: Yeah, I just saw him on Celebrity Weakest Link, randomly, and I was geeking out. I loved that you guys shot in the town from the first movie. It really gives it that Crystal Lake spirit. What was it like shooting there?
TISON: I don’t think we could have done it anywhere else. It would have not made sense to do it anywhere else, and I think Brad knew that from the beginning. He’s a super fan, and so, he knew in his mind what we needed to do, and being there was really cool. I don’t know if the location that we did Jason’s clubhouse, if that’s in the original films, but the woods are. So, that was wild to watch the films and then be like, “Oh I’m actually in the woods where this all happened.” Every layer made it feel more like I was Jason, so it was cool.
DEADLINE: Tell me about working with Linda and Hamish, and that switch in Jason when you take over the character, where it’s almost like he doesn’t recognize his mom.
TISON: Yeah, I got on set with [director Quyen Tran], and she kind of explained to me what was going on for Jason. It’s those moments of, he’s been through severe trauma, and because of drowning in the lake, and he’s grown so much, he’s just kind of out of his body, out of his mind at the moment, which is why whenever he comes to his father and his mother, there’s this pull and push of like, “I remember you, I don’t remember you.” It’s almost like, the body remembers, but the mind doesn’t yet. So, whenever Hamish reaches out, Jason cowers a little bit. I think it’s more of a body than a mind yet, and It’s whenever Linda starts talking, because it’s the mom and the mom’s words always cut through because he’s so connected to his mother when she’s like, “He’s gonna hurt you again.” That’s whenever I decide in my mind, “You hurt me, you’re gonna hurt my mom, you’re gonna die.” And so I think that’s the switch, and he’s like, “Oh, I’m gonna touch your face like you touch my face, but this time it’s getting crushed.” And then whenever I see my mom, I don’t think I’m there yet. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on. “Where’s my mom?” And then when she says, “I love you,” that’s all she needs to say, and I’m back. Jason’s back.
DEADLINE: That was a really satisfying scene to watch after the whole season, ’cause it feels like these are his woods now and he’s kind of fully unleashed. Can you tell me about a potential Season 2? Are you gonna be in full slasher mode if you come back?
TISON: I really have no clue. I am looking forward to a Season 2, if there’s going to be a season 2. I think Brad wants to explore more of the town, and I think that’s so cool because it’s a town full of kooky people. I definitely think Jason’s gonna be throughout it, and I would just love a season 2. I think the whole cast wants one. We’re all texting each other, being like, “Season 2?” So, we’re pretty excited.