FOF:So Zach what attracted you to the film Cut?

Zach:It was two things really. One I'd never worked in the UK before so that was something I wanted to do and also this was unlike a typical film in the fact it was a continuous shot so almost like a play. We had ten days rehearsal then six days shoot. It was alot of repitition and on the way over on the plane I was pretty nervous as to how we were going to pull it off but the cast and crew really came together.

FOF:As the film is in one continuous shot there must be very little room for error. Did this put you under extra pressure?

Zach:No it was more exciting but difficult at times. On top of dialogue, standing on the right marks in the right light, blood packs and knowing your lines there were moments when you dread. There was one sequence where I had to change on set off camera really quickly, switch mikes and be ready for my next shot in a very short period of time.

FOF:I interviewed Simon Phillips awhile back who you worked with on Cut. He seemed like a good guy. Was it a good working environment?

Zach:I'm 46 on Sunday and most of the cast and crew were in their 20's. Only the steady cam operator and myself were older. It was just a bunch of young people having a blast. Many of them were new to it all but they learnt along the way and we had a fantastic time. Might sound bad this next bit but I'm glad I don't have to do it again. After the first usuable take of 66 minutes in a row at about three in the morning it was a great achievement. We were in the middle of nowhere filming in a house miles from anyone and I was standing outside in the dark with misty rain falling and all I could hear from inside was screaming and people begging for their lives. It was pretty creepy although I knew it was the film.

FOF:There's a character called Janus The Insane Killer Clown. Clowns generally freak me out. Whats your ultimate horror scare?

Zach:I suffer from Clown Adversion Syndrome and when the guy who played Janus, who was a lovely guy would appear in his full make up and he'd often come over and chat to me whilst having a cigarette. In the end I had to tell him I couldn't talk to him whilst he was in make up because it freaked me out. I also hate it when people are eaten from the inside by bugs like in Creepshow. Insect infestation is something else that scares me.

FOF:Now of course you shot to fame in Gremlins. After the success of it did you feel alot of pressure?

Zach:My family are not a show business family and now kids have agents and a team of like seventeen people to gudie them. I was just a kid from Manhatten who was just picked out and thrown into Gremlins. After it's success I didn't know what to do. I could've moved to LA but at that age who knows what could've happened. I could have got into drugs and ended up wrapping my car around a post. I was good friends with River Phoenix and we saw what happened to him. I stayed in New York and got my degree. There was no real pressure but alot of parties and women and when that petered out along came Gremlins 2 and it all started again. I feel very fortunate to have lived the life I have. I was good friends with Jackie Earle Haley who was a huge childhood star but then disappeared for like fifteen years and now look at him. You never know in life what's going to happen.

FOF:Since Gremlins is there any point when you thought I've had enough of this?

Zach:As an actor unless your stupid you know when things are going well or badly. In around 2001 I was getting bored with LA and felt a bit lost. Two or three years later I moved back to New York where I had family and kind of went back to basics. I felt rooted again after the ups and downs of that time.

FOF:So what have you been up to since you finished filming Cut and what's in the pipeline?

Zach:We finished Cut last March and since then I've done a couple of adverts but when I'm not acting I teach it at NYU. Next up I'm back in the UK to film Ten Year Itch which is a British sex comedy. It's with some of the guys from Cut and we're trying to get a couple of names for it but I can't tell you who because if they say no it could be embarassing.

FOF:Well thanks for your time Zach it's been a pleasure talking to you. Any message for our readers?

Zach:You have to find what you love in life because if you don't love what you're doing then what's the point of doing it?