Fan Expo Dallas 2022 is bringing some major talent to this year’s show, spanning almost every genre of cinematic entertainment. One particular celebrity guest scheduled to attend, Chris Sarandon, has been fortunate enough to have played major roles in most of theses. Fans may recognize Sarandon by his role as Jack Skellington in Tim Burton’s animated feature The Nightmare Before Christmas or as the conniving Prince Humperdinck from The Princess Bride, however, others may easily identify the actor from some of his other performances on television, Broadway, or numerous films.

We were lucky enough to be able to catch up with Sarandon prior to his Fan Expo appearance this weekend. Our quick chat allowed up to delve a bit into his career and some of his most memorable performances. Read below to see what Sarandon had to say in our exclusive interview, then see the legendary actor in person when he visits Dallas. Sarandon will be appearing all three days at Fan Expo, June 17 – 19, which will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas!

Getting To Know Chris Sarandon…

Your acting career has been extremely diverse. You have been heavily involved in the horror genre with Fright Night and Child’s Play, yet have played in multiple dramas, family films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Princess Bride, and even starred in a religious film as Jesus Christ. As an actor you have an innate attachment to the roles but which of them do you feel you are personally most similar to?

I think it’s more a matter of which roles I’d LIKE to be similar to: certainly there’s the universal sense of admiration and respect for the character of Jesus but the similarities are distant at best; a vampire is feared but cursed, so Jerry Dandridge is not a good candidate; I have tremendous admiration for the work front line police do, but fighting off a demented doll is not among their normal duties; I did have a feeling of kinship for Leon from “Dog Day Afternoon,” in that I have also felt alienated and emotionally cast adrift a number of times in my life. But what makes all the characters I’ve played interesting is how dissimilar they are from my personality.

Movies, television, voice work, and theatrical productions each have their own limitations and perks. You have obviously experienced these on many occasions. What format do you prefer and why?

I was raised by the theater early in my career, and only started TV and movies in my early 30’s, so theater is a very special place for me.

Inconceivable! The Princess Bride Debuted 35 Years Ago…

Revisiting The Princess Bride, were there any additional scenes from the book that were filmed but did not make it into the final cut?

I can’t remember any that were, but it’s been a way over 30 years since we shot the picture in England. Memory plays tricks. Wait! Maybe I’ll try to think up a missing scene in which I had a brilliant monologue, but it was left on the cutting room floor due to some nefarious, disgruntled editor! ;-) Not really.

In his book, Cary Elwes recalled some of Andre the Giant’s notorious partying while filming The Princess Bride. Elwes said he would frequently go out with cast members. Were you ever included in these moments? If so, what do you remember about them?

I wouldn’t call my experience with Andre’s “partying” notorious. Generally, due to lack of decent restaurants on location, we either ate in the hotel dining room or in Rob Reiner’s room, Rob cooking burgers off his hibachi grill. On the occasions when I ate in the hotel restaurant with Andre, his appetites were certainly beyond imagining, but then, so was his sheer size. And always, there at the table was the cheerful, accommodating Andre. He was a lovely fellow in all ways.

It seems like every other main character in the film got to have these extravagant action or sword fighting scenes, yet you merely got to dance around and recreate them. Did you ever feel like you wanted a bit more of the action?

Of course! And surprisingly, a lot of people come up to me and ask what was it like to do the sword fighting; I hesitate to disabuse them of Humperkinck, man of action, but do I dare to think that my recreation of the sword fight was memorable enough to seem real?

The movie flopped when it came out, largely due to confusion as to who it should be marketed to. How or why do you think it boomed in popularity years later and is now considered one of cinemas most notable works of the 80s?

Actually, the movie did moderate business at first but ultimately fizzled due, as you say, to marketing confusion. The advent of movies on TV and video stores started a word of mouth campaign by those who loved it and passed on their passion: this was a truly unique movie experience with romance, humor, and action all rolled into a timeless screenplay by William Goldman, brilliant direction by Rob Reiner, and a pitch perfect cast. The fact that it had multigenerational appeal helped to burnish its audience as well.

Burton’s Nightmare Was A Dream Come True…

One of the roles fans associate you with the most came about in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even today, the movie has an extremely unique visual appeal. Going into the project, did you have any idea what the final product would actually look like?

Luckily, due to the fact that I went into a recording studio with Tim Burton after the initial filming was completed, I was able to see an early assemblage. I was dazzled, thrilled, and amazed at the animators’ artistry and Danny Elfman’s singing Jack and his music. It was pretty damned impressive.

Much of the animating for Jack Skellington was done following the recording of your voice in studio. Did his mannerisms match up to what you had envisioned?

You never know how the voice work you do in the studio is going to be rendered by animation. All I can say is, I was bowled over by how Jack turned out.

Fans were excited when it was announced that The Nightmare Before Christmas would be getting a sequel, although many did not expect it to be in the form of a novel. “Long Live The Pumpkin Queen” is scheduled to be released later this summer. Do you intend on reading it?

This is the first I’ve heard of it. Save me a copy!

Do you think audiences will be treated to a cinematic sequel in the future? Has anyone contacted you about the possibility of starring in one?

I haven’t been contacted about a sequel, nor do I expect one. I think Tim has moved on after he and Henry Selik finished this brilliant, classic animated feature. But there’s always hope?