Dave Grohl Talks 'Studio 666' and How the Lionel Richie Cameo Came to Be (Exclusive)
The band said they didn't need much convincing to take part in the film because 'we're kind of used to Dave's wild ideas.'
AbJimroe
Dave Grohl's pitch for Studio 666 was succinct but effective, because the rest of the Foo Fighters immediately jumped at the "wild" idea.
ET's Matt Cohen caught up with Grohl and the rest of his bandmates at TCL Theater in Los Angeles for the premiere of their horror comedy, which hits theaters Feb. 25. When asked what his pitch to the guys was for this film, Grohl didn't skip a beat and laid out exactly what he envisioned.
"Food Fighters need to make a record," Grohl's pitch begins. "We don't want to use a studio. Find a creepy old house. We wind up recording in the house. House is haunted. I become possessed. I kill the whole band, and then I go solo."
The film -- starring Grohl, the band, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega and Whitney Cummings -- revolves around the band trying to record their 2021 album Medicine at Midnight. They ultimately wind up moving into a haunted mansion in Encino, California, where virtually everyone who crosses Grohl's path gets murdered after he becomes a monster.
Some of the more gory scenes includes bandmate Taylor Hawkins getting decapitated, Chris Shiflett's face getting pressed into a burning BBQ grill and Cummings getting split in half with a chainsaw during a love scene with Rami Jaffee. Cummings, who admits she's not a horror film aficionado, explained why she was nervous about that particular scene with Jaffee.
"I was nervous because it was rock stars not comedians," Cummings explained. "So, Dave and I ran around the house they were renting to shoot and we found Jacob's Creek wine and I chugged it so I had a buzz to get through it [the sex scene] without being a moron."
It's now easy to see why Grohl describes the B.J. McDonnell-directed horror film as The Shining meets Amityville Horror meets The Evil Dead. When asked if they needed some convincing to join the project, Hawkins said, "No because we're kind of used to Dave's wild ideas." "Did we have a choice?" quipped Jaffee.
Rami Jaffee, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters attend the Los Angeles premiere of 'Studio 666' at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Getty
The film also includes a cameo by Lionel Richie, and the story behind his inclusion in the film is a fun nugget.
"He was written into the script," Grohl explained. "[The] screenwriters didn't know that I actually know him, so when I read the script I was like, 'Oh my god, let’s just text him!' So I texted him and I'm like, 'Dude we're making a horror film. You want to be in it?' And he was like, 'Absolutely.' And that was it."
The Foo Fighters, currently on tour, enjoyed making the film but they're not exactly ready to give up being rock stars for more of Hollywood.
"I mean, we had such a blast making the movie. It was really fun, like we really did have a good time," Grohl said. "But you know, we're a rock and roll band. We love playing live and making hit records."
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