GUTTENBERG SLASHES HIS WAY TO
SUPERSTARDOM IN DARK, GORY "CB"!

by Robin Neusbaumer, Theatre Correspondent and Movie Critic
Nobody saw this coming, least of all Steve Guttenberg. Sure, the "actor" had made a name for himself in cheesy, unlikeable 80's light comedies. But no one had ever taken him seriously. Certainly he had never given anyone any reason to see a film because he was in it. So it came as a surprise to everyone, Guttenberg included, when his role as "Butch", the cartoon-inspired murder-happy psychopath in last summer's slasher hit, "Chopping Block" and its just-released sequel, "Chopping Block 2: Die Some More" met with public and critical acclaim the likes of which he had never known, never dared to dream of.

Photo © imdb.com
"I just think this is the role I was born to play," says Guttenberg of his departure from playing the dorky nice guy in so many forgettable, largely interchangable films. In fact, industry insiders have taken to comparing Guttenberg's unlikely casting as a serial killer to Michael Keaton's unexpected portrayal of the Dark Knight in 1989's Batman. "I mean, I played a cartoonist in [1987's] Three Men and a Baby, so I think that gave me some insight that other actors don't possess. Butch is a cartoon, so I know how to get inside his head. I know how cartoons think. I don't think any other actor could have pulled this off. I am Butch."

Quentin Tarantino, director of both films, believes there is another reason for Guttenberg's success. "This vehicle is so perfect for Steve because he doesn't get to say any lines," says Tarantino. "Butch doesn't speak. Therefore, Steve doesn't have to try to act, which I think was always his downfall. Plus as an added bonus, there's the mask. We don't have to see Steve's face. Ever. I think that this is the side of Steve Guttenberg that audiences have just been waiting to embrace. The faceless, voiceless side."

Indeed, the hockey mask which obscures the killer's features takes all burden of creative expression off of Guttenberg's shoulders. The filmmakers employed a high-tech animatronic mask which is capable of a whole range of emotive expressions. CGI enhancement was added when necessary. "The goal was to make absolutely certain that Steve wouldn't have to do anything but stand there," said Tarantino. "We didn't want to leave anything to chance. If Steve had been allowed to try to act at all, it would have ruined the whole dynamic of the films."
Guttenberg is thrilled at the new direction his career has taken. "A lot of actors are all hung up on having to, y'know, ACT in their films. I mean, look at Scott Baio. But playing Butch has given me the opportunity to sort of see how it feels to be the character rather than the actor, you know what I mean? I kind of feel sometimes like Butch is playing me, rather than the other way around. And that's pretty groovy, man. Not many actors get to experience this kind of, almost Zen rapport with the characters they play. Y'know?"

While no one I spoke to was actually able to decipher what Guttenberg was talking about in that quote, one thing is certain... playing Butch has skyrocketed Guttenberg onto Hollywood's "A" List. "I'm getting a lot of other offers," he says. "For the first time in my career, I don't have to audition for every role I want to play, and I don't have to beg, cry, or give oral sex to anyone in order to land a job. I mean, I'm getting scripts where people want me to play, for example, a scarecrow. Not like a Wizard of Oz scarecrow. I mean just an actual scarecrow. Y'know, in a field. I got one where I would play a snowman. Or a statue. Lots of stuff. I think people are starting to see my range."

Has Guttenberg's sudden success tempted him to leave Butch behind for other roles? "No way," he says. "I plan to play Butch for as long as they're making Chopping Block movies. This is my gig, man. Me and Butch are inseparable."