Metallica’s James Hetfield has spoken about his role in new western thriller The Thicket during a recent episode of podcast The Metallica Report.
In the film, released to US theatres on September 6, the singer/guitarist plays a lawman and performs alongside Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who produced the project. It’s only Hetfield’s second-ever onscreen acting role, following a turn as a police officer in 2019 Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. Turns out, that may be due to Hetfield not being the biggest fan of acting in the first place.
When asked how he got the Thicket part, Hetfield answers (per Blabbermouth): “Peter Dinklage contacted me through management, just saying, ‘Hey, I got a part for you in something we’re putting together. And I just thought of you, and that’s it.’ It’s, like, ‘OK, cool.’”
The musician adds, “I’m not into acting at all,” citing the difference between projecting “big” when he’s performing onstage versus the more intimate scale of performing to a camera. “I like big projecting,” he says.
Hetfield goes on to say that he only went for the Thicket and Extremely Wicked… parts as he was specifically sought out for them, and he expresses a lack of interest in auditioning for roles: “I’ve done that before, and it's not my bag, really.”
The musician talks in depth about the experience of filming The Thicket, grumbling about the harsh weather during the shoot in Canada and the long waits in his trailer for when he’s needed onset.
“While I’m sitting in a trailer, and it’s probably minus 10 degrees out up in Canadia [sic], we’re outside of Calgary and I’m sitting there in period clothing, 1800s turn of the century,” Hetfield remembers. “I mean, the wool’s great, but the shoes [are] not so great.”
He continues: “I’m sitting there with [Hetfield’s assistant] Ray. It’s like, ‘Hey, you’re shooting today.’ And then the end of the day, it’s like, ‘Ah, we didn’t get to you today.’ And I told Ray, I said, ‘Hey, next time I’m asked to do something like this, remind me to say no.’ Ha ha! But that’s how it was in the moment.”
Hetfield finishes by seeming satisfied with the end result of his effort, but concludes that working in music isn’t as tedious as it is waiting about when you’re in the movie business. “When it’s all done, the work you put into it, it’s like, ‘Ah, yeah, that was nothing.’ But just when you’re sitting in it and waiting. Music is not about waiting. ‘I got an idea. Hey take this down. Let’s do this.’ Practicing your line and waiting to say it five days later is, like, oh, driving me nuts.”
Metallica recently wrapped a tour of North America and are playing a string of dates in Mexico City from September 20 to 29. See below for details.
Metallica 2024 tour dates:
Sep 20: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 22: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 27: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 29: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
