If there’s one genre that’s versatile, it’s horror comedy. Actor Derek Johns (who you might know as Love Sausage in The Boys) discovered this when taking on the role of Freddy Mercks in We Are Zombies, which just had its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival. So far, the film adaptation of the comic book series The Zombies That Ate the World has received rave reviews.
Derek also had another horror movie premiere at Fantasia: The Sacrifice Game, which he starred in alongside Mena Massoud. Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Derek about his roles in both films, what audiences can expect and his hopes of adding more comedic projects to his resume.
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This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Melody McCune: We at GGA love a good origin story. What’s your origin story? How did you get into acting?
Derek Johns: I’ve always wanted to be an actor. My parents have home videos of me from three or four years old. I’m goofing around, and my parents ask me what I want to be, and I say, “I want to be Jim Carrey.” I did my first bit of acting when I was in grade six, and I played the Wicked Witch in Snow White on stage.
I went to theater school in Montreal at Dawson College. Upon graduating, I did a stint in children’s theater, got an agent and started doing film and television.
MM: Let’s talk about We Are Zombies. Can you tell me what it’s about and how you got involved with the project?
DJ: I auditioned for it. My agent sent me this and said, “You’re going to love this, man. It’s funny.” He sent me the sides; I looked through them and thought it was great. I didn’t know much about RKSS (Roadkill Superstars), the directing trio behind the movie. I didn’t know much about them until I researched and found out they have this huge cult following.
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It’s a post-apocalyptic movie where the zombie outbreak has already happened, but nothing has changed much because zombies aren’t bloodthirsty. They’re not trying to kill anyone. They integrated into society, doing those menial jobs behind the cash register at a fast food restaurant. There are also zombie rights activists fighting for their rights in this world.
These three slacker characters, who are trying to “stick it to the man,” steal from a company like Amazon — Coleman. They’re stealing zombie bodies and selling them on the black market to make a quick buck, and they get into trouble. Then, they save a granny that gets tied up in the story. It’s a great time. It’s very funny. I’d say it’s a lot like Shaun of the Dead. It’s got a lot of gore in it, too. They love blood. There’s some good action.
MM: How does your character, Freddy Mercks, fit into the story?
DJ: He’s the best friend of the main character. I would say that Freddy and Karl, the main character played by Alexandre Nachi, are lovable losers. He is with Karl 100 percent on whatever he wants to do. He’s in love with Karl’s sister as well.
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Freddy’s a wrestler. He’s obsessed with wrestling, and he loves fast food. He looks out for Karl and beats down the bullies in Karl’s life. Freddy stands up for him because Karl is on the smaller side, but he’s not very bright. So, Karl looks out for him in that way. They have this lovely synergy where they work together because they’re both useless in different ways.
MM: What can audiences expect when they watch this film?
DJ: Lots of laughs, lots of blood and zombies. My favorite thing about this movie is all the zombies and the different looks that the wonderful hair, makeup and special effects people managed to pull off. There are a bunch of different zombies at different stages of their transformation.
In the movie, they’re referred to as the “Living Impaired,” as a politically correct term for them. But there are lots of gore and zombies getting pulled apart at times. It’s got something for everyone.
MM: Did you watch any particular zombie movies like Shaun of The Dead to prepare for this?
DJ: Shaun of the Dead is my favorite zombie movie because I’m a big fan of comedy. I have seen that a million times. I did watch Train to Busan, but it wasn’t so much for research as it’s just a movie I had meant to watch. I enjoyed that movie. It was an interesting introduction to the zombie genre that I hadn’t seen before. It opened my eyes, like, “Okay, you can do stuff that hasn’t been done before in this genre.” That was pretty helpful for me.
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MM: Do you share any similarities with your character?
DJ: We both like to eat. We Are Zombies is based on a graphic novel, and the character in the graphic novel, he’s a jerk and becomes very unlikeable. I wanted to make sure my character stayed likable.
Freddy wants everyone to have a good time and be in a good mood. He’s one of those guys who will raise morale and be the glue that holds everything together. I like to think I’m like that, too.
MM: Describe this film using three words.
DJ: Kick-ass. Zombies. Blood.
MM: You have another film at the Fantasia Film Festival, The Sacrifice Game. Can you tell me what that’s about and how you got involved in the project?
DJ: I was working on We Are Zombies when my agent reached out to me and said, “Hey, you’re going to want to audition for this one.” It said in the character description that they wanted a “fit military type.” I immediately called my agent and said, “Hey, man, you know that’s not me.” I was the rounder type, and typically, I’ll play the fat funny guy; that’s usually what my wheelhouse is. And he said, “No, they’re looking for more of a Vincent D’Onofrio.”
I auditioned for it, exhausted after a day of shooting, and they loved my tape, and it went through for me. After shooting We Are Zombies, I went straight into The Sacrifice Game. I was a very busy boy for a couple of months.
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The Sacrifice Game is set in the ’70s. A couple of girls are forced to stay at their school over the Christmas holidays because their parents are out of town. This group of serial killers shows up at the school because they’re following this lady who claims, “Hey, I know how to summon a demon. I got this book.”
We take over the school, and I play one of the bad nasty men. It’s definitely a different character from the character I played in We Are Zombies, where one is dumb, happy-go-lucky, and the other one is very serious.
My character, Grant, is a Vietnam veteran who is very lost. He doesn’t fit in anywhere. He’s very confused; he has survivor’s guilt because he’s the only one in his platoon who survived. And he ends up following the wrong people and doing bad stuff.
MM: What else is on the horizon for you, career-wise?
DJ: I hope I do more film and television, more comedy. I want to be doing more comedy with talented writers and actors, and I really want to do good comedy because it seems so few and far between nowadays.
MM: There really aren’t that many big comedies in theaters anymore.
DJ: No, there aren’t. I don’t know if it’s a dying art, it’s just not the flavor of the week, or it’ll rebound. But that’s where I want to be. I hope I can do a lot more of that. That’s what I’m putting out into the universe.
MM: Have you watched anything interesting lately?
DJ: I rewatched Eastbound and Down. I’ve been very busy, so I haven’t been able to watch much, but I binged a bunch of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that I meant to watch.
MM: Name your top five favorite films.
DJ: Step Brothers. The Departed. There Will Be Blood. A Fish Called Wanda. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
MM: Thank you for chatting with me, Derek!
DJ: Thank you, Melody!
You can follow Derek on Instagram (@realderekjohns) and on Twitch (@DerkaJohnsTV). Learn more about We Are Zombies here. The Sacrifice Game will release later this year on Shudder.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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