Interview:
Macon Blair,
writer/director,
"The Toxic Avenger"
A fan of The Toxic Avenger since discovering the Troma superhero parody franchise in his early teens, Austin-based actor and filmmaker Macon Blair did not necessarily jump on the opportunity to give the chemically enhanced mop boy a 21st-century makeover. Once assured he could maintain the tone and spirit of the comically bloody franchise, while putting his own spin on its mythology, Blair dove head first into a Toxic Avenger remake that represents his follow-up to his 2017 crime comedy I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The Toxic Avenger finds Peter Dinkage assuming the role of the lowly maintenance worker who becomes a green-skinned, super-powered mutant after being dumped in toxic waste. (Luisa Guerreiro is the Toxic Avenger suit performer.) Dinkage’s Winston Gooze seeks revenge against those responsible for his transformation, including his boss, Bob Garbinger, a bio-booster manufacturer whose negligence as a factory owner has led to a high rate of pollution-related cancer deaths in St. Roma’s Village. Kevin Bacon stars as Garbinger, Elijah Wood as Garbinger’s brother and henchman Fritz, Taylour Paige as whistleblower J.J. Doherty, and Jacob Tremblay as Winston’s stepson Wade. After receiving its world premiere at the 2023 Fantastic Fest, The Toxic Avenger opened Aug. 29 in theaters. Austin-based actor and filmmaker Macon Blair previously directed the 2017 crime comedy I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore and also wrote The Monkey’s Paw, Small Crimes, 57 Seconds, and Brothers, which also starred Peter Dinklage. Blair has collaborated as an actor, a writer, or a producer with his childhood friend, filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier, on Murder Party, Blue Ruin, Green Room, Hold the Dark, and Rebel Ridge. Blair has appeared in Gold, The Florida Project, Logan Lucky, The Hunt, I Care a Lot, and the Peter Dinkage 2023 western The Thicket. He also appeared as J. Robert Oppenheimer’s attorney Lloyd K. Garrison in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Macon Blair is currently directing the road-trip comedy The Shitheads, which stars Peter Dinkage, Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Kiernan Shipka.
Note: Click here for Part 1 of the Lights Camera Austin interview with The Toxic Avenger writer/director Macon Blair, which was conducted after the film's Fantastic Fest 2023 world premiere. Aired: Aug. 27, 2025. Web sites: https://toxicavenger.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ToxicAvenger |
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