At the heart of Coconut Pete’s Pleasure Island Resort is the rum-soaked, guitar-toting owner Coconut Pete – a 70s rock star who believes passionately in having a good time, even if you can’t remember it later. The ultimate partier, Pete is nevertheless probably the last person you’d want in charge of an island with a mysterious killer running amok.
Broken Lizard got an early big break when the award-winning actor Bill Paxton – whose work has ranged from blockbusters such as TITANIC and TWISTER to acclaimed roles in such indie hits as ONE FALSE MOVE and A SIMPLE PLAN -- approached them to play Coconut Pete. Paxton had been drawn immediately to the script’s sense of humor and wanted to join the party.

“I’d been looking to do a comedy,” explains Paxton, “and I not only enjoyed this script but I loved this iconic character named Coconut Pete with his unbridled lust and his unapologetic hedonism. I also liked that when the film gets scary, it really gets scary. Plus I was very intrigued by Broken Lizard, these five guys who had banded together in college to become a comedy group, sort of like a rock and roll band. l looked forward to being a part of that kind of camaraderie.”
He continues: “I think the film has a terrific and original sense of humor. Perhaps Jordan Ladd put it best when she called it ‘sophisticated low brow.’ The Broken Lizard style is contemporary but there’s also something classic and old school about their routines, which are filled with gags out of Laurel and Hardy, physical comedy out of Buster Keaton, absurdity out of Monty Python and a lot of contemporary sexual innuendo.”

Paxton so loved the idea of the island playground that he even jokes he might start such a resort himself. He especially related to Coconut Pete’s “seize the day and party hard” philosophy. “I see Pete as a guy who believes we’re only here on earth for a short time, so why not just sit back, relax and have a great time,” he explains. “I loved the opportunity to embrace that whole lifestyle.”

Prior to CLUB DREAD, Paxton had never even played a guitar, but he was a lightning quick study. He says, “If I had known how to play the guitar, I probably never would have become an actor. This was a real dream come true to learn to play and even perform some songs.” To further embody Pete, Paxton roughened the edges of his speaking, and singing voice. “I felt Pete’s voice would have gone to hell from too much tequila and pot and every other damned thing. It gives him more character,” he notes. Paxton even altered his physical appearance for the role. “I got these hair extensions that turned out to be the most painful thing I’ve ever done for a movie role,” he laughs. “They took about eight and half hours to put in and my head was sore for days.”

But it was all worth it in the end. “I had a great time getting to know Broken Lizard and everyone in the cast,” sums up Paxton. “They’re all super-talented and super funny people who have this tremendous spirit. When I left the set, it was like leaving camp at the end of summer. And, as a bonus, I haven’t had a tan this great since I was fourteen years old.”
For their part, the members of Broken Lizard were impressed by Paxton’s total immersion in the role. “I’d met Bill before so when I came to the set and saw him as Pete it was sort of like ‘who’s this salty old dog?’ He looked totally different, he talked totally different, it seemed he was a completely new guy. I’d never seen a transformation like that.”
For director Jay Chandrasekhar, Paxton was a perfect fit. “He came in and really lived up the idea of this sort of ultimate beach lifestyle. I have no idea if Paxton’s really like that in real life, but he was on the set and it was great,” he says.

Chandrasekhar himself plays Putman, a prima donna British tennis pro who looks far hipper than he could ever hope to be. “We gave my character these big, dirty, cool dreadlocks and then I gave him this simpering twit’s voice and mixed it up to see what funny things would result,” he explains. “The voice of Putman is sort of like the accent I used when I played in ‘The Importance of Being Ernest” in high-school. It’s like a teenage kid from Chicago doing a British accent. “
Broken Lizard even looked up lists of eccentric British slang for Putman to use. “I really like when Jay as Putman says ‘wonky’,” notes Steve Lemme. “That’s a real British term, and don’t’ get me wrong, I love the British, but they just seem to have an endless number of totally ludicrous expressions.”

While Chandrasekhar was utterly absurd as Putman he had to turn the character off on a moment’s notice in order to put on his director’s hat. “When I’m directing, I have none of Putman in me,” he admits. “I might have the wig on and the short shorts but I tend to be a lot more serious.”
Steve Lemme took on the role of Juan Castillo, Dive Master. He says of Juan: “He’s the kind of guy who always has a new Speedo. He’s your basic bottom feeder – he’ll make love to anyone or, uh, anything. But the beautiful thing about Juan is that in the end, he really falls in love.”

Playing Coconut Pete’s nephew Dave is Paul Soter, who had a blast with the utterly corrupted character. “I liked Dave because he is the exact opposite of the character I played in SUPER TROOPERS who was a real sweetheart. Dave isn’t exactly the sensitive type. He’s this kind of lay-about rich kid turned karaoke DJ – the kind of guy nobody would really want to hang out with. But he does, in the end, turn out to have another side as well.”
In another unexpected reversal, Kevin Heffernan plays the shockingly suave and romantic New Age masseur Lars. “Lars immediately falls under suspicion because he’s the new guy,” says Heffernan, “but basically he is a very, very mellow dude. He’s into Zen and Hinduism and Chi Kung, but his real underlying philosophy is that’s he’s a total Coconut Pete fanatic, a ‘nut head’ as we like to say. Of course, he has a lot of skills he can use to help find the killer – unless he’s the killer himself.”

In the course of the film, Lars also develops a heated relationship with the sassy and sexy aerobics instructor Jenny. For Heffernan, these were challenging scenes. “The real problem was that everyone was snickering behind the camera,” he explains. “It was hard to keep a straight face while all these guys were laughing at me.”
The final Broken Lizard member, Erik Stolhanske, plays Sam, the head of the Fun Police. As Stolhanske explains it: “Sam just wants to make sure everyone on the island is involved in some lewd, wild act or another. His fundamental passion is having fun – and you better do it, or else.”

Joining the members of Broken Lizard in CLUB DREAD is an extended cast that includes many fresh comic faces, including Jordan Ladd who plays Penelope (rhymes with “cantaloupe”). Ladd got an instant introduction to the spirit of Broken Lizard from the day she arrived on the set. “Within minutes, I had been handed a margarita and told to put on my bathing suit, and that sort of set the tone for the whole thing. Really, it was my dream job. Not only were we in a beautiful location, but it was just so inspiring to watch Broken Lizard at work. Whether on or off the set, the jokes are non-stop,” she says.

Ladd also enjoyed the unusual but ultimately uplifting journey of her character. “Penelope is a very innocent girl who’s in for a rude awakening as to the ways of men on the island,” she explains. “But when she meets Juan the Dive Master, love prevails.”
Also joining the cast is Brittany Daniel as Jenny the ever-bouncy fitness instructor. Finding Brittany was a coup for Broken Lizard. “It was amazing to find somebody who is very smart, very funny and then actually looks like a fitness instructor in a bikini,” says Jay Chandrasekhar. “Brittany was perfect for the role.”
Daniel had a blast playing Jenny’s enthusiasm full tilt. “I’ve never had so much fun making a movie,” she comments. “Broken Lizard made it such a collaborative, liberating and low-key experience that you could try anything.”

Rounding out the staff is the island’s grizzled Security Officer Hank, who is played by veteran character actor MC Gainey Says Gainey of the role: “Hank is a very simply guy – he just wants some cerveza, some room and to be left alone. He fits right in with the other loonies on the island. But when the machete maniac threatens the island, he’s supposed to be the one to save the island – only let’s just say he’s not as good as he used to be.”
Having starred in more than 50 films, Gainey had a lot of fun with the tone of CLUB DREAD. “It’s a funny, sort of schizoid thing because one minute you’re doing these sort of zany, crazy Marx Brother routines and the next someone’s head is getting cut off,” he says. “But I like the blend of the two and Broken Lizard has a great time with it. They’re incredibly spontaneous and creative guys. I’m proud to have worked with the Lizards.”