Thirty years after its premiere, the 67-year-old Candyman star gets candid about the iconic bee scenes.
Tony Todd played the legendary villain alongside Virginia Madsen in the 1992 horror film. In an exclusive interview with ET, Todd recalled some of the most memorable scenes.
One scene, in particular, was infamous for featuring 200,000 bees swarming out of Todd’s mouth.
“The bees were the worst nemesis,” Todd said. But the dedicated actor had a sting clause written into his contract allotting him $1,000 per bee sting he endured while on set.
“I had a great lawyer at the time, and we got paid, So I didn’t mind it; I’m going like, ‘Bring it on!’ And it only totaled to 27.”
Todd added, “It could have been worse if it were not for an unusual object repurposed just for the scene. We had a dental dam so that they couldn’t go further down [my mouth].”
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Todd also discussed the personal impact of starring in the film.
“It was well worth it and not just the bonus check, but being one of the first African Americans in a horror film that does not enslave us,” Todd said. “When I first read it, I looked for those traps. I wanted to make sure that if you’re going to be one of the first significant Black actors in a horror film, you better make sure that it’s complete, that it tells a story from beginning to middle and end, and that’s what I saw in the script.”
The film has since seen renditions, including Jordan Peele’s most recent 2021 edition.
“We were saying, when I got here, about how amazing it is 30 years later that it’s still in the forefront of people’s minds, particularly fans,” Todd said.
“I get so many stories at autograph tables about people doing challenges and mirrors and stuff,” Todd added. “That’s what keeps the film alive because it gets passed generationally.”
Check out the infamous bee scene below:
