Leatherface Living on MDI

I just blogged at All Things Maine about the latest project of director Gunnar Hansen—a short film about the Passamaquoddy tribe. You might remember Hansen from his first film role: Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Hansen was born in Iceland, but lived in Searsport for five years as a boy, moving with his family to Texas at age 11. He returned to live in Northeast Harbor in 1975, a year after Massacre's release.

In a 2004 AP story, he talked about how the kids at the local elementary school occasionally approach him with trepidation.

“The kids will stop and look at me, and then finally, one of them — the one kid who has a little courage — will come to me and say, ‘Oh, Mr. Hansen, were you in ‘Chainsaw Massacre?’ And I’ll say, ‘yes.’ And he’ll turn and yell out, ‘See, I told you so.’

Hansen said he never learned to use a chainsaw with confidence, even after moving back to Maine. He revels in the notoriety of his first screen role, and takes time away from his writing to appear at horror conventions. Best of all, he has a rear license plate holder that reads, "What Would Leatherface Do?"