Following the release of the 1992 film Sleepwalkers, directed by Mick Garris and written by Stephen King, Brian Krause became a familiar face. Only a few years later, he was cast as Leo Wyatt on Charmed, which ran from 1998 to 2006 on The WB. Krause hasn’t slowed down, with several current and upcoming films and a Charmed podcast called The House of Halliwell, which he co-hosts with Holly Combs and Drew Fuller.
One of Brian Krause’s most recent films is the Western thriller Homestead. Also starring Dallas Page and Jamie Bernadette, the story follows “a homesteading family that gets taken captive by a gang of outlaws.” The film is now available on Tubi.
Horror Geek Life: Sleepwalkers was one of the first horror films I saw because it aired on cable every weekend. Now 31 years later, fans are still talking about it. Did you anticipate the film’s following to last this long?
Brian Krause: No! Growing up, I wasn’t a big horror fan. It scares me easily, but we all knew Stephen King growing up, and that’s going to stick around. But it’s crazy to even think that we’re still watching it. It’s owed to Stephen King and Mick Garris, who’s gone on to become such a master in the last 30 years, and the countless, endless projects his creativity has touched. So it’s no wonder that one of his first visions is still resonating with people.
Jim Haynie, Mädchen Amick, Ron Perlman, Tobe Hooper, Ernie Lively, and everybody that was a part of it is, they were solid, solid people. Me being such a rookie at the time, how lucky am I to be mentioned in the same space as all those people?
Horror Geek Life: Mick Garris was asked about a sequel on his podcast.
Brian Krause: Oh, really?
Horror Geek Life: Yeah! That would be interesting, especially in the era of legacy sequels we’re in right now.
Brian Krause: If so, they’d have to bring me back to life somehow. Maybe I’m not really dead. There has to be a way.
Horror Geek Life: In horror, they can bring anybody back. I also wanted to touch on the Charmed rewatch podcast you’ve been doing. I know you’re still early in the series, but are there any storylines or episodes you’re looking forward to?
Brian Krause: Well, this is basically the first time watching for me. I watched a lot of the first season for technical things, and as we got into it, there just came the point where you’re so busy. And it’s very hard for me to watch any of my work. So, I just kept doing what I was doing once I felt like it was established.
But interesting to dive into. I mean, there are so many topics that Charmed hits at, questions that it brings up about our society, choices that we make, feelings that we have, why we do things, what is the greater good, and what is the right choice. Kudos to the girls and who they were and for being way ahead of their time. But also the writers for seeing that and the things we delve into.
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It’s been interesting going to comic cons and meeting the fans who have been watching the show for 25 years and how it resonated with them. Maybe they felt different, and this show gave them a reason to go on and know it’s okay to be different. Or maybe they watched with their mom or grandma, and it was their together time.
So I think there are so many elements that each episode may bring up that I look forward to getting into. And then the different guest stars that we may have on. So many people came through our show, and hopefully, they’ll come on and talk about their experience, where their life was at in the ‘90s/early 2000s, their careers, how they looked at this job, and where they went from there. But it’s exciting watching it new.
Horror Geek Life: I love that you mentioned the moral dilemmas and decisions that Charmed touched on. I’m most excited to hear the podcast talk about the Avatar/utopia story arc. It really explores consequences and whether the “greater good” is worth it and parallels society today.
Brian Krause: Every day, every day. What I loved about Leo and being a father to a young child at the time, going through a divorce, was that I was the moral message of doing the right thing, no matter what the consequence and the truth will come out and be the best decision. And it’s what I’ve tried to live by as a human and as a father.
To be that on Charmed and have so many people be like, oh my gosh, Leo and Piper, the greatest love ever. We would all love a love like that. No matter what you do, you can’t give up on it. And the sisterhood, too. You can be different, and your family is made up of who you choose.
I think there were a lot of great messages on Charmed that a lot of shows don’t tackle.
Horror Geek Life: Absolutely. And I think Leo set the bar high for many of us at an impressionable age. It was great to have that positive male presence on TV, especially at that time.
Your newest film, Homestead, is a Western thriller coming out at a great time because the genre is on the rise in games, TV, and movies. How did you get involved with this film?
Brian Krause: Jamie Bernadette, who I had done a Lifetime movie with before, reached out through social media during the pandemic. And she was like, I met these kids, and they’re making this movie. It’s small, low budget, but I love it. She pitched it to me, and I wanted to work with her again.
I read it and was like, wow, we get to go to central California and throw on some Western gear. Especially during the pandemic, to be working and get together, it was intriguing. So that’s how it came about.
Once I met Ehrland [Hollingsworth, writer/director] and Amna [Vegha, producer/casting] and started looking at their path and what they want to do and their creative vision, with very little money, I think they created something that’s worthy. You have some great actors in it, from Mike Markoff to Betsy Sligh and Greg Kriek. They’re really young performers who are gonna be around for a while.
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It’s always fun to be a part of something small that, hopefully, has legs. I’m sure there are a few things in the filmmaking due to budget constraints that are missing as far as production value. But I think for a first attempt as a director, producer, and writer, I’m proud to be a part of it.
Horror Geek Life: It is always great seeing Jamie on-screen. There was natural chemistry between you two and the younger actors. What was it like on set, and did the pandemic bubble bring you all closer?
Brian Krause: We went to the small town of Hollister in central California. It was just us in this little motel. When we went to set, we were out in the middle of nowhere; it was like we were camping. So, it was a little bubble, which helped us all feel much safer during the time, especially when we didn’t know what was going on.
That helped us all be closer, especially at a time when we’ve separated from each other and, as a society, we’ve been pushing each other away. It was nice to connect with people. I think that added a bond for all of us. It was a great experience.
Horror Geek Life: It shows in the film. Before we wrap, I wanted to ask about another film also releasing soon titled Breakout. This is one of Tom Sizemore’s last films before he passed. How was it working with him again?
Brian Krause: Looking back on that whole film, meeting Brandon [Slagle, co-writer/director] for the first time, I know his wife, Devanny [Pinn], who I’ve met out and about, and they’re fantastic. She had called me up about this project, and Louis Mandylor, who was in Charmed, and said they were going to get Tom. I had worked with Tom years before on a movie called Protecting the King. It was about Elvis’s stepbrother with Peter Dobson, myself, and Mark Rolston.
That’s where I first met Tom and saw where he was in life. It is hard to watch anyone go through their personal fight with their demons. But as a talent, as an actor, does it get any better? I’ve studied him and all his work and watched him over and over again. As an actor, to watch someone’s talent like that, he was just so creative and real and honest. I thought he was incredible. It’s a shame that he passed the way he did, and he couldn’t fight those demons off anymore.
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On this set, he’s on the phone, and we were never in the same room. I didn’t get to shake his hand and say hello again. Unfortunately. Nothing but respect for his talents. I’m going on five years sober on my own ride with my own demons and know what it is like to go through and how people struggle. Some people win the battle, and some don’t. We all individually go through things, and to be in the spotlight and have to deal with it, I’m sure it was very difficult. My prayers go out to his family and everyone he’s ever touched because it’s a sad thing. Sometimes, money and fame and whatever doesn’t bring happiness. Sometimes, we just can’t find it.
But I’m honored that I’m in the same breath again with a legend, and I think this movie’s fun. It’s a small-budget action movie, and the lore is fantastic. Tom Sizemore is wonderful. And I may be out of my element. I’m playing a guy in prison, and it’s a first for me. They don’t give me those roles. I’m kind of stuck to Leo and the dad, so I’ll see what you think. But it’s something I hadn’t got a chance to do before.
