Max has readapted Stephen King’s 1975 horror novel ‘Salem’s Lot. The film, written and directed by Gary Dauberman, stars Lewis Pullman as Ben Mears, Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton, Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, John Benjamin Hickey as Father Callahan, Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, Jordan Preston Carter as Mark Petrie, Nicholas Crovetti as Danny Glick, Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson, William Sadler as Parkins Gillespie, Pilou Asbaek as Richard Straker, and Alexander Ward as Kurt Barlow.
The story follows writer Ben Mears as he returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, also known as Salem’s Lot. When he arrives, he inquires about the infamous Marsten House, a dilapidated mansion on a hill above the town. However, he learns that it was recently purchased by a mysterious Mr. Barlow and his business partner, Richard Straker, who opened an antique shop in town. Soon after Mears, Barlow, and Straker arrive, townspeople begin to disappear or die. An evil has taken over Salem’s Lot.
We spoke with Jordan Preston Carter about his role as Mark Petrie, a young man who faces off against Barlow, the Nosferatu-like vampire. You can also check out our interviews with Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, and Spencer Treat Clark here.
‘Salem’s Lot is now streaming on Max.
HGL: I talked to Lewis Pullman recently and asked about working with you and your action scenes together. He used words like “professional” and “serious” to describe you and said you anchored him. So, I have to ask, what was it like working with Lewis?
Jordan Preston Carter: Working with him was such a pleasure. I felt like he was really bringing it to not only his role but to the project itself. It’s a lot of pressure to play the lead role, and he just did such an outstanding job that, at times, I felt like he was leaving everybody else in the dust, including me. But I tried to catch up the best I could.
I’m so honored that he even said those things about me because, when I’m on set, it’s like a complete switch. I’ve heard people say whenever I’m on set, it’s a complete personality change. I let my acting speak as my words more. So yeah, it’s crazy that he said those things about me.
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HGL: How did you get the role of Mark, and what made you decide to pursue it?
Jordan Preston Carter: I got the role of Mark through a bunch of auditions and then callbacks. We had the chemistry call with Nicholas Crovetti; he was a pleasure to work with. He did such an amazing job . . . But what made me go for this role was multiple things.
It was the fact that the director was Mr. Gary Dauberman. Also, it’s just an iconic Stephen King novel, and it was an iconic role. I didn’t expect for me to even be offered Mark Petrie. When I first got the audition, I didn’t know what role I was playing. I thought it was going to be playing just some random kid. But no, he was one of the main people. So yeah, it was crazy.
HGL: Did you watch the 1979 miniseries, read the novel, or try to separate yourself from it?
Jordan Preston Carter: When I was playing Mark, I tried to take inspiration from the miniseries and the movie with Rob Lowe. I tried to put my own spin on it and combine all three of those into this one character. I think it paid off pretty well.
When I was auditioning for the role of Mark Petrie, I did a lot of research and even before that, I actually read the entire novel. It took me a while because the book is very long, but it was worth it.
HGL: Do you have a favorite scene you filmed?
Jordan Preston Carter: My favorite scene was when Barlow was punching through the roof of the drive-in theater. They didn’t tell me where he was going to be punching or when. All I heard was action, and then BOOM. They told me where to run, but I didn’t expect him to be that fast and to be that powerful.
You can definitely tell in the movie that it was such a shock to me because you can see my whole face just light up.
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HGL: Lastly, you have a busy career, but you’re also a teenager. Is it tricky to find balance?
Jordan Preston Carter: It’s all thanks to my mom. You can even call her “momager.” She’s been there for me, and whenever I had any issues or problems, she handled them. I have to thank her for that because, without her, I wouldn’t even be here today.
But to answer your question, it’s kind of easy for me, honestly, cause I don’t really go out and tell people that I’m an actor. I hang out with my small group of friends, and we just have fun. We go out and do things; actually, we’re going to go to a pumpkin patch and a corn maze. So that’ll be fun.