Chris Sarandon gives his villains charm without softening their menace. We also value his careful voice work: as Jack Skellington, he shares a role with a singer without making the character feel divided.
Fi1m perspective
When Jack Skellington begins to sing in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chris Sarandon hands the character over to Danny Elfman. We were charmed by Jack because we never heard that change as a break in his personality. Sarandon's speaking performance fits the film's fondness for its grotesque creatures. Sharing the leading role might sound like a disadvantage for an actor; here, it is evidence of how well he serves the film.
His film breakthrough, as Leon in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), depended on sensitivity in a supporting part opposite Al Pacino. A decade later, Fright Night (1985) made use of his charm as the vampire Jerry Dandrige. Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride (1987) belongs to the same broad habit of casting: a villain whose polish is part of the appeal. Yet the detective Mike Norris in Child's Play (1988) is a useful reminder that a horror credit does not automatically mean another monster. We value the vulnerability of that earlier work as much as the later menace.
Jack gives us another reason to look beyond the villains. Henry Selick's stop-motion film is affectionate towards its grotesque characters, and Sarandon's theatrical confidence suits that warmth. Elfman's elaborate music leaves room for showing off, but the spoken passages cannot simply be dead time before the next number. Sarandon makes them part of the same performance, which matters in a film so dependent on the pleasures of its musical numbers.
There are limits to what such careful work can do. Even The Nightmare Before Christmas grows thin between songs, and our affection for Jack does not make the storytelling fuller. We recommend it with that reservation, rather than treating Sarandon's presence as a guarantee that a film will hold together. Start with Jack, then try Leon before settling for a shelf of villains.
Biography
Chris Sarandon is an American actor. He was born on 24 July 1942 in Beckley, West Virginia, and studied speech at West Virginia University before earning a master's degree in theatre from the Catholic University of America.
Sarandon received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Leon Shermer in Dog Day Afternoon (1975). He is also known for playing Jerry Dandrige in Fright Night (1985), Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride (1987), Detective Mike Norris in Child's Play (1988), and providing the speaking voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). He has appeared in numerous film, television and stage productions, including recurring roles in series such as ER and Orange Is the New Black.
