WWE's Kane Scares up "See No Evil"

In Theaters May 19

Here’s some nice, wholesome family entertainment. Everybody’s favorite WWE baddie Kane is making his feature film debut. In See No Evil, Kane plays Jacob Goodnight, a serial killer let loose on a group of hapless young victims. Bring the kids.

“Jacob first and foremost is a killing machine in the vein of a Michael Meyers or Jason Voorhees,” Kane said. “However, I think Jacob is much deeper than those characters. He’s a human being who chooses to be a killing machine and he is a human being. And there are points in the movie where you do see his humanness come out. To me, that makes Jacob even scarier because he knows what he’s doing and he chooses to do it anyway.”

Kane did not get into wrestling hoping to be the next The Rock. He still considers himself a wrestler first and foremost. But See No Evil provided him a natural transition between Kane and Jacob Goodnight. “It was never really something that I planned on doing. It was a project that WWE chairman Vince McMahon talked to me about and I was very interested in doing because I thought I could do well with the Jacob Goodnight character. But as far as being like an aspiration to make movies, to be a movie actor, that wasn’t one of mine.”

That said, once he was on the movie set, Kane found filmmaking to be a familiar arena. “Our product of course is based on a television product. We do a lot of the same things. I was doing the same things on the set that I do with the WWE with the exception of in the WWE we do things live for the most part. We do things in one take and of course in movies, that’s completely different. Because of my experience with WWE, I did all my own stunts in the movie. And then also, I used to wear a mask for years when I first came into the WWE and I had to learn to portray emotions and basically perform with body language. This is something that I think I do very well as Jacob Goodnight also.”

The only new thing to deal with was having McMahon is Kane’s boss twice over. “One thing about Vince is he asks you to work very hard, but the other thing about him is that he outworks everybody. He gives people opportunities and if you can capitalize on the opportunity, more power to you. But that’s all anyone can ask is for an opportunity and he gives them to you. And also Vince is very loyal to people and he’s good to the people that have been with him for years. So I couldn’t really ask for a better boss.”

WWE fans already know that See No Evil is hitting theaters on May 19 because Kane and McMahon have been using WWE’s nightly programs to build a storyline. “The importance of the date and what happened on May 19th, when I found out that that was when the movie was premiering, that triggered something inside of me, something which I’m not at liberty to tell what right now. So I would say that not only moviegoing fans but also wrestling fans are greatly anticipating the May 19th arrival.”

“This is WWE’s debut film done in conjunction with Lionsgate. So we’re going to use every avenue we can to get people in the movie theater. And once they see it, they’re going to realize it is a very good movie. And they’re going to tell everyone else about it too. But we have with Monday Night Raw and with Smackdown, we have an opportunity to promote the movie through our shows which we do with the trailers and all that. So yeah, of course we’re going to take that opportunity.”

At 6’9” and over 300 pounds, Kane was made for physical work. Having tried out football and basketball, the WWE best took advantage of his strengths. “That’s part of the reason that I got into wrestling was because I figured there was only so many other people on the planet that were as big as I am and gifted with any sort of athletic ability. So I thought that was a major reason why I decided to pursue wrestling back when I did.”

There were a few other personas that failed to capture audience’s attention until he put on the mask and became the mysterious Kane. “I think just because the story has been so tremendous. Just being able, when Kane initially appeared, having a feud with The Undertaker and being tied in with The Undertaker. In my own opinion, the long term story and the character development has, along with The Undertaker, been the best that the WWE’s ever done.”

Now that he’s wrestling with his own face visible to the public, Kane looks back on his masked days with nostalgia. “I do just because we all look back with nostalgia on things and the mask added even more mystery to me. But in other ways, I really don’t miss it because it was a little bit of a pain. But really the most important thing was just it served its function and it hid my face from the world. We all have masks that we wear. Mine was a literal one.”

Aside from hopes for more Jacob Goodnight outings in See No Evil 2 and 3, Kane looks forward only to more nightly matches in the WWE. “I haven’t pursued anything yet just because all our efforts are being put into making See No Evil a success. Hopefully the door that it’ll open is that we can do more See No Evils and Jacob Goodnight will become a part of pop culture on the level of Michael Meyers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kreuger. I’m first and foremost a WWE superstar. WWE has been very good to me. There’s nothing like going out in front of the fans every night and hearing them appreciate what you do. Whether they’re screaming your name or whether they’re booing you out of the building, either way you know that you’re doing your job. There’s just nothing like it. Some of our other guys have made transitions to fulltime movie stars but I’m first and foremost a WWE entertainer superstar and that’s what I want to do.”