'Creepshow' Season 3 Actor Johnathon Schaech Compares Shudder Role to Playing Jonah Hex on 'Legends of Tomorrow' (Exclusive)

By Stephen Andrew

Actor Johnathon Schaech is well-known for many high-profile roles in his career, but most recently many fans recognize him as DC Comics character Jonah Hex, on the CW superhero series Legends of Tomorrow. Now, Schaech stars in the newest episode of Shudder's Creepshow series, and he has some thoughts on comparisons between the character he plays and his portrayal of the comic book bounty hunter. Schaech appears in the second segment of Creepshow Season 3, Episode 4. Titled Meter Reader, the actor plays a kind of religious lawman who assumes the task of helping fight against a "demonic pandemic" that has consumed the planet. 

While the Meter Reader is out facing off against possessed humans and other supernatural evil, his family waits for him at home, worried that he could become infected. Once he does make it back, it's clear that something is wrong, and it's now up to his teenage daughter to stand ground and try to protect the family. Speaking exclusively to PopCulture.com, Schaech confessed "there was a lot of Jonah Hex in" the way he played the Meter Reader. "I have a very strong devil on this side and very strong light on this side," Schaech said, explaining that he plays "them very strongly, one or the other."

During the conversation, Schaech shared that he loved playing Jonah Hex and "would love...to get a chance to come back" to "at least have a proper goodbye." Schaech added, "He's got a lot of influence in society right now, and I think it was really important to bring Jonah Hex back." He then said that he's "heard" rumors "within the Jonah Hex world, in the comic book world, that there is a chance [for him] to come back." However, he clarified that "because of the pandemic, it's hard to even get me there." While fans will have to wait to see if Schaech turns up on Legends of Tomorrow again in the future, he can be seen in the new Creepshow segment right now. 

In "Meter Reader" — which was written by John Esposito  — Schaech worked with director Joe Lynch, and had nothing but high praise for the filmmaker. "I had a great experience working with Joe," the actor said, adding that the filming process was "smooth and effortless" because of Lynch. "He loves what he does [and] you can see it in those images." Schaech also shared that Lynch really wanted the "Meter Reader" short to have a Western "flavor," which was part of why he injected a lot of his Jonah hex portrayal into the role. "I got to play the passion, the pain, the emotion," he said, later adding, "I really loved that."

The Night Clerk actor also shared some behind-the-scenes details about a "Meter Reader" sequence that sees him splattered with a kind of demon vomit. In the scene, Schaech's character is going toe-to-toe with a malicious spirit who has possessed an innocent girl. In what feels very much like an homage to The Exorcist, the Schaech's Meter Reader ends up covered in green puke, which the actor says was shot at him "with one of those pump guns." He then revealed that it took more than one take to capture the shot, explaining, "The first time I did it, it didn't really do much. And then they put more and they put it in there. It was split pea soup and it just went all over me."

Finally, Schaech admitted that even being covered in fake demon vomit couldn't take away from how much he loved filming "Meter Reader," saying, "That was so much fun, man." He then added, speaking as a proud dad, "That's the kind of stuff, I wish my little boy was there so he could be giggling at me... It's fun horror. We're allowed to do that." Creepshow Season 3, Episode 4 — which also features a musically mischievous segment titled "Stranger Sings" — is now streaming on Shudder.

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