Michael Myers may be a one-of-a-kind icon, but there's been a revolving door of actors playing him over the decades [1]. That's why it was such a big deal to diehard fans when it was announced that Nick Castle, the actor who originated the role in 1978's Halloween [2] would return to play the villain in the 2018 sequel. But if you were squirming in your seat during Michael's comeback, you likely weren't looking at Castle. Just who is behind the mask in the latest film? Read on to get the details.
Nick Castle
Castle agreed to put the Michael mask back on for this year's reboot [3], but only for one scene: when Michael and Laurie Strode come face-to-face for the first time in forty years. It's a poignant moment, given that this reboot ignores all the other movies and is a direct sequel to the very first film [4].
Apart from the 1978 and 2018 versions of Halloween [5], Castle has only appeared in bit parts in three other films. The majority of his credits are actually off camera; Castle wrote the '80s Kurt Russell classic Escape From New York and directed such iconic '90s films as Dennis the Menace, Major Payne, and Mr. Wrong. (Yes, Michael Myers directed a rom-com with Ellen DeGeneres [6] and Bill Pullman.)
James Jude Courtney
Apart from that initial scene between Laurie and her tormentor, Michael (aka "The Shape") is played by actor James Jude Courtney. He's the one you'll recognise in that opening prison scene, as well as the majority of the rest of the film.
While he's not a household name, Courtney has appeared in a number of big film and TV projects. He appeared alongside Tom Cruise [7] and Nicole Kidman [8] in Far and Away, starred with Meg Ryan [9] and Andy Garcia in When a Man Loves a Woman, and even had bit parts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Babylon 5.
While Michael may have seemed imposing when you first saw the 1978 movie, Castle is actually a pretty average height, standing at 5'10". Courtney, on the other hand, is 6'3". (Still not the tallest Michael! That award goes to 6'8" Tyler Mane, who played The Shape in Rob Zombie's Halloween [10] and Halloween II.)