As an actor, Andrew Divoff has shined as intimidating characters who can be menacing or charming, and sometimes both. He played the Djinn in Wishmaster, Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hours, and Boris Bazylev in Air Force One. Divoff was a guest at Creature Feature Weekend where he chatted with Scoop about Wishmaster and playing antagonists.

Scoop: Have you had a nice time at Creature Feature Weekend?
Andrew Divoff (AD): I’ve absolutely loved it, I’ve loved it. Unlike the buddies of mine who got to go out to the battlefield, I did not. But I’m just amazed by the show and the crew and [convention runner Craig Yastrzemski] and everybody. They’ve been so cool. I got to get a shout out to Tom who was kind enough to volunteer to help out with the rides from the airport. It’s been beautiful.

Scoop: How did you develop the voice for the Djinn in Wishmaster?
AD: You know, it was in concert with [director] Robert Kurtzman, we kind of talked about what that would sound like and would it be a British accent or what. But, then I got to thinking about, you know, this is the Djinn. He’s basically an element more than anything else and he comes up out of the bowels of the Earth. So, it had to have that deep gurgly sort of vibe to it. So just practice. And I was lucky enough to hit upon protein shakes, which were easier to ingest while I had all that makeup on. And as it turns out, the whey in those coated my throat and allowed me to sort of keep the voice.

Scoop: How did the makeup affect your performance in Wishmaster?
AD: Well, that was one thing that Robert said, you’re going to have to almost overact to make it look just kind of normal. It’s as if you wrapped, I don’t know, 17 rubber bands around your jaw and your head and then had to fight it. It was constrictive but it allowed – with a little bit of exaggeration – it allowed the voice to come through and the gestures to come through as well.

Scoop: You’ve played some iconic bad guys in movies like Another 48 Hours and Air Force One. What is it about those characters that appeals to you?
AD: I just love the bad guy. You know I’ve played a couple of good guys, and I say that kind of glibly, never been more bored in my life. I just love the bad guy, and I understand the dance, if you will, of the antagonist versus protagonist. So, I like to be the antagonist. I like the one that pushes the limit, pushes the envelope if you will, and sees how far you can get and they usually get what they deserve by the end of the show, right?

Scoop: What have you enjoyed about voice acting for Call of Duty?
AD: I love just putting on that accent, the Russian accent, every now and then, being able to use the language and having Craig Houston as the director was just marvelous. His direction was right on. And yeah, I enjoyed the character. I think I was one of the first actors to actually do the body work as well for the first one, for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Scoop: What have been some of your favorite roles?
AD: I would have to say Toy Soldiers, Wishmaster definitely tops the list, and of course Cherry Ganz for Another 48 Hours.

Scoop: I love Toy Soldiers.
AD: Thank you. Thank you that that was fun. I remember it was a compliment when my agent called me and said well, “They loved you, but they said you’re not going to get a whole lot of work with that accent.” Then she explained to them that that’s not actually my accent. So that’s a compliment without meaning to be.

Scoop: What projects or conventions are on your schedule?
AD: I believe I’m heading out to Crypticon in Seattle. And then I’m going to be at a show out in San Antonio in June. Other than that, I’m working on a thing that I co-wrote, getting a trailer together and that’ll be sort of all of my socials. I would say within three to six months.

Scoop: Thank you so much.
AD: My pleasure, thank you.