It hardly qualifies as an overnight success. Having spent the best part of two decades right under our noses in projects as varied as Mississippi Burning, Goodfellas, The Firm and 24, the character actor Tobin Bell was not expecting to become a household name, particularly not with a gory, no budget thriller. But never underestimate the public’s appetite for quadruple shotgun traps and creepy puppets.

Released with little fanfare in 2004, Saw, a Sundance horror co-written and directed by debuting Australian James Wan has gone on to be a global phenomenon. The film, which cost under a $1 million and was shot in an old L.A. warehouse in under 20 days, was merely intended as a calling card, but went on to gross more than $100 million worldwide and is a continuing success on DVD. Two years and a successful sequel later and we’re up to the hotly anticipated Saw 3.
As most buffs will undoubtedly know, Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), Saw’s psychopathic central villain, spent only a few brief moments in full view in the original film. Fans, however, were keen to know more about the terminally ill killer with a penchant for fiendish devices. Jigsaw’s back-story has been explored in the comic book Saw; Rebirth and the latest effort from the little franchise that could sees him in unlikely romantic cahoots with a female protégée (Shawnee Smith).
“There’s some great character development this time around,” explains the actor. “The script itself was excellent dealing with his personal relationships. It’s all in the details – how they spend their time and who puts the garbage out. I was interested in that kind of texture. If those small details are not there, it affects everything else.”
In Saw lore, Jigsaw aka John Kramer has been diagnosed with an inoperable frontal lobe tumor. Realising how fleeting and valuable existence really is and watching other people take their lives for granted, he decides to address their lack of appreciation with meticulous schemes and ironic prisons.
Paul, a man who attempted to kill himself with razor blades, now has to crawl through a cage of razor wire. Amanda, a drug addict, has to dig through the entrails of her former drug dealer to get a key to unlock the reverse bear trap on her head.
“That’s probably my favourite device,” Tobin tells me. “I understand why people see John as a villain, but my job is think about why he does what he does. I think an actor has to stay on the side of the character. You have to create the humanity of that individual.”
Tobin, who has since been nominated for ‘Best Butcher’ in the Fangoria/Fuse Golden Chainsaw Awards, kept with a similar philosophy when essaying Theodore John Kaczynski in the TV movie Unabomber: The True Story.
“Well, we all have rights in this world”, he says. “And I understand why you might chain yourself to a mink factory. At one time, I was very involved with the National Resource Defence council because it became clear that the only way you could win environmental battles in America was through the courts. You can only fight savvy lawyers with more savvy lawyers. But I understand why some people become frustrated with the system.”
Listening to Tobin Bell, you wonder how he hasn’t achieved prominence before. His eerily calm voice, a huge factor in Jigsaw’s success, seems destined to chill the masses.
“I’ve spoken like this since I was 30,” he laughs. “That’s when I gave up drinking. All my friends say I became dull at that moment. So the voice never changes.”