As an actor, you really want to resonate with your audience. I played a character on Oz and people still approach me in the streets today.

What I like about the Carpenter take on The Thing is the fact that it just has so much suspense. It seemed like a different story, with the horror elements. Those films that really speak to the primal fear that we, as human beings, have about the unknown have always intrigued me. That's the really scary thing, not the slasher, macabre movies.

It's a significant question: should black people only adopt black children, and white people white children?

The actual fights themselves are very demanding. You don't want to drain yourself. But it pumps you up, gets you in the zone. It's a good way of getting you into the zone for the scene.

It's very important to stretch, because while it's good to look pumped, a lot of the moves are split legs, and twisting fast. So you really, really have to stay supple.

You don't want it to be a replica or an imitation. You want to create something fresh, original, very unique.

You really have to act your pants off to stay alive. I thrive on that; I rise to the occasion of the circumstances.