Robert Englund says he’s done playing horror icon Freddy Kruger

Well, we know that time waits for no man and, it seems, it waits for no dream demon either.

Actor Robert Englund has become synonymous with horror icon Freddy Kruger, having played him onscreen since 1984 in a variety of shows, and a million cameos, crossovers and guest appearances and it seems that the star is finally, sadly, about to say goodbye to the career-defining role.

In a recent interview, the star was asked if, at 76, he’d be interested in playing Freddy one last time, should the right script come along and, it seems, his physical condition is just no longer up to such a physical role: “I’m too old and thick to play Freddy now,” Englund says.

“I just can’t do fight scenes for more than one take anymore, I’ve got a bad neck and bad back and arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang it up, but I would love to cameo.”

While there have been several attempts to reboot the Nightmare on Elm St series over the years, including one valiant effort by Watchmen star Jackie Earle Haley in 2010, it seems that like other iconic movie characters like Marty and Doc, Indiana Jones, the Ghostbusters and Ash Williams, there’s only one person who can put on the (in this case at least) iconic stripy top, fedora and knive fingers; not to mention that Englund brought a dark black humour to Freddy that made him not just terrifying but oddly likeable and sometimes that’s more than just what’s on the page.

I have no doubt that Freddy will once again hit screens in the future and he may even be done well, but we’ll always know that the man, the myth, the monster is the one and only Robert Englund.

But we really do hope he haunts our dreams again… on screen or in the solitude of our sleeping imaginings.

Source: Variety