Metallica’s James Hetfield Discusses Future In Acting

Metallica frontman James Hetfield stars in the upcoming Tubi Films dark western thriller, “The Thicket.” The movie is set for a Sept. 6 release, and Hetfield plays lawman Simon Deasy.

In a new appearance on “The Metallica Report” podcast, Hetfield discussed the role in depth and shares his feelings on acting. And while he likes being asked to appear in films, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to take up a ton of his time in the future.

“Peter Dinklage contacted me through management, just saying, ‘Hey, I got a part for you in something we’re putting together. And I just thought of you, and that’s it.’ It’s, like, ‘Okay, cool,’” Hetfield said.

“I’m not into acting at all,” he continued. “I mean, I act enough on the stage, like projecting. For us on stage, projecting big, it’s almost more like Broadway. When you’re in a movie, you do just a little thing and that’s, ‘Whoa,’ that’s enough. I like big projecting. So for me to be invited to be part of a film where I don’t have to go and audition or something, ’cause that doesn’t interest me, really. I’ve done that before, and it’s not my bag, really. But he invited me along. There was a couple of other things that I had done before. (Director) Joe Berlinger asked me to do something similar in the Ted Bundy doc that he put together. It was, like, ‘I got this part. You’d be perfect for it. Come on, let’s do it.’ And that’s kind of similar to what, I guess, Peter Dinklage or the director had in mind. Like, ‘Hey, this is a part. You don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to train, you don’t have to do nothing. Just be you.’ It’s, like, ‘All right, I can do that.'”

The lengthy process of filming is also something that doesn’t appeal to Hetfield. “While I’m sitting in a trailer, and it’s probably minus 10 degrees out up in Canada, we’re outside of Calgary and I’m sitting there in period clothing, 1800s turn of the century,” he said. “I mean, the wool’s great, but the shoes, not so great. I’m sitting there with (assistant) Ray. It’s, like, ‘Hey, you’re shooting today.’ And then the end of the day, it’s, like, ‘Ah, we didn’t get to you today.’ And I told Ray, I said, ‘Hey, next time I’m asked to do something like this, remind me to say no.’ [Laughs] But that’s how it was in the moment. When it’s all done, the work you put into it, it’s, like, ‘Ah, yeah, that was nothing.’ But just when you’re sitting in it and waiting. Music is not about waiting. ‘I got an idea. Hey take this down. Let’s do this.’ Practicing your line and waiting to say it five days later is, like, oh, driving me nuts.”

“It’s certainly not a career choice for me. I love what I do and I wanna continue to do that till my last breath. But just something fun. I love that someone just asks you. They see you, they picture you in a part and then you go and you do it. I think that was very cool of Peter.”

A clip from the “The Thicket” featuring a scene with Hetfield can be seen below.