Interview: Jason Robert Stephens on ‘Popeye the Slayer Man’

Move over, Robin Williams. There’s a new Popeye in town, and he’s not cracking open a can of spinach to save the day. He’s cracking skulls. In Popeye the Slayer Man, the cult horror reinterpretation of the beloved cartoon sailor, actor Jason Robert Stephens steps into the oversized shoes (and even larger forearms) of the world’s most violently reimagined marine icon.

Released in the UK this summer via Amazon and Apple, Popeye the Slayer Man has been steadily earning notoriety for its over-the-top gore, wild premise and savage grindhouse energy. In it, Stephens plays a mutated, trauma-scarred cannery worker turned monstrous slayer, wreaking havoc on a group of unsuspecting students who dare to poke around his abandoned workplace. For Stephens, it’s a role decades in the making – physically intense, darkly comic, and, yes, surprisingly heartfelt.

“I’ve known director Robert Michael Ryan since we were eleven,” Stephens says. “We grew up making horror movies on a home video camera. So when he told me the Popeye character was going into the public domain and he wanted to make a horror version, I was all in. As long as he didn’t skimp on the gore—I told him I was game.”

While Popeye the Slayer Man is rooted in absurdity, Stephens brought a grounded physicality to the role, shaped by both a career in front of the camera and a thirty-year stint as a police officer and fugitive hunter. “Once I had the costume and makeup on, it just clicked. You become that character. And it was a lot of fun, actually,” he says. “You’re balancing the brutal, badass aspects with something recognisable from the original. There’s heart there, too, even if it’s buried under blood and gristle.”

That softer side, according to Stephens, is revealed in one of his favourite scenes: “There’s a moment in the ‘layer’ – Popeye’s hideout – where we get a glimpse of his inner life. I improvised a lot of that, and I think it really helped humanise him. He’s not just a mindless killer. He’s taking out the bad guys.”

Not that the film shies away from carnage. Far from it. There are sequences involving severed arms used as weapons, grisly industrial deaths, and one particularly unforgettable moment Stephens remains tight-lipped about. “My favourite kill? Oh, you’ll know it when you see it,” he laughs. “It’s totally over the top. That scene was incredibly physical and fun to shoot. And yeah—you really want to see that guy get what’s coming to him.”

Transforming into the grotesque version of Popeye wasn’t easy. Depending on the scene, the makeup process ranged from manageable to “tedious,” especially during close-up dialogue shots. “But I knew it’d be worth it,” Stephens says. “And it was. When you’ve got prosthetics, spinach-stained teeth, and gore caked into every crevice—you don’t really have a choice. You’re the Sailor Man.”

That physicality extended to the fight choreography as well. With previous directing and stunt experience under his belt, Stephens helped shape some of the kills on set, improvising when time or location forced the team to pivot. “We had to get creative a few times. But I’ve worked with stunt coordinators before, and we figured it out. It wasn’t my first rodeo.”

His performance has already led to inevitable comparisons with action icons. “I get Jason Statham a lot,” Stephens chuckles. “Maybe it’s the hairline. I’ve had fugitives call me ‘The Transporter’—true story.”

While the film’s tone is deliberately absurd and drenched in grindhouse homage, Stephens isn’t ruling out another round. “You never know,” he says. “Maybe Popeye the Slayer Man Part 2. I’d be up for it. I’ve even got ideas—maybe we go seasonal. Popeye Slays Christmas? That Grinch better watch out.”

For now, Stephens is enjoying the chaos the film has stirred. Equal parts satire and slasher, Popeye the Slayer Man joins the growing wave of public domain horror oddities, reanimating icons from childhood and pushing them through a meat grinder of nostalgia, gore, and gleeful violence.

But through all the madness, Stephens insists on one thing: this Popeye has a purpose. “He’s not a villain. Not really. He’s just got unfinished business – and a whole lot of rage to work through.”

POPEYE THE SLAYER MAN is currently available to scream (stream) in the UK on Amazon and Apple.

Popeye the Slayer Man trailer