Freddy vs. Jason: 10 Things You Didn’t Know
By Jeremy Dick
Brad Renfro in Ghost World (Photo: United Artists)
9. Brad Renfro was fired one week before shooting
The character of Will in Freddy vs. Jason is one of the most prominent of the film. He is very involved in the plan to stop Freddy Krueger and manages to make all the way to the end. Jason Ritter plays Will in the film, but only because he was brought in at the last minute.
Brad Renfro of The Client and Apt Pupil fame was all set to go as the film’s primary male protagonist. The role likely would have been great for his career. But just one week before shooting began, Renfro was fired from the movie so Ritter could replace him.
Apparently, Renfro had shown up on the set so “strung out” he couldn’t even perform. This caused a panic with the producers, and Renfro was swiftly booted from the project. “Creative differences” was the reason given to the media at the time, but the truth about Renfro’s substance abuse problems eventually came out.
Sadly, there’s no happy ending to this story. Following his dismissal from the film, the young actor was never able to take control of his addictions. On January 15, 2008, Renfro was found dead from an accidental heroin overdose. He was only 25 at the time of his death.
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