Freddy vs. Jason: 10 Things You Didn’t Know
By Jeremy Dick
Betsy Palmer in ‘Friday the 13th’-Courtesy of Paramount
7. Betsy Palmer turned down a cameo appearance
On the topic of Jason’s parents, there’s an interesting bit of info about Jason’s mother. Betsy Palmer, who plays Mrs. Voorhees in the original Friday the 13th, was offered a cameo role in the film. This would have been the only time Palmer ever reprised the role beyond a flashback in Part 2, as her character died at the end of the first movie.
However, Palmer was not impressed with the pay offered, which would have been scale. Although the role would have required only two days of shooting, Palmer would have been happy to work for 200— as long as she was compensated fairly. Here’s how the late actress explains turning the role down in a past interview:
"“Yea, actually they approached me about a couple other ones, but they never wanted to pay me, they offered me scale. I guess they’re cutting corners, saving bucks, after making billions. They said it was only two days, I said I’d work 200 days. Pay me what you pay the men! I said thank you, but no thanks.”"
They didn’t have anything big in mind for Mrs. Voorhees, and were only offering pennies for the part. I can’t say I blame Palmer for not being involved. Still, it’s a shame to have missed the chance to see her play that role just one more time.