Late star who played Human Centipede surgeon had very sinister acting rule while filming

'It was my choice from the beginning'

Causing controversy in numerous countries across the globe, The Human Centipede told the story of a German surgeon who kidnapped three tourists and conjoined them surgically from mouth to anus forming the eponymous Human Centipede.

The synopsis for the film reads: “A mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each other’s rectums.”

Not only is the subject of the film terrifying, but German actor, Dieter Laser, who played the role of the warped surgeon also had a rather menacing way of making the other actors on set feel naturally intimidated by him.

Speaking about picking up the role, Laser told On Demand Entertainment that he was a touch apprehensive saying: "It could become embarrassing, the intellectuals in Germany what will they think? The critics, my friends from the theatre.

"But if now, at the same time, an independent company would come and say, ‘we have a script, silence of the lambs, would you like to play the lead?’ What would you think?”

But just what was his sinister trick on set to make the other cast members feel a little nervous around him, well Laser didn't speak to the rest of the cast for the bulk of the filming process.

Laser, who was described as a method actor by those on set, said: "We never exchanged private talks or were kind to each other. I will stick in my wardrobe and only come downstairs to do my shot, to do that sequence and go away.”

In a conversation with HeyUGuys, Laser also said of his dynamic with the actors who played the three victims: “Based on that basic plan of how to portray Dr. Heiter, I kept away from them. During the whole shoot, very scarcely did we exchange private talk.

“It was my choice from the beginning. I said I want to be picked up from the hotel in the morning with a separate car, I want to come to the set alone. I have to be as far away as possible.

"I don’t want to talk to people, I don’t want to see people, I just will be called, go downstairs from my wardrobe and shoot so that I’m always on my track.”

He added: "The girls and the Japanese guy, very disciplined and dedicated actors, were a little bit afraid. Even privately I didn’t talk to them, I always looked very serious because anyway during work I look like I’m angry because I’m concentrated. Like a boxer with that tunnel view.

"They accepted that, admired it even and when we had our mid-shoot feast they said, it’s an honour to shoot with you and when we finished we had a celebration. Since then we like each other very much but that helped a lot. Them and me."

And boy did it work.

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