CARPENTER That was pretty obvious — I wasn’t dumb. But the reason I cast her is she could play this innocent, repressed girl, and she had a spark of intelligence about her. This was her first movie, so I called her after the first day of shooting. She needed that.

CURTIS When the phone rang at my house the first night and my roommate told me it was John, I thought I had been fired. As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard John say in his sweet Southern voice, “Darlin’, I just wanted to tell you how great today was.” That has never happened to me since.

Mr. Carpenter enlisted Nick Castle, a fellow alumnus of the University of Southern California film school, to play Michael.

NICK CASTLE I said, “I’d like to be on the set while you direct because it’ll demystify the experience for me.” John said, “Great, we’re going to have a guy walk around in a mask. Why don’t you do it?” It was as simple as that.

CARPENTER Nick’s dad was a choreographer, and Nick has a grace to his movements. I would say, “Nick, walk over here and … action!” That’s what I needed him for, and he was perfect for it.

CASTLE It didn’t take going to Juilliard to be able to do this, but people seem to like the movements I did. I was clay in John’s hands.