‘Crimes of the Future’ Ear Man Put 30 Ear Prosthetics in the Most Bizarre Place
Actor Tassos Karahalios plays the surreal Ear Man in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future. A whole lot of preparation went into the part, but it was worth it for this performer. However, he also got to take home some ear prosthetics from the horror movie set as souvenirs. Karahalios stored them in the more bizarre of places.
‘Ear Man’ Tassos Karahalios initially hung up on the ‘Crimes of the Future’ casting phone call
GQ interviewed Karahalios and talked about his role as the Ear Man in Crimes of the Future. The character performs in an underground show with his entire body covered in ears. His eyes and mouth are totally sewn shut as he dances with additional ears all over his body that he can’t even hear from. However, Karahalios initially thought his casting call was a bit too good to be true.
“Somebody called me and they told me, ‘David Cronenberg is coming to Greece to shoot a movie. And he chose you for a role,’” Karahalios recalled. “So I said, ‘OK, who is making fun of me? Tell me who it is.’ And then I hung up. And then they called me back and they said to me, ‘Don’t hang up, please. We are not lying. It’s true. David Cronenberg saw some videos of yours and he chose you for this role.’”
The actor is a longtime fan of Cronenberg and wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity to play the Ear Man in Crimes of the Future. “He’s one of a kind,” Karahalios said about the filmmaker. “He does something deeply personal and deeply unique. I mean, in Greece, he’s a myth.”
Ear Man actor Tassos Karahalios took 30 ear prosthetics home in the most bizarre way
GQ spoke with Karahalios about how designers Alexandra Anger and Monica Pavez took a mold of the actor’s ear. They had to create around 40 replicas total to pull off the Ear Man in Crimes of the Future. Karahalios recalled how surreal the entire experience was.
“The feeling is exactly the same as when you touch your ear, the same hardness, the same softness, the shape,” Karahalios said. “It was very weird.”
The makeup application process took roughly four hours to complete, and the actor couldn’t move during this time. His eyes and mouth were closed shut, so he couldn’t eat or see throughout the day of filming.
“I was really suffering,” Karahalios recalled. “But I was also feeling very happy because David Cronenberg was coming every five minutes and telling me, ‘I’m so happy. You are doing it very good.’”
Nevertheless, Karahalios got to keep some of the Crimes of the Future ear prosthetics. Cronenberg and the makeup artists took a few of them, but the actor got to keep all of the rest. He brought them home in the most bizarre way.
Karahalios continued: “I kept the original one, plus almost 30 ears in a box of pizza. Whoever sees it, they’re like, ‘Oh my God.’”
The actor had a lot of preparation for the role
Karahalios had a lot of preparation for the role of the Ear Man in Crimes of the Future. Cronenberg asked the actor if he would shave his head for the movie. They had e-mail exchanges back and forth to truly establish the character and the “essential body transformation” that would take place.
However, Karahalios had to find a way to work through the more difficult moments on the set as a result of the prosthetics. He used meditation to get through it.
“And something happened and I didn’t care,” Karahalios said. “I forgot I have needs. I didn’t want to see anything. I was not hungry. I was a bit thirsty after a while, but I said, ‘Okay, it doesn’t matter.’”
