Linda Cardellini on Why Crystal Lake's Pam Voorhees Doesn't Have That Short Hairstyle
The Emmy-winning actress got an update look in the Peacock original series premiering October 15.
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Crystal Lake star Linda Cardellini has an answer for Friday the 13th fans who might wonder why her character, Pam Voorhees, doesn't sport the iconic cropped hairstyle her character has in the 1980 film.
Peacock and A24's prequel series is set in the early 1970s, and Cardellini's Pam has long blonde hair with bangs. It's a far cry from the cropped 'do actress Betsy Palmer had when she showed up onscreen as the killer in the original. It's a bold move in a series that holds many visual references to the source material; for example, a surprise snake scares camp counselors in the film and they kill it, while Crystal Lake's Pam Voorhees also discovers one in the series.
According to Cardellini, she "originally wanted to” rock the classic cut, but they went in another direction for good reason — and kept the second most identifiable thing about the first movie's murderer.
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Linda Cardellini reveals why Crystal Lake's Pam Voorhees has long hair
In a conversation with Deadline, the Emmy-winning actress and Crystal Lake series creator Brad Caleb Kane spoke to why Cardellini's character doesn't have an identical hairstyle to Palmer's version.
"We talked about it a lot, but then we realized we had ten years to get to that hairdo," Cardellini explained. "So, she can't keep that hairdo for ten years. It wasn't in style that much. So, we tried it for a second there."
Crystal Lake is set in the summer of 1971. After an opening scene set in 1958 following Jason Voorhees' drowning death that year, the rest Friday the 13th took place in the summer of 1979.
According to creator Kane, donning the exact same hairdo would venture too far into "cosplay territory."
"I think when you get into the place of, 'OK, we’re going to recreate Betsy Palmer’s haircut,' you start to get into cosplay territory, and I don't think you need to do that," he told the outlet.
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Linda Cardellini's blue sweater in Crystal Lake channels Betsy Palmer
While the hairstyle is new, Cardellini's take on the role does pay homage to Palmer's look in one specific way: Pam's blue sweater.
"The sweater was really exciting because I know it means a lot, and so putting it on sort of was a responsibility. I've had a few famous sweaters that had mantles I've had to carry, so I understand the weight of carrying a very important sweater and so I hope I do it right," Cardellini said, referring to the orange sweater she wore as Velma in 2002's live-action Scooby-Doo movie.
“The sweater is iconic enough," Kane added before praising Cardellini's performance of Pam in Crystal Lake.
"Because you hire Linda Cardellini, she's gonna create her own character, with respect to Betsy Palmer's performance, and a lot of that does come out," he said. "There are great, great nods and Easter eggs for fans, but you have to sit back and let her cook, so to speak."
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