Proof: https://twitter.com/alxwinter Proof: http://i.imgur.com/0pyoP7e.jpg Here's my latest documentary, coming out soon: https://vimeo.com/51793046 Ask me anything about my experiences as a child star, or my Napster documentary Downloaded, my new child actor documentary, or anything else!

Comments: 1144 • Responses: 92  • Date: 

greg25011348 karma

With Bill & Ted 3, please help the younger generations understand that the appropriate term for a group of attractive women is "babes", not b*tches.

alxwinter1057 karma

oy, no kidding!

stazna01685 karma

I moved to California three years ago and while driving I saw an exit for San Dimas. I made my wife take the exit, found the local Circle K, and had my wife take a picture of me outside by the payphone. A homeless guy saw us and asked what was going on. I tried explaining, but I'm pretty sure he thought I was on drugs. Bill and Ted forever!

alxwinter899 karma

haha cool!! I made the mistake of going to Raging Waters once with my son. We didn't shoot in San Dimas so i forgot the connection. Needless to say I was mobbed.

dontstopnow659 karma

Lost Boys, Bill and Ted..... why didn't we see more of you in the nineties?

alxwinter1073 karma

Because I studied as a filmmaker and as soon as I could make a living doing it and moved out of acting, I did. In 1993

dontstopnow777 karma

Thanks, it's pretty strange to be able to ask you a question directly that I've been wondering about since 1995.

alxwinter879 karma

haha. welcome to these crazy modern times.

alxwinter509 karma

Okay thanks everyone for a great run of questions! Gotta go feed the kids...

Will be back another time!

Alex

DeanHumble412 karma

Do you know when the Mongols ruled China?

alxwinter744 karma

I don't know, I just work here!

superdookieness398 karma

Hi Alex! How close is Bill & Ted 3 to being made?

alxwinter695 karma

Honestly I can't talk about that right now. I will come back to Reddit first when i have news!

skizmcniz313 karma

reddit gets the first scoop? Awesome! Those two movies have been my favorites ever since I was a kid. I can't tell you how amazingly stoked I was to hear about a possible third one. Love you dudes!

alxwinter324 karma

thanks!!

toddtoven69373 karma

How close are you and Keanu?

alxwinter1227 karma

he's sitting on my lap right now and I really wish he'd get up and let me get a sandwich or something

Cuneus_Reverie354 karma

BILL S. PRESTON, ESQ!

Loved that movie years ago, now my kids love it. Thanks for your work. As for questions, do you feel that breaking out of the mold of Bill was hard and hindered your further career?

alxwinter546 karma

No not at all. Starring in a hit franchise is only good for your career. It opened a lot of doors that allowed me to move into writing and directing, my first love. I always loved acting, but being a filmmaker is my core interest.

Cuneus_Reverie169 karma

Thank you for your reply, and keep on going, it's been a pleasure watching your works.

alxwinter226 karma

thanks!!

Fart_Truster308 karma

How did George Carlin come to be involved in B&T?

alxwinter531 karma

He was a very happy accident. they were going after serious people first. Like Sean Connery. And someone had the idea, way after we started shooting, of George. That whole movie was a happy accident. no one thought it would ever see the light of day

Fart_Truster200 karma

That's so cool, thanks man! I miss that guy, I'm glad he was involved.

alxwinter521 karma

We all miss George terribly. Reeves and I saw him at a restaurant very shortly before he passed away. No idea he was that sick. Feel lucky we got a moment with him.

skizmcniz212 karma

At least you guys got to see him one last time before he passed. I'm 26 and was a fan of his since Shining Time Station when my dad turned me on to him. I was lucky enough to see him perform a few months before he died. Being in the same room with that great man is still one of my most cherished memories. He's a legend.

alxwinter310 karma

genuine legend

noobydoo274 karma

[deleted]

alxwinter401 karma

It's a rare entree into an extraordinary world that very little has been talked seriously about. It will follow several current child actors, some very famous ex-child stars and get into the whole spectrum of this environment - warts and all!

chachomcleod259 karma

Hey Alex - I gotta say, not only are the Bill & Ted movies awesome, but I'm a big fan of Freaked as well. Thanks for doing this.

1) I know you had a hand in writing and directing Freaked. How hard was it to get it made? It's such a weird and funny movie - totally different than anything else out there so I imagine it was hard to get financial backing. Maybe I'm wrong.

2) Are you and Keanu friends? Do you guys hang out at all? If I was you guys I would go to bars and parties and stuff in character - would you guys do that for me?

alxwinter981 karma

  1. It was crazy hard to get made. Me and Tom Stern wrote Freaked originally as a low budget vehicle for the Butthole Surfers. Sam Raimi tried to get it made as producer. When that didn't happen, we re-wrote it as a friendlier PG movie with our Idiot Box cohort and resident genius Tim Burns. And sold that to Fox. A strange Hollywood tale indeed.

  2. We don't go out in character. But true story; once we accidentally stepped out of a restaurant into the middle of the NYC Halloween Paraded, and someone walked past us and said (without irony) "hey look, it's two old fat guys trying to be Bill and Ted"

chachomcleod119 karma

Oh man - I can only imagine what Freaked would have been like with an "R" rating or Sam Rami's input. Still an awesome move though!

alxwinter108 karma

Thanks!

4a4a240 karma

As a teenager I listened to the soundtrack to Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey about a bazillion times. Just sayin'.

alxwinter448 karma

thanks, me too, which is embarrassing to admit. Lost Boys too.

skizmcniz150 karma

God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II, in my opinion, is the quintessential rock song. Great instrument work, great lyrics, the kind that really get you motivating and moving, and it was a perfect ending to Bogus Journey. I still get goosebumps when the song starts.

4a4a93 karma

Absolutely! Lots of other solid songs on that album too, and a couple forgettable ones. I also love The Perfect Crime by Faith No More.

alxwinter156 karma

yep. was fun working with Jim Martin

aydoubleyou221 karma

Hey, Alex. My name is Alex Winter too. I admit my parents accidentally stole it from you. Don't you hate it when people append that dreadful "s" to your last name? Have you met anyone else named Alex Winter before?

I just wanted to thank you for keeping any info about me buried within Google by all of your fan pages and such. ;)

alxwinter334 karma

Hey kindred spirit! Yes one out of five adds an S. When I met Jonathan Winters (rip) he told me people did the opposite to him so I felt better.

chocturtle206 karma

My wife is a ridiculously huge fan of the Bill and Ted movies. Her name is Brooke, and a shout out would make her day. So here is my question... Will you give a shout out to my wife, Brooke?

alxwinter496 karma

Be excellent Brooke!

DeanHumble186 karma

What's your favorite Bill quote?

alxwinter558 karma

"How's it going Royal Goat-Faced dude?" - a deleted line of from the medieval section, to the king.

Manifest172 karma

What number are we thinking of right now?

alxwinter414 karma

96 dude!... or something like that... been a while ;)

Manifest319 karma

Awesome! Last year when I got married I ended my wedding vows with "Be Excellent To Each Other."

I will forever be jamming out, waiting for a third movie.

alxwinter221 karma

Nice!

_himynameismike162 karma

Will we be seeing more from Wyld Stallyns?

alxwinter265 karma

hopefully yes

Tiger21SoN144 karma

On a scale of 1-10.....

How much do you like Wayne's World? Please...my friends and I have been craving this answer for years...

alxwinter233 karma

  1. but i won't say which way that scale runs :)

alxwinter348 karma

oh okay. I love those movies. it's not like BnT cornered the market on movies about idiots.

dontuforgetaboutme23131 karma

[deleted]

alxwinter258 karma

I didn't. I did for Atari, it was unplayable! Just like the cereal was inedible!

itsdavidthegreat118 karma

What are some of the biggest challenges facing child stars, and what impact does America's celebrity-obsessed culture have?

alxwinter169 karma

navigating the industry is hard at any age. it's especially fraught as a child. And the culture's obsession with raising up and tearing down celebrities is especially hard when that celebrity is young.

itsdavidthegreat54 karma

Thanks for the response! One of my friends has a couple of kids who have been doing a bunch of acting lately - what's some advice you would give to an aspiring child actor?

alxwinter125 karma

more to the parents than the actor. be there all the time. be sane. and be vigilant. when things go bad, they go bad very quickly.

davidw111 karma

Not a question, but my recollection of my senior year at South Eugene High School in 1993 was that our "class motto" or some such thing was "be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes".

alxwinter98 karma

love it!

brendonconnelly108 karma

Any updates on getting Idiot Box onto DVD?

alxwinter155 karma

Working on a streaming deal for it. Hopefully that will happen. Will post when I have more info!

txgi355108 karma

are you and ted still friends?

alxwinter201 karma

very much so

mondojay107 karma

What's the best thing a fan has ever told you about one of your films?

alxwinter248 karma

That Freaked made them one to slather themselves with toxic chemicals, turn into a hideous mutation and join a South American carnival sideshow!

But seriously, when little kids come up to me that just discovered Bill & Ted, it's pretty heartwarming.

Fracktarded99 karma

Freaked made me realize what a great writer you are. What do you do with your downtime between making movies?

alxwinter139 karma

I write for TV, direct a lot of commercials and episodic TV and hang out with my family. Got a house full of boys to manage!

brak6098 karma

Somebody from above beat me to posting the question I was going to ask, so I just want to say I really enjoy your work, and it's been great following you on Twitter.

alxwinter120 karma

hey man thanks a lot!

WNW381 karma

[deleted]

alxwinter72 karma

thanks! make sure you check out Downloaded when it comes out this summer!

mondojay71 karma

What's the best way to get ahold of you for a podcast or blog interview?

alxwinter106 karma

mondojay70 karma

What got you into the documentary making business?

alxwinter129 karma

I wrote the Napster movie as a straight dramatic feature for a studio. It never got made. And given all the craziness right now with the Internet; rights issues, copyright issues, all of this contention, i decided to make it a doc and let all the players talk for themselves. And fell in love with the medium and now am on to the next one!

claudeandmaddie67 karma

Do you wish Keanu still had his old hair?

alxwinter145 karma

he does, but only for me.

claudeandmaddie67 karma

I thought I was the only one, he told me I was special...

alxwinter123 karma

sorry

rickydavis165 karma

As you are a lover of documentaries, what are some of your recent favorites that everyone should go out and see?

alxwinter118 karma

Gatekeepers (movie of the year); The Crash Reel; TPB:AFK; Dirty Wars: 12 O' Clock Boys

It's a golden age for docs!

alxwinter88 karma

Oh and I forgot Undefeated, feels like years since that came out, there's been so many great ones...

ZuluPapa64 karma

I just wanted to say that I've seen the B&T movies maybe 50 times, and I still think they are fantastic. I wish you the all the best in your future projects!

What was your favorite part about doing Bill and Ted's? Is it crazy to have people still bring up a movie that you filmed when you were so young?

alxwinter125 karma

Not at all. we're thrilled people still watch and love those movies. chess with death was my favorite thing to shoot on those. and playing my grandmother.

ZuluPapa86 karma

Holy shit I never realized that you played your own grandmother! Also, Holy shit Alex Winter just acknowledged my existence! Fucking BILL!

alxwinter113 karma

now go watch it again! lot of make up, of course...

TheMarkness63 karma

What is the piece of work you've done that you like the most--besides Downloaded? I, for one, can't wait to check it out!

alxwinter105 karma

Thanks! I also love my movie Fever: https://vimeo.com/15629176 And Freaked: https://vimeo.com/15629925 And the Idiot Box: https://vimeo.com/15623413

TheMarkness53 karma

Freaked is a personal favorite of mine! Ricky Coogin sucks shit!

alxwinter67 karma

indeed he does.

zeppelin102362 karma

Who was your favorite of the historical people to work with, also were the names you came up with for them (so-crates, Bob Genghis Kahn etc) improvised?

alxwinter172 karma

yes some of the pronunciations were improvised. i remember when it occurred to us call beethoven Beeth-Oven. it sounded like the funniest thing i ever heard in my life. still makes me laugh

MrXBob59 karma

I'm sure you get asked this all the time: but what's the latest on Bill & Ted 3? There seemed to be a lot of buzz around it late last year, you even mentioned it a couple of times yourself - but now it's all gone quiet?

alxwinter104 karma

Have to stay mum on this right now. Will post some hard facts when i can!

Shim_Hutch51 karma

Greetings, King Moleman!

alxwinter69 karma

Greetings Squire!

byte-smasher50 karma

What do you think of the Lost Boys "sequels"?

alxwinter102 karma

honestly haven't seen 'em

NoShirtNoShoesNoDice49 karma

Not a question. Bill and Ted, and The Lost Boys were iconic movies so I just wanna say I'm a big fan :)

alxwinter47 karma

Thanks so much!!

another_new_username49 karma

What was working with Ice Cube like on Who's the Mack?

alxwinter90 karma

So great. We almost got into the middle of a gang war shooting it, but it was a blast.

another_new_username48 karma

That's a story I wouldn't mind hearing.

alxwinter136 karma

would take too long to write. involved being in the wrong part of town at the wrong time. and discovering that the gang cube's posse rolled with was not welcome. and a lot of guns. and two terrified white kid directors...

bruham49 karma

Would you rather win an oscar for best screenplay or best director?

alxwinter138 karma

no way to answer that and not sound like an arrogant jerk, right? I'd take either :)

richie93647 karma

anyway I could be an extra in the next bill and ted?! it'd be a check off my bucket list.

alxwinter89 karma

as the magic eight ball says; "it is possible"

7seconds46 karma

Huge fan of Bill and Ted's, as well as Freaked!

What is your favorite moment that happened during the making of either of those films?

alxwinter129 karma

Seeing Mr. T walk onto set in a taffeta dress. No question.

EdWontHolla45 karma

Hi Alex! Thanks for doing this ama! I grew up watching your movies and still drop a "station!" every now and then. What was your absolute favorite moment of shooting the Bill and Ted movies?

alxwinter58 karma

I always wanted to be in a barroom brawl in a movie. so shooting on the wild west set was really a childhood dream come true.

luddette43 karma

How are you today?

alxwinter82 karma

Just Jim Dandy. And you?

NoShirtNoShoesNoDice57 karma

You liar. You're Alex Winter.

alxwinter109 karma

No. Really. I... am... Jim... Dandy....

luddette9 karma

Well, fair to middlin' I'd say. Four weeks until I finish college so I have coursework coming out my ears but life is pretty stellar thank you for asking :)

Good luck with your documentary x

alxwinter14 karma

good luck!

mondojay42 karma

What upcoming movies are you really excited for this summer?

alxwinter90 karma

Midnight's Children, Gatekeepers, Star Trek Into Darkness, Epic, Pacific Rim, and my own movie Downloaded coming out!

raptor_theo41 karma

Favourite pizza?

alxwinter101 karma

clam and pancetta. white sauce.

theflamingskull40 karma

Do you still get mistaken for Sean Penn?

alxwinter69 karma

hah, not anymore. I used to get mistaken for Chris Penn way back in the day. And he would get mistaken for me. He and I would laugh about it because Chris of course was like 6'4" and 200lbs. And I'm a shrimp. we couldn't have looked less alike in person.

bruham35 karma

Loved Freaked Alex! Two questions:

1) Was there any reason why Keanu wasn't credited in his role in Freaked?

and

2) As a filmmaker, do you have any desire to remake any particular film that you'd love to add your style of direction to?

alxwinter64 karma

  1. was some contract snafu as i recall. he's credited every where else but the US
  2. Yes The Gate!! Still working on getting that up and running

tmaiden35 karma

What are you most proud of in the entertainment industry?

alxwinter67 karma

I really like doing so many things so i'm proud of having been in this business since I was 10 years old, and all the variety of things I've been able to do, and the amazing people I've gotten to work with so far. I know that sounds like a vomit-inducing sugary thing to say, but I actually mean it :)

RoninKengo29 karma

You were the bomb in Haunted Summer! Why don't more people know that movie?!

alxwinter43 karma

Thanks! Was a small indie art film. a lot of fun to make. Lake Como and Rome Italy for six months was not shabby.

thosewholeft29 karma

What is the most common line people say to you in public?

alxwinter68 karma

i'll give you one guess... hint, it's one word and has three syllables

Kendilious39 karma

Do they air guitar after said word?

alxwinter88 karma

to the best of their ability :/

benjaminjoseph29 karma

Which do you like more, acting or directing? And also, does anybody recognize you from the lost boys, or is it just bill and Ted?

alxwinter64 karma

I most prefer writing and directing. But I love to act too from time to time. And I get recognized for everything, every day, every where I go. Even Death Wish 3. Crazy

Skoganskogan27 karma

"If you see me getting mighty if you see me getting high, knock me down. Im not bigger than life" How did you get the Chilli Peppers gig?

alxwinter38 karma

I've known those guys a long time. And Tom Stern and I directed a video for them before I acted in that one.

DukeboxHiro27 karma

Do you have an oppinion on the Bill & Ted musical that was put on in the late 90's? I stumbled upon it through a fansite a while back and the soundtrack CD has been in my car ever since.

http://www.billandted.org/musicalmusic.htm

alxwinter43 karma

wow that one is news to me. Linda runs a great site over there. she finds everything!

yshuduno26 karma

has there been any talk of a blu-ray release of Freaked anytime soon?

alxwinter44 karma

I'm talking to some companies about it now. Hopefully so. Will post when I have news.

metallicsonatas24 karma

Are you still into motorcycles? if so, what do you ride these days?

alxwinter39 karma

Ducati Monster S2R. Been riding about everyday since 1983. And Reeves still has the Nortons.

TigStrBaron23 karma

Alex, I loved Idiot Box. Anything you can tell us about a dvd release or any sketches you wanted to do, but got shot down?

alxwinter35 karma

The great thing about doing that was that we could do whatever we wanted. it was the wild west of MTV dipping into live action, and the early early days of cable. so it was open season.

working on a streaming deal for release. too short for dvd (or so i've been told)

Dirgimzib23 karma

Now that we at least know there's going to be a Bill and Ted 3, I need to ask: Is there going to be a Bill & Ted 4?

alxwinter100 karma

we may do that one before BnT 3. Just cuz...

gutter_is_a_tool19 karma

In all honesty, if you could travel back to any point in history and wander about, where would it be?

alxwinter30 karma

hmm. Fin de Siecle Paris i think

groovybanana7417 karma

In one of your answered you mentioned you have a movie coming out called Grand Piano with John Cusack. What was it like working with him John Cusack?

alxwinter21 karma

Great. I've known John for a long time. We shot this in Barcelona and we had a killer time. It's a helluva town.

Excel8416 karma

Hi Alex. Loved The Lost Boys, one of those movies that defined my childhood, but my question is, what was it like to work with William Sadler in Bogus Journey?

alxwinter24 karma

Oh man Billy is soooo great! we cast him in Freaked as well. He is the man!

JennaBoBenna15 karma

Are there any books that you would like to see made into movies? What's your favorite kind of movie to direct?

alxwinter23 karma

I like themes that interest me, more than genres. So i'll do something in whatever genre best suits the theme, And great short stories often make the best adaptations

Cheeeeeb12 karma

Is the next Bill & Ted movie going to be called simply "Bill & Ted 3"? If so, why aren't you guys possessing any other equally awesome adjective-nouns? I feel like something-"Trip" could work, if you catch my drift ;)

alxwinter28 karma

Hah! that could be cool!

everythingisopposite9 karma

What is your favorite baseball team? 10 points if you say the SF Giants.

alxwinter19 karma

Cardinals. I'm a St. Louis boy at heart.

NoShirtNoShoesNoDice7 karma

IMDb lists 1985 as your first role, which would mean you were 20 (DOB: 17 July 1965, right?).

Were you in anything before 1985? 20 isn't really a child actor :)

alxwinter19 karma

That was my first movie role. I got my sag card in 1977 acting in a KFC commercial with Colonel Sanders, then spent the rest of my teens co-starring on Broadway; in King & I with Yul Brynner, and Peter Pan with Sandy Duncan, among others. I was what they called a Broadway Brat.

rathemighty6 karma

What'cha been up to since the last Bill & Ted? I don't really follow the lives of actors, so I wouldn't know.

alxwinter23 karma

good for you, you have a life!! seriously.

I stopped acting in 1993 and turned to writing and directing full time. which I love and keeps me very busy. Do a little acting here and there just for fun. Have a movie coming out soon called Grand Piano that I acted in with Elijah Wood and John Cusack. Great Spanish director made that one; Eugenio Mira.

mkr75 karma

n b4 Karmanaut removes this for being unscheduled and/or too interesting

alxwinter6 karma

oh no, will i be terminated???

Milkatron3 karma

Does it bother you that you'll always have to be tied to the Bill & Ted movies, and to a lesser extent Lost Boys? Would you rather not have to be known for that for your career. Though, admittedly, you seem to be taking it well.

alxwinter11 karma

Not at all. they're tied to my youth so they're like fun college memories.

sslater7653 karma

LOVE Bill and Ted, Freaks. Quick question, do you play guitar at all and can you play God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You (best ending song)?

alxwinter9 karma

My air guitar skills are rusty, i'll admit.

daxdaxdax1 karma

I just want to say I love Bill and Ted's Excellent Acventure. It's a great movie.

alxwinter3 karma

thanks! It loves you too!