Friday the 13th is coming back to screens after an almost 16-year absence, this time focusing on the mother of the franchise, Pamela Voorhees. Many forget that Jason Voorhees' mother was the original killer in the horror franchise, and Peacock's new Crystal Lake prequel series will explore what led Pamela to become the iconic slasher that set off a string of summer camp murders.
Ahead of Crystal Lake's premiere at TIFF, The Direct participated in a roundtable interview with stars Linda Cardellini (Pamela) and Will Catlett (Levon), who shared more about how the series adds to the iconic Friday the 13th mythology.
Cardellini, who is stepping into the role of Pamela Voorhees made famous by Betsy Palmer, shared that she "[couldn't] do what Betsy did," but that she instilled "echoes of her" in her portrayal. Cardellini also discussed working with Callum Vinson (who plays young Jason in the series) and her desire to establish their close mother-son dynamic. There's "a brightness to [Pam] that goes away" when her son inevitably dies, the actress shared.
Catlett joins the series as Levon Brooks, a sheriff in town who bonds with Pamela and becomes, "besides Jason, the most important relationship she has." Levon joins a roster of police characters in the Friday the 13th franchise, but in this one, he develops a close bond with Pamela despite her murderous tendencies. "The trauma and the grief bond them," Catlett shared, adding later that "if I arrest her, then that's another loss."
Crystal Lake premieres on Peacock on October 15, 2026. More snippets from the roundtable and the full video interview can be found below.
Linda Cardellini Brings New Life to Pamela Voorhees
"You Can’t Do What Betsy Did, and I Would Never Try To Mimic Her..."
- Question: "So Pamela's relationship with her son is at the heart of the series. What is something that you want an audience to understand that hadn't been seen or explored before, whether about the mother-son relationship or with Pam herself?"
Linda Cardellini: "I think that at the core of Pam, and I think something that I held onto, is she never ever gives up on [Jason]. We all know that Jason lives on, even though there's a lot about him in the lake drowning, and I think the idea that she never ever lets go of the idea that he's still around, and I think that is what keeps her going. It's what keeps her from sort of giving up in general, and it makes her do all the things that she's doing."
- Question: "Betsy Palmer played the character back in 1980, but you crafted a really individual identity for Pamela Voorhees. Can you talk a little bit about whether you drew upon her performance at all?"
Linda Cardellini: "Well, of course, I watched Betsy Palmer, and I know she is so well loved, but you can't do what Betsy did. That's so her own, and I would never try to mimic her. You know, but there are echoes of her in the performance, and there are lines that Brad and I were sure to keep in and to reiterate. She's present in my mind, but the series goes so far beyond her. The little bit of time that we got to be with her in the series, there has to be so much more to build out. So, I think there are nods to her, and I would hope a homage to her, but nobody can do what she did. It's so singular and spectacular in the movie."
- Question: "We get the chance to see Pamela before Jason's death and then after. What kind of things did you want to establish in her character before the event happened, and then how she changed after that?"
Linda Cardellini: "There's a brightness to her that goes away when he is gone. Anytime something really terrible has happened in my life, the world looks different the next minute, you know? There's a fork in the road of your life, you can think of the before and the after.
As you come to know later in the series, there's been several terrible traumatic things that have happened to [Pamela] that are sort of forks in the road for her, and she's carrying some grief and some trauma from earlier things, but nothing like what she's about to experience with Jason. So, for me, it was important that the look in her eye is a little more vacant and her voice drops a little bit more, and just that feeling of: the world loses its color more when somebody you love is taken away.
The interesting thing about that, though, is she gets it back every now and then because she knows he's not really gone."
New Characters at Camp Crystal Lake
"That Relationship Gets a Little Dicey Based on Pam’s Actions..."
- Question: "I was just wondering if you could both talk about the dynamic between your two characters."
Will Catlett: "Pam and Levon, they kind of both are dealing with grief. I just lost my wife, so I understand her. Everybody's looking for a safe home and someone to call home, you know? So I think that bond, the trauma, and the grief bond them in trying to figure out who you can talk to. I'm a sheriff in town. Nobody wants me in that town, and I'm trying to find a safe place. And so when I see [Pam], and I've already been through that–not in the way that Jason passed–but you know, I'm like, I can trust you. And you look in Pam's eyes, you feel like you can really trust her. So I think maybe I can build something, and maybe I can start again, so I think that forged that relationship."
Linda Cardellini: "We're sort of our only friends, in some ways. You have friends in the town, but Pam doesn't have any other friends in the town, really, and so [Levon] is one of the most important people to her. And then that relationship gets a little dicey based on Pam's actions, but it's a wonderfully complex relationship that Brad [Caleb Kane] wrote for us... I think it's probably, besides Jason, the most important relationship she has."
- Question: "One of the things I really liked about the show is the juxtaposition between your two personalities. Pamela is grieving, and she's in so much torment, but Levon is so composed, and a contrast to a lot of the cop characters who we see in the Friday the 13th franchise, who are very comical and zany. How do you bring warmth to a character like that when your acting partner is in such a state of frenzy or anguish?"
Will Catlett: "Well, I think naturally I gravitate to roles that have depth. Like what other story can I tell within the story that I'm telling? And I think Levon just really cares about this woman, and you just don't know why. It's like you fall in love with someone, you don't know why. He just has a thing for Pam. Pam's crazy. You know, Pam is out here killing people, but he's still hoping that, if I arrest her, then that's another loss. I lost my wife. Now I'm losing somebody else again. So I think that's where the richness and the warmth come from. Because you really believe that people are good, you know, until they show you that they're not."
Joining the Friday the 13th Franchise
"It’s a Lot of Pressure, but Hopefully It’s a Fun Ride..."
- Question: "So, joining a pre-existing franchise that has a beloved fan base already, did you all find it more exciting or more intimidating?"
Will Catlett: "Well, I was talking to Brad last night. He said, like, the accumulation of all the films, I think they've got like 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. You know what I mean? So we're in good hands... I think the fans are gonna really enjoy it. You know, from what I've seen so far, and then just what we were able to experience on set."
Linda Cardellini: "It's a lot of pressure, but hopefully it's just a fun ride for people. But, you know, there's no living up to Betsy Palmer. The franchise has so much nostalgia for people, and it's had so many incarnations. This is a whole new version of it. When I love something, I love any offshoot of it. So I'm hoping that people feel that way, you know? Nobody loves it more than Brad. So I think he's really tried to do what he thinks people would enjoy, and then also take some zigs and zags in places where hopefully we subvert expectations and also meet expectations."
Will Catlett: "And it's also a nice introduction to the new generation."
View the full Crystal Lake roundtable interview below.
