PORTLAND, Maine — [Editor's note: This article contains spoilers from "Halloween Ends."]
Mike Arsenault is the latest kid from Maine to make it to the big screen.
The Limington native is featured as an extra in the final scene of 'Halloween Ends' and ended up playing a bigger role than expected.
"In the scene, I'm picking up [Michael Myers'] body and putting it into the shredder. That's the big scene. Laurie's driving him, he's tied to the top of the car, and then when we get to the junkyard, and I'm on the side taking him off and putting him in," Arsenault said in an interview over Zoom. "So, to say I destroyed Michael Myers' body is too cool."
The original "Halloween" debuted 44 years ago and led to 12 sequels. Arsenault said he remembered watching the film and instantly became obsessed.
"I was a big fan," Arsenault said. "I probably watched the first one when I was six-years-old, and that's who I wanted to be for Halloween every year, was Michael Myers."
Arsenault, who recently moved to Orlando, Florida to take a job at Universal Studios, said the opportunity to be a part of 'Halloween Ends' came out of nowhere, and it was pure luck that he got the call.
"I tried to do it back in February when they started shooting for the movie," Arsenault said. "Put in some casting and headshots, and they didn't pick me. And I thought it wasn't going to happen. It's fine, and then they were doing the re-shoots, and I had my second chance. I got booked, and I was so excited."
Soon after he got booked, Arsenault was headed to Georgia to film. He said he didn't know what scene he was a part of until he got on set. Arsenault would be one of 15 extras handpicked for the final scene where Myers' body was lifted into the shredder.
"It was extremely surreal to just be there and see like all the cameras, see the director running around and all the cast," Arsenault said. "And, I look over, and Jamie Lee Curtis is right there like five feet away from me just in her whole costume, [covered in] with all this blood and just hanging out waiting for the next scene."
Arsenault said he spent 12 hours on set before the cast wrapped up the final scene.
"When we wrapped set, at 6 a.m., the first thing I did was call my Mom and told her all about it. And it was just amazing. We filmed all night, and then I drove the four hours home from Savannah, and I wasn't even tired. I was just so pumped. It was amazing," he said.
A lot of Arsenault's friends and family back in Maine have already seen the film and reached out to support him.
"They're really proud of me. And they're like, 'This is amazing. We know how much you love that movie, love the franchise, and we are so happy you're in it,'" Arsenault said.
His experience on set alone was unforgettable, but he said meeting Curtis and sharing, not one, but two, moments with her was another major highlight of the experience.
Arsenault said he shared a quick conversation with Curtis on set. He asked her if, after the first Halloween debuted 44 years ago, if she ever expected it to turn into something huge.
"She said, 'No, we definitely didn't. We were just shooting the very first movie.'" Arsenault said.
The two met again on the red carpet at the premiere of 'Halloween Ends' at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood earlier this year. He had brought a poster for Curtis to sign and didn't realize the pen he brought had run out of ink.
"She's trying to sign it, and was like, 'This is not working. Don't worry. We'll get your address and send you a proper poster,'" Arsenault said. "I'm like, 'Okay awesome. And then I fly home, and waiting for me when I got there was this poster."
The poster had been signed by the entire cast and is now on display in Arsenault's home.
So, what's next for Arsenault? He has set the bar pretty high for himself and is hoping to star in a Marvel film one day.