By Seth W Owen

Lawrence “Larry” Talbot Jr. is a sweet, talkative middle-aged man happy to give me a walking tour of the “Wellness Retreat” he’s a partner in near Santa Barbara. One would never guess that once a month Larry becomes The Wolfman, one of history’s most feared and famous monsters. The Talbot name has long born the mark of the werewolf – ever since Larry’s grandfather incurred the wrath of a gypsy curse. The Wolfman of today seems to bear little of the gloom-and-doom based disposition of his forebears, and as we stroll he often stops to quite literally smell the flowers. “It’s wonderful here, isn’t it?” he remarks, “So peaceful. It look me a long time to get to a place of real inner peace. Now I have it out here… and in here.” Even the discovery of several mutilated deer carcasses on our wooded path fails to put a dent in his sunny outlook, and he is quick to attribute their
demise to local coyotes. What follows is an exclusive excerpt from a much longer conversation…

How do you reconcile your two lives – as man and wolf?

For a long time I thought I could kill the wolf within. Or at least muzzle it. But then I realized – and I really have Robert Bly to thank for this – that I had to embrace it! I had to feed it! And when I did that, I found that “oh hey, you know what?” The more I nourish my inner wolf, the tamer it becomes. By inviting the wolf into my everyday life I no longer feel the need to really “wolf out” every time the full moon pops up.

You’ve found a way to control the transformations?

I sure have. Yep. Absolutely. It’s all about inner peace. A lot of meditation, positive thinking. Of course I still take precautions. I have a state of the art restraint system. All the bells and whistles. Just to be on the safe side. Am I one hundred per cent curse-free? Of course not! And I realize that you just can’t look at it in terms of absolutes, like that. This curse, you know, you have to live with it. And it took me a long time – three marriages! – it took me a long time to realize that I had to live with it.

Speaking of the curse, you’ve recently spent a lot of time working with the Gypsy community…

I have. Absolutely. There’s been a lot of animosity – quite literally – between the gypsy people and my family for a long time. Too long. And I held a lot of anger for a long time, at them, for well- sure, ok, they placed a werewolf curse on my family. But ok, let’s look at that. Let’s step back from that and see why they did what they did – what my family did to provoke it… because we did something! We did, and we have to accept responsibility for those actions. And the gypsy people – well, part of my whole recovery from this… anger… was really looking into the history of the gypsy people and seeing what they’ve been through, and what they’ve had to face, because wow! It’s a lot! So… we’ve all suffered. And the thing for us to do now is really to get together and raise awareness – to say, hey folks – let’s respect the gypsies and their traditional way of life, and their beliefs – or you know what, they might put a curse on us! Now – am I hoping that one day they might lift the curse? Of course! I’d be lying if I said any different. But it’s not a subject that – at this point – they’re particularly open to having a dialogue about. But I’m hoping, in time, there will be a change… They’re just a very… it’s a different culture. You mention removing a curse, and they get all spooky and talking in their crazy gypsy language and ah, it’s tough. It’s a tough nut to crack.

What about the most recent Wolfman film? With Benecio del Toro?

Love Benecio. Love him to pieces. A great actor – well, that goes without saying, right?
Did you see him in Things We Lost in the Fire? So good. Soooo good. But also a great guy. He called me! When they were starting to develop the film. We talked on the phone for like, half an hour!!! He didn’t have to do that. But he did. And I thought he did a great job! They took the liberties they had to take, and I’m fine with that – in general, I thought it was… sympathetic. What it means to live with a curse like that… there were a couple moments where I was just – aw jeez, they nailed it! Nailed it! But it just didn’t take at the box office. Why? Because, well, I don’t presume to know how Hollywood works, but… they were really telling the story of my father, my grandfather. And I don’t know if kids could relate so much – to the torches and the moors and whatnot. I think maybe they should have told the story of a more modern kind of wolfman. And I think that’s what will hopefully bring my own story to the screen, I’ve got a script I’m working on now, with a couple of young guys. There are a lot of fun, modern things we get to do! Like dating! Shopping! That kind of thing! Stuff people can relate to! Like Eat Pray Love. Or Teen Wolf. That was a picture! Michael J. Fox! I could totally relate, you know, to that movie, to my own problems in high school.

Were you a popular kid?

Oh, no, no. Yes and no. I mean, I was never on the basketball team or anything, you know, never did the whole howling on the top of a moving van thing. Though a lot of people tried to put me up to it!! It can be tough, you know, just being a teenager, let alone coming to terms with the whole werewolf thing! But it was a different time. There was a lot more shame attached to being a monster back then. Nowadays monsters are hip, you know? They’re cool! Everybody wants to be a monster! Who knows – maybe today I’d be running around shirtless, in jeans, in the rain! Like the Twilight guys! Taylor Lautner, really great guy, by the way. We’re gonna try to have a lunch. His schedule right now is just – out of control! He’s really hot right now, and deservedly so, he’s a real talent. But we’re gonna figure out a time to do it, and – we’ll see, I don’t want to jinx it – but maybe he’ll have a look at the script, for the movie. Because he would be absolutely perfect for it.

It’s true that Monsters are having something of a renaissance right now. Is there any chance that the Famous Monsters of Filmland might ever reunite in some capacity?

Phew. What can I tell you? I would love that. I really would. And you know who else would love that? Frankenstein! Frankenstein is one hundred per cent ready to go on this thing. I think because we both – we have such positive messages we want to be able to put out to people! His book – I Am Frankenstein – it made me cry. So so beautiful. And people haven’t got a chance to get to know that guy! Or (indicates himself) this guy. I’m not gonna lie – the money is a factor, sure. Of course it is! And that has a lot to do with some mistakes made in the past, some ill-conceived ventures and some trust placed with the wrong people. And this place, the wellness center, we’re doing such important work here, and we’re just woefully underfunded! Woefully! So the money would be nice. But for some of the others, it’s only about the money. It’s not about positive energy, or friendship. And because of them, we can’t get this thing off the ground.

You’re talking about Count Dracula?

Sure, ok, let’s come out and say it, because he’s been blunt about it – about us – in the media, so… I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Dracula can be a real pain in the neck! Especially when it comes to business. He just… he likes to put on a lot of airs with the royalty and everything and he likes to think he’s the top dog and a lot of other alpha male shine-ola that I just can’t deal with anymore, from the more positive place I’ve tried to make for myself now (indicates his heart) in here. But Frankenstein is ready to go. His ex-wife, who I’m still on very friendly terms with, she’s in. The Invisible Man. Creature from the Black Lagoon. Phantom of the Opera. So it’s a lot of ego, and a lot of star power, and for the most part we’re all willing to check our egos at the door and sign on for the TV show, or the 3D event, or any of the other really neat stuff that’s on the table… But some people want to pull their power trips and what-have-you, and for some reason he’s the guy that’s gonna get us the green light, so we have to deal with it. But I’m very confident that it’s going to get figured out, and we’ll all be back with something really exciting, sooner rather than later. Monsters are having a moment! We should be enjoying that moment! Culturally and yes, financially, but also emotionally, which is probably the most important thing for me.

What do you think explains the current interest in monsters?

Well, we’re all monsters, in one way or another, aren’t we? We all have a part of us whether it’s overeating, or drug addiction, or hoarding – that can be monstrous. And there’s always a lot of shame attached to that side of us, the side we want to keep hidden. I sure wanted to keep who I was hidden for a long time. But I think people like monsters because we’re putting it out there – I mean, I am literally out howling at the moon, and I think that’s a pretty relatable kind of self-empowerment. Boy, I just really hope we can get this reunion going. The 3D thing is really exciting to me, and some of the stuff we could do with social networking. It’s an exciting time. For me. For monsters. For everyone.