What It Was Like For Jeff Daniel Phillips To Step Into Herman Munster's Oversized Shoes For The Munsters [Exclusive]

If you couldn't tell from the hit single "Dragula" from his 1998 debut album "Hellbilly Deluxe," Rob Zombie has been a fan of "The Munsters" for a very long time. So when the opportunity arose for the cult horror filmmaker and musician to revive the beloved 1960s sitcom, it's no surprise that he jumped at the chance. However, a number of false starts kept the project in limbo on several occasions, so the anticipation kept building and building for Zombie's vision.

With the film finally being released today, is it possible for the long-awaited PG-rated adaptation from the director who brought us "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Lords of Salem" to live up to the hype? We'll find out soon enough, but that question ultimately didn't weigh heavy on the shoulders Jeff Daniels Phillips, who is literally and figuratively stepping into the very large shoes of the Transylvanian-American patriarch Herman Munster. /Film's own BJ Colangelo talked to the actor, known for his roles in "The Gifted," "Westworld," and "3 From Hell," about the pressures of taking on such an beloved role and how ready the whole cast is to welcome the world back to Mockingbird Heights.

According to Phillips, Zombie first contacted him about playing Herman Munster about 12 years ago. When he got that call, he had to pull his car over because he was breathing heavily, likely with excitement and anxiety. When that iteration of the project fell through, he was at ease until about three years ago when the film started becoming a reality. At that time, his nerves came rushing back over whether he could pull off the part or not. Finally, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there were three more delays. So by the time everyone got to set, the actor was more than prepared to take on this legendary role. Phillips recounted:

"By the time we were ready to shoot, I think everybody was ready. Everybody was hungry to do it. Nobody had that nervous thing that you usually get when you just get thrown on a set, like a guest star on a TV show when you're trying to jump on a moving train. This, we've all sat with it for a long time and we were ready, I think. We all respect the show so much. We love the show. This is a love letter to the show. We're all fans, so we are excited to get it out there and revive it."

Along with their individual preparations, Phillips shared that the production had the luxury of rehearsing together for a month prior to cameras rolling. Viewers will get to see if all that hard work paid off now that "The Musters" is streaming.