Bill Hader’s Panic Attack Watching 28 Weeks Later’s Intense Opening
Bill Hader opens up about how the harrowing first scene of 28 Weeks Later triggered a panic attack, revealing how real-life anxieties can make even the scariest movies hit harder.
Bill Hader is no stranger to playing characters who are put through the wringer. Whether he’s a yoga-obsessed Santa in Noelle or lending his voice to the embodiment of Fear in Inside Out 2, Hader has a knack for channeling anxiety and discomfort on screen. But behind the scenes, he’s not immune to the very emotions he so often portrays. In fact, his own experiences with fear have sometimes caught him off guard in ways he never expected.
From Monster Movies to Real-Life Fears
Growing up, Hader was just like any other teenager who loved a good scare. He remembers those late nights spent under blankets, popcorn everywhere, glued to monster flicks.
“I remember being a teenager and just loving monster movies. ”
But as he got older, the things that frightened him shifted. The monsters on screen gave way to the real-life challenges that come with adulthood.
“As you get older, what you’re scared of changes into very real-life things. You lose people in your life, and it ’s brutal in a different way.”
The Movie Scene That Was Too Much
It was this new kind of fear that caught up with Hader during his time at SNL. He recalls the moment he watched the opening of 28 Weeks Later, a 2007 horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. The film’s intense, nerve-wracking introduction is infamous for its relentless pace and gut-churning suspense. For Hader, it was more than just a scary movie moment.
“I watched the opening sequence, and I had a whole panic attack. I was like, I can’t handle this right now, because I had, like, real-life stress.”
The combination of on-screen terror and personal anxiety proved overwhelming, blurring the line between fiction and reality.
When Movies Mirror Real Life
We often turn to movies as a way to escape the pressures of daily life, hoping for a couple of hours of relief from our worries. But sometimes, the stories we watch hit a little too close to home. Fresnadillo’s gripping direction made the opening of 28 Weeks Later unforgettable, but for Hader, it was the weight of his own stress that made the experience so intense. No amount of cinematic adrenaline could drown out the thoughts racing through his mind.
Finding Relief in a Different Sequel
Later, Danny Boyle’s follow-up, 28 Years Later, would earn even more praise, weaving in emotional moments that tug at the heart. If the zombies didn’t get to you, the fate of characters like Jodie Comer’s certainly would. Hopefully, Hader found it easier to watch this time around.