Sidney Blackmer: ''I didn’t mind the shock of being satanic.''

“I didn’t mind the shock of being satanic,” said Blackmer.

Everett Collection

Sure, we’ve all had our fair share of annoying neighbors, but we’re confident that most neighbors come close to the evil of Minnie and Roman Castevet. Though the two begin Rosemary’s Baby (1968) innocuously enough, they quickly shed their naive image before the end of the film. The duo spends the film manipulating protagonist Rosemary into carrying the spawn of Satan.

It paints a pretty gruesome picture, but actor Sidney Blackmer seemed to have no problem taking on the role of the villain and stepping into the shoes of Roman Castevet.

“I didn’t mind the shock of being satanic,” said Blackmer during an interview with The Charlotte Observer. “But looking around this world, you must realize that Satan has gotten a pretty good foothold.”

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Of course, Rosemary has no idea just how evil Roman is until the end of the film — a development that Blackmer played very carefully. “I conceal the fact that I am playing the villain - and let the thing suddenly dawn upon them. And so I am quiet and neighborly until we get to the machinations. And then I turn it on a bit.”

Despite the film’s success, Blackmer admitted just a few weeks after the film’s initial release that he hadn’t actually watched the film yet.

“I have never seen Rosemary’s Baby myself,” said the actor. “So I haven’t the faintest idea how I came out. But I had a telephone call from the producer, William Castle, the other day. He said, ‘Don’t be surprised if you get nominated for an Oscar.’”