10 Things You Didn't Know About Jeepers Creepers
9. Jonathan Breck Wasn't The First Choice To Play The Creeper
Victor Salva originally wrote the part of The Creeper with Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Pumkinhead) in mind, after being impressed with his performance in Salva's previous film The Nature of the Beast in 1995. Interestingly, Henriksen was also the inspiration for The Terminator after impressing James Cameron following working with him on Pirahha II: The Spawning!
However, Salva found Jonathan Breck's audition to be so terrifying that he cast him straight away. Breck totally committed to the character, shaving his head and wearing contact lenses that almost blinded him. Gina Philips (Trish) and Justin Long (Darry) were not allowed to meet Breck out of costume or see the truck before filming, so their horrified reactions on first meeting were completely genuine.
Breck was only replaced by Long in the final scene of the movie in order to account for the fact that The Creeper had stolen Darry's eyes!
You can watch Breck's audition here: