It's hard to believe that Leatherface is a real guy. Sure, there's the whole John Larroquette monologue at the top of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre claiming the movie is a true story. But it's not. It might be loosely inspired by real events, but it's an entirely fictional story.

When we say that Leatherface is a real guy, we mean that he's an actor playing a part. It's difficult to rectify, like finding out Santa Claus isn't real. How could this movie monster, one so convincingly scary, be just a guy in a mask? It stands to reason that there should be some true evil in there somewhere, right? 

Despite what appears onscreen, Leatherface is just an actor named Gunnar Hansen in a mask. The movie is a testament to Hansen's acting skills. We buy it when we see him kill those people, and it's because of how well Hansen sells it.

So, how did that all come about? Was Gunnar Hansen waving a chainsaw over his head, and a casting agent just happened to see him? 

"It happened by accident," Hansen told John R. Wiggins of the Ellsworth American in 1976.

"A few years back, I did 'Of Mice and Men' at the University of Texas, where I was studying English and math. I wasn't in the drama department, but I got involved with theater there. A couple of years later, I went back to Austin to start graduate school in the summer of 1973 and ran into the guy who played George. We were sitting in a drug store, having coffee and remiscing, and a friend of his came by and listened to the conversation. He finally asked if I was interested in acting. He said he had a movie part coming up that I would be perfect for, although at the moment they thought they had a Hollywood actor lined up for it."

Fate intervened, and horror history changed with it.

"A week later, they found out they couldn't get the actor they wanted, and he put me in touch with the casting director. I walked through the door, and they explained the role to me and asked me three questions.

"They asked if I was violent, and I said no. They asked, 'Are you crazy?' and I said, 'No more than anyone else pretends to be.' They asked, 'Can you do it?' and I said, 'Sure.'"

From there, Gunnar Hansen's life trajectory changed very suddenly but not for the reasons he'd maybe hoped.

"That was on Monday. I signed a contract Friday. I weighed over 300 pounds then, and I found out later that they decided to hire me the minute I came through the door because I filled it. It had nothing to do with my self-confidence that I could handle the part."