A new clip from upcoming film The Thicket has been released, showing Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield acting in a scene with Game Of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage.
The brief taster, in which Hetfield appears as an as-yet-unnamed sheriff, can be viewed below.
The Thicket is a western thriller directed by Elliott Lester (Nightingale) and written by playwright Christopher Kelly. As well as Hetfield and Dinklage (who also produces), the project stars actors Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace and Gbenga Akinnagbe. It will be released in US cinemas on September 6.
The Thicket’s official plot synopsis reads: “When fierce bounty hunter Reginald Jones (Peter Dinklage) is recruited by a desperate man to track down a ruthless killer known only as Cutthroat Bill (Juliette Lewis), he rallies a band of unlikely heroes including a grave-digging ex-slave and a street-smart woman-for-hire.
“Together they embark on a perilous quest to track down Cutthroat Bill that leads them into the deadly ‘no-man’s-land’ known as…The Thicket.”
The first photos of Hetfield in his role were published on social media last month.
The singer/guitarist has appeared as himself in numerous films, including 2004 Metallica documentary Some Kind Of Monster and 2006 comedy The Darwin Awards. He first acted onscreen in 2019 with Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile. Hetfield portrayed a police officer in several scenes with Zac Efron, who played Bundy.
Extremely Wicked… was directed by Some Kind Of Monster co-director Joe Berlinger.
Efron praised Hetfield’s acting chops in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel. “James Hetfield, to his credit, absolutely nailed the part, he just crushed it,” the actor said. “It’s like he’s been acting his own life. He had no fear. He did a great job. I was ready to maybe give James Hetfield [an acting] tip, but he didn’t ask for a single one. James Hetfield is the shit.”
Away from the silver screen, Hetfield continues to perform with Metallica. The band are currently touring North and Central America, with performances at Lumen Field in Seattle scheduled for tonight (August 30) and September 1. See their full tour schedule below.
The Thicket | Official Clip 6 | A Tubi Original – YouTube 
Aug 30: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 01: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 20: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 22: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 27: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 29: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico