Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kerry Washington and Omar Sy about their work on ‘Shadow Force’, what audiences should expect from the movie, how Sy’s characters disability is really his superpower, what Washington’s character is willing to do to protect her family, shooting the incredible action sequences, and working with director Joe Carnahan.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Washington, Sy, director Joe Carnahan, and screenwriter Leon Chills.
Kerry Washington as Kyrah in ‘Shadow Force’. Photo: Juan Pablo Gutierrez.
Moviefone: To begin with, Kerry, as both an actress and a producer, what would you say to moviegoers sitting down right now in a theater to see this film, to prepare them for the action-packed theatrical experience they’re about to have?
Kerry Washington: I would say this film is so exciting because it is a big splashy action drama, but at its center, at the heart of the film, is this family story. It’s about love, it’s about sacrifice, and it’s about doing whatever it takes to protect the people you love the most. So, it really is a beautifully balanced film and a great film to see with the people you love most.
Omar Sy stars in ‘Shadow Force’.
MF: Omar, your character has hearing loss, but he considers his disability to be a superpower, can you talk about that and your approach to playing Isaac?
Omar Sy: I love that. I love that because I’m always saying that these movies, it has so many things to say about the family, about that, and even about people. To give that message that sometimes we have our specificities, we have something that we have, it’s our own, and even a disability can sometimes help you to work somewhere else and be stronger somewhere else. So, it is his superpower, like he’s described, not hearing gives him more focus on other things. They can feel more, so I like the idea, and then the thing for me was to approach that, it was a slow-mo. I was just breathing a lot and feel like everything. Like he says, everything slows down when you don’t hear. You can have your own rhythm and then you connect to Bruce Lee. He says, “It’s smooth. Smooth is fast.” So, you slow down and you’re going to get speed, so I was a little bit Bruce Lee in my head.
(L to R) Kerry Washington as Kyrah and Jahleel Kamera as Ky in ‘Shadow Force’. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
MF: Kerry, can you talk about Kyrah and Isaac’s relationship, the threat against them and what she’s willing to do to protect her family and her child?
KW: I really liked the relationship between Isaac and Kyrah because they’re obviously estranged lovers and they’re dealing with that estrangement, with what it means to be separated and to have been apart. There’s a lot of misunderstanding between them, so the fight scenes between Omar and I were fun because it was like a couple trying to figure each other out. The fight scene was like a dialogue, and we were remembering each other’s fight styles, just remembering each other’s hearts, so it was fun to think about how a couple who are both killers, how they love each other and how they communicate.
Omar Sy as Isaac in ‘Shadow Force’. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
MF: Omar, can you talk about preparing for the action sequences and which scene was the most challenging for you to execute?
OS: Well, the boat (scene) because it was the end of the shooting. It was moving a lot and that was more exciting, but also, I think the most difficult because the balance is different. On the ground you know exactly what you do. On the boat, it’s also the boat moving, and you must find your balance on that. That was a little bit different and more challenging, but it was also the most exciting.
Director Joe Carnahan on the set of ‘Shadow Force’. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.
MF: Finally, Kerry, can you talk about shooting the action sequences and what was your experience like working with director Joe Carnahan?
KW: Well, it was fun. If you’re going to do badass action sequences, you want to be with a guy like Joe who is living it. Every take he’s screaming louder than we are. He’s just so into it, so passionate, and he loves it. For me, you want to work with somebody who’s most passionate about the area that you’re working in, and so I think he really pushed both of us, our stunt team, everybody, to really go beyond our comfort zone to try to find some extra magic.
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What is the plot of ‘Shadow Force’?
Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy) were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force, but broke the rules by falling in love, and they go underground to protect their son (Jaheel Kamara) with the rest of the Shadow Force hot on their trail.
(L to R) Daniella Pineda and Cynthia Addai-Robinson star in ‘The Accountant 2’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Daniella Pineda about their work on ‘The Accountant 2’, Addai-Robinson’s reaction to the screenplay, how her character has changed since the first film, if she knew there would be a sequel when she shot the original, working opposite Affleck and Bernthal this time around, and if she’s ready for ‘The Accountant 3’, while Pineda discussed joining the franchise, her love for the original, shooting her fight scenes, acting opposite Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, and working with director Gavin O’Connor.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Addai-Robinson and Pineda, as well as Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal and director Gavin O’Connor.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Moviefone: To begin with, Cynthia, Ben Affleck has said that he thinks your character is the real protagonist of this film and that he is more like a “character actor”. Do you agree with that and what was your first reaction to the sequel taking that approach?
Cynthia Addai-Robinson: It’s interesting, if you think about the character of Marybeth Medina, I feel like she’s very much the audience’s eyes and ears in this story. You’re following along with her as she must essentially solve this puzzle, solve this mystery that really in his final moments, she’s enlisted again by J.K. Simmons, his character Ray King. I think even for Ray King, he understands that “There are two people I can entrust that I think are going to be able to figure this out. Marybeth is one of them, and of course the accountant is the other.” Really her recruiting and pulling him in to help, it’s very much initially a reluctant partnership. Then once he brings his brother Brax along, Jon Bernthal, it’s like, “Now I’m having to navigate this with these two people that I don’t really know what to expect once I bring them on.” It is true that she essentially is the through line and you’re following her journey as she tries to understand the particulars of this case.
MF: Daniella, what was it like for you to join this franchise and work with this cast?
Daniella Pineda: I think the coolest part about it was if you get to sign onto a project that you yourself sought out as a fan, I saw the first one in theaters in 2016 and I loved it, and I was like, “Oh man, I hope they would come out with a second one.” That was weird to be a fan of something and then you’re like, “I’m going to be in it. This is awesome.” They left it largely a mystery once I was cast. I was not aware that the film centered around this character. I just thought it was more of a supporting role and you’re in and out. I was so surprised when I read how much she’s a part of the story.
Daniella Pineda attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
MF: Cynthia, did you have a sense making the first movie that a sequel was possible?
CAR: You’re always hopeful. I think certainly the intention from the creatives at the top was, “If this works, it would be great to continue telling this story.” I think when you’re an actor brought on board, unless you’re directly involved as say Ben obviously is a more hands-on with this, you’re just hoping and never assuming. Obviously, it took a lot longer I think than anybody would’ve ideally liked with eight years passing from when we finished the first movie to now bring this. But it always felt like there’s more story to tell. The way the first movie ends, you feel like you want to see what happens to these characters. Where do they go from here? What does life look like for them? We’ve taken the same time jump, eight years in real life and nine years in the story. It’s nice because we get to not only progress the characters, but tonally the movie is completely different from the first one. The first one’s an origin story. It’s a little bit more serious and grounded in tone. This one we just get to have fun with it and change up the genre a bit.
MF: Daniella, can you talk about shooting the fight sequences?
DP: We were lucky, Cynthia and I were both lucky in that most of our fight sequences happened at the end of production. We had the duration of the movie to build up and train for that. We took Muay Thai classes outside of rehearsal, which was interesting. Cynthia has a mean kick. It was a surprise to me. But I have a movie kick that’s pretty good. It was trying and it was exhausting at times, but I love the way it turned out. Muay Thai was very different for me. I messed my foot up during a rehearsal toward the end, and I got so scared, like, “Oh my God, I broke my foot right before the fight.” But thankfully it worked out. I think it took us two days to shoot that fight sequence, two or three days, and it was so much fun.
MF: Cynthia, how has Medina changed since the first film?
CAR: She’s a grownup. I think there was in the first movie, both for Marybeth and for myself, a bit of a like, “Let me just keep my head down, do my job, don’t mess up, and don’t draw attention.” I think for Marybeth, there wasn’t necessarily a level of say, career ambition, it was just about doing a good job and serving justice. I think she’s very much led by her moral compass in putting away the bad guys, so to speak. Now here she is in a more elevated position, she’s deputy director and she’s essentially like the new Ray King. Again, J.K. Simmons character has passed the baton to her. That sense of this secret that she carries, which is she gets a leg up, she gets this information, she gets these tips, and would she have gotten there without it? Would she be able to get to that same position if she was just working hard? I love that there is that sense of a bit of imposter syndrome. You see her in the beginning of the movie literally sitting in the boss’s chair, and who she is in the beginning of the film and who she’s at the end I think there’s a beautiful arc and a real change, I think for her.
MF: Daniella, can you talk about your character’s relationship with Raymond King and what it was like working with J.K. Simmons?
DP: I was delighted to get a sit-down scene with Oscar winner J.K. Simmons. This is not a shocker. He is a very, very, very good actor. I am of the belief that I think that other actors make you a better actor, not necessarily directors. When it comes time to who you’re looking at and performing and bringing it, he’s one of those actors that like, “I really have to come correct today.” We meet them in a mysterious way. We don’t know why he’s so deeply intrigued by her or why he’s calling her out or how he even got a hold of her. But he seems so desperate to speak to her like he’s been fishing, and he finally has the catch. It’s a little bit under mysterious circumstances and sad ones, unfortunately for J.K.
MF: Cynthia, you didn’t have any scenes with Ben or Jon in the first movie, what was it like getting to act opposite them this time around?
CAR: It was like this lovely meeting of the minds both for the reality of, “Great, I get to work with these actors that I have not worked with before, even though we were in the same movie.” For those characters and seeing, “What exactly is going to happen? What happens when you put these three very different characters who are all very strong in their individuality and in their way of doing things and their perception of things, what happens?” I think what I love about this movie, and I’ve been hearing from a lot of people is there’s so much comedy to be mined from that uncomfortable situation. Uncomfortable for the characters, not uncomfortable for me or for us, but again, there is that sense of, “These characters are all circling each other, trying to make heads or tails of things.” For Marybeth especially, it’s like, “These guys are dragging me down into the gutter. This is not my way of doing things.” We had a lot of fun with it. I think when you see on the page that there’s something humorous and funny without overplaying it, I think you want to play to the truth of the situation, but you know that there’s a chuckle to be had and you can keep it loose and you can try for things. Gavin O’Connor, our director, was great at allowing for that, creating that environment where it’s like Jon’s throwing out some improvised lines, and Ben’s reacting in real time. I’m just watching the ping pong match. We just had fun with it. I think that sense of fun and play translates to what the audience experiences. Again, there’s a lot of laughs to be had on this sequel.
MF: Daniella, what was it like working with director Gavin O’Connor?
DP: It takes a very talented director to be able to pull off what is being hailed as arguably a better sequel. The first movie is great, but the second one, a lot of people are saying, “The second one’s better.” That takes a very talented director to be able to pull that off. I think he established the world in the first film, and then he was able to, in a very skillful way, bring out the humor and all these goodies all along. But I feel like he’s always in front of the monitor and he’s like, “I don’t know. Do I believe this? Is this believable?” Everything must be believable and must convince him. As an actor, it was so lovely to be able to work with a director who put so much trust in me and I took some liberties. I asked for her to be blonde, and Gavin was like, “Yeah, sure, okay.” I thought he was really going to fight me on that. It’s so funny the things that he graced and the other things where he knew what he wanted, but it was a wonderful balance. I loved working with him.
MF: Finally, Cynthia, are you open to making ‘The Accountant 3’ if the opportunity comes your way?
CAR: Yes, I’m very open to that. We’re getting asked that all the time. I feel like I’ve heard Gavin say as much that a trilogy to really tell the story and with each version of the movie again, give a different experience for the audience, if the audience wants it, I think it’s very much there. When this movie ends, same thing, you’re like, “What happens to these characters? Where do they go from here after everything that happens, after everything unfolds, where do they go from here?” If you still want to know that, if you still care about the fate of these characters, then, I think a third one, let’s go. Let’s do it.
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What is the plot of ‘The Accountant 2’?
When someone close to her is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search.
(L to R) Allison Robertson, Ben Affleck, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lynette Howell Taylor, Gavin O’Connor, Daniella Pineda and Jon Berthal attend the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
It’s something that a lot of moviegoers of a certain age all say they want: an adult, intelligent, dramatic thriller, perhaps based on a novel but not adapted from already heavily exploited IP, comic books, toys, or video games. For a little while, ‘The Amateur’ seems to check that box. Based on a novel by Robert Littell (which was filmed previously in 1981 as a Canadian production starring John Savage), directed by James Hawes (who’s got episodes of ‘Doctor Who,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Snowpiercer,’ and ‘Slow Horses’ under his belt), and featuring an admirable cast of seasoned, reliable actors, ‘The Amateur’ seems almost like a throwback to a different era of filmmaking.
In the end, however, it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. With a largely TV background, Hawes directs the film in almost leisurely, episodic fashion, giving it a stop-and-start pace that never really builds in tension. And too many of the characters – including the lead – are either underused or underdeveloped, leaving the feeling that there’s a longer film – or perhaps, yes, a TV show – somewhere on the cutting room floor.
Rami Malek plays Charlie Heller, an extremely introverted CIA cryptographer whose wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) has to fly off to London for some kind of conference (we don’t really know what she does). But it’s only a couple of days before Charlie is pulled into the office of Deputy CIA Director Moore (Holt McCallany) and informed that Sarah has been killed in a brutal terrorist attack.
A stunned Charlie wants the CIA to retaliate, but when Moore and another superior, Caleb (Danny Sapani), drag their feet, Charlie does some digging – that’s his job – and discovers that Moore has been running a number of unauthorized black ops, some of them against our own allies and involving members of the same terrorist group. So he extorts Moore and Caleb instead: he’ll reveal everything about their operations to the public and the press – unless they give him enough training to go hunt down his wife’s murderers himself.
Forcing their hand for the moment (“What else do you want?” asks a disbelieving Moore. “An Aston-Martin? A jet-pack?”), Charlie comes under the tutelage of master assassin Henderson (Laurence Fishburne). He quickly learns that he can’t shoot worth s**t, but he can build a mean explosive and hack his way into any surveillance or computer system, both of which come in handy when he escapes and heads for Europe after getting wind that Moore plans to have Henderson kill him.
Once overseas, Charlie begins tracking down the people responsible for his wife’s murder, tormenting them in cleverly sadistic ways: in Paris, the sole woman in the group (Barbara Probst) is locked in an isolation booth at an allergy clinic and choked on pumped-in pollen, before she and Charlie engage in a vicious fight that doesn’t end well; later in Madrid, one of the terrorists meets a watery end when Charlie blows up the high-rise glass swimming pool he’s in (which you’ve seen in the trailer about 400 times by now). But as the CIA closes in, Charlie asks for help from “Inquiline” (Caitriona Balfe), an informant he’s been speaking with for years who helps point him in the direction of mastermind Horst Schiller (Michael Stuhlbarg).
James Hawes directs all this in an almost casual fashion, with the occasional shocking bursts of violence (many played in enclosed spaces) frequently followed up by dialogue scenes that dial the energy back down. “How will you fill the silence?” Inquiline asks Charlie at one point, after revealing that she lost a loved one and missed all his sounds around their home. Charlie’s response is to fill it with noise, screams, explosions, and drinks – a sly nod, perhaps, to the much more haunted James Bond of Ian Fleming’s novels than the film franchise. In a way, ‘The Amateur’ is an anti-Bond film: none of this is glamorous, jet-setting or particularly exotic, and Charlie increasingly loses more of his humanity as he pursues his goal.
Unfortunately, these interesting ideas aren’t given more than lip service. ‘The Amateur’ never delves too deeply below the surface, and its 10 screenwriters (only two are credited) fall back on only superficial and predictable thriller tropes. The villain even rolls out a version of the old “we’re not that different” chestnut toward the film’s end, an indication that despite an attempt at a more thoughtful approach, ‘The Amateur’ is slickly professional and nothing more.
The cast here is great on paper, but despite working hard a lot of them end up shortchanged. Malek is front and center for most of the two hours, but while this Oscar-winning actor has charisma and presence, his retiring performance as Charlie Heller is both nuanced and self-defeating. We want to believe Charlie’s turn from reserved, intensely non-verbal analyst to cold-blooded killer, but the lack of a fully defined character and even some background (does Charlie have parents? Does his dead wife? Is he possibly on the spectrum?) doesn’t put enough texture on Charlie’s character to make him fully come alive.
The same could be said of much of the rest of the ensemble. Laurence Fishburne probably comes off best and gives us the sense of a more complex soul underneath his tough exterior, but he only shows up sporadically. Rachel Brosnahan’s presence as Charlie’s wife is as ghostly as the flashbacks she’s in. Holt McCallany (so good in ‘The Iron Claw’) might as well have a big ‘VILLAIN’ sign stamped across his forehead, while Michael Stuhlbarg goes for the restrained, cultured heavy in his five or so minutes on screen. But the shortest end of the stick is handed to Jon Bernthal as a CIA spook who turns up in exactly two scenes, neither of which have any real point to them at all. We have to believe a lot of his material got the chop – why would you hire Jon Bernthal and give him nothing to do?
Final Thoughts
Rami Malek in ‘The Amateur’. Photo: 20th Century Studios.
Its initially restrained pacing and low-key atmosphere had us on board with ‘The Amateur’ at first, but Malek’s performance and the film itself never quite catch fire. Too many red herrings – like the completely bizarre reappearance of Bernthal late in the film – also diffuse any rising sense of danger or confrontation.
‘The Amateur’ does have its moments: the fight scenes provide a jolt of whiplash, violent oomph, and Charlie’s inventive traps for his targets are the thriller equivalents of something out of a ‘Saw’ film. While ‘The Amateur’ does provide a certain level of entertainment for a more grown-up audience, it may not be enough to get them to a movie theater – which is exactly where we need more of this stuff.
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What is the plot of ‘The Amateur’?
A quiet CIA cryptographer (Rami Malek) is driven by grief and vengeance to seek out the terrorists who killed his wife (Rachel Brosnahan), but soon finds himself pursued by his own agency instead.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Amateur’?
Rami Malek as Charles Heller
Laurence Fishburne as Robert Henderson
Rachel Brosnahan as Sarah
Caitríona Balfe as Inquiline
Jon Bernthal as The Bear
Michael Stuhlbarg as Horst Schiller
Holt McCallany as CIA Deputy Director Alex Moore
Danny Sapani as Caleb
Julianne Nicholson as CIA Director Samantha O’Brien
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tom Welling about his work on ‘Mafia Wars,’ his first reaction to the screenplay, his character’s unlikely alliance with Griff, working with Cam Gigandet, preparing for the action sequences, collaborating on set with director Scott Windhauser, and if Welling is open to returning for a sequel.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Tom Welling in ‘Mafia Wars’. Photo: Saban Films.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what excited you personally about being part of this project?
Tom Welling: Two good questions. A couple of things. I read the script, and I liked the idea of a good guy being forced to do bad things for a good reason. I liked the pacing of what I read that Scott wrote, and he was going to direct it. Talking to him about it and him being like, “We’re not going to shoot this unless we’re shooting in Rome. That’s it. We’re not going to shoot it.” I like that because it allowed us all to be immersed in it. I think no matter what we did, it was going to look good, because we’re in Rome. I liked the idea that the character, in every scene, had to navigate. He didn’t know what was going to happen. Especially with Cam, who played such a great psychopath, every single take was different. I never knew what he was going to do, and that just informed it all. Scott put that all together. So, I just think he did a great job, and hopefully we can do another one.
(L to R) Cam Gigandet and Tom Welling in ‘Mafia Wars’. Photo: Saban Films.
MF: Can you talk about the unlikely partnership Terry has with Griff and how he navigates that?
TW: Well, it was moment by moment, that’s for sure, because I think Terry got himself into something that he didn’t know how to get out of, and it’s not till the very end where he must pounce and make a move. Because there was one scene that we shot in this little plaza in Rome, and I just remember it was what Cam was doing and how he was intimidating people was so outside of what I thought his character would do, that I was just able to watch and be so interested. It was mesmerizing in a way.
Cam Gigandet in ‘Mafia Wars’. Photo: Saban Films.
MF: What was it like having a scene partner like that and acting opposite Cam Gigandet?
TW: Oh, it’s the best. That’s what you want. I mean, the thing is you’re working within a set where everybody knows the parameters, but you’re being creative within them. So, there was a few times where I’d say, “Hey, Cam, if I do this,” and he’s like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Then I don’t know if he ever asked me for anything, but he could have if he wanted to. But it’s like this. You’re in the trenches together and you’re there to support each other, and no one’s trying to get one up on anybody. The better you can make any other character, the better your character is going to be. I think that’s what we had in common.
(L to R) Cher Cosenza and Tom Welling in ‘Mafia Wars’. Photo: Saban Films.
MF: Can you talk about preparing for the action scenes, and what was it like for you to execute those sequences?
TW: Well, those are my favorite days, to be honest. We probably didn’t have as much preparation time as I would’ve liked. But the good thing is that based on my experience and Cam’s experience, we were able to kind of pick it up quick, what was being asked of us. A lot of times, because the film is edited, you must remember that you don’t have to do the whole thing all the way through all the time, if you know what I mean. A fight sequence, you can do it in movements, make sure you have those movements, and then move on. Because what we don’t have in a movie like this is three months of preparation like you would on a ‘Matrix’ or a ‘John Wick’ or something like that. I mean, that would be fun. But then again, you go to set and they’re like, “Okay, you got this eight-minute action sequence that you have to do every time, all day”. So, there’s a give and a take. But Cam was up for it, and I was up for it. Scott knew what he wanted, knew when he had it, so we were able to kind of just be in it together.
(L to R) Tom Welling and Cher Cosenza in ‘Mafia Wars’. Photo: Saban Films.
MF: Can you talk about collaborating with Scott Windhauser on set and what he was like to work with as a director?
TW: He was the best. I mean, I bug him so much because I want to do another one of these, or at least something else with him because he’s such a great captain. That’s how I look at directors in my mind, like the captains of the ship. They take care of the crew, and they know where they’re going. If they need to deviate their course, then the crew goes, “Yes, we’re behind you and let’s go”. He did all of that. He also allowed me to be creative and not be worried because he took care of everything else. That’s what I would like most in a director.
Tom Welling in ‘Mafia Wars’. Photo: Saban Films.
MF: Finally, is this a character you would like to return to in the future and are you open to a sequel?
TW: I would like to return to him. I don’t have any stories in mind. I wish I did because that’d be a great answer. But what I like about this character is he could kind of do anything. He could be dropped in any situation, but I’ve been bugging Scott about it way too much. He’s kind of like, “Leave me alone until I figure something out because Terry could go anywhere.”
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What is the plot of ‘Mafia Wars’?
An ex-con (Tom Welling) gets released early from prison only to be forced into an undercover unit of six men and on his first day the other five are all killed. Now he must face the men who he was tasked to spy on.
Opening in theaters on April 28th is the 2023 Sundance Film Festival hit ‘Polite Society,’ which was written and directed by Nida Manzoor (‘We Are Lady Parts’).
What is ‘Polite Society’ movie about?
‘Polite Society’ follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) who believes she must save her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends (Ella Bruccoleri and Seraphina Beh), Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya about their work on ‘Polite Society,’ their characters’ sisterly bond, the action sequences, working with director Nida Manzoor, the film’s unique tone, and what they hope audiences take away from the movie.
Priya Kansara stars in ‘Polite Society.’
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Kansara and Arya, as well as filmmaker Nida Manzoor about ‘Polite Society.’
Moviefone: To begin with, Priya, can you talk about Ria’s passion for stunt work, her dream of becoming a stunt person, and how that’s at odds with what her parents want for her future?
Priya Kansara: Ria’s so determined and spirited, and her sense of self-belief truly is really refreshing and inspiring as well. Because we don’t see a lot of young women who just are like, “I don’t care what anybody else thinks. I know what I want to be and I know what I want to do, and I’m going to go for it.” To explore that journey with Ria and see as well the complexities of her relationships with her family members, with her sister truly supporting her from the get-go, and her parents still supporting her and showing her a whole lot of love and care, but still finding it difficult at times knowing that it’s an insecure and a difficult path to go down. So it was really fun to explore that, and I hope that her self-belief really inspires a lot of the viewers.
Ritu Arya stars in ‘Polite Society.’
MF: Ritu, can you talk about the sisterly bond between Priya and Lena and how that is challenged once Lena is engaged?
Ritu Arya: Well, Lena’s little sister Ria is not happy about this engagement whatsoever. She definitely wants to shake Lena to just realize that it’s way too soon to be thinking about this. She barely knows this guy and she has her own suspicion, so that really does drive a wedge in their relationship. Lena is just like, “Get out of my life,” and it causes a ruckus between them. But they go on a journey to come back together, and naturally, Lena realizes that Ria’s just looking out for the best for her, and that’s what matters.
MF: Priya, what was it like for you working on the action sequences with director Nida Manzoor?
PK: Nida is so cool. She’s the most incredible collaborator, giving all of the actors and everyone she works with so much space to give their input and have space to play and feel safe. I got to do so many different things. I feel like I filled out an entire CV with this job. It’s been insane doing all the stunts and the fighting, wire work, dances, bike riding, you name it, we got to do it all. Our stunt team as well, and everybody else that worked on it was so encouraging and helped me do so much of it myself as well. That was so much fun and I learned so many new skills.
MF: Finally, Priya, what do you hope audiences take away from watching the film, especially about your character’s journey?
PK: One, I just hope everybody really enjoys it, like goes along for the ride, because it’s just crazy, it’s fun and they’ll laugh out loud, I’m sure. In terms of Ria’s journey, again, her self-belief is just something that I think will inspire so many people. Her love for her sister, watching this love story between the two sisters, I’m sure people will connect to and relate to as well. Hopefully everyone has something to touch on in this story.
Chris Pine in ‘The Contractor.’ Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Opening in theaters and On-Demand beginning April 1st is the new action movie ‘The Contractor,’ from director Tarik Saleh (‘Westworld’).
The movie stars Chris Pine (‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit‘) as James Harper, a discharged U.S. Special Forces sergeant who joins a private contracting organization. While overseas on a covert mission, he must evade those trying to kill him and make his way back home safely to his family.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Pine about his work on ‘The Contractor.’
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You can read our full interview with Chris Pine below or watch a video of our interviews with Pine and director Tarik Saleh about ‘The Contractor’ by clicking on the player above.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction when you read the script for ‘The Contractor?’
Chris Pine: I was really moved by it. I thought it was a really poetic and sensitive take on a genre piece. It’s really a character study that’s masquerading as an action thriller film. I thought it was a great opportunity to have something that was highly commercial and accessible, but also required people to really think and that intrigued me.
MF: Can you talk about the research you did to play this role?
CP: I spent about three months with a guy, Chris Dunn, out in the desert here in Los Angeles, working, doing close quarters combat and weapons training. I met with Bert Kuntz, who was our technical advisor, who’s a green beret and medic. I read a ton of books and investigated the script with Bert to make sure that things seemed real. That was what I did.
MF: What do you think your character would say is the most important aspect of his life?
CP: That’s a difficult question. I think at first it would be family, God, and country. But by the end of the film it’s just family.
MF: There is a lot of action in the film. Do you do your own stunts and how do you prepare for those scenes?
CP: I generally do everything that I can, that the insurance company will allow me to do. I had an incredible stunt double with whom I’ve worked for many years. But everything is different. It depends on how they want to shoot it. It depends on the time we have. It depends on so many things, but this one was a particularly brutal shoot.
(L to R) Chris Pine and Ben Foster in ‘The Contractor.’ Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
MF: You reunite with your ‘Hell or High Water’ co-star Ben Foster for this movie. What do you like about working with him, and what is the relationship like between your two characters?
CP: It’s always great working with Ben. I wish I could work with Ben on most things I do. It’s nice to go to work with someone whom you have great respect, who you like and who gets the work the same way you do and wants to achieve the same things. We have a shorthand. Obviously, we didn’t have much time on this film. We didn’t have much money. We didn’t have an incredible amount of rehearsal time. So, to get to go to work, get to set, and hit the ground running was really important.
MF: Were you involved with choosing Tarik Saleh to direct this movie?
CP: Yes. 100%. I’d seen ‘The Nile Hilton Incident’ and I absolutely loved it. It’s an Egyptian police noir, starring Fares Fares, who shows up in our film. I think he’s incredibly talented. I heard that he was interested in the script. We met in New York very briefly and then we were off to the races.
MF: What was he like to work with on set?
CP: Tarik is wonderful. He’s incredibly collaborative. He trusted me a great deal. We really just picked this thing apart as my much as we could to figure out the emotional arc and through line of it. It was tricky work and it wouldn’t have worked unless we had open minds. It took me, Tarik, Ben and everyone involved trying to say, “Well, how does this work? Does it, does this make sense?”
Director Tarik Saleh on set of ‘The Contractor.’ Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
MF: Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from seeing the film?
CP: Really this is a story about one man dealing with the effects of his world being turned upside down. We would never see this man losing his job, losing his pension, losing his healthcare and going to do anything else but being a military contractor. That’s the hard thing. Here’s a guy that is, in terms of the amount of money they spend on one of these highly trained warriors, it’s millions of dollars. They are a weapon.
After a twenty some odd years of service as a highly trained weapon, you then get out into the real world and if you’re facing financial troubles, you don’t have enough time to get yourself out of the muck by working a normal job. Whereas you can go and make really incredible money doing something you’re passionate about that you’re highly trained and qualified for. It seemed to make a lot of logical sense, making that move for James.
Directed by Wes Miller (‘Hell on the Border’), the movie centers on disgraced parole officer Connor (Dillon), who is indebted to a local gang leader (Leon Robinson) and forced to pull off a series of dangerous drug heists with his former partner, Mason (Grillo). They have twelve hours to steal the $2 million dollars he owes, rescue his kidnapped pregnant wife (Brooke Butler), and settle a score with the city’s corrupt police chief (Willis), who is working with the gang leader and double-crossed him years ago.
But to most audiences, he is probably best known for two roles, playing Sergeant Leo Barnes in ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ and ‘The Purge: Election Year,’ and portraying Brock “Crossbones” Rumlow in the MCU movies ‘Captain America: The Winter Solider,’ ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Grillo is the real deal when it comes to action, as he holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and is a former boxer. He is also no stranger to co-staring in a film with Bruce Willis, as ‘A Day to Die’ marks the fourth movie they have made together after ‘Lay the Favorite,’ ‘Cosmic Sin,’ and ‘Reprisal.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking exclusively with Frank Grillo about his work on ‘A Day to Die.’ The actor spoke candidly about the new movie, reuniting with Bruce Willis, their characters, working with Kevin Dillon for the first time, how seriously he takes action-sequences, the importance of safety on the set, the trajectory of his own career, and the possibility of returning to the MCU.
(L to R) Frank Grillo, Kevin Dillon and Leon Robinson in ‘A Day to Die’
Here is what Frank Grillo had to say about ‘A Day to Die.’
Moviefone: To begin with, how did you get involved with this project?
Frank Grillo: Well, my buddy Wes Miller, called me up and said, “I’m sending you the script.” It was in my wheelhouse, and I really love Wes, and always want to support him and do whatever I can to help him make movies. Then he brought in Bruce, who’s a dear friend. And who knows how many more movies Bruce has in him? So, I thought, let me go and have some fun with him.
MF: This is the forth movie that you have made with Bruce Willis. What has your experience been like working with him over the course of these four films?
FG: There’s a few guys in Hollywood that are in the stratosphere as far as movie stars are concerned, and Bruce Willis is one of those guys. But, I think at 64 he’s going to be phasing out of this stuff. But it’s Bruce Willis, you know what I mean? I got to work with guys like Bruce, Liam Neeson, Sylvester Stallone, John Malkovich, and they’re in another league.. It’s just fun to work with them, hang out with them, and listen to the stories. I’m glad he’s a pal. He’s a dear friend. Like I said, I think he’s phasing out of doing these movies at this point.
A lot of these guys are not at the height of their career, obviously, but they are such a big draw. There’s a nostalgic draw to these guys because they remind us of a time when movies were big, and you showed up for the movie star. I think we really show up for the event now with movies, especially that Marvel’s taken over the world. It’s fun to be around them. I just like absorbing their energy, and I’m at the age too where I’m old school, so I can relate to them and they can relate to me. As opposed to the younger generation, which it’s a whole different ball of wax.
MF: Can you talk about your character Mason’s relationship to Alston, the character that Bruce Willis plays. It seems like Mason both admires and resents him at the same time, is that correct?
FG: Yeah. I think as I recall, that’s exactly where it was. I mean, they were two guys who were peers more than anything. There was a mutual respect, as there is with anyone, even with adversaries, especially sometimes. I always use the film ‘Heat’ as a template with a lot of these movies. You look at the relationships, and De Niro and Pacino were on opposite ends of the spectrum, but when they sat down, you understood that they respected each other.
Bruce Willis in ‘A Day to DIe.’
MF: Can you talk about your approach to playing Mason?
FG: He is a guy who, look, nobody ever wants to be the bad guy. You don’t start out in life trying to end up being the bad guy. So, you approach it with, it’s a set of circumstances that now dictate this guy’s behavior, and why he has to do what he has to do. I know a lot of this harkens back to guys who are in the military who have come out, and just have not been treated very well, and have to do what they have to do to get by.
I have a lot of friends that served overseas, special forces, that were really important at one point in their life in what they were doing. Then, they come back here and they have to do jobs, and they’re not respected here the way they were. Or they’re not really using their intelligence and their abilities, what they trained their whole life to do. So, they find different ways to make a living, and make up for what they think they’re not getting.
MF: That was an interesting aspect to the film. Is that a theme that spoke to you, because as you said, you have friends who have been through that?
FG: Yeah. It’s that whole thing of what this country does with our veterans. We tend to push them to the side. Many times it’s degrading and it’s embarrassing for these guys to come back here, and just not be treated the way they should be treated and taken care of.
MF: Can you talk about why Mason is so willing to help Connor in this situation? Is it because they have a deep bond from their time serving in the military together?
FG: Yeah. That’s what it is. It’s one for all, and all for one. When a brother is down and needs help, you don’t worry about your own self-preservation, that’s not what these guys do. They’d all be dead if that was the case. If one is down, you go in, and you need to take care of whatever you need to take care of to save that person. That’s what this was about, it’s like, we’re here to die for you.
MF: Tell us about working with Kevin Dillon. Had you ever met or worked with him before making this movie?
FG: I haven’t. I’ve always been a fan of Kevin from ‘Entourage,’ and some other things. When they first mentioned his name, I was like, “Wow, I don’t see that. I don’t see Kevin as that guy.” I almost said, “Is this going to work?” Then Wes said, “Why don’t just go hang out with him, and talk to him for a while.” I went and sat down with him, and I thought, it’s cool to go against type here, and not have the basic, video game, tough guy, paramilitary dude, because Kevin’s not that guy. It worked really well, I think. I believed him.
Kevin Dillon in ‘A Day to Die.’
MF: It’s interesting you say that, because if they had cast you as Connor, it would have been a totally different movie.
FG: They wanted to, they asked me to do it. I only worked on the movie for a couple days because I was doing another film, and I really wanted to be able to help Wes out. So, I wanted to go in there and do as good as I could in the short amount of time that I had. But they asked me to play that role, and for me, that’s like falling off a log. It’s so easy to do that, and you expect that from me. It’s better that Kevin did it, because it’s a different way to cast the movie.
MF: You have a background in boxing and martial arts, and I know you have a lot of experience with weapons training as well. With a project like this, where you have so many action sequences, how involved do you get with the stunt coordinators? Do you help choreograph your own action scenes?
FG: Well, I just finished a film, and I’m about to go do a film, which is like a ‘Bourne Identity,’ and yeah, I’m very involved. So, in anything that I do that I’m on screen, I choreograph with the stunt coordinator, and who’s ever on the fight team. So, it’s my dance, and I’m very specific about how I want to look in the film. I never want to look cinematic, I like to be very authentic with all that stuff, with the action and with the fighting specifically, because it’s a whole language unto itself.
I watch movies where there’s these crazy fights, but I don’t believe any of the fights. It’s just like when I watch bad acting, and I don’t believe the acting. So, to come back around for the answer, I’m very involved in all of it, including the weapons that I hold.
MF: I would imagine safety is a priority to you as well on the set, is that right?
FG: Oh my God. Yes! Before any of this happened, the unfortunate events with Alec Baldwin. I mean, if you knew the people that I’ve worked with, you could ask them. I am a maniac about it. I mean, safety to me is paramount. Not only for myself and watching out that I don’t get hurt, because my livelihood is on the line, but for other people. I won’t allow it.
I’ll take the brunt of the producer’s anger. I say to them all time, blame me, let them come to my trailer. I’ll have the conversation. Usually they acquiesce, because as we’ve seen, a lot of these movies are low budget, and there’s less time than you actually need to do it, that’s when people get hurt. The other side of that is, I’ve done four Marvel movies where you have all the time in the world, and all the prep. I act as if every movie is a Marvel movie, because they do it right.
Kevin Dillon in ‘A Day to DIe.’
MF: Now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is introducing the idea of the multiverse and different variants of different characters, as seen in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and the upcoming ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ what are the chances of you returning to the MCU is a different version of Brock “Crossbones” Rumlow?
FG: Oh, listen, I would go. I have three sons, one of them is 14, who is a fanatic about Marvel, and in comic book movies in general. But I always say this, I would jump at the chance to go and play with those guys and do anything. For me, anything I can do that my kid digs, is something I want to do. Listen, it’s helped my career immensely, globally, and I’m so appreciative of it. Anytime they call, I’ll pick up the phone and go.
MF: As an actor, you must have learned so much just from being a part of the “Marvel Machine.” Are you impressed with what Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have been able to accomplish with this series over the years?
FG: I mean, I started out in ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier,’ when Marvel was just getting going. Kevin Feige was just another guy who was a comic book geek and was running the studio. They hired these goofy guys called the RussoBrothers, and lo and behold, that was Marvel. So, when I went and did that little piece on Avengers: Endgame, I was there for a couple weeks. I was like, wow, look at this. Kevin Feige has emerged as one of, if not the smartest brain in Hollywood, I think. His track record is unparalleled. He’s the Tom Brady of the movie business.
MF: Finally, what projects do you have coming up that your fans can look forward to?
I’ve got a few movies coming out, and I probably have six movies that I’m going to go do. People laugh at me all the time, and I know sometimes even online, they make fun of me. It’s like, I like to work! I’m not curating my career. I’m not Brad Pitt. I’m not getting the best of the best of the best, where I can pick one, make $20 million and wait till next year.
It’s like, I make a good living, but I’ve got to work. I’ve got to hustle. So that’s why my name is in the trades every third week. People think my God, don’t you ever stop? I’m like, I do stop. But I also do love to work. I mean, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to do this, that people are going to be hiring me. So, I love to work. I really enjoy it. It’s the most satisfying thing that I do aside from raising my children. I’ll do it as much as I want.
I’m always curious how other people are judging me and asking me why I work so much. I’m like, what a silly question. A, I need to make a living. B, I love it, and I don’t consider it work. So, actors wait their whole life to get into a position where there’s a number of jobs in front of them. Again, I don’t know when it’s going to stop, but it’s going to stop. Then I can go, I remember when I used to work all the time, that was fun.
Opening in select theaters and On Demand beginning February 18th is the new action movie ‘Pursuit,’ from director Brian Skiba (‘Flowers and Honey’).
The film stars Emile Hirsch (‘Speed Racer’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’) as Rick Calloway, a ruthless hacker who’s trying to save his kidnapped wife from a drug cartel. Pursued by the police, Rick must put his trust in his estranged gangster father, Jack Calloway, played by John Cusack (‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and ‘Being John Malkovich’). Now the two must work together to elude the police and the drug cartel, if Rick has any hope of ever seeing his wife alive again.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Emile Hirsch about his work on ‘Pursuit.’ The actor discussed his new movie, how he got involved with the project, reuniting with actor John Cusack, how his performance was inspired by Elon Musk, face tattoos, stunts, and working with Quentin Tarantino on the Oscar-winning ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’
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You can read the full transcript of our interview with Emile Hirsch about ‘Pursuit’ below, or you can watch a video of the interview in the player above.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved in this project?
Emile Hirsch: So originally, I got involved with the film when they sent me the script and I found out that John Cusack was attached. I had worked with John Cusack on this film, ‘Never Grow Old.’ I just had an amazing experience with him. He’s such a great actor and he was so good in ‘Never Grow Old.’ But this was a change of pace for us. This was making an action film, where it was more of a potboiler, kind of pulpy action genre film. I just thought we could have fun with it.
I wanted to bring a sense of humor and a sense of lightness to the character, and a goofiness. Because whenever I watch these action films, I like at least one of the characters to be the comic relief in a way. I think that Rick turns into that at a certain point. At first, you think he’s this normal guy. Then you realize just how demented he really is. He has no morals. He’s a cold-blooded killer. He’s not a very good guy. I think when you realize just how off-the-reservation he is, it’s a lot more fun. I knew that it would be a good experience working again with John.
MF: What do you like about working with John Cusack, and what have you learned about acting from working with him over the years?
EH: One of the things that John is great at, is he’s very experimental when he does scenes. He’s constantly willing to try new things and to go down a way in a scene, and just sort of explore that and then try something totally different. He likes to try different beats until he finds one that he really likes, which is great. It’s like mining for gold. You can stumble upon greatness.
He also has a really good logic to the way he breaks down scenes. He understands script analysis really well. It’s one of those innate things. He’s just a talented actor. Sometimes you can’t even necessarily describe what that is, but when you’re in the scene with someone that’s like that, you just know it.
John Cusack in Lionsgate’s ‘Pursuit.’
MF: Do you like working like that? Do you enjoy having a lot of takes, as you put it, “to mine for gold?”
EH: I’ve been doing it so long now to where I find every different way of working, and there’s something fun about it. So, I’ll work with a director who only wants to do two takes. That will become exciting. That will become, “Oh, my gosh, we got to get it,” or, “What is it going to be?” There’s a certain pressure and a thrill to it. I’ll work with directors who want to do twenty takes. Then the excitement is, “Okay, we are going to master this. We’re going to try it so many different ways. We are going to find the exact, perfect, weird, most nuanced take we can think of.” So, I think it’s more about having a positive attitude to where you’re able to enjoy whatever process comes at you.
There’s a lot of actors out there that if it’s not the process and the way that they exactly want to work, then maybe they have an issue or they’re not as happy. But my philosophy has always been embracing the process that the project is going to be done under, whether it’s from the schedule, the time you have, or the director, or the producers, or whatever, and you have the most fun with it in the way that you can. Don’t go on the Goliath rollercoaster, expecting it to be the Mad Tea Party ride and vice versa. Have a good time on whatever ride you’re on.
MF: I understand that you pulled inspiration for your character Rick Calloway, from CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk. Can you talk about how that inspiration helped you to create the character?
EH: I had read the script. It was a little bit of deadpan humor, kind of an offbeat character, a nerdy hacker guy. I was watching that famous Joe Rogan interview with Elon Musk. It was in the news and everything. I had never actually seen Elon Musk talk before. So, I’d always seen these very dapper, svelte pictures of him. Then when I actually saw him talk, I realized how intelligent he comes across. Nerd is probably not the right word, but something in that ballpark, where it’s like, “Okay, I can see this guy’s like a rocket scientist, very easily.” But I also really appreciated his deadpan sense of humor a lot.
So, I didn’t put a bunch of posters of Elon up in my bedroom and play the tapes back of how we talked between takes or anything like that. I just watched that one interview. Based off of that, I said, “That’s a direction. That’s a flavor that I want to try to capture a little bit.” But he was definitely the inspiration for it, which is kind of funny. It’s this crazy pulp action movie, ‘Pursuit’. It’s like, “Do you want to see this guy try to play Elon Musk? Then check this movie out!”
Emile Hirsch in Liongate’s ‘Pursuit.’
MF: Can you also talk about creating the specific look for your character?
EH: The character in the script comes across almost like ‘The Boy with the Dragon Tattoo,’ where he’s this hacker. He’s got all these tattoos. So, I said, “Well, we can’t just give him a bunch of tattoos or piercings, because that’s too much like Lisbeth Salander in those books. So, let’s give him some face tattoos. Let’s go full Mike Tyson and Post Malone, and make it kind of weird and shocking.”
There was something strange about a hacker with face tattoos. But there are a lot of these guys, now. I mean, face tattoos are more popular than ever. The kids these days are, if you haven’t noticed, out of their minds, and the face tattoos, a lot of them have them. So, I was like, “All right, let’s just give him some face tattoos.”
MF: You have a lot of action sequences and stunts in the film. Is that fun for you to do when you get an opportunity to do those types of scenes on a project?
EH: Getting to do stunts, it’s a challenge. You want to do it right, especially when you’re doing a lot of weapons work with Uzis and full blank rounds. With the Uzis, there’s an element of danger anytime you do these types of extended gun fight sequences with these really powerful weapons. But it’s also a lot of fun. It’s undeniably a blast. It’s a great time. I’m kind of a dude with a “capital D” in a sense, where I like watching an action movie. I like firing my crazy Uzi with my circle-framed sunglasses on in slow-mo. I’m like, “Yeah, that looks pretty cool!”
Emile Hirsch in Lionsgate’s ‘Pursuit.’
MF: Finally, what was it like for you to work with Quentin Tarantino on his masterpiece, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?’
EH: I mean, working with Quentin was a lifelong dream of mine. I grew up watching his films, loving his films. I met him years and years before. I think I met him at the premiere of ‘The Green Mile,’ when I was 14 years old. He wouldn’t remember this. But he knew a woman that was there and said, “Hi.” I was with her daughter and I got to say hi. I said, “I love ‘Reservoir Dogs.’” He asked, “Who’s your favorite dog?” I didn’t understand what he meant. I said, “A Dalmatian.” He said, “No, no, no. Your favorite ‘Reservoir Dog.’” And I went, “Oh, oh, oh, Mr. Blonde.” Then he said, “Oh, yes, Mr. Blonde.”
Then years later, I get to know him. I think one of the reasons why Quentin and I originally got along is that he was the guy that always worked in the video store growing up and was the video store master. Growing up as a kid, I was always in the video store, renting every genre film and watching films. He’s a way bigger film nerd than me, but for an actor, I’m a film nerd, as far as that scale goes.
So, we always got along over the years based off of that similarity. Then when he gave me the role of playing Jay Sebring in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ every day I was pinching myself, because I was so grateful to be there. I knew what an amazing opportunity it was to get to be a part in his filmography, really. I mean, he doesn’t make very many films. So, that’s pretty cool.
The film follows mercenary Nick Boon (McDonough) as he tries to atone for his life as an enforcer for a ruthless syndicate. Running from his past, Boon moves to a remote area in the pacific northwest where he meets a struggling widow (Seidel) and her son. When he finds the pair living in fear of a criminal kingpin (Flanagan), Boon realizes the only way to protect them is to do what he does best: Kill.
Moviefone is proud to present the exclusive premiere of the trailer for ‘Boon,’ which you can watch in the video player below.
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‘Boon’ opens in theaters, digital, and On Demand on April 1st.
‘Boon’ opens in theaters, digital, and On Demand on April 1st.
In the movie, Drake and Sullivan must race against the ruthless Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) in order to find the treasure of the Magellan expedition. In addition to Holland, Wahlberg, and Banderas, the movie also stars Sophia Ali (‘Truth or Dare’), Tati Gabrielle (’The Emoji Movie’), and Rudy Pankow (‘The Politician’).
Moviefone recently had the opportunity to speak with actors Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg about their work on ‘Uncharted.’
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Below you can read our full interview with Tom Holland, or you can watch the both interviews in the video player above.
Moviefone: To begin with, is it true that you were a huge fan of the game ‘Uncharted’ before you were cast in the movie?
Tom Holland: Yeah, absolutely. I was playing the fourth Uncharted game while shooting ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’ It was a lunch between (Chairman of Sony Pictures) Tom Rothman and I, where the idea of me playing Nathan Drake kind of came about. I think it was probably five years later that we finally went into production. So, it’s kind of crazy to be here today and that something as simple as two mates playing a video game could result in a massive movie that I’m incredibly proud of.
MF: Did your preparation for this movie include going back and playing the video game again?
TH: Yeah. It’s quite a nice thing to be able to say that spending a lazy day on the couch playing video games is technically work. So, I really enjoy that aspect of the prep. (When I was a kid) my mom would be like, “Go outside. You’re never going to make any money playing video games.” And now I’m like, “I’m actually being paid to do this mom.”
Tom Holland in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Uncharted.’ Photo by: Clay Enos.
MF: Can you talk about how the stunts in ‘Uncharted’ compare to the stunts in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home?’
TH: That’s a great question. I mean, there were obviously a lot of similarities. The ways in which we did certain stunts were very similar, but naturally with these two characters, they’re very different. Spider-Man is a fantastical character who can do things that a human could never dream of doing. Whereas Nathan Drake is a character that is obviously very grounded in reality.
So, rather than thinking about a stunt that will eventually be taken over into a CG world, we need to think about the beginning of the stunt, the middle of the stunt and the end of the stunt. Unfortunately for myself and my two stunt doubles, the end of the stunt usually results in us on our back, on our head, or on our front in some sort of uncomfortable position. So, this film was brutal to make from a physicality point of view. But if you see the film, it really pays off.
In the Spider-Man suit when you’re doing these stunts, you can pull the most grotesque faces because you are going through huge amounts of stress to achieve some of these stunts. With ‘Uncharted,’ obviously I don’t have the luxury of hiding my face. So, I had to sort of retrain myself to look cool and heroic while doing things where I felt incredibly scared. So, it was tough and my stunt doubles would come up to me and be like, “That was great. Just less face. You’re doing too much with your face.” I was like, okay, brilliant. I’ll try my best.
(L to R) Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Uncharted.’ Photo by: Clay Enos.
MF: What was your experience like working with Mark Wahlberg?
TH: I mean, it was kind of a dream come true. I’ve been a huge fan of his for a long time and his body of work is so impressive. So, for a young actor to get the opportunity to work with him, it has been a real honor. He’s a good guy and we had a lot of fun working together. The relationship between Nate and Sully was very, very important to get right. I’m really glad it was Mark because the chemistry was something that came very naturally to us.
MF: Finally, Sully is Nate Drake’s mentor in the movie. Did Mark Wahlberg mentor you at all on set?
TH: Yeah, absolutely. He’s a real entrepreneur and he has his fingers in so many different pies. He’s always working and I admire his work ethic. His fitness is something as well. When we were shooting this movie, we came to set for the first day of shooting and I realized how much smaller I was than him because he is massive. Then we shut down because of COVID for five months. So, I went home and did nothing but eat and train, and eat and train, and eat and train. When I came back, he did make a comment about how much size I’d put on, which I was very chuffed about. So, he has inspired me and given me loads of great advice.
