Was "The Way of the Gun" attractive in that it allowed you to play a much darker character?
Yeah, definitely. Now that I have choices to a degree, I'm trying to do things more in line with what I want to see and the stories that get me excited. I loved the script, and I thought it showed a great relationship between my character and Benicio's. There is an unspoken bond there and a sense of history. Most movies like this would show the criminals doing and saying witty things to ingratiate itself with the audience. We weren't the cute killer guys. It was more of an honest depiction.
What kind of preparation did you do?
I worked out and put on 25lbs. I came up with a different voice and a look that made me feel less like myself. We also went through a lot of training. We trained with Navy SEALS and SWAT teams. The key initially was to get comfortable with the weapons. If you weren't, you were gonna look stupid.
Are your character and his partner desperadoes?
They are, they're desperate! They have nothing, and so have nothing to lose. They're focused on what must happen. They don't screw around too much.
Where do you see the film's influences coming from?
The film is very much a throwback to something that Peckinpah would do, but it has a different tone. Chris calls it "a Western with cell phones." It's a modern Western, I think.
Read what Benicio Del Toro has to say about "The Way of the Gun".
Read a review of "The Way of the Gun".
