‘Get Fast’ Exclusive Interview: Lou Diamond Phillips

Available on digital and on demand beginning November 15th is the new action thriller ‘Get Fast’, which was co-written and directed by James Clayton (‘Fringe’) and stars Clayton, Bradley Stryker (‘Terrifier 3’) and Lou Diamond Phillips (‘La Bamba’, ‘Young Guns’ and ‘Courage Under Fire’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with veteran actor Lou Diamond Phillips about his work on ‘Get Fast’, his first reaction to the screenplay, his character, his wardrobe, having fun playing a villain, the action sequences, and working with actor and director James Clayton, as well as his reaction to the announcement of a ‘La Bamba’ remake, if he is involved in the project, and which of his past projects he is most proud of.

Related Article: Sony Plans to Take 1987 Musical Drama ‘La Bamba’ Out on the Remake Route

Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and why did you want to be part of this project?

Lou Diamond Phillips: It always starts with the script. This one, it was just fun. It knew what it wanted to do, and automatically reminded me of a Guy Ritchie heist film and its wall-to-wall action. It doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is, which is a fantastic popcorn movie. I got to say, I get a hoot out of playing characters who lean into the baggage I bring to a project. Having done a ton of Westerns and there’s a certain demographic out there that sees me this way and it’s like, “Let’s have some fun with this.” The Cowboy, I don’t know, he just tickled me. I got to say that the dialogue was just fun.

MF: How would you describe your character in your own words and your approach to playing him?

LDP: Like I said, he’s got this Guy Ritchie sensibility about him. You turned a stereotype on its head a little bit. My wife even said he reminded her of an anime character in a video game or something. My dad talks like that. That’s how he talks. He lives down in Texas, and he’s got that whole thing going on. The Cowboy is just a hit man with a sense of humor, a ridiculously narrow sense of style. I just knew he was going to be, for lack of a better term, and not to get too pretentious about it, but iconic as soon as he makes an entrance. I love characters like that. It reminds me of some of the other ones I’ve done in ‘The Big Hit’ where just automatically this guy makes an impression. For me, it was taking some of the tropes of being a cowboy and having fun with it. James let me embellish some lines and talk like my dad would talk in the character and just really add a sense of humor. In a weird way, a lot of good bad guys have a sense of honor. They have a sense of integrity and dignity, and this is one of those bad guys.

MF: Can you talk about the specific look of the character and how the wardrobe helped you find the character?

LDP: In the script, it said he’s this guy in a duster, in a cowboy hat, and that’s prototypical. I didn’t have a whole lot to say about it. I showed up and I got to say our costume designer nailed it. She nailed it in the first things I tried on. She brought in several choices, but the outfit that you see in the movie is the outfit that I tried on first, and everybody just went, “Done.” When you’re playing a character like this, I think you alluded to a real key for a lot of actors, and that is when you look in the mirror, you see that guy. The externals of a character really help to define who that person is, how they walk, how they move, and how they operate in the universe. You put on a duster like that and a cowboy hat and some cowboy boots, and you’re not walking down the street in Manhattan unless you’re doing ‘Midnight Cowboy’.

MF: Is it fun playing a bad guy?

LDP: I’ve always played bad guys. When I’ve played bad guys, I’ve had a lot of fun with them because you are unfettered of the constraints of morality or doing the right thing or whatever else, or to a certain extent, even making the audience like you. You want your heroes to be likable. You want the bad guys to not be. But in so many situations, the bad guys are so entertaining that you can’t help but like them. Come on, we all love Hannibal Lecter and The Terminator. It is like, “Wow. It’s just fascinating to watch.” Once again, I think especially for a film like this to work, you need a good bad guy, and in this movie, there were a bunch of them.

MF: What was it like working with James Clayton as both an actor and director?

LDP: I have so much respect for James. Even before we started shooting, I thought, “This kid’s got something going on. He has a vision.” I’ve done plenty of independent films. The biggest problem that an independent film runs into is the ambition to want to do more than your budget will allow. James, he knew what he could accomplish. As a director, he had all that in his back pocket. Whenever I’ve had to direct myself, you never take on a role that is going to be too demanding because you have so many other things as a director to oversee. This character, James just had to show up and open his mouth. It is his sensibility, it’s his sense of humor, it’s his rhythms, and it’s all that stuff. He was there for the actors. We weren’t doing Shakespeare, there wasn’t a lot to really mold a character. He is like, “Hey, do you want another take? Because that was great.” I got to tell you, anytime, anywhere I’d show up for that guy, which is not something I’d say about everyone I’ve ever worked with. He is a talent and he’s somebody to watch, and he deserves bigger budgets and bigger schedules because he can do it.

MF: What was it like filming the action sequences?

LDP: Having done so many of those in my life, the most important thing is that you feel safe, that somebody’s not going to blow you up. Somebody’s not going to hit you in a fight scene, that the equipment somehow is going to go wrong, and you will end up scarred. I have been scarred on many movie sets. It’s the real deal. When there are explosions, there really are explosions. You’re dealing with blanks a lot of the time. In this respect, they were smart. We didn’t have a whole lot of blanks on set, it was all done digitally, which is smart these days. They had come up with this device that combined a Segway, a Steadicam, and a crane arm so that they could get shots that you just go, “I’m remembering that and stealing it one day or I’m going to hire you.” Because it was innovative, and it was ingenious. Like I said, on day one, I looked at this crew and I went, “I’m in good hands.”

MF: Sony recently announced that they are developing a remake of ‘La Bamba’. What are your thoughts on that and are you involved in the project?

LDP: At this point, I am not involved. I had the exact same reaction that original director Luis Valdez had, and that is, “Why? I think we did it all.” Ritchie (Valens) was 17 years old, and his career was eight months long. You’re not going to be digging up a whole lot of biographical details that we didn’t cover. But I’ve said it before, if the family benefits from it, I’m all for it. That’s fantastic. We just did a 4K screening at the Academy a few months ago. I donated the green guitar to the Academy Museum. I’m one of the governors of the Actor’s Branch right now. If there’s a different take to it and it provides an opportunity for another young man to have because that movie gave me my career. If there is another Chicano kid out there who will benefit from this career boost, I’m all for it. I’ll wait and see. I’m certainly not a naysayer in any respect. Luis Valdez, by the way, is going to advise on it. He’s got his doubts, but he can at least steer them in the right direction. I wouldn’t say it’s hard for me to see it happening. I am interested to see somebody else’s take on it. I don’t think that I have a hundred percent ownership. The family’s okay with it. Literally, his sister, Irma, and his little brother, Mario, were at that screening and they’re like, “We’ll see.” There are situations where it’s benefited from it. But for instance, they just remade ‘The Crow’ again and Brandon Lee was a dear friend of mine. They haven’t managed to do it justice. They’ve not come up to the standard that Brandon set. We’ll see. I would wish that Hollywood would come up with a few more original things but oh well.

MF: Finally, of all the projects you’ve been involved in throughout your career, which one are you most proud of?

LDP: I will say I’ve been so grateful and continue to be with a fun role, like ‘Get Fast’. I’ve got a movie coming out December 6th called ‘Werewolves’ with Frank Grillo, and again, another young director who’s getting a massive step-up. That’s coming. I got a couple of films submitted to Sundance, both of which I’m incredibly proud of. I have been honored because films like ‘La Bamba’, ‘Stand and Deliver’, ‘Young Guns’, they stand up. They are watchable today. Then, a movie like ‘Courage Under Fire’, or another film that I had called ‘The 33’ about the Chilean Miners was terribly underseen, but I’m proud of all that work. A lot of people ask, “What’s my favorite role?” I have to say the fact that I’ve been doing this for 40 years. I’m a huge fan of the genre of employment and the fact that challenging work continues to come my way and work that I can have fun with. For instance, in ‘Get Fast’, the ability to work with people that I think are going to be the filmmakers of the next generation.

What is the plot of ‘Get Fast’?

When his partner in crime is kidnapped after pulling off a massive money heist, a notorious professional thief (James Clayton) tracks the abductors into the territory of a merciless drug lord, pursued by dirty cops, low-level cronies, and the crime syndicate’s deadliest hitman, a gun-loving and coldly charming sociopath known as The Cowboy (Lou Diamond Phillips). But with millions of dollars and multiple lives at stake, how long will loyalty amongst thieves last when the bullets start flying?

Who is in the cast of ‘Get Fast’?

List of Lou Diamond Phillips Movies and TV Shows:

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