|
You're also starring in The Vow, coming out February
10, 2012, which has been on many people's lists of most
anticipated movies of 2012. So, can you tell us a bit more
about your character?
Yeah! I play Rachel [McAdams]'s future brother-in-law.
It's basically, she's trying to get her memory back and
trying to figure out if she wants to give Channing Tatum
a chance or go back to the man she loved [five years ago,
which is the most recent thing she remembers].
 And
I'm about to marry her sister; I mirror the life that she
could have if she goes the safe route, if she goes to marry
Scott Speedman. So what she's thinking is, "Do I go
with what my family wants me to do or do I give this Bohemian
artist, who's obviously really good looking, too, [laughs]
a chance?"
I mean, it's really cool. The coolest thing about that
part is that when I got it I didn't realize how big of a
movie that was and then, at one point I'm sitting at a dinner
table and to my left is Jessica Lange, to my right is Sam
Neill, beside me is Channing Tatum and in front of me is
Rachel McAdams and I'm thinking, "What the hell am
I doing here?" It was incredible.
My first question to Sam Neill was "So, is there going
to be a Jurassic Park 4?" Actually, that's the first
thing I asked him because I was so nervous. [laughs]
The funny thing about it is he answered it dead seriously.
He said, "Oh, I hope so!" [laughs]
And I have to ask, how was it working with fellow Canadian
Rachel McAdams?
She was extremely nice. I didn't really get to know her
very well. You know, I kind of made up my mind before I
did the movie that I was going to ask her out. I was like,
you know, what the hell? Why not? But I never could muster
the courage to do it. Every time I was alone with her, I
just kind of asked her... I remember one time I asked her
what her favorite movie was that she was in and she looked
at me like I was crazy. Like, "Are you serious?"
I just asked her all these questions that Barbara Walters
would ask her and it didn't work out at all. [laughs]
I just got so nervous. I mean, she's been around the business
for a long time and I didn't realize how big of a star she
was until I sat next to her in a chair.
So how is it for you not just to switch from TV to film,
but from being this Navy Seal character to being in this
undoubtedly romantic story?
I just try not to over think it. I just let whatever is
happening in the script speak for itself. Like, when I'm
playing the Seal on Nikita, I'm not trying to play
a tough guy. I just let it come out however it's going to
come out. It can be sometimes hard for me to not go cartoony
because I have a bit of a Second City background and I've
always done comedy with my brothers.
But when I'm doing something like The Vow, the character
was so open and he was just there to help Rachel's story
go along that I could pretty much do anything I wanted with
it. So, that was kind of fun. But I don't necessarily find
it hard to switch back and forth between characters.
What is it that makes you want to take on any given
role?
To be honest, up until this point it's been if I could
get the job, I'll take it! [laughs] But I guess now,
I'm looking for... I don't know... I like characters that
aren't just there to facilitate the plot. You know, like
I really love a character that can be serious one moment
and the butt of a joke the other. I like layered characters
that I can recognize part of myself in.
Like, not just like, this guy's a good looking guy or this
guy is the jock. I like when we do the unexpected, when
the jock is really good at physics or something. [laughs]
It's like real life, you know?
Absolutely. So, do you have any other projects in the
works right now?
Well I also have a production company with my brothers.
It's called Taryn Leigh Films and that's named after
my sister. So, I have two brothers, an older brother, Conor,
and a younger brother, Lyndon, and they're both writers.
We've had a movie in Sundance through that company, which
was cool, and now we're writing a feature film, so we're
trying to get that off the ground.
And I also have a web series that I'm always doing. It's
called "Living in LA with Dillon Casey" and it's
just basically about the trials and tribulations of trying
to be an actor. How it really is in LA. Everybody thinks
it's so glamorous, but really it's the exact opposite. [laughs]
And, other than that, I'm just trying to focus on Nikita.
It's actually a pretty long shoot. We're not done until
the summer, I think.
We are Pop Culture Madness, so we're all about pop culture.
How about you? Is there anything you can't get enough of
these days?
I'm on iTunes like crazy. I download all these TV shows.
I just finished watching the third season of The League.
I love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'm all
over South Park, Mad Men. I love that show
Louie.
I'm just like going through all these awesome TV shows,
especially on AMC and FX. Love that.
How about movies? What movie are you most looking forward
to seeing in 2012?
I'd say The Dark Knight Rises, for sure. I saw the
trailer and I saw the prologue right before Mission Impossible.
It's amazing. It's this five minute prologue to the movie
and it's the best action sequence I've ever seen in my life.
Now 2011 was a great year for you, but in the spirit
of the New Year, will you be making any resolutions for
2012?
My shallow answer is I want to stretch more. It's actually
true. [laughs] I make that resolution every year.
I also want to write more, I'd say. I mean, it's all these
cliché things you say at New Year's.
I want to be less selfish. But that's not going to happen.
A week after January 1 I'm going to be googling myself like
crazy. [laughs] I want to be on Facebook less. I
don't have anything too deep here.
Thanks so much for speaking with me today. Do you have
a final message for your fans and the visitors of Pop Culture
Madness.com?
If you watch Nikita, thank you so much for your support,
thank you for welcoming me to the show and keep watching!
It's going to get even better! And I'm going to be naked.
[laughs]
|
