Original-Cin Q&A: Quick Hits from Dead for a Dollar's Dafoe, Bratt, Waltz, Burke and Walter Hill
At age 80, Walter Hill (48 Hours, Streets of Fire) isn’t slowing down. The veteran writer, producer and director’s latest film, Dead For A Dollar ( which he wrote and directed) is a good old fashioned Western which brings him back full circle.
The movie centers around bounty hunter Max Borlund (Christoph Waltz) who heads deep into Mexican territory to find and return Rachel Kidd (Rachel Brosnahan), the wife of a wealthy businessman.
After learning she actually fled from the abusive marriage, Max faces a choice: finish the job he's been hired to do, or stand aside while ruthless mercenary outlaws and his longtime rival close in on a town that's been his temporary sanctuary.
Dead for A Dollar features an all-star cast which also includes Willem Dafoe, Benjamin Bratt, Warren Burke and many more familiar faces.
Our Bonnie Laufer caught up with Walter Hill, Willem Dafoe, Benjamin Bratt, Christoph Waltz and Warren Burke to get their take on this Western.
Dead for a Dollar will be available in Canada only on demand this Friday, September 30th.
It will be available on the following platforms:
Cineplex, Telus, Shaw, Rogers, Bell, Sasktel, Cogeco, Apple (iTunes), Microsoft, Google
CLICK HERE to read Liam Lacey’s review of Dead for a Dollar.
ORIGINAL-CIN: Who doesn't love a good Western? Walter, you started your career with Westerns. So I wanted to know what it was that brought you back and what was your earliest memory as a young boy that made you love this genre?
WALTER HILL: My brother and I used to go to films every weekend. On Saturday, we would go to the first-run theater that was in our neighborhood and on Sunday, we would go to the kind of rundown theater which ran double, and triple features and B westerns.
I would watch Johnny Mack Brown or Wild Bill Elliott and I loved them. When I got a little older - I think I was probably about 11 - I saw Shane, and I couldn't believe that a movie could be so good. And I still love it, by the way.
But it was a huge part of my life seeing those B Westerns that my brother and I were raised on, so I guess I was imprinted as the scientists would say.
Director Walter Hill
The truth is, I like musicals and comedies but when I first got to join the circus, and started working in Hollywood, the first shows I worked on were Gunsmoke and The Wild, Wild West and I got a chance to work on westerns before I was a director.
ORIGINAL-CIN: I'd like to see a musical comedy Western from you next. Okay.
WALTER HILL: Well okay then. I'll put that in my notebook.
O-C: Christoph, you’re returning to the Western genre after your well-deserved Oscar for your performance in Django Unchained. I love this guy Max Borland who you play in Dead for A Dollar. He’s a bounty hunter there to do his job. He's calm, cool and collected. Aside from the script that Walter gave you, what do you think it takes to be a good bounty hunter?
CHRISTOPH WALTZ: I wouldn't have a clue because all my clues come from Walter’s script, that's what I do for a living. Sorry, I don't need to be curt, but I don't think all bounty hunters are alike. So I always referred to Walter for guidance on the details.
O-C: Did you connect with him in any way once you started to play him?
WALTZ: Poor Max, he has no choice. He takes on a job to find his bounty and that’s that.
I found everything I needed on that page.
O-C: Benjamin, I think you probably had the most fun playing this character. What a bad-ass. But I’ve got to say, he has a pretty good reason for being mad and so mean. Tell me a little bit about playing this guy, and did you ever let go of that cigar you were chomping on?
BENJAMIN BRATT: Oh, yeah, I was doing my best to channel Lee Van Cleef. I am a big fan of spaghetti westerns so I was paying homage to him. (Laughs)
Look, at the end of the day to be in a film with this cast, written and directed by Walter, I knew that it had to be fun. We were riding horses, shooting up guns. And to participate in that at long last, after so many years in the business to finally be in an actual true blue Western, was a dream come true.
O-C: Willem, your character also has a little bit of fun. We meet him in jail, he gets out and we discover he's quite the gambler, but don’t cross this guy. Was there any preparation involved to get into Western mode, or was it off the page and you just had some fun with it?
WILLEM DAFOE: Half and half. You know, I had to brush up on riding a horse. So yeah, you just have to get to that place. You got to go to that world. But I won't lie and say that I did extensive research because I didn't really get to know the character until I got there.
This character appealed to me because there's something kind of at peace and fatalistic about him that I really enjoy. He's a thoughtful guy and just wants what is owed to him. He wants a good life even though he's deep down a good man that does bad things.
There were a lot of contradictions about him and for me that's an interesting character. So as far as preparation, I didn't do extensive preparation before I got there. I had worked with Walter before, so I knew what to expect from him. But I hadn't imagined that period. So that's really where it started, all with Walter and his script.
ORIGINAL-CIN: Warren your character has a real interesting journey working alongside Christoph’s character. Plus, can you ever crack a whip! How long did you have to perfect that skill?
WARREN BURKE: I practiced for that, and thankfully we had some time to get it perfected. Before and also, even during actual shooting.
I really wanted to make sure I got it down to prevent any type of accidents, but I took it very seriously. I really wanted to make sure that I was present and really adhere to it. It was so much fun just learning this new skill of cracking a bullwhip, learning to ride a horse and just getting into the Western mentality. It was a little boy's dream come true!
ORIGINAL-CIN: Walter, you're surrounded by this amazing cast, a testament to everyone because they really wanted to work with you. But we’ve got to mention one of the lone stand-out actresses, Rachel Brosnahan.
We’re so used to seeing her as Mrs. Maisel but does she ever turn it around for this film. What did you see in Rachel to cast her in this role because she is anything but the damsel in distress.
WALTER HILL: Well, actually, I'd seen her in several other dramas as well before she took on Mrs Maisel. The parts weren't terribly large, but I had great confidence that she could pull it off.
She understood this part so completely, I think I only gave her one piece of direction. I said this to her a few weeks ago and she said, “No, you directed me more than that!”
The biggest piece of advice I gave her was that I told her, “Most of the parts you're ever going to play, you'll be looking for love. But in this case, you're not looking for love. You're looking for respect and the challenge will be that looking for respect is an attitude.
“It can be a chilling attitude because I want everybody to feel positive about you by the end of the movie. So your task is really to look for respect but at the same time, make everybody feel warm about you.”
And I think she really pulled that off.