Joe Carnahans Copshop hits theaters today. In the action film, Gerard Butler, Alexis Louder and Frank Grillo can be seen.
“The cunning con man Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) races through the Nevada desert in a bullet-riddled Crown Vic and forges a desperate plan to hide from the deadly killer Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler): he beats the rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Lauter) to be arrested and locked up in a small town police station, ”the official summary says. “The prison can’t protect Murretto for long and Viddick is planning his own way into detention, waiting for his time in a nearby cell to complete his mission. When the arrival of a competing assassin (Toby Huss) causes total chaos, growing threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to quit the job and escape the explosive situation. “
ComingSoon editor-in-chief Tyler Treese spoke with Copshop Stars Gerard Butler and Alexis Louder talk about the action film, its characters and working with former UFC star Keith Jardine.
Tyler Treese: Gerard, that was a really interesting role because you’re handcuffed in a cell most of the time, but you’re always sort of manipulating what’s going on and you’re in control. What did you find really interesting about this character of Bob Viddick and the situation he is in?
Gerard Butler: Well, I think you just answered my question [laughs]. I love his elaborate plans. He has a reputation to keep up with. The bigger the challenge, the more fun [it is] that he had to try to track down this Teddy Murretto. He’s at a police station so he has to come up with a plan to get in there. When he’s in, he has to come up with a plan for how he can actually get hold of him, and if things don’t go exactly according to plan, he sits there and does the math.
As you say, manipulating what your next step will be, to deal with it and get out of there before things get out of hand, that’s so much fun to play around having all this internal dialogue. And having to do it from the same place. As if I was sitting in mine for most of this movie, handcuffed to a railing. So in some ways you call it frustrating, and in other ways I think at least I don’t break every bone in my body like in my Has Fallen films [laughs]. I’ll just sit here and think shit.
Alexis, this is one of your first leading roles and you are so great. You can hold your own with Gerard and Frank Grillo. How rewarding was this experience?
Alexis Lauter: It was extremely rewarding to work with these giants, with Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan. This is a phenomenal combination that no one has seen before because they have never worked together but have known each other for a long time. I honestly feel they got us through, but the fact that I can work with all three of them in a movie is great and they treated me like their own and we had great chemistry and worked well together in this cat and mouse that was going on.
Gerard, former UFC star Keith Jardine, plays a state trooper in it. He ends up arresting you. How was working with him?
servant: Well, it’s actually the second time I’ve worked with him. I have a movie called. turned playerwhen he was in the middle of his UFC career and I think it was his first film. I have to say I love this man. He is smart. He’s such a gentle giant. He’s such a decent person and it was just great to see him again. I have a great affection for Keith and he’s a good actor too. Yes. He’s a really good actor, just subtle.
volume up: He’s funny too.
servant: Total. He’s funny and he’s believable. It was one of my favorite parts of making this movie, seeing Keith again.
Alexis, there are so many great action scenes in the film. You can take part in some shootings. What was your favorite scene to film?
volume up: Because I don’t want to give anything away. I’ll say my favorite non-movie action part is jumping over a banister in front of Toby Huss. That was a lot of fun. I’ve done it three or four times [laughs].
servant: Talk about something that is in the movie.
volume up: Make me.
servant: I did this amazing thing that no one will see. It’s not in the movie.
volume up: I’m trying to get them to include it in the deleted scenes. That’s what I do.
