JackGiroux | Dec 07, 2009 | Movie News
When I hopped on the phone with Columbus Short I didn’t know what to expect. The only film I had seen him in was Cadillac Records — nothing else. So it was quite a nice surprise that the interview ended up going as well as it did. Columbus was extremely friendly and it became one of those interviews where it felt more so like a conversation. After being in a series of films as a side character, he’s finally now headlining his own film with Armored. While I haven’t got a chance to see it yet, I’m looking forward to it. Considering it’s from Nimrod Antal, the man behind Kontroll and the upcoming Predator remake, it will most likely be worthwhile. Armored is now in theaters.
Columbus Short: Oh man, nobody chased me down. Are you kidding me? I had to go after them. I had to bang down the door and literally claw at the director, the president of the studio and say, “I can do this movie.”
What was the main appeal to you? What did you think would make this a different action movie?
Columbus Short: The psychological aspect and the characters. It wasn’t just about running, cars crashes and [stuff] blowing up. It was a character piece and the psychological aspects that happen throughout the movie are pretty intense. That’s what I wanted to be apart of and I think its a good vehicle that I felt like I could carry it.
This also your real first action movie, can you talk about the challenges of that type of change up?
Columbus Short: (Pause) There weren’t a lot of challenges. It was more about rising to the occasion and doing what I already know how to do. It was an opportunity — not much of a challenge.
Can you talk about working with Nimrod Antal?
Columbus Short: Man, he’s a genius. I think he’s one of the next big directors — he’s Hitchcockian. Nimrod is amazing and he’s really got a niche and style thats fresh and very, very cinematic. He’s a good storyteller and he’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do the movie. I saw Kontroll and I liked it.
Kontroll is really good.
Columbus Short: Yeah, Kontroll is sick.
Vacancy was also pretty good.
Columbus Short: Yeah, Vacancy is pretty good. This kills everything though. This is his best piece.
What do you think makes him different from most directors?
Columbus Short: I think his style is new and fresh. He’s hungry and you can feel he’s hungry. Even in the way he shoots and also the way [he makes] you feel in the theater. He’s just one of those guys that you’re going to be talking about like Tarantino, Kubrick and Hitchcock.
He’s doing Predators right now too.
Columbus Short: He is. He is.
You’re not going to bug him to get you in that?
Columbus Short: Nah, he started it while I was shooting a film it Puerto Rico. So I couldn’t be apart of it.
Were you shooting The Losers?
Columbus Short: Yes.
How did that shoot go?
Columbus Short: It was fantastic. That movie is going to be the bomb.
I’m not too affiliated with the comic, but I’m looking forward to it since it has such a great cast. Can you talk a little bit about the story?
Columbus Short: Its myself, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Evans as black-op agents who went on a simple mission to Bolivia but got set up. We realize it was a suicide mission that we got sent on by the C.I.A. We were left for dead and we basically rage war against the C.I.A. to get our lives back. Its pretty intense man, pretty intense. But its got a lot of comedy in it, its really funny and also intense. Its going to be a good one, I’m really excited for it.
Did you read the comic book series?
Columbus Short: I did and the comic book series is sickening. Its like one of the best reviewed graphic novels in the last five years. Its ridiculous.
So its going to be pretty faithful?
Columbus Short: Yes.
Is that going to be a hard R?
Columbus Short: No, they want everyone to be able to see it. The comic book feels real R, but I think its going to be PG-13 and fun for everyone. Its going to be sexy, exciting, and its going to be all those things.
Its not going to be watered down PG-13 though right?
Columbus Short: Ah no, its pretty rough. Its pretty intense. They’re honestly really close to the line of R. One more F-word and then its R.
You can still do a lot with a PG-13 though. Columbus Short: Yeah, its funny you can’t say the F-word twice but you can blow someone’s head-up. Its weird, the MPAA is just weird with that.
Back to Armored, I’ve heard Matt Dillon say Antal is the perfect actor’s director. Would you agree with that?
Columbus Short: Perfect actor’s director. Nimrod, he lets us create all of our characters. All of us guys… Which he should do when you have veterans that have been in the game longer than you even knew what a camera was. Its easy to fall back and let the actors do their thing instead of being a dictatorship or [us being] puppets. He let us be very collaborative and the energy on set was phenomenal.
How fun was the parkour training?
Columbus Short: It was great, man. It was like… I was in tip-top shape doing all that stuff.
Is it refreshing being able to do your own stunts?
Columbus Short: It is. I always said if I do an action movie I want to do my own stunts. So it was exciting.
So you did a lot of running from explosions and wirework?
Columbus Short: All of it, wirework, running from explosions, parkouring up rails, and doing all kind of crazy action hero type stuff (laughs).
How much did you hate the wirework?
Columbus Short: It hurts a lot, but it hurts men more than woman since we got a little plum hanging between are legs and the wirework was painful. (laughs)
Does most of the film take place in that building?
Columbus Short: (Pause) No… I don’t want to giveaway the movie, but I think maybe thirty-percent.
Speaking of giving away the whole movie, have you seen the trailer?
Columbus Short: For Armored?
Yes, do you think that gives away too much?
Columbus Short: No, thats what’s funny is that I hear people say,”oh the trailer gives away the whole movie,” which is so hilarious that people think thats the whole movie. There’s so many other layers and things going on that aren’t given away at all. You get the gist and an idea of what’s happening, but there’s nothing plot wise thats given away. The set up is there with recruiting the rookie truck driver into stealing the money, but how the heist unfolds and which side each character stands on is left for you to pay ten dollars for to find out.
That sounds a little bit like Reservoir Dogs.
Columbus Short: When we were filming it everyone… We had the same DP from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. Its very much in that realm, but contained. Its a smart movie.
I don’t want this to sound like a backhanded statement, but as a young actor is it helpful being able to work with actors like Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, and Jean Reno?
Columbus Short: Oh yeah, absolutely. I don’t know many actors at my age who’ve gotten to work with actors like that so it was a huge learning experience. They’ve given me tools, pearls, and gems to take along with me for the rest of my career.
How exactly do you jump into a film like this? Do you actually have to do any research or can you just jump right in when you get there?
Columbus Short: It depends on the movie, with this one it was more about being with the guys. Its kind of a situation of life being shown in art. With those guys being the veterans and me being the rookie. I kind of let that take me to where I needed to go. Nimrod was phenomenal too because he let us shoot sequentially, which you don’t get to do on a lot of movies. So we shot it in sequence and the journey happened organically.
You’ve kind of come in the spotlight the past few years with movies like Quarantine and Stomp the Yard. What’s these past few years been like for you?
Columbus Short: The past few years have been… Me and my buddy were just talking about this, its been a lot of heavy lifting. Trying to mold the road in which we wanna go and Cadillac Records was one piece in the puzzle for where we want to go, Armored is another piece, and so is The Losers. We’re slowly trying to pull together a career I can be proud of and I have movies out there where I go,”ah, I cant believe I did that movie.”
A lot of people have that.
Columbus Short: (laughs) Yeah, I have that.
I actually just watched Cadillac Records and really enjoyed it.
Columbus Short: Ah nice, man. Nice.
It was interesting with how it somewhat parallels what was going on in the nineties with a lot of rappers. There were plenty of musicians back then who were also kind of thugs.
Columbus Short: Yeah, its real life. Thats how it really was, they were cowboys back then. They were gangsters, they were incredibly talented individuals, but definitely at war within the streets that were in them.
You seem to also be jumping around genres with Quarantine obviously being horror…
Columbus Short: Hopefully, the first and last for horror movies.
Was that tough to work on?
Columbus Short: (pause) Well, unless its something like I Am Legend which could be classified as a horror movie… So I guess I cant say I would never do a horror movie again, but that was a little intense.
It was pretty successful.
Columbus Short: Yeah it was.
Can you say specifically though why you wouldn’t want to do another horror movie?
Columbus Short: Its just not my thing. One of my best buds is just horror mad, he’s just all into horror and horror is just not my cup of tea. I’m just trying to get to the point where I don’t have to do slasher or zombie stuff (laughs).
You’re more interested in character drama.
Columbus Short: Absolutely and more three dimensional characters instead of just running from a beast.
Which is usually what you’re stuck to doing in most horror movies.
Columbus Short: Exactly.
You have to dig through a lot of crap to find a good horror movie.
Columbus Short: What would you say was the last great horror movie? Lets turn this interview around, what was the last great horror move you saw?
Trick ‘r Treat was very good, Drag Me to Hell was great, and Zombieland was a fun zombie movie.
Columbus Short: Zombieland was great and Drag Me to Hell was intense.
Its been a good year for horror, but now that there’s another Saw movie out it kind of ruins it.
Columbus Short: Yeah, thats like the commercial horror.
So, is your career goal right now to continue trying new and different things.
Columbus Short: When someone says,”I’m just going to do this genre,” I just don’t want to do that. I don’t deal in genres and I deal with what speaks to me whether that be a comedy or a great action movie. The moviegoer and the movie business is kind of labeled with what movies are with horror, dramatic comedy, or suspenseful action. Its like they’re making up new genres every year.
You also have a comedy coming up with the Death at a Funeral remake.
Columbus Short: Yes.
How was it working on that?
Columbus Short: Fantastic! Working with some of the best comedians of our time with Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Luke Wilson, and James Marsden. It was a great experience.
What was it like working with Neil LaBute?
Columbus Short: He’s a genius too, there’s another genius in a different sense. He’s really great and he’s another actor’s director. I’ve been blessed with some good actor directors that just really let you have a creative license and they just don’t treat you like a puppet. They’re just behind the camera trying to tell a story and hoping that you do your job.
I’m actually a fan of of LaBute, but you never really know what you’re going to get from him. Sometimes he does something dark like In the Company of Men or he does something like The Wicker Man. Would you say this is a straight comedy?
Columbus Short: Its a dark comedy, but his sensibility is very smart so everything he does is very thought out even if its zany or dark.
What did you think of his last film Lakeview Terrace?
Columbus Short: Lakeview Terrace was a brilliant man doing a commercial movie.
I thought it was a little more interesting than most critics.
Columbus Short: Yeah, I didn’t read reviews.
Do you not read reviews?
Columbus Short: When you read the good ones you also gotta read the bad ones too. So I try not to read them at all.
How do you take constructive criticism?
Columbus Short: You kind of just judge your own work. You cant judge your work based on opinions because everyone’s got one. You kind of just have to trust your gut… You know? At the end of the day an actor knows whether they did good work or not. We’re are worst critics, we’re hard on ourselves.
Just to wrap up, can you say what are some of the pros and cons of this whole press tour?
Columbus Short: Pros, that you’re getting the movie out there. Cons, that you’re talking about the movie all day long (laughs).
I’m sure it doesn’t help you get asked a lot of the same questions.
Columbus Short: Basically, but its guys like you who come and shake it up a bit which I like.
Now for the most important question: on a scale of one to ten what would you rate this interview?
Columbus Short: I would give you a strong nine my friend.
(laughs) How can I get that up to a ten?
Columbus Short: How could you get that up to a ten? Thats another good question, I think you’re at a ten buddy (laughs).
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