Sean Baker may have scooped up Oscar trophies in every filmmaker’s dream categories this year, but let’s not forget the iconicAlejandro G. Iñárrituwon Best Directortwo years in a rowforBirdmanand thenThe Revenant. It’s hard to believe the latter film was released 10 years ago at this point, the sole film that has earned Leonardo DiCaprio an Academy Award for Best Lead Actor. Alongside him inThe Revenantwas a talented ensemble that included longtime performerLukas Haas, whose latest film,High Rollers, is now available on demand and digital. MovieWeb recently caught up with Haas while he was promoting the movie, and the actor took time to share about his experience working with Iñárritu — especially as thedirector’s star-studded next filmis taking shape.
“We stay in touch here and there. I have not heard much about his new film, but it sounds really cool. What I have heard is probably nothing that you haven’t.” Haas told us. “But withThe Revenant, you know, he’s just a brilliant guy. And it was a really, really difficult shoot, is the truth. But that was his intention, you know? He even laid it all out for us in the beginning. We had a meeting — all the actors and him — and he was like, ‘Alright, listen. So, this is going to be very, very hard, and that’s the whole point,’ you know?” Haas continued aboutThe Revenant:
He’s like, “It’s all about pain and suffering. That’s what this movie is about. So, you are going to be in pain, you’re going to be suffering, and I’m going to be in pain, I’m going to be suffering. We’re all going to go through this together.”
“It wasn’t really sugar-coated,” explained Haas. “We weren’t in, like, modern clothes that were made to look like old clothes. We were in those old bear skins and stuff. So it was quite the experience, and it was a long road. You know, we were there for many months, I think something like six, seven months in Calgary. So it was pretty isolated. And it was, it was one of those things where, you know, you almost start to feel despondent because you’re so isolated.” He added:
“But it was definitely worth it… You are getting to really sort of watch these brilliant filmmakers at work and watch them move, [Emmanuel Lubezki, aka] Chivo and his incredible cinematography… And all those incredible people, Leo and everybody working together. It was a real treat.”
Here’s Every Alejandro González Iñárritu Film, Ranked
The incredibly gifted & innovative filmmaker is famous for his hyperlink approach and poignant psychological dramas that explore the human condition.
Lukas Haas on Shooting in the “Vegas of the South”
High Rollers
A decade later, Haas is in more comfortable productions, including a pair of caper flicks alongside John Travolta.First there wasCash Out, released last year, centered on a modern-day bank heist gone wrong. Then came the quick follow-up, this year’sHigh Rollers, a glossy sequel that sees Haas and Travolta taking on a swanky casino for the ultimate robbery. The first film was shot in Georgia, while the sequel was done in Mississippi — and Haas weighed in on which experience was more rewarding:
“We were kind of in this sort of dark bank with no windows [forCash Out], and it was also in a part of town that… wasn’t in the most exciting area. Biloxi, on the other hand, is just a really fun spot… I didn’t even know that this existed, but it was like a Vegas of the South, basically. So there’s all kinds of casinos there, and it’s also just in a beautiful part of the South. I went on some road trips around there, went to Florida and went all over. So definitely [High Rollers] was more fun.”
Experience the fun for yourself. From Saban Films,High Rollersis now available on demand and digital.
