With roles in HBO’s In Treatment and the big screen hit Chronicle, actor Dane DeHaan has been quickly making his way up the Hollywood food chain.
This week, DeHaan’s newest film, Lawless, was released. Starring Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf, John Hillcoat’s Prohibition-era drama is sure to provide solid exposure for the young actor, who is still making a name for himself.
In the film, DeHaan plays Cricket Pate, a young moonshiner who plays a critical role in the lives of fellow moonshiners, the Bondurants, in their battle against the government during Prohibition.
At the film’s L.A. press day, the Obie award winner talked about his theater roots, the Hollywood friendships he’s made, his role in a possible Chronicle sequel, his upcoming projects and more.
Check it out below.
We Got This Covered: How’d you get the part of Cricket?
Dane DeHaan: I auditioned for it. I had just moved to L.A. and had just come off of In Treatment. It was one of the first scripts that CAA had sent me. I had just signed with them. When I saw the script I was like “Wow, this is amazing” and the cast was attached to it at the time. It was like “Hey, do you want to do the best script ever with the best cast ever in your first wide release movie?” To me, that was a no-brainer.
We Got This Covered: Why do you think people connect so closely to your character?
Dane DeHaan:. The movie’s about Jack and Forrest, but Cricket is the light at the end of the tunnel. Out of all the brutish, violent brothers, he’s the heart and the brain. He’s the one they care about, not like an equal, but almost like a baby that they have to take care of. I hope that comes across on the screen. His fate is a catalyst for the film. It’s like “Of everything, how could you do that…to him?” It’s like you’re fighting and you punched me in the nuts (laughs).
We Got This Covered: You and Shia are the two young guys in the movie. How was it working with him?
Dane DeHaan: We played best friends in the movie and we tried to become close in real life. From the start, I got out of my first accent coach and Shia’s was right before me. He waited for an hour to introduce himself to me. In the same breath, he was like “Hey, do you want to take a road trip down to Georgia with me?” I was like ” Yeah, I’ll do that.” That’s how we got to know each other. We spent three days in the car together. We went through the process together as confidants and best friends. We had a really good time working together.
We Got This Covered: Speaking of road trips, were you ever scared flying down the road in those old trucks?
Dane DeHaan: Yeah, it gets scary (laughs). They don’t have suspension or anti-lock brakes, but it was fun. The cars were a big part about the movie, as was learning to drive them.
We Got This Covered: Did you ever try to get pointers from veterans like Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy?
Dane DeHaan: It’s so much about observation and watching them. Acting is such an individual thing, so to see an individual that’s kind of a master at it like Gary Oldman, to see what he does and how he works, I think you’ll get a more truthful answer from watching than by asking.
We Got This Covered: Is there any chance that you’ll be in a Chronicle sequel?
Dane DeHaan: If they write me into it. I don’t know anything about it though. If they want me in it, I would really love be as proud of the sequel as I am about the first part. I’m really proud about how it came out. I would like to kind of honor the first part with the second part but it’s just not my decision.
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