The new action film “Detective Knight: Independence,” which is the third and final film in writer-director Edward Drake’s trilogy (“Break Down”).
Hollywood legend Bruce Willis (“Die Hard,” “Pulp Fiction”) reprises his role as Detective James Knight, who must stop a deranged former paramedic worker (Jack Kilmer) from trying to rob a bank on New Year’s Day. Independence and takes (Willow Shields) hostage with close ties to Knight.
The son of actors Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, Jack Kilmer is best known for his roles in films such as “Palo Alto” and “The Nice Guys,” as well as most recently playing the role of his father as “Willow” in the Disney Revival series. . .
Moviefone recently had the excitement of speaking with Jack Kilmer about his paintings in “Detective Knight: Independence,” his inspiration for the character, the action sequences, his collaboration with Bruce Willis, Willow Shields and director Edward Drake, and what he’s like to play his role as a father in Disney’s “Willow. “
(From left to right) Director Edward Drake and Jack Kilmer in “Detective Knight: Independence. “Photo credit: Eric Williams.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Kilmer and Edward Drake on “Detective Knight: Independence Day. “
Moviefone: To start, can you tell us about your character, Dezi, and your inspiration for the role?
Jack Kilmer: Well, one movie that we refer to a lot is “Joker. “Dezi is that vigilante anti-hero. It echoes many other incel people who unfortunately exist today. For me, it’s stuff like “Taxi Driver” and “Bad Lieutenant. “We had Bruce Willis, so when we started, we had a superhero in our midst. We started in This Land of Superheroes and then we took it and followed it.
I was talking to Ed and we said, “This is a genuine opportunity to create something concrete and genuine, and anything that a lot of other people can relate to in this country right now. “We have just celebrated the anniversary of January 6th. We even shot this movie a while after everything fell through. We had tons of concepts about who this guy was and what American he was. Where do Americans go when they go crazy, when they lose their minds?What does it look like?
I don’t know what his political position is, this character. I didn’t align it with any specific political party. He consumes a lot of things on the Internet, is very paranoid, is an outsider and is not accepted in society. I think a lot of other people can at least perceive that. I don’t think the film is going in one direction. You’re rooting for him, and he’s kind of an outsider. Dezi is something salvageable from a user and you can see it. It spirals and collapses.
You just root for him. The movie is from the perspective of the villain, which is unique. He’s just a person that’s really sick and suffering, and very paranoid, and you can see how along the way how gets there. What that brings up for me is that there’s a lot of people in this country that I would love to sit down and talk with, no matter what political position they take. Sometimes it’s good to unite, to come together even though you have different political views to someone else, and sit and talk to them because maybe you guys align on more than you think.
MF: Can you tell us about Dzi’s dates with Ally and her collaboration with Willow Shields?
Jack Kilmer: Willow is adorable and absolutely exciting to paint with. She brought it. There’s a scene in the movie where we have a confrontation with Mr. Bruce Willis and she brought him into that scene. For Dezi’s character, she is the gentle anchor of the entire film. She brings all of humanity to Dezi.
MF: What’s it like working with a legend like Bruce Willis?
JK: Well, he’s a legend, a boss and a king. He introduces himself and his name is Bruce Willis, and you know it.
Bruce Willis as James Knight in “Detective Knight: Independence” Photo credit: Eric Williams.
MF: What did watching him work inform you?
JK: Let me say this. He can say anything, and he’s very harsh and effective. I don’t know where it comes from, though, the guy can pronounce lines in an incredibly harsh and effective way, and it’s all in him. That “Bruce Willis” is right in him and everybody’s power changes when he’s there, and that’s a genuine thing. He’s a genuine star and a genuine celebrity from a time when you can just be a massive star. That’s what it is.
I think about it today, Gorillaz is one of my favorite bands and it’s featured in the Gorillaz video when I was in high school. The length of his career and the reflected image of how much he is a star of my generation and of the 80s. What I like? It’s crazy!
MF: Can you talk about the weapons training you had for the movie and what was the most challenging action sequence for you to shoot?
JK: When it comes to shooting education, we implemented maximum security on all of those guns, even though they had already been changed to be as safe as imaginable with capped barrels and blank cartridges. They were absolutely safe and monitored at all times. I grew up surrounded by guns in New Mexico, so I take it very seriously through target shooting education with my father. It was a lot of fun to do tricks.
However, as we’ve discussed, 2021 is an era of history that is very scary for a lot of people, so I didn’t need to pick up a gun first thing in the morning. There are fun elements to this, too. The hardest thing for me about this shoot was the way we shot everything in 8 days.
That was the hardest thing about this movie because it lasted 8 days. It was a feature film shot in 8 days. So we were doing five or six pages of script a day. It was literally difficult, but their total approach to distribution and the way they shoot those movies, works one way or another.
That’s because they paint so hard. Edward Drake, the director, it’s really remarkable the way he makes those movies. I had never noticed anything like it. If I had a bigger budget, I can believe what I could do with him and it would be amazing because he’s one of the most artistic and painterly people I’ve ever met.
MF: What’s it like to shoot a film in 8 days and what’s it like to collaborate on this assignment with Edward Drake?
JK: On any set, there are days when you feel tension and you’re stressed. It wasn’t until I finished the movie that I talked to Ed and he said, “Okay, I felt the tension about this. “down. Everyone stood their ground and worked very hard.
Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) in Lucasfilm’s “Willow” at Disney. 2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. ©
MF: Finally, what was it like for you to join the cast of Disney’s “Willow” series, bet on your father’s role in the original film, and run with Jake Kasdan on the project?
JK: It’s so epic. I love “Willow”. My parents met on “Willow. “Jonathan Kasdan is obsessed with having my parents in the movie. He’s a lovely guy. We’ve been exchanging emails for a long time and he’s fascinated by the fact that I exist and that my mom is on the show. I had so many questions to ask myself.
My dad has fitness issues, and basically Jonathan said to me, “Can you come and help me with some quirky lines, and can you come and help me with that in editing?”I thought, “Sure, I’ll go and do that. ” But it ended up being special because we sat down and talked about Madmartigan and the whole legacy and everything.
Bruce Willis as James Knight in “Detective Knight: Independence” Photo credit: Eric Williams.
Detective Knight Independence54R1 h 32 minJanuary 20, 2023Schedule & TicketsWatch Detective Knight Independence Online