The ex-bouncer and the star of The Fast And The Furious gives Maxim a masterclass in understated mecane
The film's big on streetracing and souped up with sport cars. Are you a bit of a boy-racer?
I'm a New Yorker, so no, we don't have access to flash cars, but Dominic (his character) is very much a car person. He's the caretaker, the leader of a group of people, but racing provides him with serenity.
So when your character gets overexcited by the automobile action, does that mean you are actually faking it?
I don't know if you need to be a car person to play Dominic, the characters take on a life of their own in the film. I wanted to make him to come alive. Although you know he loves cars, he's ultimately about much more, which is taking care of the family and being the responsible one.
Rob Cohen said he sees you as the next line in to the action-hero genre, right behind Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Is that you want?
I want more. Its flattering because I've admired all those ageing action stars that we talk about. I'm a fan of their's, a loyal fan, but if you say would I be interested in doing big films like Terminator or Mad Max then yeah - as a kid I left the movie theaters feeling really really good.
Are big explosions and action scenes going to be a staple part of your career?
I would never do a film just because it was labelled a big action film. I wouldn't do a film thinking bombs and explosions would be enought to carry me through. If you see the work that I've done, even on an action film, I hope that you get the feeling that I'm treating it the same as I would a dramatic piece.
Presumably the ladies go for the action type?
That surprise me because I always had to work for whatever attractiveness I was able to off. It's bizarre now to be called sexy without having to work for it or without having to convience anybody of it. I don't know if I understand it yet, but it's definitively a good thing.
Do your years as a bouncer affect your acting in any way?
No, it definitively gives me a rescourse to draw upon. When you are bouncing you have to be the most formidable person in the world - its a bit like acting.