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No brawls, just fun chats with Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson
Los Angeles — A towering 6’5” tall Vince Vaughn and a dapper-looking Don Johnson met with us separately at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills to talk about their latest American action thriller, “Brawl in Cell Block 99,” which recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
Of course we also got to talk about other things besides “Brawl”: from Vaughn’s challenge of getting roles because of his height to Johnson’s dream role.
It was like déjà vu when we talked to former “Miami Vice” heartthrob and ‘80s icon Don Johnson. He is now 67 years old, but he's still looking handsome and just as charming, dressed to the nines in a Dior suit with a pink pocket square.
Johnson portrays Warden Tuggs in the movie while Vaughn portrays Bradley Thomas, a tattooed former boxer-turned-drug courier who winds up in jail.
Below are excerpts from our chats with the two handsome actors.
Vince Vaughn
On how his looks informed his character: “I knew I had to get in shape and the right kind of shape. I had boxed when I was younger. So I had just gotten a little comfortable with it. It was daunting the way director S. Craig Zahler wanted to shoot this. He shot it like a Kung Fu movie, like a Hong Kong movie. He would do 20 punch combinations with multiple actors in one shot. It’s a little bit dangerous.
We had 25 days to shoot the movie and very ambitious fight sequences. Zahler is very particular about how to do it. So I felt I had to come in as prepared as I could be. I had the accent to do and there was a lot to get in shape and emotional work. But I had to make sure that for that fight stuff, you are really coordinated, know what you are doing. Ultimately, you just have to commit to it. You have to come from character. You have to be angry, come from that point of view and dive into it. So it was very challenging but at the same time, that was very exciting to me.”
On how he chooses his roles: “Well for me now, it’s more that I want to do stuff that I feel challenged by or I think is original or interesting. It started with ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ and Mel Gibson gave me that opportunity. I just really prepared and took that very seriously. This was something that I knew was different, but I liked that it was different. I thought that this guy was a very interesting filmmaker. Nowadays, everybody goes into a movie hunting [for] an audience, like 'what should I do to get a big audience?'
“So I just wanted to be, I found it to be a morality tale. I felt challenged. I am in a stage where I want that and I want to work that hard. The accent was something to think about and the fighting stuff was challenging. If it was just an acting, fighting movie that would challenging, but with the emotion and the places that you have to go to is also very challenging. So I was looking to be in a filmmaker’s movie and someone with a unique voice and something different. I felt I had done things that were similar for a long time, so ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ and this, and the other things that I have coming are all the things that are more challenging or things I haven’t done before. I never did any fighting stuff like this prior to this movie.
On the kind of father and husband he is: “I am probably more the teddy bear dad. I waited to have kids and I am thankful. I live with my wife in Manhattan Beach and it’s just the two of us. We do most of the stuff with the kids, so I really enjoy that. I play a lot of imagination games with my kids.
“It’s funny. I moved to Manhattan Beach because I didn’t want paparazzi to be following me, but everyone there is in finance. So I can’t relate to anybody. They are all getting their kids in soccer programs at three and I am like I don’t know, we are going to read a Brothers Grimm fable here. But yeah, I have a lot of fun with my kids and we watch movies. I play a lot of imagination games with them and I just spend a lot of time with them.”
On how his height has hurt or helped him in his career: “On the height issue, there have been times where it’s hurt me and times, in this case, I think it helped. So at Zahler’s design, that became a part of it. He was specific and not feeling the pain as much and certain ideas were his. So I think it all worked and used it as a positive in this experiment. It was a time juggle, for sure. You are cast in the lead and you are playing a high school student and you are circus tall.”
On working with Don Johnson: “Don is just cool as f***. He was so cool and very minimalistic. He didn’t push it too hard. He almost felt to me in mythology like almost a narrator and almost like a godlike figure that is like the law of the land. It’s just delivering you how the universe works. It’s just the facts of things.
“I just found him very, very cool and tough without trying. He is very simple and very in control. There is kind of a code there. He has had lines that made me laugh, like ‘Amnesty International would frown on this room’ and he is very good at it.”
On whether he looks back at his career with regret or with gratitude: “For me, I am thankful for it because I don’t know that I would have been shaving my head and taking these kinds of journeys if I didn’t. I had the good fortune when I was younger with ‘Swingers’ and a lot of independent films like ‘Clay Pigeons’ and ‘Made’ and that is really where I started.
“That was my passion to do interesting characters in movies. Then I had a great run with R-rated comedies that were dangerous, interesting and fun. Then like anything, these things keep coming. It’s kind of easy and you just stay in the same place that you are in for a while. You are not as excited to be there as you were.
“My priorities changed. I got married and had kids. Then I woke up and felt like I really want to be passionate. I want to go into stuff that I am excited about. I was very lucky that as I learned these instincts and going back to your instincts, connected again to saying no. I really want to go do stuff that I feel like I am liking. I found ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ and now I found this.
“So I try to be glass half full. There are times of course where you feel like things aren’t going well, but ultimately you have to fight through it. That’s life and that is the journey of life. You have to go through the pain, go through those lessons and then go forward. Then hopefully, not fall asleep again at some point. I am sure that you will and you will have different lessons to learn at a different time.”
Don Johnson
On working with Vince Vaughn: “Isn't Vince wonderful? Isn't he terrific in the movie? I think that people are going to see Vince in a completely different light now and I'm thrilled for him because he's a great guy. We had a lovely time working together.”
On playing Warden Tuggs: “Warden Tuggs is the master of his world. When playing characters and villains like this, I start from the premise that everybody no matter how heinous their behavior is that they are an expression of the light. I try to find the light in every character I play. Once I can find that element or I feel that element in the character, then it frees me to be able to be as sinister or as evil or as controlling as Warden Tuggs.”
On the secret of his staying power in a very competitive industry: “The most important thing is to remember that each job is just your latest job, not your last job and to prepare yourself for something new. You should stay optimistic and positive. You should work on your craft, work on what it takes to be a good actor.
“I've gone back to school even after ‘Miami Vice.’ I went to New York and spent three weeks in a class with Sandra Seacat and other wannabe actors and Jessica Lange. I worked together in a class. It's an intensive three weeks because after ‘Miami Vice’ I wasn't sure. It was so draining. It was such a powerful experience that I wanted to reintroduce myself to my love of acting and it worked.
“I went back to school and started working on the craft. I learned that I could elevate myself beyond Sonny Crockett and beyond Nash Bridges, beyond other roles by just sticking to the fundamentals of my craft, of my work and adjusting and changing with each part.”
On fashion and looking dapper: “Well, I knew I was going to see you so I dressed up. I took a shower and did my nails. I like to look nice most of the time. My wife has a great eye for fashion. I have to say that she watches out for me because I could have just as easily shown up in my pajamas. But they're monogrammed.
“I am wearing Dior right now. Everything I have on is Dior. I’m surprised it’s not tattooed on my forehead.”
On his great relationship with his wife, Kelly Phleger, who is 18 years younger than him: “I can't speak for everyone but I know for me, she's my best friend. We do everything together. She's my best friend and we enjoy a lot of similar things. We have the funniest arguments that you would ever want to witness in your life because they don't really go anywhere, you know, sort of detente; 'Okay, you don't agree. I don't agree. All right let's move on. ' But, yes, I do think it gets a little bit easier and especially when you've had a few chances.”
On how protective he is of his daughters (Dakota and Grace Johnson) and trying to choose their suitors: “You have very little control over that, you know. That's one of those things where I think kids model mostly and they watch your behavior. They behave, if you have integrity. If you feel good about yourself, if you have good self-esteem your children are going to be that way. If they see you lying and cheating and not having good self-esteem, that's what you're going to get. They don't listen. They only listen to about 10 percent of what you say. Then you'll hear it regurgitated back to you and you go, 'Omigod that sunk in'. That's weird but otherwise I'm lucky because they are very secure and they have good self-esteem. So not that they don't make poor choices. I've had to upon occasion say I don't like him so much.”
On his dream role: “Jefferson. I'd love to play Thomas Jefferson. There are some western characters. Bill Cody was a great western character and I want to make sure that I get this right. There was a western, an old western guy guide who made several trips back and forth to Washington on behalf of the Presidents. I can't remember. I'm drawing a blank on his name but he also rode a mule because he in his mind the mule was stronger and had more endurance than the horse. He could take the mule for 3,000 miles no problem. He was very instrumental with Fremont here in California. I remember now. It's Kit Carson. Yeah, I'd love to play Kit Carson.”
On how he wanted to be remembered: “I haven't thought about it. I think that generally there's a lot of goodwill for me. I feel a lot of love from people. If I'm remembered in that way that would be a blessing. That would be the greatest gift ever.” — LA, GMA News
