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Chris Evans on Street Kings
By Fred Topel | Image property of Fox Searchlight
Street Kings
Chris Evans Talks Street Kings
"I actually like drama," Evans said. "I think it’s great. Let’s just say, humor oftentimes deflects it. I think it’s nice kind of sitting in it and soaking it in even if it’s awkward sometimes. It feels good. That’s the fun of acting."
As many actors do, Evans went on ride-alongs with real cops, who appreciated the character he was playing. "Cops hate dirty cops. I guess I just assumed that corruption was something that was not talked about but was everywhere. On the contrary, it could just be what these cops were telling me. Every cop that I spoke to on set or on my ride-along, they just hate dirty cops. They hate ‘em. So that was refreshing. It was unexpected."
Those cops challenged Evans' beliefs, but he did not draw any specific inspiration from them. "The problem with basing a character on someone I know is that I don’t have enough backstory. I’ll usually base characters on people I know really well. I’ll just take someone from my life that I really feel like I have a handle on who they are and where they came from and use them as my anchor. It’s much easier than trying to create a whole, entirely different person. I always think it’s kind of crazy when actors do that. It almost feels like I barely know myself and to think that I could completely understand a different human being, the way they grew up. It almost feels, at times, arrogant to think an actor can do that. I have an easier time saying, ‘All right. This guy’s gonna be my father. I’m just going to play my father.’ Then I just have a whole well of knowledge. I know so much about this guy. Then, at least I have an anchor that will provide me truth because, otherwise, it’s very easy to slip into auto-pilot and, before you know it, the performance becomes kind of contrived."
Diskant was pretty much an original to Evans. "[Writer/director] David [Ayer] is so wonderful in the sense that he loves to make a lot of backstory and trying to figure out who Diskant was was really fun. We settled on a backstory of: I think Diskant’s a guy whose older brother was probably a golden boy, probably valedictorian, quarterback, charming with the ladies, object of his parents’ affection. I think he’s lived in his shadow for a lot of his life and has something to prove so becoming a cop just felt like a clean, pure, earnest way to be the best he can be free of judgment. It’s better than a politician, better than a lawyer. You’re upholding the law and the notion of corruption, he couldn’t help but become invested. I think he had this chip on his shoulder with something to prove and was going to do whatever he had to do to try and uncover this."
Street Kings is out in theaters now.
For the trailer, stills, review and more movie info, go to the Street Kings Movie Page.
Fred Topel
Sources: Image property of Fox Searchlight
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