Many of us know Luke Wilson from past comedic hits like Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenanbaums and Mike Judge’s classic sci-fi comedy, Idiocracy. Meanwhile, Rocky IV probably comes to mind when we hear “Dolph Lundgren.” And now, the two veteran actors have teamed up for a new action thriller from director Shane Dax Taylor.
The Best Man is simply pulse-pounding as we watch a team of ruthless mercenaries violently seize control of a remote resort hotel. As former Special Ops soldiers attending their best friend’s wedding, the likable characters played by Wilson and Lundgren rely only on their wits and training to combat the terrorists and save the hostages held for ransom.
We recently caught up with Shane Dax Taylor, who also served as co-writer of The Best Man. He opened up about directing Luke Wilson in a unique sort of project for the Old School actor. Plus, Taylor is currently working on a docuseries featuring a shocking, untold story. Read our exclusive interview below.
Luke Wilson: Action Star
MW: As co-writer and director, how did it all start for you in bringing this idea to life?
Shane Dax Taylor: I was actually hired as a director. I was going to direct another film first, and then, for one reason or another, I ended up on this one. And the script was there, and I just kind of came on and made it more personal, in the sense where I made the females sisters and tried to ground the film a bit. There was a lot more crazy action, and I wanted to make it something that is more believable than what was there […]
Shane Dax Taylor: By bringing more family, you care more about them, [hoping] that no one gets injured or no one dies. So that was a big part of it […] I’ve never directed action before […] I’ve written for Scott Atkins films, Jason Patric […] I’ve written for other directors, and it’s a different process than something I’m going to write for myself for sure.
MW: What was it like directing veterans like Luke Wilson and Dolph Lundgren? I grew up watching their movies.
Shane Dax Taylor: Yeah, same […] I grew up in the ’80s watching Dolph in these action films. So he’s definitely someone I grew up idolizing. I feel like I’ve seen all his action films. And so, now that he’s directing, I could ask him for advice on a scene if I needed to. And then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Luke Wilson — who’d never done really an action film, and then showing the world that he is capable of these big fight scenes and action scenes. And yeah, he dove in headfirst. So that was very exciting to see […]
Shane Dax Taylor: There are certain things where, if you haven’t done action — and I’ve done action scenes, big scenes — every actor thinks they can do their own stunts. And there were a few of these where I was like, “Luke, you don’t want to do this.” He and I are about the same age. So it’s like, “We’re not 20 anymore, so I wouldn’t do it. So I’m not going to ask you. That’s why we have the stunt doubles.” But he still jumped in far more than I was expecting and did these things, and I’m sure he felt it the next morning.
Shooting in a Casino and Interviewing Bill Clinton
MW: It’s an intense movie, but I imagine some scenes were especially fun to shoot. Anything come to mind in particular?
Shane Dax Taylor: Yeah, it was pretty wild. We had a big action scene in a casino […] We had a full resort, and we just wanted to take advantage, whether we’re in a pool, casino, going over balconies, restaurants, bars, all that stuff […] But I really enjoyed, kind of answering your question, the one with Luke and Dolph when they’re sitting down. It’s just two legendary actors. It’s not a big action scene. There’s no action in it, but it’s just two guys talking. And, you know, it’s about like what’s not said, as opposed to what’s said in the scene, and I enjoyed that a lot.
MW: Are there other projects you’re currently working on, that you’d like to share about?
Shane Dax Taylor: Yeah, I just directed a comedy for the first time, a Christmas comedy with Malin Åkerman, Amy Smart, Austin Nichols. So yeah, that’ll be out in theaters later this year, my first full-on comedy. And then I’m directing a documentary about a guy named John Y. Brown. And I interviewed Bill Clinton one-on-one for that. So this guy started KFC, owned the Boston Celtics, was governor of Kentucky, married Miss America. I mean, it’s a pretty fascinating life. So I was fortunate to be able to be involved in that, directing that […] I think we’re going to call it Kentucky Fried Hustle or Kentucky Fried Gamble.
Shane Dax Taylor: I got an hour-plus with President Clinton the other day, and he had some amazing stories […]They were both governors at the same time, and they became very close and had a lot of stories that no one’s ever heard […] John offered him a job, which I won’t spoil, but if he had taken that job, then he would not have been president, that’s for sure. So it was a tough decision. [The documentary is] gonna be three or four parts, we’re doing 30-something interviews. There are a lot of sports and politics and restaurants, unseen footage with Muhammad Ali that no one’s ever seen, because that was his best friend. And it’s pretty wild. And this guy’s never given a sit-down interview in 30 or 40 years. And they tried to write books on him and write great documentaries, and he’s always turned it down. But I was able to do it before he passed away a couple of months ago.
From Saban Films, The Best Man hits theaters April 21.
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