Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin

The Daily Texan

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October 4, 2022
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SXSW: Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Ben Wheatley discuss “Free Fire”

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Courtesy of A24 Films

“Free Fire” stars Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer and director Ben Wheatley held a press event on Monday at Stunt Ranch, a paintball and outdoor events venue just 17 minutes outside downtown Austin. Over barbecue and beer, the filmmakers answered questions about their gory, bullet-riddled action picture, set to release April 21.

On Wheatley’s reasons for developing “Free Fire.”

Ben Wheatley: I’d read transcripts about a shootout in Miami between the FBI and some guys who were going to rob a bank. The FBI had to write down shot-by-shot what happened, where the bullets were and what the injuries were. And when I read that, I was like, “This was really messy.” This was really horrible, and it went on for a long time, and they were all really highly trained and no one it seemed could shoot straight. Everything I’d seen in Hollywood wasn’t like that – everyone was an expert straightaway, and it was clean and choreographed. Not to say it’s a documentary, but “Free Fire” is kind of using that realism.


On setting the film in one room.

BW: It was easier (to shoot) because we didn’t waste any time in moving from place-to-place for location changes, but it was harder because if you make a screw up in the beginning – because we shot in chronological order – if you f*** up at the start, you don’t know about that until five weeks in when you find two characters are (positioned) really close to each other (when they shouldn’t be). So a lot of planning went into it. We built the set in 3-D in “Minecraft.” We had our own server we could go on and walk around.

Copley and Hammer on why they joined the project.

Armie Hammer: It was the creative people involved. It was a movie that you read the script and you go, “I don’t think there’s really been a movie like this in a long time.” It’s really fresh. I was a huge fan of Ben’s work before. To get to be in one of his projects was great.

Sharlto Copley: I was excited to work with Ben and, from talking to him, there was a chance to create a character with him and (screenwriter Amy Jump). Getting to play him as a South African – there’s not many characters like that, so I felt really grateful to be able to do that with him.

On the recipe for good one-liners.

AH: Good writing and good directing. There was so much material that we had. Also there was a really great collaborative atmosphere on the set where we would do it and then go, “Well let’s try one more.” We just kind of have fun with it. Everybody had a watermark of what they thought was good.

BW: We had a Darwinian editing style, where if you had more good stuff, the more shots you get in the movie.

SC: I don’t think of it in terms of a line. I love improv and I love being completely in the head of the character. In the case of (my character) Vernon, I was lucky because he has a big mouth, so he’s just spewing out stuff. During editing, they’ll choose a line, not necessarily everything you do. So you get pieces of a performance that feel more one line. I wouldn’t be able to think of it in terms of “try say something clever now!”

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SXSW: Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Ben Wheatley discuss “Free Fire”