Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of mystery novels,” A Walk Among The Tombstones” stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. The Universal release is now playing.
When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime…nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again. Written and directed by Scott Frank (“The Lookout”), the film is produced by Jersey Films’ Danny DeVito, Double Feature Films’ Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust and Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver.
http://youtu.be/O6Ttj9tXzCA
The Source Magazine was on the red carpet for the New York premiere of the film hosted by The Cinema Society. Read our cast interviews below:
Liam Neeson
What keeps bringing you back to action movies?
Neeson: It’s like being a kid in a toy shop, they’re offering them to me, and some are good, some not so good, but I try and do the ones that are good. It’s not going to last forever, so I’m making hay while the sun shines.
This character is so informed by the past. What advice would you give to your younger self?
Neeson: I’d say maybe believe in yourself a little bit more. I think especially kids growing up now. We live in such an informational age, it’s all rush rush rush, we want it now, we wanted it ten seconds ago. Sometimes kids stumble along the way because they haven’t found themselves yet. When I was growing up it was a wee bit more time. So take the time and read.
This character that you play is another badass action hero?
Neeson: No he’s not, he’s the exact opposite.
What are you secretly a wimp about?
Neeson: I’m a wimp about heights, I just am.
How does an action man have a fear of heights.
Neeson: We’re all human aren’t we? Somebody would freak out over a snake or a spider, I don’t, I just take them outside, but put me on a chair to fix a lamp or something.
The film was written and directed by Scott Frank.
Tell me about your process of adapting the book to film?
Frank: It was a long time ago, it was in 1999 so I don’t know how much of it I remember. It was a long book, a long story and a lot of characters, so it was basically who to keep and who to lose and which was the better movie story.
Speak about collaborating with Liam.
Frank: Liam was great, he always understood the character and loved the book. It was very easy because we saw the same movie.
Was it easier to direct since you wrote it?
Definitely, but it’s always hard to direct.
Legend Danny DeVito produced the film.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
DeVito: Take more chances. Just to follow your gut and take your chances.
What attracted you to produce this project?
DeVito: I just thought it was creepy and I loved it.
What made Scott so great?
DeVito: Been working with him forever, and he’s a great guy.
Dan Stevens
Q: Tell me about collaborating with Scott, the director.
Stevens: Scott Frank is an awesome man. Not only for having directed a wonderful movie but actually for giving me a shot at a kind of role that I’ve never been given the opportunity to try before. He was very actively looking for someone unexpected and he went with me and I’m forever grateful to him for that.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your role?
Stevens: I’m a Brooklyn drug trafficker and my wife is kidnapped and something awful happens to her and I have to hire a private investigator who happens to be played by Liam Neeson.
Adam David Thompson
Tell me about your character.
Thompson: I play Albert who is a part of a duo of bad guys with David Harper who plays Red. They are a partnership of serial killers.
What attracted you to this project?
Thompson: I think the role was important to me, Albert doesn’t say much, but he’s always there. That was quite a challenge to find out how to communicate that without words. Not only that, but this cast, this unbelievable cast was a perfect fit.
What was your favorite scene.
Thompson: I’m partial to fight scenes, so I had a good time doing that. But I think that just being there and watching Liam work was pretty incredible as well.
Danielle Rose Russell
Q: So, tell me a little bit about your role in the film?
Russell: Well I play Lucia, I play Sebastian Rohe’s daughter and he’s a drug dealer. The two serial killers kidnap me, and torture me and they return me and Liam Neeson saves me.
Q: Tell me about playing that intense role.
Russell: It was so much fun because it was my first movie and it was just an amazing experience, everyone was so amazing. And to act traumatized … well the environment of being in a graveyard and having a knife at your neck and all of that kind of just settled in with me on it’s own so that wasn’t that bad.
Q: Can you speak about collaborating with your director Scott Frank?
Russell: He was great, he was so so great. He made me feel very welcome on my first day on set ever and he was just so amazing to work with. So sweet, awesome.
Q: So since this is your big screen debut, how did you know you wanted to be an actress?
Russell: I didn’t actually! My mom kind of put me in the business and I was doing commercials and going on movie auditions and eventually I booked this and ever since then I’ve fallen absolutely in love with acting.
Q: What’s coming up next?
Russell: I have … right now it’s being referred to as “Untitled Cameron Crowe Project” and that comes out in May, on May 29. Keep an eye out for it.
Stephanie Andujar
Q: So tell me about your role in this film.
Andujar: I give information to Liam Neeson. He comes and interrogates me. I get my little time with him so I’m just happy about that.
Q: Tell me about working with Liam.
Andujar: It was really, really amazing. He has really good energy. And he has those eyes, I was like “Oo I hope I can say my lines.” You know, cause he’s so dreamy still.
Q: He is very dreamy!
Andujar: No but it was really great working with him. He has such great energy to actors too, like up-and-coming actors.
Q: Can you speak about collaborating with Scott Frank?
Andujar: Oh I think he’s amazing and it’s already getting really great reviews.
Q: You’re also in “Orange is the New Black.” Congratulations on that. So tell me about that experience.
Andujar: It was an amazing experience. I got to be this leading badass robbing things and dominating my men. It was really, really fun and I was just happy to add to the backstory of Miss Rosa, played by Barbara Rosenblat. Thanks to Jenji Kohan for believing in me too.
Q: Yeah, you had a really nice arc! Did you get to meet Barbara?
Andujar: Yes I did! I got to meet her on set, watch her mannerisms, and she came back on set and was like, “I had to meet my mini-me! Because you’re doing my accent so well!” I was like, “Yes I am! Thank you, thank you!”
Q: Anything else coming up you want to share?
Andujar: Right now I have other projects going on, of course, on the hush-hush.
David Harbour
Q: So tell me a little bit about your role in this film?
Harbour: I play sort of the villain in this. My name is Ray and I’m a guy who’s killing women and Liam Neeson doesn’t like that at all and has to put an end to that.
Q: Speak about going head to head with him.
Harbour: He’s really fun. He’s a really present actor, he’s really smart with his choices and you have to be on the top of your game.
Q: Speak about working with Scott, the director.
Harbour: Scott’s an incredible director. He’s written a lot over the years and he had one other movie he directed–this is his second directing job and I think he’s just such a confident, strong storyteller already and it feels like he’s going to get better and better. I can’t wait to see the next three movies he directs.
Q: He also wrote the script. Can you speak about what you love about the script?
Harbour: Every character is three dimensional and nuanced. Even characters that are the bellboy at the hotel have a point of view and a sense of humor and an awareness where a lot of times scripts will have those characters be stock, cliched characters. He gives them a life of their own. So there could be movies about any one of these characters and it’s just choosing Liam’s character to focus on. So it’s that three dimensionality that I love.
