Bullet Train is just around the corner and looks set to thrill audiences with the stylish blend of action and humor that has come to define director David Leitch's most popular works. The story follows five assassins who find themselves on the same train with seemingly unrelated missions. From the trailer alone, however, it's clear that stories will become intertwined, pitting assassin against assassin.
Based on a 2010 novel called Maria Beetle written by Japanese thriller and crime author Kotaro Isaka, Bullet Train features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, and Joey King. Two of the most exciting cast , however, must be Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry. Both actors are known for starring in high-profile films and television shows, with Taylor-Johnson's credits including Atlanta.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry play two hitmen named Tangerine and Lemon, respectively. The two serve as counterparts in the film and look poised to steal the show thanks to their quirks and chemistry. Henry and Taylor-Johnson spoke with Screen Rant about having fun on set and portraying two characters so connected to one another.
Screen Rant: I heard you guys talk about how much room David Leitch gave you to explore your characters when you were filming. What about Lemon and Tangerine came as a result of that freedom?
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Yeah, I think that's basically our characters, you know? I think he really saw an opportunity, and he was able to and get behind us and encourage us to keep doing what we was doing. We were improvising a lot. We was pushing each other, and there was a lot of back and forth in the banter. And I think he gave us that space to explore it, and I think it was really refreshing.
Brian Tyree Henry: And in all honesty, we didn't really give him much of a choice. We didn't give him much of a choice, because the moments where Lemon and Tangerine are together, trying to come up with how to problem solve, were the truest moments of who these characters were. You got to see them as they were when they were youthful, you got to see them as being the top assassins, and you're also like, "How the hell are they going to get out of this?" And I think that says a lot about the relationship between Aaron and I because, in between takes, I don't think we really left each others' side.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Yeah.
Brian Tyree Henry: We would just sit there and try to rib on each other, or make each other laugh, and then by the time it was time for the camera to roll, the chemistry was already cooking. And that's a testimony to my partner here, because it's very rare when you find that connection with another actor where there's that full trust.
And we wanted the audience to feel that, too. We wanted people to really care about them. We didn't want them to be this kind of one-off - we didn't want them to be those kinds of characters. We wanted people to go on a journey with them and really care about them. So, David really let us develop them the way that we wanted.
Screen Rant: And it's so clear that your characters have such a deep relationship. What's it like to show up on the first day of shooting and have to jump right into something that deep? Did that take a second?
Brian Tyree Henry: Surprisingly, no. Surprisingly... right, Aaron? The minute that we..
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: We hit it off instantaneously, so that was great. I mean, my first day, if you're asking about that? I'm always kind of anxious and petrified that I'm going to be that thing where everyone goes, "Did we really hire that guy?" Do you know what I mean? But I just leaned into where Brian was at, and I think we've had that back-and-forth thing where we can pick each other up when we're not right there. And that was the beginning of it, and I knew we had that trust.
Brian Tyree Henry: Meanwhile, I'm the guy who shows up first day, and I'm like "This is all fake! This is all make-believe! Let's swing on props and s--t!" It might as well be Chuck E. Cheese for me, 'cause I'm like "I can't believe they really are paying me to do this!" My best thing was to find Aaron and shake him by the shoulders, and be like "Let's be stupid. Let's be as stupid as we possibly can."
Because the year we were filming this was terrible. It was absolute rubbish. It was not great. And so, here we are at 5 o'clock in the morning, and we're covered in blood, and we're looking at each other, and we're like "Let's go kill Brad Pitt." And it's like, "Okay!" I hope that is what viewers take from watching Bullet Train; that you get to see all these ragtag crazy people sign up every day to go and try to kill Brad Pitt. And it was absolutely fun. It was unlike any experience I've ever had.
Bullet Train Synopsis
Five assassins find themselves on a fast moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. They discover their missions are not unrelated to each other.
Check back soon for our other interview with Bullet Train star Dominic Lewis.
