It’s weirdly satisfying to see a grizzled Rutger Hauer dispensing street justice as the hero of the Canadian exploitation thriller Hobo With A Shotgun. And that’s not just because it’s been a long time since the Dutch-born star of Blade Runner, The Hitcher and Blind Fury – and many others – has made an action movie worth watching.
No, it’s because Hauer’s actually giving a real performance as a lost soul who turns to violence. The actor gives Jason Eisener’s shameless celebration of bad taste a genuine emotional core. We talked about his storied career, and the places he’s been ending up lately.
You bring real gravity to Hobo With A Shotgun. Was that a collective decision or something you came up with yourself?
Jason [Eisener] in the beginning said, “The hobo must be [played] straight. He cannot go for jokes.” I tried [the other way] a few times – I couldn’t help myself – and it felt immediately out of character, funnily enough. He’s deadly serious when it comes to the things that matter to him. So we had to just stay there and keep that in mind. I had to be straight in the scene, but after the cut sometimes I just kept giggling and giggling because it was so pathetic and so crazy.
You worked closely with the actor who played the hobo in the original [fake] trailer, didn’t you?
David Brunt was the man [who both inspired the film and played the hobo in Jason’s two-minute short]. He was there for me to pick his brain and talk to him when I had the chance, and just hang out with him a little bit – study his movements, and study the damage that he carries with him. He’s such a clean guy inside – he loves nature, he loves the things that are good in the world, and he thinks they should have a chance.
You’ve played replicants, psychopaths, knights, Nazis, vampires, blind ninjas, scientists… and now a hobo with a shotgun. That’s a pretty varied career.
I think it’s dynamite, the way my career has just kept moving, even when people didn’t know it did [laughs]. I made such interesting films, but, yeah, they’re not necessarily the big movies that go to the supermarket. I don’t need those movies, because I don’t wanna do them.
You do always seem to be enjoying yourself onscreen.
I think it’s one of the last playgrounds in town. It’s a lusty and delicious craft, and I like to work there.
Interview Clips
Rutger Hauer on trusting his instincts and working with passionate people:
Hauer on his familiarity with the streets:
Hauer on the challenges of finding a new project for himself and director Paul Verhoeven:
