Edwin Hodge plays Danny in the remake of Red Dawn. Starburst caught up with him to chat about the film and his career…
Starburst: So, what influenced you to become and actor?
Edwin Hodge: One of my first memories was when I was 3 years old wanting to be inside watching what I called the ‘Magic Box’, which was our TV set. All those people, different situations. You could be a detective, superhero, lawyer, doctor, astronaut… it was pretty exciting for a little kid. My mom ending up taking me on auditions and at the age of 5 and I found my way on Sesame Street. In high school, I continued acting, but was active in sports and focused on getting a good education. I ended up making the honor role when I graduated.
Your first film was Die Hard With A Vengeance and you also worked on the Shane Black vehicle The Long Kiss Goodnight. Do you enjoy acting in action films?
I do, but I also gravitate towards drama. I also like doing romance comedy films; rom-coms. You get funny little quips, witty-one liners in a story that’s a lot of fun. I’m a big fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I’ve learned a lot from that show on dialogue delivery and timing.
What’s the character of Danny like in this film?
He’s different from the original. Here, Danny’s more of a conflict kind of guy and that comes from being a wide receiver on the Wolverines football team. The enemy invasion is a life altering experience for him. He has a more gung ho, let’s go get ‘em attitude.
Did you prepare a lot for the role?
Man, did we! We were taught by former military personnel for a week and a half out in Simi Valley, California. They were the best! Very instructive on weapons and how to handle ourselves. We learned how to open doors by slipping a knife under them, how to shoot and carry a gun, combat techniques, relying on and protecting each other. There was a lot of drill and we focused on objectives during our training. You’re put into a situation and you do your best. It was a great learning experience.
Were there a lot of difficult scenes to film?
There was a lot of wear and tear on us during filming. A lot of running through the woods and emotional moments in the film that kept us mentally focused on some tense situations.
The scene in the cave is pretty intense.
Big time.
So what’s up next?
I’m currently on Cougar Town and I have Christmas In Compton coming up. I’m heading to Paris to do a motion capture video game. I also have Open Heart, Grimsville Invaders, James De Monaco’s Vigilandia with Ethan Hawk which is a very intense, dark, sci-fi movie of what could happen in the future and One Heart which is a dramatic football film based on a true story.
Red Dawn is out now in US, with a UK release still pending.
