by Andrew Dex
She fought Michael Myers in the Halloween franchise, and now she’s taking on terrorists in her brand-new action-packed thriller The Best Man. STARBURST catches up with actor Scout Taylor-Compton to find out what it’s been like to work alongside a brilliant cast on a Die Hard-inspired action movie that, interestingly, features a wedding taking place at the centre of it…
STARBURST: How did you get involved with the movie, and what made you want to work on a story like this?
Scout Taylor-Compton: I just got a call, just an offer. Nicky Whelan, who plays my sister Brook in the movie, texted me, saying, “I’m attached to this movie. They’re going to reach out to you. Please do it!” I love Nicky, I’ve worked with her on another movie, and now we are very close friends. When I read the script, it was a quick yes. I love action and anything that’s fast-paced. It’s always my vibe. It was a fast yes for me, for sure.
How did you prepare for a role that would see you playing a maid of honour within an action movie? What kind of research did you do for that?
I just made sure I drank a lot of water! Obviously, it’s hard to move in a dress, but my whole thing was making sure that I found shoes that weren’t going to be a pain in my ass when it came to running around. I already told the director that the shoes were coming off asap. I just need to be barefoot in order to keep up with Brendan Fehr moving fast. There wasn’t really much preparation, I feel like with action and horror, it’s a lot of movement. They go hand in hand, so it’s pretty easy.
What was it like to work on your character Hailey with the director Shane Dax Taylor, and what do you think he wanted to see from her within the movie? What did he want her to bring to the story?
What was interesting is that Hailey is spunky anyways. She’s a daddy’s girl. I’ve never played that sort of girl, so it was fun; she’s very flirtatious. She’s a go-getter and knows what she wants, which is a fun and confident role to play. Which was really fun in itself, and then as soon as shit hits the fan, she turns into this vulnerable, like, “Help me, save me!” kind of thing, but we definitely wanted to find the medium ground of she can also take charge, which you see in the movie, which was really fun to work on with Shane. There were a lot of times when I wanted to find Hailey’s courage and strength through this, and Shane was really helpful with that, making that colour palette work.
It’s an interesting idea, where a wedding turns into a hostage situation! So, I was wondering, what do you think the wedding side of the story does for an action movie like this? Like, maybe it makes the viewer care for the characters more?
Yeah, I think so! I mean, who doesn’t love Die Hard? So, it’s like it’s Die Hard, but at a wedding! I think that is what it did. We fell for these characters a bit more, and I would assume they’re more realistic. They are all different from one another too, which is really great; even with Nicky and my character, we’re polar opposites in the film. You follow a bride and a groom on what’s supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, but it ends up not being that. I’m getting married next year, and if something like this happened, I’d be mortified! And I would hope that my groom would protect me! Like Luke Wilson did with his bride.
You share a lot of scenes with Brendan Fehr, who plays Bradley, can you tell us a bit about what he was like to work with and what you think your dynamic brings to the movie?
I got really lucky working with him and have been a fan of him forever. We actually did a movie together where he played a dad figure! So that was hilarious. I said, “Guess what, Daddio, I’m now your partner!” It’s always interesting when you act with someone previously, and then when you collaborate again on another movie, you both play something completely opposite. That was really fun, but he is one of those actors where we work the same. It was really easy to manoeuvrer with him; we’re very laid back, and we’re goofballs in general, so it was very fun being able to work with him. We kind of snap in and snap out of the role, which was nice. Sometimes it’s a little harder when you’re working with someone who is like a method actor or so into it, where you’re like, “Hey! Let’s have a normal conversation not regarding our characters”. It was lovely working with him, and he brought out a lot in Hailey, a lot more playfulness, which is just fun. When you work with an actor, you never know what they’re going to give you until you hit that moment, and I think what we gave each other was magnetic. So, it was really cool.
What was it like to work alongside Dolph Lundgren as Anders, and what do you think his history with action movies brings to The Best Man?
Coolness, credibility! He is a legend, and I was starstruck, to be honest. He has a big presence and is just a big guy. It was just like. Sometimes I couldn’t even get words out; I couldn’t believe that I was standing next to him. He doesn’t have to do anything, and he is badass. You’re intimidated by him. He brought so much and didn’t even need to say a word, which is cool.
You yourself are no stranger to intense action sequences. Looking at the Halloween movies alone, you’ve had to work on some huge sequences. What was the most rewarding scene for you to work on in The Best Man, and why?
There are so many. I’m marrying a stuntman, so if I don’t know how to do stunts/action, he is going to kick me to the curb. Obviously, any of the fight scenes, I love doing it! I know he is a stuntman, but I often say, “I want to do my own stunts, I don’t need anybody”, but it’s really incredible what they’re able to do, compared to what you’re not able to do with your body and actually be OK. Any of the gun work too, when you’re holding machinery like that, you feel badass. So any of that stuff is really cool to do as well.
Saban Films will release THE BEST MAN in US theatres, on-demand, and digitally on April 21st, 2023
