Dave Bautista &kumail Nanjiani Talk About Their Roles In The Action Comedy Film Stuber

Jyothi Venkatesh

Stuber, is an action comedy film directed by Michael Dowse, the plot follows a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu who picks up a passenger who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer.The film stars renowned actors Dave Bautistaand Kumail Nanjiani as Victor Manning and Stu Prasad. In this interview, the actors discuss about meeting each other, what they wish they knew before shooting, their pre shoot rituals, their stunts, and the film. Star Movies will be premiering the film for first time on television on day after tomorrow 20^th September 2020 at 12 pm and 9 pm.

What was it like before meeting each other?!

Dave: I wasn’t really concerned about that I was really excited to meet Kumail I think it was pure excitement to meet him I was the night before I was stressed about all kinds of other stuff too. I am always stressed for auditions or chemistry tests because it just they are just uncomfortable but I had a lot going on and I travelled in the night before to do this.

Kumail: Yeah! The call was like early on a Saturday was like 8 am on a Saturday or something and so I was not nervous to meet Dave, I was excited to meet Dave I knew it that we would get along well we have friends in common but I was just nervous as he had said even though they are not auditioning anyone else it it’s still nerve wrecking, its uncomfortable but we were uncomfortable together. I remember that one of the scenes that we were trying to do that felt like to me in the chemistry read, it just felt so awkward and difficult cause you are in a room to be whatever and when we shot that it was like the easiest thing in the world because we had done it like in the worst possible situations so then doing it in the real place was like a breeze.

What do you wish you knew before filming on day one?

Dave: I don’t know about knowing I think it just for me it just I need a grace period to actually to just find myself in this character I don’t know I don’t feel like I am really in a groove until a week or so in so I am always really self-conscious about what I do like early on in the film every film I do I feel like I could go back and look and I knew it seems I have shot early on and I will be uncomfortable because I know later on the film I was much more comfortable in the character except for Drax, Drax is just put on Drax.

Kumail:  for me I wish I had known how difficult like action acting is and all physical acting of that nature I wish I’d known I would have prepared more for it because I really did not go in. I would have been like in better shape for it and this was like brutal!

What are your pre- shooting rituals?!

Dave: I don’t know; I am most like unprepared. I don’t I try to stay out of my head and try not to I don’t get all wrapped up in like rehearsing stuff in my head not even what the lines are. I kind of I want to know what the gist of the scene is, just the conversation is but I’ll find it as we go which usually so it makes it seem as I am that very unprepared and I usually am because I like to find the scene I like to groove and you know get into a groove and find my way into it.

Kumail: I really am the opposite I go in like I really it makes me less nervous if I at least have a version of what the scene is like and then that actually makes it more flexible I can change and work with the other person but for me the preface I don’t listen music or anything I just want to be loose and talking to people then I don’t like it when right before the scene I am cooped up somewhere. I want to be like interacting with people and I want to feel like myself

Dave did you give any tips on how to pull punches and stuff?!

Dave: I don’t think so I mean I always there, always discussing but we all so had qualified professionals and I am always really careful to not step onto other’s toes. If I have an opinion about something I will give it but when you are working with someone on certain things especially when there are safety issues they are very much more qualified than I am. I mean we talked about it, I think it was more me because he was it was a new thing for Kumail. It was a new experience and I was, I am very comfortable with physical stuff. So I think it was more me giving him pep talk like you are really good! You look good, you are in good shape

Did you like all the layers’ script had?!

Dave:  I say this all the time I think what really makes a good film is when you can become mostly invested in film when you can actually connect with the film instead of being disconnected and you have a random laugh. You leave, you walk away and never think about it again but if you leave film after having a laughter and you actually talk about the film, certain subjects, I think that is a connection and that is what is going to set us apart because we are not there to just make people laugh, we are there to have discussion and it’s a funny discussion when you openly talk about it.

Kumail: I felt like if we are making an action movie in this day and age your kind of have to talk about it specifically that’s tough what is masculinity and how it has been traditionally defined, need to be redefined. I feel like that everything that falls into the masculinity needs to be expanded and that’s really what this movie is about, it’s okay for men to cry, to feel other feelings and all that stuff. So and putting it in the context of a movie that has traditionally a very like dude movie, we felt like that if we could get away with this... it would be awesome.