My Interview With Devon Sawa About ESCAPE PLAN: THE EXTRACTORS, My Childhood Crush on Him, and His Upcoming Projects
Last week, I got to interview Devon Sawa about his role in the film Escape Plan: The Extractors. We delved into the role and his experiences, his upcoming films, and I got to gush a bit about my childhood crush on him. It was a great time. Check out the interview below:
Jessica Fisher: Hi, I’m Jessica Fisher from GeekTyrant, and I just have to say that twelve year old me is beside herself right now. I’m a big fan from way back., especially Now and Then.
Devon Sawa: Thank you so much. And you know what? That’s exactly how twelve year old me felt filming this movie with Sylvester Stallone. Not that I’m anything like Stallone. What I’m trying to say is thank you.
JF: Of course! Do you still get a lot of women approach you who were young fans of yours.
DS: You know, I leave my inbox open on my Instagram, and every two or three days, I get a GIF from someone from the movie Casper. And I know some actors don’t like to talk about the films they did as kids, but those were what launched my career and they were really good films. Although, I did put on Wild America for my kids the other day, and they were not having it. (laughs) I may have to wait a few years on that one.
JF: Well, just know that when I told my eight and ten year olds that I was interviewing Casper, they freaked out. So the movies really do hold up.
DS: They absolutely do!
JF: You’ve really transitioned into making more adult roles though. Did you like playing the villain in Escape Plan: The Extractors?
DS: It was a lot of fun! I actually played the villain back in the series Nikita, and a couple of other things, so I really enjoy it.
JF: How was it filming the fight scene with Sylvester Stallone?
DS: Top Shelf. It was among my favorite things I’ve done in film. You know, I had met with his stunt guy that week before and we had worked on it, but when the day came, Stallone said he didn’t want it to look like every other fight in the movie, and said, “Let’s just get in a cell and fight.” And that guy still hits like a Mac truck. He hit me a couple of times and I was like, I’m going to need a second. But it was great.
JF: That’s awesome. Did you guys film in a real prison?
DS: Yes, it is a real prison and it’s actually the same prison where they filmed The Shawshank Redemption in. It had a very eerie, evil feel to it.
JF: Wow, that is so cool! Was it fun to team back up with Jaime King for the first time since Slackers?
DS: Yeah, it was. We went through all the old pictures from filming Slackers, where we were sitting by the pool and holding hands, then in this movie I have her tied to an electric chair. So it was definitely a different feel for sure! But we talked about maybe doing another film in the future that had a nicer vibe to it.
JF: I also saw you’re teaming back up with John Travolta in the upcoming film The Fanatic. What can you tell me about the film, and about working with Travolta in two films?
DS: Yeah, of course. The first film we did was called Life on the Line. It was definitely a… well, it was a straight to DVD film. This movie, The Fanatic, was directed by Fred Durst, and John referred me for the role. So I read for him. I pretty much read the whole movie for him and sent it over. Then he asked to meet with me, and I got the part. But it was really fun. John stayed in character the whole time, on set, so, yeah it was cool.
JF: You’re also working on the film Disturbing the Peace. Are you a good guy or bad guy in this film?
DS: I’m a very bad guy in this film. I’m like the head biker, with Guy Pearce. And I’m also working on a film that isn’t on IMDB for some reason, and it’s a new Jarhead film, called Jarhead: Law of Return. It’s really a reboot, more than a sequel. We filmed this one in Israel, in Tel Aviv, and it should actually be the next film out, I think the beginning of September?
JF: And I heard you were writing a movie as well. What’s going on with that project.
DS: Yeah, it’s a weird little project. Just looking for funding on that.
JF: Well thank you so much for talking to me. I appreciate it so much.
DS: Absolutely, you’re welcome.
Guys, this was my first celebrity interview, and thank goodness I had all my questions written down in front of me, because I was so dang nervous! I sort of sped through. But Devon (I call him that now) was so kind, and gave me even more info than I asked for. What a great guy, and what great projects we have to look forward to seeing him in coming up just this year!
See him first in Escape Plan: The Extractors, the third installment in the Escape Plan franchise. They’re a little cheesy, but fun action flicks for the summer. The film stars Devon Sawa alongside Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, 50 Cent, Jin Zhang, Harry Shum Jr., Jaime King, Lydia Hull, Melise, and Russell Wong. Sawa plays the son of Ray Breslin’s ex-partner and late nemesis, Lester Clark, and the job Breslin has been hired for ends up being more risky, and more personal than he bargained for.
Escape Plan: The Extractors is available on Digital, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray today!