Christmas Rush :: Interview with Dean Cain

USA (2002): Action
Also known as: Breakaway
Filmed on location: Canada
First airing: December 1, 2002 on TBS
Jay Rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
Release date on DVD: January 27, 2003
87 min, Color

Director: Charles Robert Carner

Q: How would you describe this movie?
A: This movie is really made in the vein of movies that I love, like Die Hard. It's a very similar kind of movie with a similar situation, but this one has just a great sense of humor that should really make it fun to watch.

Q: This movie requires quite a lot of action. Is that part of what attracted you to it?
A: I love action. I love to do it because I played football, so I really enjoy the physicality of this kind of movie. It's tiring, and you end up with headaches, bumps and bruises, but I just love how it looks on screen.

Q: It sounds like you enjoy doing some of your own stunts. What made you choose acting over being a stunt person?
A: The first movie I ever made was with my father. He told my brother and me that one of us would be the actor, and the other would be the stunt double. So my brother and I were fighting over who got to be the stunt double. And I lost, so I ended up being the actor, and now, here I am. And my brother's a guitar player. As I got older, I saw what the stunt guys made and what they had to do for it. Then I saw what the actors made and what they had to do for it. I went for the actor thing right away. I'm no dummy.

Q: What's the most important thing for an actor when making an action movie like this?
A: You have to be sharp and thinking all the time when you're working with all these squibs and explosions. There's a lot going on, and you really have to have a plan. It's like you're playing a sport, and that just really gives me a high. Sometimes you only get one shot at it, and if you screw up, it could be an hour to set it up again.

Q: How have you enjoyed working opposite Eric Roberts?
A: This is my second film with Eric. I love working with him. He's extremely talented and so professional. In both movies, he's been the bad guy, and I've been the good guy. So we play off each other very well.

Q: You refer to Eric's character as a "bad" guy. Is he really "bad"?
A: He actually has a great reason for doing what he's doing. My character is very by-the-book, so he doesn't have any problems bringing Scalzetti down. But for me personally, it's a gray area. I don't know what I would do.

Q: What would you say to people expecting this to be a typical holiday movie?
A: This is not your average Christmas movie. It's not A Christmas Story. It's not Miracle on 34th Street. It's Christmas Rush.