The following interview contains spoilers from NO EXIT,
Proceed with caution!
With Damien Power's No Exit, which is based on Taylor Adams' acclaimed novel of the same name, now streaming exclusively on Hulu, we were granted an awesome opportunity to sit down with the one-and-only Dennis Haysbert to talk about his powerful role in the chilling action-thriller.
Haysbert, who plays Ed in the film, revealed what initially attracted him to this role, spoke about building chemistry with the core cast while they were all across the globe in New Zealand, how the film felt very much like a play, amongst other things. He was also kind enough to reflect on his time on 24 and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and also expressed his enthusiasm about hopefully getting a chance to appear in a superhero movie one day.
The main cast features Havana Rose Liu (The Sky is Everywhere; Mayday) as Darby Thorne, Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier; Top Gun: Maverick) as Ash, David Rysdahl (Nine Days; That's Not Us) as Lars, Dennis Haysbert (24; Heat) as Ed, Dale Dickey (Hell or High Water; Iron Man 3) as Sandi, and newcomer Mila Harris (King Saud; The Hill) as Jay.
Check out the full spoiler-filled video interview below, and keep scrolling for the full transcript!
ROHAN: I'm a big fan of yours and have seen you tackle so many great roles over the years - what was it about this script that initially piqued your interest?
DENNIS: The story, the script and that it was a lot like a Twilight Zone. You saw all these characters and all of them have their flaws, and strengths, and it was going to be interesting to see how all that played out.
ROHAN: Since there’s supposed to be a lot of distrust amongst the characters, did you all attempt to build much cast chemistry initially, or did you want to go in as fresh as possible?
DENNIS: We had chemistry to spare, we hung out all the time. The thing about these intense movies is that your cast comes together really quick, and really solidifies and we had a great deal of fun together. Even working in this kind of environment was incredibly fun and we gave each other 150% whether we were on-camera, or off-camera, which is also rare, because everybody wants the camera to cut to them or cut to them, but you knew for this kind of movie to work, everybody had to have their due and we worked it out and we worked it. It was a lot of fun.
ROHAN: Spoiler alert - but while Sandi's (Dale Dickey) fate was more or less sealed based on what we learn about her, was there ever a scenario where your character Ed made it out alive?
DENNIS: Whoa, you got too many spoilers out here, man. I don't know how deeply I can go into that, except to say that it was very powerful what we went through and very emotional. Dale Dickey is an incredible actress and I had to work my butt off to keep up with her because she was bringing it day-in and day-out. I like to believe I was bringing it day-in and day-out, as was the rest of the cast, and oh, man, you got to tell them they just have to trust you and trust me and strap in tight.
ROHAN: Speaking of Dale, who, as you said, is an incredible actress, did you connect with her instantly or did you have to put in some extra time to build that husband-wife chemistry?
DENNIS: We clicked immediately. This was the first time we had met each other, so we had a couple of sessions with the director, just actually checking out the parameters of the relationship. I mean, we had it from day one, we trusted each other. I mean, we’ve both been around long enough that we knew that we had to come at this in tandem and to ignore the pitfalls and enjoy the highs. It was a great chess match or tennis match, if you will, that we got to play. We just kept the volley going.
ROHAN: Since it's a really intimate story with a small cast and just one major set piece, I found that the film felt very much like a three-act play - did you feel similarly during rehearsals and shooting?
DENNIS: Well, it was like a play because everything that happened in that visitor center was shot in sequence. So, we got to feel everything sort of ebb and flow and rise and terminate, whatever adjective you want to use and to get to that crescendo. It was just beautiful to watch and beautiful to be a part of because every day you left work, you knew you were gonna pick up right at the same spot the next day, and then carry it through to the next day and it was just great in that way.
ROHAN: What was it like filming in New Zealand last year during the pandemic? Were there any unexpected challenges or did you find it more freeing since they had things relatively under control at the time?
DENNIS: There weren’t any cases there, maybe one case in the entire country and, then it started to grow a little bit, but for the most part, we walked around free as birds. It was like we were back to normal, for us, except for the 14 days of quarantine that we had to endure, which was fine for me, because I isolate really well. *laughs* I had my books, I had my movies, I had the script, and so, I got a lot of work done, a lot of preparation done in that quarantine time.
ROHAN: I loved 24, and obviously, I remember you in Love & Basketball and Heat, and more recently, had a blast seeing you in Brooklyn Nine-Nine - are there any particular genres you find more challenging or more fulfilling, or is it more about the role?
DENNIS: Yeah, it's just about the role and it doesn't matter the genre. I like the different genres I like placing myself in and, that's the beauty of being an actor, man, you get to play and I’m just a big kid on a playground and I like all the playgrounds I get to play on. With Brooklyn Nine-Nine, you bring that up, that was such a great place to play and everybody on that cast was really a delight and it helps when you're comfortable.
ROHAN: As I mentioned, I was a huge 24 fan and it broke my heart in high school when President Palmer was killed - were there ever any talks of you making a cameo in subsequent seasons or maybe even escaping your fate at the time?
DENNIS: No, I mean, once I was dead, I was dead. I tried as much as I could, as hard as I could, to have them not do that, but, they did it and they got their Emmy out of it and I guess the ends justify the means.
ROHAN: I have to ask, have you ever been approached for a role in a superhero movie? I think you'd be a perfect fit.
DENNIS: I'm glad you asked, from your mouth to God's ears, man. One of these days, that's going to happen and I can't wait. I think I would fit very well in that genre.
20th Century Studio’s suspense/thriller “No Exit” is the story of Darby Thorne, a young woman en route to a family emergency who is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers. When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper
No Exit is now streaming, exclusively on Hulu!