Jake Gyllenhaal, Lukas Gage, and Daniela Melchior star as Dalton, Billy, and Ellie in Road House, which is a reimagining of the 80s cult classic. The movie is officially streaming on Prime Video.
Road House stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon.
“Patrick, from the moment I met him, when we were making Donnie Darko, always had a really wonderful sense of humor and he was just really kind. I think, as a person, his encouragement with me throughout my career was just so lovely. He and his wife, Lisa, even to this day, Lisa is just so loving and then, I also think just him and his interpretation of Dalton and what he brought, his charisma as an actor. I mean, I’ve loved him since I was a kid. I was raised by Patrick Swayze movies and on Patrick Swayze movies,” Gyllenhaal shared. “So to me, his charisma, but particularly his stillness, you know? I mean, he was a dancer and he was so in his body, so aware of it, so beautiful when he moved. But I think because he was like that, he was also really powerful when he was still and he was like that when he played Dalton in the original and I tried as best as I could to bring that kind of energy. Unfortunately, I am nowhere near the kind of dancer that he is, but I can stand still very well, so I did that.”
“For me, I think one of the most interesting things that maybe the audience will be like, ‘Oh, no,’ but there’s why we need a sequel, would be the fact that her path is not obvious. It’s not the path that everyone will be expecting. But at the same time, it’s mature from her and very evolved from her to be able to let go and just embrace whatever happens,” Melchior expressed.
“I think it was a classic kind of boy-to-man arc, like Jake’s character is the Mr. Miyagi trainer of him, and you get to see him own his space to have a clear arc in a kind of small supporting role,” Gage explained while reflecting on his character in the film. “That was a really cool thing and an important thing, and just an inspiring thing to just own your space and stand up for yourself. Say it with your chest, as Ariana Grande likes to say it.”
We discussed which fight sequence they would want to see the full BTS process of making, their individual character arcs, and more. Plus, Gyllenhaal tells me about learning from Patrick Swayze.
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