Joining comedian Kevin Hart in his brand new Netflix film LIFT, is actor and filmmaker Vincent D’Onofrio -- best known for his roles in Full Metal Jacket, Men In Black, The Cell, Ratched, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and many more -- this time around helping Hart’s international heist crew in a race to steal $500 million in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet.
LISTEN NOW: Audacy’s ‘LIFT’ roundtable with Billy Magnussen, Yun Jee Kim, and Vincent D'Onofrio
Directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Viveik Kalra, Yun Jee Kim, Sam Worthington, and Vincent D'Onofrio, LIFT lands on Netflix on January 12. Ahead of the movie’s release, Audacy hosts Shelley Wade, Julia, Ed Lover, and Poet got a chance to sit down with some of the stars of LIFT -- Billy Magnussen, Yun Jee Kim, and Vincent D'Onofrio -- for a roundtable discussion about the new flick.
With his uncanny ability to portray so many diverse characters over the years, Shelly wondered what kind of projects he tends to enjoy more -- serious roles or an action/comedy such as this latest one. “I like it all,” Vincent says democratically. “I've always liked it all -- I’ve done that my whole career. If I think I can help tell the story, then I'm into it.”
Addressing all three guests, Julia asked what it was that drew each of them into the project. “For me you got F. Gary Gray, Vincent D’Onofrio, Kevin Hart, Jean Renaud... You got Europe. Yeah, that's an easy answer for me,” says Billy Magnussen. “Working with such talents... just cultivates such a beautiful environment to grow and build something, and you're inspired to dream a little bigger and play a little more.” Although, Billy admits that there was a bit of intimidation at the prospect of working with D’Onofrio.
The experience for Yun Jee Kim, who auditioned for her role all the way from Korea, has been an incredible ride. She explains, “I remember, I sent in the audition tape thinking, ‘How cool would it be to be part of an international heist?’ And then I got the role and I only knew Kevin on the casting and I met all of them on the first night of the first reading. Ever since then, it's just been a dream. They were an amazing ensemble. We had natural chemistry every time we were on set, off camera, and on camera, and we just became really good friends. I feel blessed we all got together that first night.”
D’Onofrio adds, “We really did see each other every day, whether we were on camera or off, and it started a great relationship... We had this complete effortless, personal kind of relationship to all of us together, so that when we were on camera, we didn't have to act that at all.”
Thoroughly enjoying by the premise, as well as all of the fun that the actors obviously had in the making of LIFT, Ed Lover believes that there could be a follow-up on the horizon. “Yeah, your lips to God's ears or whatever you call it,” says Magnussen. “I would do it in a heartbeat. It was just so fun. It was a great opportunity. As an actor, you can have the depth of character, you can have the depth of story in here, I think F., constructing the story, seeing Kevin in this whole new light, basically, it's a great look on him. I think to see him go on that journey as a full character. It can still live in these big action films and not be dumbed down to just popcorn.”
Diving into the characters which come to life vividly within the story, Yun Jee Kim admits, “I had to practice a lot in between breaks because I am not very good with technology or machineries in real life. I have hard time with my phone even, so to make my character be believable, I had to be familiar with all the props that I play with in the film. I spent a lot of time playing with them.”
There’s a refreshing focus on the role women play within the heist, and being surrounded and supported by the men on set came easily, “specifically because we did have such a good chemistry,” Yun Jee Kim explains. “We weren't forcing anything. No one was trying to stand out or no one was trying to steal someone's spotlight. It just came so naturally -- I love the fact that each of our characters got the moments that it needed to explain the story of the character. And it's not just the females -- I think it was all the characters that [were] thoroughly shown through the film, which I was very happy to be part of because it's not like that in every project that you participate in.”
“Those days are gone now,” D’Onofrio adds. “And thank God, you know. I just think about the last few films I've done, or the last few television shows... Most of the stuff that I've done recently, the woman’s been the lead of the film. I just finished a series that's coming out called Echo. It's coming out with Marvel for Marvel and Disney+, and it was written by a woman, directed by women. The lead star is Alaqua Cox who is an amputee, and deaf, in real life, and she's the lead. I just watched this amazing, kick ass fight scene that she did, which is unbelievable and these days, I see guys in films doing fight scenes and you're like, ‘That guy could never do that.’”
“You know, it comes back to, to this group here. I mean, there was complete diversity as far as where we're from, from countries except for you and I the ugly Americans of course,” he continues, addressing Billy. “Ursula and June G -- we were all just completely equal and cared for each other equally the same.”
“It's one of the things that attracted me to the movie, was that we were all diverse. We were all from different countries,” says D’Onofrio. “And it worked. It wasn't trying to shoehorn something in there,” adds Magnussen. “It was actually using it.” Vincent explains, “Because in the old heist movies, I hate to say it, even though they're great movies... everybody's white and male, you know, unless they're a bad guy or the driver.”
Check out the full LIFT roundtable discussion above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite celebrities and artists right here on Audacy.