Christoph Waltz is a hitman on the verge of being forced to retire, though has a bright spot waiting for him on the other side in the form of Lucy Liu’s Anata in Old Guy. Waltz and Liu are certainly no strangers when it comes to the action genre, with the former having starred in everything from Daniel Craig’s James Bond tenure as Blofeld to Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel, while the latter found early success starring in the 2000s Charlie’s Angels movies and following them up with everything from Kill Bill to Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

In Old Guy, which hails from Con Air director Simon West, Waltz stars as Danny Dolinski, an aging contract killer who is looking to make a comeback in the field after getting surgery to rid himself of his arthritis. However, before he’s given the opportunity to prove himself, Danny finds himself saddled with training an on-the-rise prodigy with an unfortunate streak of killing bystanders on the job. Joined by Liu’s club manager character, for whom he secretly carries a torch, on a mission to Northern Ireland, Danny will be pushed to his limits.

Ahead of the movie’s release, ScreenRant interviewed Lucy Liu and Christoph Waltz to discuss Old Guy. Waltz addressed the apparent similarities between his character in the film and that of Dr. Schultz in Django Unchained, and why he feels they are ultimately different in their motivations, while Liu broke down balancing the strength and vulnerability of her character, and her thoughts on a potential Elementary revival six years after the show ended.

Waltz Didn’t Originally Recognize Danny & Schultz’s Similarities (But Does Enjoy Them)

“The fun thing about Danny Dolinski is that he’s convinced that he can still do it better than anyone else.”

While Waltz has played a large range of characters throughout the years, there is something of an interesting parallel to be found between Old Guy‘s Danny Dolinski and Django Unchained‘s Dr. Schultz, in that they both allow their moral compᴀsses to guide them forward more so than their violent professions. When we pointed this out, the two-time Oscar winner humorously acknowledged that he “never thought about that” while filming, and while he does “kind of like that“, there is a different motivation driving Danny forward:

Christoph Waltz: You know, I never thought about that, but the way you described it, actually, I kind of like that. Whether or not it’s true is almost irrelevant, it’s so nice the way you said it. Yeah, age doesn’t really play a big part in Dr. Schultz, but maturity and experience, yes. The fun thing about Danny Dolinski is that he’s convinced he can still do it better than anyone else. Not really… but maybe, yes … let’s see. [Laughs] So, that’s why I like the trajectory into romance, and that’s why I really was convinced, yes, that is an answer to age, or a certain maturity. Frailty is too much yet, but there’s something when the emotional side has been overlooked in the course of one life. When all of that testosterone-driven bull—t subsides, there is the angel that lifts this existence into something worthwhile.

Liu Found An Innate Trust In Waltz That Let Her Capture Anata’s Vulnerability

“And I can’t say that about all artists.”

Though the movie may primarily put its spotlight on Danny and Cooper Hoffman’s Wihlborg, Old Guy offers plenty of screentime for Liu’s Aanta as she looked for potential escapes from the criminally connected club she manages and desires for a normal life. Even still, she displays just as much strength as she does vulnerability in the film, which Liu cited as her having “the agility to adapt“, though also praised Waltz as a scene partner for creating a “very safe” environment to capture said vulnerability:

Lucy Liu: I think she has the agility to adapt. She’s a bit of a chameleon, and she always has been, when she gets into a situation where she really believes that she has a future with this doctor in Belfast, and it’s a wake-up call when she realizes that she’s just kind of a bit of a side salad. It’s painful, and it hurts, and I think that when she’s offered that affection and that care from Danny, her old friend, she feels somewhat slighted, because she really doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her, and she feels like she’s been cast aside.

I think they have that in common, where they both feel like they have a lot of potential, but they’ve kind of maybe gone past their prime for how other people see them. So, obviously, working with Christoph was so easy because it just kind of lets you do whatever it is that you’re doing, and doesn’t get in the way and interfere. And I can’t say that about all artists. [Laughs] So we did that moment after they were in the club, on the stairs a couple of times. It’s a nice feeling to know that you can be vulnerable and be fully sitting in that character with somebody that’s very safe.

Liu Feels She Got Closure On Elementary

“…but I’m glad that people are still able to have spinoffs on Holmes…”

Looking beyond the film, Liu was asked her thoughts on the chances of an Elementary revival, particularly after the recent premiere of Watson, CBS’ latest adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes world focused on Morris Chestnut’s тιтular physician after Holmes’ death. After expressing her graтιтude for our being a fan of the show, Liu admitted she felt like she doesn’t “know that that would ever happen“, particularly as the team “really had closure on it“, but she’s excited to see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works continue to be adapted:

Lucy Liu: I don’t think about it, because it feels like we really had closure on it. Thank you for watching the seven seasons of Elementary. I feel like it was such a blur, because when you’re doing television, you’re on a treadmill, and you just can’t stop. So, I just loved working with Rob Doherty, who created the show and created these very interesting characters that developed and could grow and change. I don’t know that that would ever happen, but I’m glad that people are still able to have spinoffs on Holmes, because obviously, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was on to something, and the legacy continues.

About Old Guy

An aging hitman (Christoph Waltz) is forced to train a young prodigy (Cooper Hoffman) when his employer moves to replace the old guard. But when they learn they are being betrayed, the unlikely pair turns into a lethal team – with their double-crossing bosses in their sights. Lucy Liu also stars in this action-packed comedy from the director of CON AIR and THE EXPENDABLES 2.

Source: ScreenRant Plus