In Lift, a star-studded heist film, Kevin Hart leads a group of thieves into a high-stakes job. The crew includes Úrsula Corberó. Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Magnussen, Sam Worthington, Yun Jee Kim and others. Directed by The Italian Job fame F. Gary Gray, the action thriller promises an exhilarating ride.
Bonding as a crew was a huge part of making the film. In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, cast members Vincent, Billy and Yun Jee opened up about pulling off the heist film together.
What was it like bonding behind the scenes?
Billy: Honestly, it was instant on day one. In this industry, you could only hope to work with people who are collaborative, open, warm, charming and in a good headspace. Somehow that magic formula really came together. We had two massive leaders like Vincent and Kevin. The vibe and the standard they set was just unbelievable. It gave us the opportunity to feel comfortable, connect and really love each other like a team.
Vincent: Also, I hadn’t been on a set in many years where I didn’t know anybody. It’s probably only happened back when I was really young. So all these new relationships had to start. And that can be a rocky road sometimes. It can take a while but with us, it just happened effortlessly. We all stayed either very close to each other or in the same place. We all had snacks before we went to bed at night. And we used to catch up constantly after the shoot.
Yun Jee: Yeah, it was great like summer camp.
Is it challenging to perform amidst heavy action sequences and set pieces?
Vincent: A lot of the stuff which is in the film wasn’t there when we were shooting. On the sets, it left so much more intimate than it looks on screen. Maybe it felt more intimate because of the way we all had chemistry. But as far as the sets were concerned, they weren’t that big as they seem at all.
Yun Jee: I was so surprised when I watched the movie because it didn’t feel that big when we were filming. But we were doing some very cool things in the movie.
Billy: I think it’s not our responsibility, that’s the truth. I think actors should stick to their part of the story and make sure they’re connected to the character. I don’t think much of it. It’s a post-production problem. It’s all about showing up and doing your bit.
Vincent, how much of your Marvel experience helps with a project like this?
Vincent: Yeah, it just all has something to do with what I’ve been doing my whole career – just trying to come at the character in service to the story from a different angle. In that way, they’re all connected but the part that I play in the Marvel projects is a very particular thing that I love doing and going back to. But I also love doing new characters. So they are connected in a way but they’re not similar experiences.
Yun Jee, what are the differences you see between the Korean and Hollywood industries?
Yun Jee: I think having more freedom as an actor made a big difference for me while filming Lift. And the theme is also very different because it’s a heist comedy action film. The K-dramas I’ve done are very subtle and very typical Korean-style projects. So I can’t compare the K-drama and Hollywood stuff because I haven’t done any action films in Korea. They both have their own pros and cons, I guess.
Billy, what was your process of infusing so much energy into your character?
Billy: (Laughs) I have no clue what I’m doing. I just show up and I show up 150%. I had a lot of fun and I love doing my research and giving it my all. This is what I’ve repeatedly done in my career. Seeing the others in this wonderful cast like Vincent and Yoon’ji, I get grace and inspiration from them. I wanted to show up and do better for them because they motivated me to do better. And I still have no clue, I’ll figure it out.
Why do you think heist films work so well with audiences?
Vincent: I think people love heist movies because of the escapism. We’d all secretly like to pull off a big heist.
Billy: (Laughs) Yeah, everyone is secretly a kleptomaniac. Just going on an adventure, figuring out a problem and the suspense and thrill of solving it- will it work out or will it not work out? That’s fun.
Yun Jee: Watching heist films, it feels like you’re a part of the crew and doing the mission together. So when they actually succeed you’re like, “Yay they did it together!” It’s like being a part of a family.
What are some of your favourite heist movies?
Yun Jee: My favourite heist movie is The Italian Job.
Vincent: I think the Ocean films were my favourite.
Lift releases on January 12, 2024.