We are only two months into 2015, but we may already have one of the coolest, slickest action movies of the year. Wild Card, directed by Simon West, is a remake of the 1986 movie Heat (which was also based on the 1985 novel of the same name by William Goldman) and stars Jason Statham as Nick, an odd jobs man with a gambling addiction who becomes the bodyguard for an awfully young self-made millionaire.
Standing out among the crazies and crooks that populate the movie is the beautiful but haunting Holly, portrayed by the alluring Dominik Garcia-Lorido. Brutally assaulted by a two-bit gangster and his cronies, she seeks the help of Nick and exacts her revenge — but leaves Nick vulnerable to his vices.
Dominik Garcia-Lorido is the proud daughter of celebrated actor Andy Garcia, but she is also a rising star in her own right and has the chops to someday carve out her own legacy. I recently spoke to the star of the new movie about some key scenes and the overall challenges in playing such an intense character.
Holly is probably the most intense character in the whole film (and that one of your co-stars is Jason Statham says a lot). What kind of challenges did you as an actress have to endure in portraying her?
Dominik: I never wanted her to be the victim. I never thought she was a victim. That was never how I came into playing her, even in the audition. But there’s vulnerability she doesn’t want to show. She wants to feel that, but she doesn’t want to show it. Which is a real trait people have. There’s pride there, but you have to know that vulnerability, you can’t play with just pride. So, I think she’s one of the strongest characters I’ve ever played.
She was the strongest character in the whole film, in my opinion.
Dominik: Thank you. That means a lot.
One of the coolest scenes, but also the most wrenching to watch, was Holly torturing Danny DeMarco, the film’s antagonist. What can you tell me about the making of that scene? Did you happen to research anything about torture?
Dominik: No, I didn’t do any research into torture because she doesn’t know. And… it was such a delicate scene to shoot. They were real shears that I had against him, and I was so worried about not really hurting him with it, you know? Not really hurting his thigh and all that. And I felt so odd. He was holding them in my hands, they felt kinda heavy, they’re hard to clench, but you know what? At the end of the day, I thought, “embrace that.” Because Holly doesn’t know how to do this. This is only her first time doing this. She’s not like this professional torturer whose weapon of choice are these garden shears. She would have probably just grabbed those and was like, “I’m gonna go do this,” but then go, “Actually, this is really crazy what I’m doing.” So I think all that, bringing more humanity into it, you know? All those feelings of uncertainty. So when those things happen, I try to remember to embrace that.
Aside from the aforementioned scene, the movie was a ton of fun to watch. Are there any fun behind-the-scenes stories you’re willing to share?
Dominik: I actually can’t remember any. We definitely had a lot of laughs and everything, but it was very professional, you know? It wasn’t a blooper after blooper kind of deal, but we were filming in New Orleans, which is just a fun city. So some of the cast and crew hung out. I hung out with Milo, and Michael Angarano a lot, and we were all in the same hotel. So we had fun in the city, but also we weren’t all shooting around the same time. So you went to work, and then you were home, or sometimes I was back in LA.
Revenge is one of my favorite literary themes, whether it’s in Hamlet or Oldboy. Holly manages to exact her revenge, but she also leaves them alive. In your opinion, why do you think she was satisfied leaving DeMarco and his cronies breathing?
Dominik: In one version, in the original version of the script, she actually cuts the whole thing off. And puts it in her purse.
Damn!
Dominik: I think that she isn’t a murderer. You know? She’s not a murderer, she doesn’t have the strength to do that. And, I think, when she turns to Nick and is telling him “I want my revenge, I want these balls in my hands” and all these things she’s raving about, she’s so emotional and angry. She’s not being rational when she’s so angry and hurt about something. And when it comes down to it, walking in and seeing him tied down and beat up, and these guys tied down and beat up, she has these garden shears and thinks to herself, “What am I really doing?” She’s still a human being, she’s never done anything like that before. So I think that ends up being enough. And really, it’s what he did to her. It matches what he did to her with the gun in the shower. So she does the same thing to him and tortures him in the same way.
So it’s less about revenge and more about poetic justice.
Dominik: Paying back and belittling him.
Your first role was in 1995, but you began acting full time since The Lost City. What are some of your dream roles that you absolutely need to play someday?
Dominik: For me, it’s really all about the writing. I love really simple stories about real people, and real life kind of struggles. Whether it’s about relationships or going through some sort of illness, or trauma, or anything that people go through, something a lot of people can relate to. The beautiful thing about cinema is that it can be very cathartic for the people who watch, and for the people who play those roles too. But those are the things I want to do. And also, I would love to do something that would require a lot of physical training for. I think it would be a lot of fun, and would be a cool challenge.
I understand you’ve worked with your father several times. As the child of a world-renowned actor, is it difficult to be close to that legacy? Are you seeking to surpass it, or has acting become a glue that bonds you two?
Dominik: It’s a great thing that we share this passion, and he gets it and I get it, and we can talk actor to actor. But no, I don’t find it difficult. I think that as I’ve gotten older, I’m confident more being an actor in my own right. And we’re different. We would choose different roles. But I don’t know, it is what it is. But I see it more as like a blessing than a curse, to be able to share that understanding for what we do with my dad who I’m super close to.
Wild Card is in theaters and On Demand now.