Sure. Half the world is dead. The rest is killing each other. And the survivors must do anything to survive.

There’s always something positive about this, no?

Lance Reddick stars in the post-apocalyptic film The Domestics that blends Purge with Mad Max in the not-to-far off future where people are just trying to survive.

The movie stars Tyler Hoechlin and Kate Bosworth as a married couple who is desperately racing through the dangerous countryside to find safety as vicious gangs are roaming to desperately kill any would-be travelers.

Lance Reddick plays the father of a happy-go-lucky family, who takes the young couple into their homes for a nice meal and protection.

The film also stars David Dastmachian and Sonoya Mizuno. It is written and directed by Mike P. Nelson.

LRM had an exclusive phone interview with Lance Reddick late last month on this role. The character is quite different from his usual tough, non-smiling, non-laughable characters on the screen.

The Domestics is now playing in select theaters and now available on Video on Demand today.

Read our interview transcript below.

LRM: I’ve checked out your film, The Domestics. Tell me why you were attracted to this project.

Lance Reddick: First and foremost, it was for the role. I thought the role was really cool. It was the kind of role that I haven’t had a chance to do before. I really loved the script. I was very, very, very impressed with the proof of concepts shorts that Mike [Nelson] did. It’s clear to me that he knew how to make a movie. I really thought the scripting really cool. It was really different. The character was just something that had never got a chance to play before. All three things kind of just aligned for me to want to do it.

LRM: [Chuckles] Yeah. After checking out the film, for some unknown reason I actually thoroughly enjoyed your character of Nathan. He actually was happy and smiling a lot, which is quite different from the roles that you actually played before.

Lance Reddick: Yep. It’s a lot different of the roles that played on screen. Yeah.

LRM: Why don’t you usually play characters that laugh and smile on screen?

Lance Reddick: I don’t know. You just got to go to what comes along. I have a kind of intensity on screen. Even the roles that are very different from each other, I still get the roles to play cops, drug addicts [laughs] or really vicious bad guys. I don’t know. It has not necessarily always my choice. You just kind of go into a comes along. I’ve been able to play some really great role, so it’s not like I regret that.

LRM: I do have to admit it. It is properly you have an intimidating presence on screen. Going back to the domestics, you say you played these types of characters rarely, did you have to approach a Nathan would differently than anything before?

Lance Reddick: In terms of the process, no. It wasn’t any different. It’s all about the character. It’s not like I had to stretch farther than I’ve had stretched for other characters. Most of the characters I play aren’t very much like how I really am anyway. As a matter of fact, in some ways, Nathan’s personality is closer to my personality than the other characters I’ve played.

LRM: Oh, wow.

Lance Reddick: The way I am with my kids is pretty similar to the way Nathan is so. I’m a pretty kind of a silly guy. I mean I am. [Laughs] I mean I’m not serious about my work, but you know what I mean. I’m kind of a goof.

LRM: That’s awesome. Now, now when you read the script for The Domestics, um, how, how did you like the twist surprise for your character?

Lance Reddick: [Laughs] I loved it! I loved it! It was so much fun. I was shocked, but I was like, “Man! This is cool.”

LRM: When you did the twists reveal you guys have probably had a lot of fun with your make believe family and joking around about this so called cannibalism, right?

Lance Reddick: Well, it’s funny because only the time with Tyler [Hoechlin] only because I have the line with him. That’s scene at the sink is just so intense, but at the same time it’s so kind of funny. So much of that scene was works because of his the reaction. All the different shades of reactions, as he slowly started to understand what it is that I’m saying to him. So that was a lot of fun. It took a little extra time, because there’s a couple of lines where we couldn’t stop laughing. That was great.

LRM: How was it working along with Tyler [Hoechlin] and Kate [Bosworth] overall on the production?

Lance Reddick: It was great. Tyler was such a great guy. You take it on what you got take. When he’s on, he’s on. When the camera’s off, he’s just such a good guy. I’m trying to think of a more descriptive words than saying good guy or nice guy. But he is. He’s such a great guy. Very caring when he comes to work.

Kate is kind of a quintessential film actor. I’ve never worked with Kate before. When you’re in a scene with her and you watched her work, there’s is so much subtlety and nuance with her reaction to that performance. She’s almost hyper real. She was really a joy, a joy to watch her work.

LRM: That sounds great. Mike P. Nelson, in previous interviews, said he really enjoyed your presence and your acting for this movie. How did you like his style for this production on directing you?

Lance Reddick: I love Mike. I’ve said this before, when we would disagree on something it will be tough, because he’s a hard guy to win an argument with. [Laughs] That was rare. After watching the short, the proof of concept short that he did, I knew that he really knew what he was doing cinematically. Working with him in the process of deciding kind of what we were doing and the tone of it, it was good because he helped me shape the character. It maintained so that it was distinct. It was kind of my take on it, but at the same time it stayed within the tone of the film. It didn’t feel like he was somebody that was outside the film.

LRM: Did he allow room for improv? Are you even an improv actor yourself?

Lance Reddick: I’m not a big improv person. I mean it had to kind of learn to do that a little more working on the TV show, Corporate. I’m surrounded by standup comedians and sketch comedy people. [Chuckles] When it comes to lines, I’m not a big improviser. If a line doesn’t work for me, then I want to change it. Let’s change it and figure out what it’s going to be. In terms of how I deliver the lines, I’m always open to that.

LRM: Our fans on our sites really want to know is your about presence on John Wick 3? That’s actually coming up pretty soon. Are they expanding your role? It almost seems like they’re going to give you a much bigger role in the third movie to go after John Wick.

Lance Reddick: Fortunately, I can’t talk about that. I can’t talk about that. I’m so sorry for the fans. Well, I can’t answer that question specifically. I can’t be giving any spoilers.

LRM: Can you just give us a tease on what we should expect? How about that?

Lance Reddick: The one thing that I can say in this one is that I get to talk to Ian McShane. [Laughs] In the first [two] movies, even though I was his right-hand man, we didn’t have any scenes together.

LRM: Excellent. Well, that is a great tease. Thank you very much. I appreciate that Lance.

Lance Reddick: Thank you.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive