10 Pages Was All It Took To Sell Daniel Radcliffe On The Guns Akimbo Script
Daniel Radcliffe is either known for playing the boy who lived in "Harry Potter" or for playing some eclectic guy in the newest super-weird movie. In "Guns Akimbo," the actor gives up his wand for guns to defeat his enemies. The Jason Lei Howden-helmed film stars Radcliffe as a down-on-his-luck video game developer who becomes the next participant in a real-life death match that streams online. Oh, and one day he wakes up with guns physically bolted to his hands. He is forced to go on the run even before he can get completely used to his hands being out of order and is chased by Nix (Samara Weaving), a relentless killer at the top of her game.
The fast-paced action movie follows Radcliffe struggling with the consequences of wielding guns on his arms, wearing only a robe and slippers, and navigating cartoonishly violent, inescapable situations. When Radcliffe read the "Guns Akimbo" script he knew after only reading ten pages that he would do the movie.
Daniel Radcliffe was charmed
The "Harry Potter" star has already been a part of several weird-but-very-original movies. Radcliffe has a reputation for doing crazy stuff, and that's a conscious choice: he doesn't want to be afraid to step out of his comfort zone. So, when the actor was presented with the "Guns Akimbo" script, it didn't take much convincing for Radcliffe to say yes. The script was teeming with physical comedy and featured a character that did some action work; plus, it was a fast-paced premise. Ten pages in, when Radcliffe read about his character doing daily tasks with guns for hands — he loved it.
In an interview with GQ where Radcliffe discussed his most iconic characters, the actor explained how quickly he was sold on the "Guns Akimbo" script.
"It's very hard not to be charmed by a script where the main protagonist has guns for hands after about page 10. Two scenes later it's – he's, like, trying to go to the toilet with guns for hands. And I was like, 'Great, you got a premise, you're fully exploring it, I'm probably gonna do this movie.' I just loved that fact that it was, like, a 90-minute, shot-out-of-a-cannon, just, adrenaline ride of insane action and Samara Weaving being cool and psychotic. Jason created great characters, and it is simply that thing of, you've had a fun idea, but it's not just that you've had a fun idea, you've created a really good plot around it and you are fully exploring it for comedy."
'I love action films'
The actor also stated how he enjoyed action films, but for him to star in one, the script required a good amount of physical comedy. When Radcliffe read that his character Miles had a fair amount of running to do in the film (he was, you know, running for his life), the actor knew it was the job for him.
"I love action films, but for me to do an action film, I feel like there has to be a certain amount of physical comedy involved as well. And the fact that, though this action character's special skill is running away, I was like, 'Yeah, this is the action guy for me.'"
As you now know, "Guns Akimbo" is very, very weird. In fact, /Film's Jacob Hall once called the film "a coordinated assault on good taste." The wacky action-comedy progresses with manic intensity and Daniel Radcliffe throws himself into the physicality his role demands and does a great job at dealing with the ridiculous situations he finds himself in. "Guns Akimbo" might not be very good, but it has Daniel Radcliffe at his weird best.