Swen Temmel stars as Giorgios Caras in Cash Out and its upcoming sequel High Rollers which is released later this week. He stars alongside John Travolta, Lukas Haas, and more in the franchise. Swen stopped by to chat with me about working on the movies.
Hi Swen, thanks for taking time to chat today.
Absolutely, anytime, looking forward to it.
Alrighty, so today we’re going to be talking High Rollers, which is the follow-up to Cash Out. Now in these movies you play Georgios Caras. How has he changed since the first movie? Because quite a lot has happened since the last one…
Quite a lot has happened (laughs). I don’t think people are ready for the twist that happens in the second one. Obviously in the first one I play a suited up bank manager and the second one, not quite so much. So, it’s definitely a fun twist and a fun turn that I enjoyed playing and bringing to life. It was also interesting to bring back the same character essentially, but also bring him back in a completely different way.
Yeah, he is very different in this one, but it was nice to see him back because I didn’t see that coming.
Yeah, I mean, I think that’s the big thing, is you think that he’s only meant to be in the first one and he helps them get what they get in Cash Out and then bam, he’s right there in the middle of things in the second one.
How do you prepare to become him?
Yeah, obviously I had the preparation of the first movie. So, the first movie was sort of the one that most of the preparation went into. With the second one, working with the same talented group of people, the nerves weren’t there. It was sort of, we were all friends already at this point. So, just finding something interesting, sort of blending the old character into the new character and finding ways to still connect the two, but also bring in some new and exciting stuff. Just finding things in my regular life and in the fantasy world in order to prepare for that character.
How was working with the director Ives?
Ives is super talented as a director. He has a way of talking to the actors when you don’t quite understand necessarily the way or the direction that the scene is going. He’s really good at explaining it to you. He’s also really good at finding different things within the scene and pulling certain things out of you. He’s dealt with a lot of actors in the past as a producer and I think that translates to his abilities as a director as well to kind of guide the scene and work together. And it’s not an easy feat because there’s a lot characters in this movie.
How do you find working with such an amazing ensemble?
It was a great group of people, obviously working with John Travolta, legend. He’s dedicated and just absolutely fantastic. He brought his A-game again on this one. Having known him from the first one, the second one, we kind we left off and he was just wonderful to work with. He was engaging. He was in the scenes. He’s a very giving actor as well, which is helpful when you’re working in the scene.
One of my favorite aspects of these movies is a lot of the action looks to be done practically. That opening scene of this movie, those are real helicopters, aren’t they?
They were real helicopters and it was a real boat and it was a real explosion. Being able to stand there on the beach with those two massive helicopters coming your direction, it’s pretty intense. I mean, they definitely know what they’re doing. They’re professional pilots, but nonetheless, it’s real and you standing there on the beach with all that happening, it’s pretty intense. You almost forget that you’re in a movie.
I think it must add to the whole realism. It’s just easier to get into it then, isn’t it?
Oh, it definitely makes it a whole lot easier to get into things when it’s actually happening. It’s an actual helicopter and it’s a real explosion rather than you’re reacting to a green screen.
Yeah. Like reacting to a tennis ball.
(laughs) Yeah. I mean, we’ve all done it and it’s part of the job, but when it’s real, it definitely makes it easier to give a genuine response to the situation.
Whenever it comes to the more physical aspect of the role, do you try and do as many of your own stunts as possible or do you leave that to professionals?
That’s part of what I love about this job is really just getting in there, sinking my teeth into it and doing the physical stuff as well. That’s so much fun to be able to do. Obviously, depending on the film and depending on the circumstances, I do try to do as much of my own stunts as possible. There are certain things that I will leave to the professionals because they know what they’re doing. It’s not that I’m afraid of getting hurt, but if I get hurt, it shuts down the whole production and then everybody’s kind of screwed. So, as far as I’m comfortable, I will do all my own stuff and enjoy it. But when it comes to the bigger things, I leave it to the guys that really know what they’re doing.
What do you think is the enduring appeal of heist capers with audiences? We all love them. Why do you think that is?
I think it just appeals to a certain side of us because it has this level of you shouldn’t do it and it’s bad, but they’re cool. They look cool while they’re doing it and there’s just something that appeals to us on an inner level, I think. I think the idea of not knowing what’s next or how they’re going to get away with it, I think that is the biggest appeal to these movies is, OK, they’ve gotten themselves into the situation. How are they going to get themselves out of it?
Generally, what do you look for in a script to be interested in a project?
I think you read a script and it just kind of tells you if you’re interested, if it’s something new. I mean, at this point, I want to look for challenges in different characters, something that I haven’t done or something that I find maybe I’m apprehensive of doing or something that stretches my abilities because only that way I’ll learn and grow as an actor and in my craft. Finding things that I might find difficult, that’s definitely something I look for. But in the end, when you’re reading a script, the script kind of tells you, OK, this is the right one for me or this one would be enjoyable to do.
What did you personally take away from working on both Cash Out and High Rollers?
That it’s important to have a family, no matter if it’s your blood family or family that you meet along the way. In the end, family’s always got your back when things get a little bit iffy, whether that’s blood family or family that you’ve brought into the world. In the end, those are the people that are going to help you out of the buck.
What would you like audiences to take from it?
I think just to have a good time. We have so many problems in the world. Just enjoy a good heist movie with some fun characters, with some good action and enjoy the ride. Sit back and enjoy the wild ride.
The escape from reality.
Yeah, exactly.
Hopefully you get a third entry soon as well.
Yeah, who knows? I mean, it seems to be it looks like it’s going well, so hopefully there will be a third one.
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. All the best with the film.
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.