With How to Rob a Bank gearing up for its theatrical release this month, Pete Davidson has opened up about the intense preparation that went into playing his character. The actor-comedian describes the experience as both emotionally challenging and physically demanding, marking a departure from the kind of performances audiences have come to associate with him.
Among the film’s ensemble cast, which includes Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz, Davidson takes on the role of Vince, a military veteran who serves as an expert member of a team of social-media-savvy bank robbers.
Speaking about the emotional demands of the role and his preparation for it, Davidson said, “Once I got in the room (with the young actress), I got really choked up. What happens to the character is adjacent to what happened to me with my dad and the age and all that. I’m a comic first, so I never understood when actors would be like, ‘It was very painful’, but it is. It was very tough, and the first time I felt like a real actor because I wasn’t just playing myself.”
Davidson also spoke about the physical transformation he underwent for the part. He reportedly gained 15 pounds of muscle and consumed large quantities of protein to get into shape for the role. Explaining why he wanted audiences to understand the effort behind such transformations, he added, “I just think it’s really important for people to know that that’s what I did. When someone says, ‘Whoa, you’re in tremendous shape!’ and an actor goes, ‘Yup! just broccoli, rice and chicken!,’ it’s like, ‘no, dude, you have a vein going from your forehead to your thumb.”
How to Rob a Bank follows a group of robbers who are driven by something other than money. Chasing the adrenaline rush and eager to spread a message, they livestream their chaotic heists for the world to see. As the gang gains notoriety, it attracts the attention of a veteran FBI agent determined to track them down. With the thrill of their exploits pushing them further, the robbers raise the stakes and attempt their biggest heist yet.
Directed by David Leitch and written by Mark Bianculli, the film is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
Watch the trailer for How to Rob a Bank here:
How to Rob a Bank will release in theatres on November 20.
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