Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Deadlock’s Jared Cohn

Jared Cohn has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most exciting storytellers. He’s a quadruple threat who acts, directs, writes, and produces.

His latest film, Deadlock, is a must-see action-thriller starring Bruce Willis and Patrick Muldoon. An ex-military man working at a Georgia power plant has to spring into action to prevent disaster when a group of rogue soldiers gain control of the plant and take the employees hostage.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jared about Deadlock.

PC: Tell us about Deadlock and the inspiration behind the film.
Jared: Deadlock is a fun action film with humor. The inspiration came from wanting to see if I could write an action movie that an independent company could make. The first draft had helicopters and all these explosions. But as I made the rounds with the script in Hollywood, I got a lot of, “This movie is too expensive.” I was like, “Let me tone it down. All right, it’s basically one location.” The idea was to write an action film that producers I knew could say yes to.

I don’t live in the big movie studio world. Eventually, I’d love to do a big studio movie, but the idea was to write something that could be done well without compromising the integrity of the story—one that checked all the boxes, that was good enough, and that hit the formula. There’s a formula for every genre of movie. Arthouse and big studio pitches are their own things. But on independent action films, it has to be a certain way in order for it to get the green light. That’s basically how I approached this.

PC: As you were writing this project, did you have these particular actors in mind? Did you also know that you’d be stepping into the director’s chair?
Jared: I knew that I was going to have to fight to direct. Unfortunately, where I am in my career, I have to write to be the director. There were people who came in and were like, “If a big director wants to do it, would you be willing to step away?” My answer was no. If I’m writing this, I want to be the director. I enjoy directing more than writing. I enjoy the energy on set.

I didn’t have any actors in mind. The characters were inspired by prototypes from different action movies that I’ve seen, but I had no one in particular in mind to play them. I wanted an antihero, a really cool bad guy. I like writing bad guys because their dialogue is always more fun and they’re more fun to watch.

PC: In addition to the work that you’ve done behind the scenes, you’re also an actor yourself. How have those acting experiences helped you when you’re collaborating with the cast and crew as a writer and director?
Jared: Having an acting background definitely helped me relate to the actors and communicate with them. The things I did when I was acting involved stunt work and jumping off things. I was doing all the crazy stuff. This was when I was young, dumb, and fearless. I have this Dennis Hopper filmmaking mentality, which is, “Let’s just get it done. Let’s shoot it. We’re going to grab a camera.” That’s how I started out in film. We’d grab a camera and we’d film. Of course, as you start to do bigger projects, you have all these rules. Someone in the camera department can’t touch a light. Everyone has their job.

I come from this old-school mentality, but we have to be safe and follow protocols. I grew up making films where we’d just grab a camera and some actors. I had to find a location and bring them there to shoot. I’ve had to adapt to the “right way” of doing things. There are reasons why these rules exist. But I’m just describing how I grew up in terms of filmmaking. It was a down and dirty approach. But I don’t operate like that anymore on account of having worked on sets with all sorts of production people. But I still have that heart. I love that independent spirit.

PC: You’re working with some really big heavyweights. What was it like collaborating with Patrick and Bruce?
Jared: Anytime you have famous movie stars and you’re the director, you want to make sure that they’re comfortable and feel appreciated. A lot of directing is about making the actors comfortable. You have to make them feel like it’s a safe place where you can create. I’m here to make them look good. I’m here to support them. If they can feel that, then we’re going to do good work. That comes from having an actor’s background. I understand what they’re going through. I’m respectful and appreciative of being able to work with people like Bruce Willis. I’m a happy camper.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after they see the film? What’s next for you?
Jared: I hope they say, “This movie is so good. Who directed it? Let me hire this guy for something.” That’s my selfish answer. [laughs] I hope the audiences are entertained and that they have fun.

I want to continue to work and do bigger projects. I’ve got a few movies coming out besides Deadlock. I’ll be shooting in January, February, and March. I have a hungry mindset. It’s probably because I’m a New Yorker and had a dad that said, “Whatever you do, it’s not enough. Do more.”

He grew up poor in the Bronx, so I can’t blame the guy. But he really instilled a work ethic in me that if you’re not working hard, you ought to feel bad about yourself. The only way to feel good about yourself is to stay busy. It’s better for me to be busy because if I’m not busy, then I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I’ll probably be watching too many movies or playing too many video games or somehow getting into trouble.

To keep up with Jared, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Deadlock wherever you stream movies.