Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Lansky’s David Cade

Actor-producer David Cade has made quite the name for himself with his ability to disappear into any role. From playing an arrogant teen actor in Big Time Rush to a sociopath in Into the Ashes, David has brought the most challenging characters to life with ease.

His latest project finds him stepping into the shoes of infamous mobster Ben “Bugsy” Siegel in the must-see crime-drama, Lansky.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with David about his career, finding the gray area as Bugsy, and his latest film Lansky.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
David: I spent an enormous amount of time as a kid in front of the TV. It was a tradition in my house. My whole household loved cinema. I didn’t even realize that at the time; I just thought everybody loved cinema the way that we did. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case. We were really attracted to it. From the time that I was five or six, I had free rein to watch just about anything under the sun, and I did.

We went through tough financial times and couldn’t afford childcare. My dad would post me up in his office throughout the weekend because he had to work all weekend. We would go to Blockbuster, get four or five movies, and I would sit there and veg out all day. It started really instilling this passion in me for movies. As I developed, I thought, “Not only do I relate to what I see on screen, I think I can do what I see on screen.” That pushed me into wanting to perform.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
David: [laughs] Thank you for saying that I’ve had a lot of success—I’m certainly trying. I’ve had some real wins that I’m appreciative of. I did a play a couple of years ago. I did Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion in an off-Broadway workshop for about a month in New York City. I hadn’t done theater in ten years, and I certainly hadn’t done a musical in a very, very long time. It didn’t get a lot of attention. It didn’t get a lot of buzz, but to be surrounded by those artists and doing that show and to have the impact of being on the stage for the first time in almost a decade was a real win for me. It reinvigorated my passion for what I do.

Big Time Rush was a real highlight for me. I love making people laugh. I don’t think people really thought I could make people laugh. I know it’s a show for kids, but I felt some of the humor they gave me was a wink to adults. There was some funny stuff that I got to do.

Lastly, Lansky—I really fought for this role. Eytan [Rockaway] saw how hungry I was and gave me the go-ahead and said, “Let’s do it.” To be able to be on the other side and play this infamous character has been a real gift.

PC: Speaking of Lansky, tell us about the film, your character, and what attracted you to this project.
David: I read the script in December 2018. I fell in love with it. I immediately reached out about Bugsy. I was like, “Who’s playing Bugsy?” At the time, they had another actor attached because they’d already been in the process of developing it. Unfortunately, that actor had to fall out.

Secondly, I saw so much nuance in Ben “Bugsy” Siegel. He’s either been portrayed as a maniac or just charming. I was so fascinated with what made Bugsy tick. Reading his history, he was a really well-rounded person. He loved his mother and his sisters. He took really good care of them. But he also grew up in this really brutal time in the ghettos of Brooklyn at the turn of the century. That molds you into who you are. It was a study on what makes you feel like human life is so disposable. What brings you to that place but also allows you to have a family? It was interesting to bring some real shades of gray to the character and try to make him a bit more well-rounded.

PC: When you’re working on a project that’s set in a particular time period, how does that affect your preparation?
David: Uta Hagen was an acting teacher back in the day. She made a video that I watched as a kid. So much of training is getting one piece of gold out of it. I remember I watched Uta, and she was on stage and asked somebody, who was playing an upper elite Victorian woman, “Why are you holding the cup that way?” She had her pinky up. She was doing her Victorian accent and everything. Uta said, “Why do you do that?” She said, “Well, I don’t know.” She goes, “You think people back then decided to hold their glasses that way?” She responded, “Well, I guess.” She goes, “No, let me tell you why. In the Victorian era, you had silk in the garments. They were sewn into the wrists of the garments. Silk is very hard to come by at that time. So, if you drank from a cup, God forbid you spilled something on your silk.”

I will never forget that. It made me realize that understanding the era is about understanding where people come from; it’s not about mimicking. You really have to understand what you’re protecting and why that informs the habits you have.

That’s why understanding how each piece on set is used and understanding the era is so important. It helps inform things on a deeper level.

PC: Great answer. With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away after they see it?
David: I hope they enjoy it. There are political aspects. There are historical aspects. There’s the biography of these characters. I don’t know how people are going to form their thoughts around the movie because there’s so much. I ultimately hope that what we did gave them something that they can enjoy.

If we’ve done that, however it hits them, I hope they walk away happy that they spent two hours on it. That’s ultimately what I want as an entertainer.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
David: I just watched Love on the Spectrum on Netflix. I love that show. Other than that, I also just finished watching Sweet Tooth. Those are the two things that I’ve been watching.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
David: Bulworth. Warren Beatty plays a politician who loses his mind and starts speaking honestly to people on the eve of his own assassination, which he orchestrated. He also raps in front of the Democratic caucus at one point. He starts spitting bars. It’s hilarious.

PC: Favorite book?
David: Early Riser. It’s a fantastic book. I’m also a fan of the book Shantaram. I’ve read that a couple of times. Green Light is on my list. I’m so excited to read it. My girlfriend stole it from me, so I have to get it back.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
David: I’ll tell you a favorite play I’ve ever seen live is Network with Bryan Cranston. That’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen—it was a phenomenal production. I used to love Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. I have a lot of plays I love, but what I’ve seen was Bryan Cranston in Network. It was a really inspiring production.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
David: I’m cranking Bo Burnham up in my powerlifting gym in the garage. Normally, it’s Rage Against the Machine. Outside of Bo, I listen to a lot of old school hip-hop.

PC: Dream role?
David: If I’ve learned anything, it’s that your dream role surprises you. Bugsy was a dream role. To play this part was a real gift. But Jett Stetson in Big Time Rush became a dream role. I didn’t know what the show was when I auditioned for it; I just went in with this character that I thought was funny. It ended up becoming four years of my life. I’m really grateful for those four years. That was a real treat. I have a feeling that the next role that makes an impact on people, but also on me, is going to be a dream role.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
David: Ethan Hawke. He’s a little bit old. We’d have to give me another twenty-year stretch, I suppose, to really milk that. But I think Ethan Hawke. If I had to go outside of Ethan, maybe Tom Hardy has some elements to his history that are suitable to mine, or Jason Bateman.

To keep up with David, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Lansky is out in select theaters and wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: The Riker Brothers