Idris Elba and Hayden Christensen Interview for Takers

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• published: 10 Sep 2010
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BlackTree Media CEO Jamaal Finkley sits down with two of the stars of action heist thriller Takers, Idris Elba and Hayden Christensen to talk cars and there position as Takers in this world.To create Takers' cast of cops and robbers, the filmmakers filled their eight leading man roles with some of the hottest talent in movies, television and music. Idris Elba, T.I., Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Chris Brown and Michael Ealy play the suave outlaws, with Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez representing the long arm of the law. "To have the level of cast we have in this film is really exciting," says Packer. "With that kind of a cast, what can you be but cool? These guys bring it. They have so much swagger. They ooze self-confidence and it all comes across on screen. ;"It's just an honor to have someone like Matt Dillon anchoring this film," he continues. "As an Academy Award® nominee, he brings a level of gravitas with him, as does our other Oscar® nominee, Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Everybody from Matt and Marianne to Jay Hernandez brought their A-game. And then we got great actors like Steve Harris and Glynn Turman in supporting roles to give us that extra oomph." Dillon plays Jack Welles, an old school, hard-as-nails, workaholic detective, unhappily divorced with a daughter he loves but can't connect with. Unable to reconcile his job and his personal life, Welles becomes obsessed with sniffing out the bank robbers. "Matt was the ideal Jack Welles," says Luessenhop. "He brings balance and weight to the role that counters the crew he's up against." Dillon, who was nominated for an Oscar® for playing a police officer in Crash, was intrigued by the filmmakers' ambitious goals. "John had great vision for this film from the beginning," he says. "It's a really big film. There are two storylines that eventually converge. On one side is this crew of guys who are doing these heists and on the other, the guys who are tracking them down. It's an outsized story and I liked that. On the other side of the thin blue line, Idris Elba as Gordon Betts and Paul Walker as John Rahway head up the heist crew. Elba is a British actor who first came to the attention of American audiences when he played Stringer Bell on the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Wire." "Idris is a movie star from frame one," says Casseus. "Women love him. Even when he got shot on the show and he was obviously dead, I heard smart women, saying, 'God, I hope he gets up from that.'" Elba is blessed with that ineffable quality they call "presence" in Hollywood, according to Luessenhop. "Your eye seems to go to him automatically. Idris brings definition to his role with everything he does, from the way he walks, and the way he carries his briefcase, to the way he sits at a table."Hayden Christensen completes the circle of friends as AJ, an Ivy League golden boy with a taste for classic jazz and blues. "Hayden Christensen brought in so many good ideas," says Luessenhop. "He was always very thoughtful about what he was working on and how he wanted to do things. And in fact, he was usually right. He's got great judgment and really brought the character to life. Right now, I can't imagine anyone but Hayden as AJ."Christensen is probably most famous for his role as Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars series, which garnered him some unwanted attention while shooting. "People in L.A. try to be very cool about seeing actors and watching films shot," says Walker. "But, you know, the kid in all of us can't help but get a little excited sometimes. 'Oh, Anakin's over there!' It happened a couple of times and we never let him live it down."http://www.blacktree.tv Blacktree is at all the hottest events on the planet (award shows, movie premieres and press junkets, fashion shows, etc.) and now BLACKTREE ON TV brings stars to YOU on Soul of the South! Watch Full episodes below, and tune in! WEEKDAYS | 5:30 – 6:00pm, 1-1:30am WEEKENDS | 5 – 6:00pm Sat & Sun (CST)