Dangerous Animals is set to introduce horror fans to their new favourite villain in the form of Tucker, an effortlessly charismatic tour guide with a dark secret. Played by Jai Courtney, Tucker takes tourists visiting Australia out to the open ocean to swim with sharks, soon after imprisoning them and later feeding them to the same marine creatures they witness in a cage hours prior. But he gets more than he bargains for when he encounters Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), a surfer who puts up one hell of a fight to escape his clutches.
Tucker is terrifying yet entertaining every time he graces a scene, and that was certainly the intention of the Terminator Genisys star when he took on the role. Ahead of Dangerous Animals' release on June 6, FILMHOUNDS sat down with Courtney to discuss the inspiration behind his deadly character, a bizarre dance scene, and his experience with sharks.
You star in Dangerous Animals as Tucker. What attracted you to the role?
The unique challenge of playing someone capable of such kind of atrocious things, but to make him not feel like he's washed over this idea of evil. I wanted it to be an entertaining experience to be on his boat, and I wanted it to feel like you could be equally terrified of Tucker, but also somehow have a good time whenever he's around. That might not be the experience of his victims, but for the audience. These guys set the table, and I had to figure out a way to feast on the material that was provided.
Tucker is one of the most terrifying yet charismatic villains we've seen in horror. What inspired your performance?
I think it was more like archetypal inspiration. For me, he always felt like that cab driver who doesn't shut up on the way home, or the guy at the pub who has got all the opinions around politics, global economic structures, and things like that. The uncle at a wedding. I started to feel like I knew this dude. He loves the sound of his own voice, and he's quite a theatrical personality within the film. The deck of his boat is very much Tucker's stage, and I wanted to find a way to seek truth within that. After a while, he starts to feel familiar to you. You pull in some great things like costume design to find his look, and all of a sudden, you start to see the man.
There's a particularly bizarre scene with your character where he is dancing in the boat. How did that routine come about?
I was certainly daunted by approaching that scene because it was a big step out of my comfort zone. It wasn't choreographed at all; it's just an improvised dance, and we only ran the song twice. We did two takes. It's me and the DOP on two separate camera angles, just seeing what happened. I had to take the plunge and get into a space of pure, uninhibited celebration. I had no idea how that was going to go, but what you see is what happened that night.
Your character runs a business that takes people to swim with sharks after his own experience of a shark attack. Have you ever been swimming with sharks or have any background with the creatures?
I haven't gone swimming with sharks, but I'm planning to go very soon, actually. Just because I've been given the opportunity to, and I feel like, why not? I saw one once. I was in the ocean with a friend of mine 20 years ago or something, and we saw a shark come through a wave. We were pretty far out, and it was terrifying. We were on that beach before you could say “Shark.” I no desire to get closer than that. If I go diving with them, I'll certainly be behind the protection of a cage.
Dangerous Animals is released in cinemas on June 6
