CM Punk says it was “actually quite easy” to play the role of a villain cop in movie
WWE world champion CM Punk did an interview with Josh Wilding about his role as a vampire cop in the movie Night Patrol. Here is the exchange…
Wilding: “It’s a great action movie with a very cool take on vampires on the one hand, but then on the other, it’s got a lot to say about police corruption and racism. So, as an actor, how exciting is it for you to play a villain like this, but also tackle some pretty heavy themes at the same time?”
Punk: “It’s really exciting. You know, I’m a big horror movie fan, and a lot of that is because of the subject matter. But horror movies, to me, have also been the genre that filmmakers use to speak on social issues. Way back when George Romero made Night of the Living Dead, that was social commentary. This movie is no different. And it’s fun to be able to do an action-horror movie because you like them, but it’s more meaningful when you’re actually saying something with the movie. So yeah, getting to play a bad guy in this kind of movie was tremendous. It meant a lot to me. I took it very seriously, you know, because there are a lot of underlying issues in this, and I think we did a masterful job of asking the question: who’s the real monster? Who’s the real gang?”
Wilding: “Yeah. Yeah, absolutely agree. After watching the film—and I’ve always admired how you’ve used your platform to speak out against racism and support a lot of great causes—so to be an actor in a project like this, what’s the biggest challenge in terms of getting into the mindset of a character who stands against everything you do as a person?”
Punk: “You know, I wish I could say it was hard, but it’s not. It’s actually quite easy. I think everybody has had a less-than-desirable experience with a cop, whether it’s being pulled over or, you know, harassed on the street. I don’t know, but I know I’ve had multiple instances where it’s just like, man, I thought you were supposed to protect and serve. Why are you like this? And it was fun to be able to act that out. You get to be a little bit naughty, but it’s all for the art, so to speak. So yeah, it was easy to be able to be that rotten, nefarious, diabolical bad guy.”