Motor City stars Alan Ritchson and Shailene Woodley spoke with ComingSoon’s Tyler Treese about their unique new revenge action movie and how it was conveying a love story without dialogue. Also starring Ben Foster, the movie is out today in theaters.
“In 1970s Detroit, a working-class romantic is framed by a ruthless gangster after falling for his girlfriend. After years in prison, he returns with only one mission: revenge. With operatic scale, Motor City unleashes a barrage of brutal action, magnetic performances, and striking imagery, fueled by a thunderous rock score, precision-crafted action, and immersive sound design to create a visceral, propulsive spectacle built to electrify audiences this summer,” says the official synopsis.
Tyler Treese: Congrats to you both on Motor City. I love a film that takes big swings, and this one definitely does. Alan, early in this film, you have these beautiful, flowing locks in a flashback. Then you have some longer, uncontrolled hair in prison. How was filming with the long hair? Did it make you want to change up your look at all?
Alan Ritchson: When I approach these roles, I really want to honor who these characters are and what they’re going through. A lot of that comes through hair, costumes, and that kind of thing. There was a real opportunity here to transition through time.
We embraced it and had an amazing team helping. I enjoyed sitting through a few hours of wig fittings and that kind of thing to be able to bring it to life. It was a blast.
Shailene, this film is mostly free of dialogue. Early on, we see this domestic bliss between you and Alan. We don’t hear dialogue, but we can tell they’re in love. You’re playing on the couch and just doing small things. We often focus on the big things that actors do, so how was making those small, grounded moments feel so real? That really sets the stakes for everything to come.
Shailene Woodley: Thank you for noticing that. It felt like an important stage to set so you understood the passion and the lengths that Alan’s character would go through in order to avenge this love that was taken and lost.
Because it was an independent film, there were a lot of small moments that we didn’t get the chance to film. With the ones we had time to do, I don’t remember, Alan, if that scene on the couch was scripted or if it was something where we all said, “We have the time. Let’s shoot it.”
There were a few moments that we picked up like that because it felt important to capture the simplicity of domesticity and how the love she shared with Alan’s character was grounded, safe, seen, and shared. What she shared with Ben Foster’s character was much more about intoxication and toxicity. It wasn’t necessarily a healthy dynamic, but it was fueled by passion and a primal rawness.
Separating those two was what those small moments were hopefully meant to do. I’m glad they came across to you that way.
Alan, you obviously have no issue letting your physicality do the talking, but I was really impressed by how much emotion you were able to convey in this film without dialogue. What was the challenge of letting that speak for itself in the dramatic scenes rather than the action? There are only about five lines of dialogue here.
Alan Ritchson: On the one hand, dialogue gives you an anchor to hold onto in a scene and centers you. But as soon as you’re free of that and have no option but to sit with your emotions, it was honestly rather freeing to me.
I was worried about whether the performance would read or come across as stoic or boring. I’m glad it resonated with you because that is the fear when you don’t have dialogue to rely on. But I rather enjoyed it.
I didn’t find him stoic at all. That’s what really impressed me about the film.
Shailene, you mentioned working with Ben Foster. I think he’s one of the most underrated working actors right now. Some of your scenes are fun, like when you’re at the nightclub partying with him, and many are not fun. What stood out about Ben as a scene partner?
Shailene Woodley: Alan said something earlier, and as he started talking about Ben, he swayed his shoulders. He was like, “Ben has a process that’s very… [begins swaying]” I think that’s actually the best way to describe it. You nailed it, Alan.
Ben enters a set as the character. It’s not that he’s method. He just embodies him. His physicality owns the space, at least as Reynolds, this character. He would roll in with his mustache and his speaker blasting Donna Summer. His chest hair would be exploding out of his open button-up shirt. Just looking at him, I was like, “I understand 1975. I get it. I am there.”
I agree with you. I think he is one of the most underrated actors of our generation. What’s so profound about him is that there’s no pretense. I would say this about myself, and I’ve met other producers, writers, filmmakers, and actors who have worked with him. I think the message has been the same across the board, which is that I’m a better actor for having worked with Ben Foster.
There is something he does that must take such a toll on him that I’m not sure I know how to do. He really elevates everyone around him because he’s so committed to every finite detail of who his character is.
Thanks to Alan Ritchson and Shailene Woodley for taking the time to speak about Motor City.
