Movies Features

Nick Bateman talks Hobo with a Shotgun

By Anne Brodie Mar 30, 2011, 17:31 GMT

A homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun. ...more

Nick Bateman was born under a lucky star 24 years ago.  The handsome Canadian, who holds four world titles in martial arts, was discovered by Calvin Klein, was launched on an international runway modeling career and is the current face of Abercrombie and Fitch. 

And he’s starring in his first film, the hyper-violent actioner everyone’s talking about called Hobo with a Shotgun, a feature film based on a fake trailer that appears in Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse. 

Bateman got to work with Rutger Hauer who plays the hobo, a vigilante blasting his way through the muck “one shot at a time”.   Is Bateman just lucky?  Not according to the ambitious young triple threat. 

Monsters and Critics spoke with Bateman in Toronto:

M&C: Why is Hobo getting such buzz?

Bateman: A lot of people are making movies for money and I feel that this film was made for the fans, with passion and all the goods stuff you want is there. The directors got to do what they wanted, what they envisioned.  Jason Eisener took this vision, a basic idea and made a cool story. 

It’s not trying to be something else; it’s about a hobo with a shotgun. The writers are amazing that they could come out with a full movie from the trailer. Just think about what else they could do. And what production company would take just the idea?  But it takes people who will take a chance to make something like this happen.

I was given the chance to work on this because as soon as I saw it I was like wow! That’s nuts! I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s pure. The ideas haven’t been done before; it’s not ripping off anything. Yes it’s a grindhouse genre but they’ve taken it and made it their own. 

It does pay homage to old 70’s movies like Riki-Oh or Vice Squad - but Jason’s made it his own.  You haven’t seen these movies for twenty thirty years. So to have a taste of this come back, it’s great.  When you watch this film you get nostalgic, you feel like you’re watching an old movie. 

You say yes, it’s relevant. Other movies you know it’s been done before or a new idea ripping off another.  The hype is there because it was made for the fans. It’s original and there’s a lot of heart in it.

M&C: What was it like on the set in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia?

Bateman: When people meet this group in Halifax, they’re diamonds in the rough.  I was wowed by them. They have really extreme ideas. Their ideas are so original and I can’t repeat them here, but they take things from everyday life and crazy incidents and put them in movies. 

I’d ask them where they got this idea for the movie and they said “Well, this actually happened to so-and-so.”  What!!! Are you serious? They’d say, “Yeah, that’s Dartmouth”.  They love their city and they’re proud to be from there. It’s great. When I was down there everyone was so tight and good to work with.  They’re so pro the province and city and they have these crazy stories that they actually put in their movies.

M&C: You got to work with Rutger Hauer!

Bateman: Rutger Hauer! This is my first feature film and I got a big break and I feel lucky that I got to do this because you think about it; a lot of people have to work so hard to do films like this. They have to do films they don’t want to do. But when someone told me I was going to be in Hobo, I was like “Are you serious?”

This is my first film! I am so lucky!   I got to act like a total nutjob.  My character Ivan’s very violent.  There’s a scene where I’m putting people down with skates. I won’t give away too much but it is…

M&C: But you’re a nice boy in real life, right?

Bateman: I wouldn’t hurt a soul!  I do teach martial arts, and I do tell my students to avoid fighting because there is really no point. But to have this background and be able to unleash it in film is what’s really going to be fun for me.

M&C: Did modeling help you acting in terms of confidence?

Bateman: After acting I notice that modeling and acting are two completely different things. Karate is what helped me more than anything,  when you go on a modeling set, it’s all about knowing your angles and knowing what you look good doing and giving the client what they want, if it’s a sexy look or .. It sounds funny I know, or a funny look or a cowboy look; you give them what they want. 

It doesn’t take any talent; you learn to know your angles and know what works. Whereas acting, it takes talent. I’m not trying to offend any models; I’m just telling it like it is. I have been modeling for seven years but when I went into acting, I enjoy it more.  I get to take a character and get into it, the method acting.  It really interests me to be able to get on the set and become that person.  And then you can just go crazy.

M&C: So you’re a method actor, does it make you crazy?

Bateman: I wouldn’t take it that far.  I was lucky enough to have Greg Smith to work with; he gave me some really great tips. And I was lucky enough that he gave me a bit of crash course on acting and what would  work, what to do and what not to do and it was really funny sometimes.  I didn’t know the lingo and I’d be sitting on the set and they’d say “So we’re going to do this … on the day”.  

And I’d say “Well isn’t today the day?”  And he was like “Nick, on the day means when they say “action” you do it”. “Oh, sorry!”   So an hour later, we’re in the car. They came and say “We’re going to do some wild lines” and I say “Yup!”  And I lean over to Greg and go “Dude, what are wild lines?” 

I forgot my mic was on, and everyone was laughing at me.  Greg says “Wild lines are when you do your audio and that’s all”. I’m going “I have to learn this lingo”.

M&C: It’s all fodder for the book!

Bateman: Exactly. I’ll never forget the first time I did all these lines and now I really won’t forget them.

M&C: Are you pursuing an acting career for real?

Bateman: Yes I am. I used to own a karate school in Burlington and that was my passion. It still is and I very much miss my students. And I taught ages 4 – adults.  I really like changing lives and giving people confidence in my karate classes and learning the morals from karate which helped me become who I am. I did shut it down because I realized this was a great opportunity. 

But I realized also that I can do that when I’m forty, but I can’t start an acting career when I’m forty.  But I can open a karate school when I’m fifty and start again I am dedicating myself to acting, I will do everything I can because I am a perfectionist.

I’ve done karate became a world champion, I have four world titles, I became the best at that.  I started modeling and tried to become a top model and I have become fairly successful, I’m the face of Abercrombie and Fitch.

M&C: You’ve done a lot for someone so young.

Bateman: I’m 24.  My next goal was to make my school a success and I made sure my students have world titles and they do have world titles. And now my goal is to be a top actor. My focus is shifting to this, I’m going to put 100% into this and do my acting classes and put in my work. 

Yes, I was given a lucky break but I’m going to make sure I don’t take it for granted and go into other movies inexperienced. I got really lucky here, we had to be loud and extreme in Hobo and my martial arts allowed me to do that.  I feel I was able to decently pull this off but if I get a role where I have to dig really deep, and do all different emotions, I’m going to work on it and I have begun to.

I will be working on another project with Jason again I am very lucky to work with these awesome people.  I’ll be moving to Toronto and getting an acting coach and busting my butt. I have awesome people working with me.

M&C: And you’ll stay fit?

Bateman: My goal in these movies is I want to be branded as martial artist and actor, and do my own stunts. Just like Jackie Chan does his own stunts, I want to do my own. I want to do all my fight scenes. I want to be an actor that does his own stunts and make that work.  So I’ll be upping my stunts, parkour, whatever, anything I can. So when I’m on set and they ask if I can do this, I can say “Yes” so that way I can give them whatever they want, acting, stunts, weaponry, I can be this whole package. You book me you know you’re going to get something explosive.

M&C: I’d like to see you do something internal, what you’ve described is a given but you should go the distance.

Bateman: I agree. I will take my acting to another level. These movies are great and will be good for the fans but they’re not going to go to the Oscars.  Eventually any actor aspiring to be an actor will want to do a role that can be taken seriously, as pure acting.  

Obviously IM interested din that but I’m taking it one step at a time. I try to have a plan. I want to be a martial artists and show that I’m an actor too so when they book me it’s not like they’re booking me for this or that but his acting’s poor. No. I want to be cutting both, people see me enough, and they’ll want me for a film just for acting.

I have had a lot of breaks and a lot of help. But I never take it for granted. When I get a break I try always to do the hard work behind it. Sometimes I don’t get the big breaks and I have to work my butt off but I know that it feels better to work hard for something than to have it given to you. I got very lucky to do Hobo and got it through how hard I worked on martial arts. If I wasn’t doing what I did, I wouldn’t have been noticed. 

They wouldn’t have seen my video on YouTube doing my Bo-staff.  It’s one of the most viewed Bo staff videos in the world.  It just got 300,000 views on YouTube and not even advertised.  I shot it with a digital camera at my karate school. 

It’s just for show there is no combat with it to show “Hey look what I can do with this six foot wooden stick!” It’s not used in combat but it shows my talent. I do have a traditional background and can do combat, but in this day and age no one going to be walking around with a Bo staff – it’s a hobby.

Its fun, I love it, it’s a passion. If something’s bothering me, I can just get it and do my strikes, fins, tricks, and make up new stuff. It’s my creative edge.  

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