Bill Paxton says '2 Guns' character was hard to shake off

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Bill Paxton says the dangerous CIA asset he plays in the new action flick "2 Guns" was difficult to leave behind once the cameras stopped rolling for the day.

Directed by Baltasar Kormakur, with a screenplay by Blake Masters -- based on Steven Grant's Boom! Studios graphic novels -- "2 Guns" casts the "Titanic" and "Twister" actor as a shadowy independent contractor called in to quash the efforts of a Drug Enforcement Agency operative, played by Denzel Washington, and a Navy intelligence officer, played by Mark Wahlberg, who are trying to topple a Mexican drug cartel led by a kingpin played by Edward James Olmos.

Asked if his character was difficult to leave behind at the end of the day, Paxton told United Press International in New York this week, "It really was."

"You start doing that Louisiana accent and it sounds like you've got honey coming out of your mouth," he said. "I just loved the speeches, and the crew and Balt were entertained by it. This is the part Balt would have liked to play. He's an actor and a great actor and I could tell he was living a little vicariously through me. It's a tough thing to kick because I'm from Texas originally and I have a drawl, but I had a lot more fun with the accent. I was kind of aping some of Tennessee Williams' later interviews. I would watch them on YouTube."

So, what were his relationships like on set with his co-stars, some of whom he tortures on-screen?

"Between shots, we were just talking shop and having fun. This is the kind of movie where the audience is going to have fun watching it. People get hurt and die in the film. Of course, that's not very amusing. But it's kind of in the spirit of a great 1970s film," Paxton said.

"Weirdly enough, the big scene I do opposite Denzel was shot my first day, which was a little nerve-wracking, to say the least. But I got lucky. Mostly, Balt just covered all the wide shots and saved the closeups and the real performance stuff for the second day, which saved my bacon."

Co-starring Paula Patton and James Marsden, "2 Guns" is in theaters now.