NEW YORK, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Elementary, Kung Fu Panda, Kill Bill and Charlie's Angels actress Lucy Liu says she thinks audiences will relate to the intergenerational dynamics at the heart of her new movie, Old Guy.
In theaters and available on video-on-demand platforms now, the action-dramedy follows aging hit man Danny (double Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz, 68) as he trains the reckless young Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman, 21, from Licorice Pizza and Saturday Night) to replace him during a trip that takes them from London to Belfast.
Along for the ride is Anata (Liu), a brothel madame and Danny's longtime friend.
"There was a lot of friction, which then turned into something that was deeper, that really shines through at the end," Liu, 56, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"I really love that they had their own relationship and that it wasn't always smooth," the actress said of Danny and Wihlborg.
"I think it's unexpected and I love that. Christoph's character Danny is a little bit of a grumpy, rejecting person, especially given that he's got to handle this kid and he doesn't really want to and he wants to prove himself," she added. "So, that dynamic, I think always creates something naturally funny without it being too forced."
Liu said she was immediately attracted to Greg Johnson's straight-forward script.
"I love that the movie was simple," she explained. "It was a story about three different characters coming together and each of them having their own journey and where they have expectations that are not met and the colliding of those into an emotional journey for all of them."
Con Air and Expendables 2 director Simon West helmed the film.
"It's about the characters and wanting to spend time with them," he said.
"They're really interesting. They're funny. They're unusual. I wanted to see the dynamic between the older generation and the younger generation. They're very exotic people," he added. "They've got all these strange accents, even though they're in London traveling to Northern Ireland. It's a very bizarre kind of road movie."
West sees a big difference between Anata and her traveling companions because she actually wants to change her life, settle down and leave the criminal world behind.
"The male characters in this -- one is stuck in the past and wants to still be young and still be good at what he does and the new kid doesn't want to have a life outside of his job and doesn't want to get along with people," West noted.
"Lucy's character, I think, was the one that actually wanted to change and wanted to be something different and have a different life," he added. "So, it was interesting to me to have that dynamic of the older generation and the young generation both not wanting to change and then Anata in the middle."
Waltz was an excellent creative partner for this adventure, according to Liu.
"He's a very complicated, thinking person and I think that makes it dynamic to be on set with him because he doesn't just take it for what it is," she added.
"This was an opportunity for him to be comedic without being overtly comedic and I love that. Here he is a hit man and his mom is telling him what to do, but it was done so subtly. It was just wonderful to be around him."
One of West's claims to fame include directing Rick Astley's 1987 "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video, which has enjoyed renewed popularity as a Gen Z Internet meme in recent years.
But the filmmaker insists he never considered including the song on the Old Guy soundtrack.
"You make one mistake many years ago and it keeps coming back," West laughed when asked about it. "It was never in contention. "It has been in other films, but this is too realistic to have a joke like that in it. I didn't want to distract people."
