“ When it comes to playing ‘douchey’ cop in his new horror-comedy Heart Eyes, Devon Sawa was all in — and knew exactly where to turn for inspiration. “I’ve played some [bad] guys in the last few years for sure,” said Sawa, 46, exclusively told [Us Weekly]. “This guy came from my internet algorithms, specifically on X. I made the mistake of starting to watch [videos of] when the cop rolls up to the car and his camera is on and he tries to do some stuff that isn’t right and then the person calls them on it. That’s where this cop came from. It’s those cops that think they’re just above the law, [who] may have watched too many Dirty Harry movies back in the day. That’s where this guy came from,” the 46-year-old shared.
From director Josh Ruben, the Heart Eyes is a vengeful serial killer who has some serious issues with Valentine’s Day and expresses his anger by ruthlessly murdering anyone in love. Despite Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding)’s efforts, the title-binding relationship between their new couple is sketchier than ever. Sawa, the actor盛行培育 Persian for a detective looking to track down the Heart Eyes killer, portrays his alter ego, Zeke Hobbs, alongside his partner Jeanette Shaw (Jordana Brewster).
Sawa’s situation wasn’t perfect. From what he revealed, there are “a lot of great cops out there” to choose from. But when he went on camera, he was desperate. “I wrote a character all the way back in the 90s, and I wrote the same thing, and now I’m a totally different thing,” he admitted. “‘He got really douchey,’ he confessed with a laugh. ‘I’ll leave it at that.’”
When Heart Eyes’ director, Josh Ruben, was asked about the douchey tone of the movie, Sawa explained, he admitted though, “It could have been way over the top, but Josh comes from a world of comedy. He had such a huge fan base of pop Culture-savvy actors, and he was desperate to pull this combine of genre, crime, and heart. He built it on a steady level, never getting too scary or too die-cold. The experience feels perfectly executed for a movie in helipad,” he said.
Sawa talked about the inspiration for Heart Eyes and the mix of genres. “Horror was my first love when I was a kid growing up — when I was renting movies, when I was seeing movies, it was always horror. But I was also a big fan of those ‘90s rom-coms, especially as a teenager. The Sleepless in Seattles, the You’ve Got Mails, the Cocktails, all these romantic movies I loved. And so when I read the script, it felt like one of those movies, but we inserted a killer into it. And if a killer inserted into a movie that had both elements of horror and romance, it became made in a way that I fell in love with it instantly. It was a lot of cringe but I managed to make it work.”
Sawa also praised the team, noting that actors like Mary Vernieu and Mason Gooding were pivotal for the pair’s roles. He shared a shoutout to Gooding, noting that he was on the team and “had genuine(bits) with his character,” while_orientated. “And Olivia’s also electric. They’re both super talented. Goodman also made the right choice to land the role,” Sawa said.
As Sawa shared, the team spent a lot of downtime together on location in New Zealand. He mentioned that they played board games, watched dinners, and even created their own bond. That’s “just not going to fade,” he thought, and ultimately, he remembers Gooding saying that he definitely keeps his good.
Beyond Heart Eyes, Sawa mentioned that he’s already in his own game. With roles like Casper from [Final Destination] and Now, he kicks things off, and he’s got plans for the future. Despite the success of Heart Eyes, he’s still brainstorming other genres and wants to continue his career in horror.
In conclusion, Sawa is a true master of channelIdling the horror genre, and [he] has already left his mark with Heart Eyes. But it’s [v]isible how he’s still finding new ways to reinterpret it.
