In our many interviews withactors who have played villains over the years, a common through line is something to the effect of, “You know, sometimes it’s just more fun to play the bad guy.” It’s indeed a non-issue for some of your favorite performers if you end up rooting for their nemeses in certain movies. And sometimes, the villain even gets top billing over the hero. Just look at some of theBatmanflicks that have been released in decades past. Arnold Schwarzenegger was billed over George Clooney inBatman and Robin,and years earlier, Jack Nicholson was listed No. 1 over Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s 1989 film version of the Caped Crusader.
Speaking of Jack Nicholson, his sonRay Nicholsonhas also been getting his hands dirty as the on-screen villain in a pair of recent films, both of which hit theaters this week.NovocaineseesJack Quaid playing an everyman, but with a rare conditionthat prevents him from feeling pain — and unfortunately, the poor soul gets caught in the midst of a deadly bank heist orchestrated by a slimy crook, portrayed by Nicholson. The rising star can also be spotted in the new filmBorderline, where he plays Samara Weaving’s stalker. MovieWeb recently caught up with Nicholson in-person in Los Angeles while he was promotingNovocaine, where the performer took tie to share more about both standout characters.
“I don’t know that they were similar, you know… but one way that it was similar was that the characters really allowed me to be free,” Nicholson told us, in comparing his two latest roles. “They were both really, really fun characters to play — like, completely different, both completely twisted, you know? And that’s just my comfort zone, I guess.”
Related:Jack Quaid Explains Why ‘Novocaine’ Is an “Action Movie for Horror Fans”
Ray Nicholson Says the Action of ‘Novocaine’ “Comes at You in Waves”
Given that the central conflict ofNovocaineiscentered around a bank robberythat turns ever so complicated, Nicholson confirmed with us that, leading up to production, he had brushed up on several acclaimed films that feature similar dangerous crimes — such asThe Dark KnightandHell or High Water. Those are excellent films, and Nicholson isn’t shy about puttingNovocainenear their ranks. “I mean, I’m really proud of the movie as a whole, you know, how it turned out,” explained Nicholson. “When I read the script, I thought it was going to be great, but it turned out so much better than I expected.” He continued:
“And this movie just comes at you in waves, and it doesn’t stop coming, you know? And I think that that’s what’s most exciting. It’s like, you have an opinion about a character. It shifts, and the plot shifts. Everything about this movie is constantly moving. Like, it’s not just action, action, action.”
From Paramount Pictures,Novocainewill be released in theaters Friday, August 07, 2025.
