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In the upcoming movie Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Detective Nicholas “Big Nick” O'Brien (Gerard Butler) and Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) continue their feud from Den of Thieves. It could set them up for a third matchup, a rubber match, as they say in wrestling.
Jackson, a known WWE fan, doesn't think of O'Brien and Wilson as rivals per se. Instead, he likens them to the WWE's Mega Powers. The tag team paired two of the company's biggest stars, Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
“People know me — I hate Hulk Hogan — but what's happening in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is the Mega Powers; [it's] like Hulk Hogan and Macho Man teaming up,” he tells ClutchPoints. “In the beginning, yes, it might have been, Who's the babyface, [and] who's the heel? But right now, Big Nick [and I], we're going for the Tag Team Championship of the world.”
Despite not seeming like a wrestling fan, Butler slyly quipped, “You did ask” after Jackson's two-minute Royal Rumble prediction — he appeared to enjoy the comparison, laughing when Jackson said they're aiming for tag team gold.
He tiptoed around answering since he didn't want to spoil Den of Thieves 2. However, he did land on Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry as reference points for their relationship.
“It is a bit all over the place, and you never know which way it's going to go,” said Butler. “It's always pulling the rug out from underneath you. But the one thing that comes through that is a sort of brotherhood. It's kind of like Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry. There's a lot of love and competition.”
It's unclear how long this tag team may last. As Jackson pointed out, “The New Day broke up, bro. Who knows where we might go?”
How Gerard Butler, O'Shea Jackson Jr. acted drunk for Den of Thieves 2
One of the best scenes in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is when Butler and Jackson's characters drunkenly leave a party together. Acting drunk is one of the hardest things to do, because it's so easy to go overboard with it. For Jackson, it may have been easier than expected, thanks to his college background.
“I went to USC, bro, all right? I know what it's like to party,” Jackson said, chuckling. “I've been to Coachella; I know what's going down. So, it was a lot of remembering the times in my life before I was famous, and people would just destroy me for catching me out like that.”
Pro tip for anyone who needs to act drunk: quick breaths. Jackson did a “lot of quick breathing” to get himself a little lightheaded, which, of course, made Butler laugh.
“It's all in the eyes. A lot of jaw movement and unnecessary smacking of the lips,” he explained while cracking himself up.
The key for Gerard Butler was staying “loose” before and after the scenes. He had to live what his character was going through, acting drunk and high on set.
“That night, I acted pretty drunk and out of it the whole time,” he recalled. “And then for the scene afterward — I think it might have been the next night — I actually walked around like I was high as a kite for the whole evening so that I wasn't having to jump in and out of that.”
He doesn't necessarily have any tips for actors like O'Shea Jackson Jr., as he acknowledges that it might not be the “right way” to do it, “but it works for me.”
He later said, “The drugs helped,” before clarifying, “That's a joke.”
Was returning for a sequel a no-brainer?
It has been a few years since the first Den of Thieves movie came out. Absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder — Butler said it wasn't a no-brainer to come back for the sequel.
That may be due to the script and how long it took to perfect. Butler explained it “took a lot of work to get it right” since they didn't want to phone it in. In hindsight, having seen the finished product, it might have been an easier choice for Butler.
“[It was] a no-brainer in so much as we see now that it had to be told, you had to follow this, you had to follow these guys into the next one and hopefully into one after this,” he said.
Jackson doesn't have the same level of involvement as Butler and director Christian Gudegast, but he was “ready” upon getting the call for the sequel. Plus, the novelty of it being his first sequel helped.
“It was a no-brainer for me because it was my first sequel ever — it allowed me to go back into a character that has done a lot for me in my life,” Jackson explained. “But also, to be able to have the flip in which Big Nick [and I] are teaming up, it allowed me to work with Gerard again and pick his brain.”
Praise for Christian Gudegast
Aside from Gerard Butler's presence, O'Shea Jackson Jr. also gets on well with Gudegast. He doesn't feel that Gudegast is ever “BS'ing” him and that he is in his corner. It also sounds like Gudegast allowed Jackson some input on his character.
Jackson could become a fixture of Gudegast joints: “Whether it be dinner or whatever he needs, I'm always gonna pick up for Gudegast.”
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera will be released on January 10.
