Gerard Butler starts off 2018 playing no-nonsense Los Angeles sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien, a man up in arms against a bunch of robbers looking to pull off a daredevil bank heist, in the high-octane action thriller Den of Thieves. The film hits theatres today. A chat. 

What did you like about the script of Den of Thieves?

What I really liked about it is that I had never seen anything like it before. It takes you into the world which is gritty, real but has so much heart as well. 

On one hand, it is a very complex heist which is fascinating to get involved with, but you also follow these characters, their families and the hardships that they go through and also how human they really are. End of the day, they are still trying to have families and trying to live a regular life, in some way. And that part of the story is so efficiently told that it has a surprising amount of heart and emotion. And then the whole emotion that the world that you are going through is not necessarily the world you are in. There are twists and turns in a way that I have never seen a script like that have, with so many surprises.

Tell us about your character “Big Nick” O’Brien and the Regulators.

Big Nick is a very, very powerful, driven alpha male in the world of alpha males, that is, the Regulators. He has handpicked each one of them on the basis of their wildness, their brutality and smartness. He lives in this world where you have to be willing to go to any length to get ahead and that is the danger you inherit, that’s the amount of hours you work, it’s that complete obsessiveness for the job at hand. 

In this process, the smallest of things rub off on you and he’s not living the best of his life. He’s drinking too much and participating in activities that are a kind of a disaster for his marriage. The more he devotes to the job, the less time he has for his wife (Debbie, played by Dawn Olivieri) and he’s really failing miserably as a husband and as a father. At first, you’ll think that this guy is a punk but as the story goes on, you realise how the pressures play on him.

Who are the Outlaws?

The Outlaws are the ex-military. A lot of them grew up together, served together, so you know that they have this incredibly tight bond. You know that they are this incredible piece of working machinery. They are fearless and they have a code of conduct, so they won’t touch civilians but they’ll shoot uniforms, so you are in more danger if you are a cop taking them on. They don’t like Big Nick taking over because no criminal wants a regulator on top of them.

How was it working with a first-time director like Christian Gudegast?

Christian is like a master, it’s like he’s been doing this his whole life. He has no ego and is so great to work with. He has such an understanding of films, film history and film-making. And the way he puts scenes and shots together and the pacing of it is something that really surprised me and made me happy. Also, his manner on set — allowing you to experiment, have fun and to go for it, being incredibly encouraging and being sensitive to your needs… that’s something you don’t often get with a first-time director. 

Another thing about Christian is that he’s a strong, masculine guy. He’s all about his martial arts, he’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met but at the same time he’s incredibly soulful and one of the most sensitive individuals I have ever met.

Tell us about Pablo Schreiber who plays Ray Merriman...

If I had two words to describe Pablo’s character, they would be that he’s intelligent and ferocious. A lot of his ferocity is hidden inside him and I love his quietness from outside and that’s who Pablo is. He brings in a huge amount of dedication, you have to see how hard he works. 

It’s hard to look big when you are 6’4”. I am 6’2”and it’s hard enough for me to look big, but I know it’s even harder for him. He’s like a monster in the training that he’s put in. He’s worked so hard and he looks so professional that he’s just like this all-rounded badass. He’s a very talented actor and brings in a 100 per cent, which is what we needed for this role.

What was it like working with Curtis “50 cent” Jackson as Enson?

50 Cent is a very bubbly kind of a person. He’s such a funny and a sweet guy and is always smiling. With his character Enson, he takes the gravitas that he has and lets it shine and when he speaks, it’s crazy. During the read-through, he barely raised his voice but when he was talking, you don’t listen to anyone else in the room. When he said something, he meant something and that’s who he is. He’s a powerful and quiet person so when he says he’ll back you up, he means it.

And what do you have to say about O’Shea Jackson as Donnie?

O’Shea for me is the find of this movie. I gotta tell you, that kid is amazing. His mind is just extraordinary.