Answers with Matthew Del Negro

Answer 1

We can't wait for "Hot Pursuit" to hit theaters May 8th! It looks laugh out loud funny--or at least I did when I watched the trailer! How did you snag the role of Hauser in the movie?

Casting Director Cathy Sandrich brought me for the role of US Marshall Jackson, but when she called me back for Anne (director), Bruna and Dana (producers), I was working on a TV show and couldn't go in. By the time they were back in town again, they had decided to go ethnic with the role (thank God, cause Richard T. Jones was amazing as Jackson), but because I had helped Cathy a few months prior with a table read for another project, she felt like she owed me and begged them to see "one more white guy". I went in and it went well, but they told me to take a look at the roles of Dixon and Hauser. All the other guys in the waiting room for Dixon and Hauser were real Good ol' Boys and I thought, "This one's definitely not happening. Oh well." Luckily, I was wrong.

Answer 2

Hauser is a crooked cop who pursues the uptight by-the-book cop (Reese Witherspoon) and sexy widow of a drug boss (Sofia Vergara) as they race through Texas. What else can you tell us about Hauser and his role in the film?

He and Dixon (his partner, Michael Mosley) are probably the worst cops in the history of cinema... they couldn't hit the side of a barn at close range.

Answer 3

Although Reese and Sofia's characters in the movie are polar opposites, they seem to have that perfect kind of odd couple dynamic that makes for some pretty hilarious comedy. How fun were they to work with in "Hot Pursuit"?

They were hysterical! And total pros. They make comedy look easy, which is far from the truth. But what I really love about their performances is that they bring heart and depth too. There are plenty of moments in the film where you see beneath their exteriors and get some real moments. When people ask me about the film I say it's a Female Midnight Run, which has that same combination of fun, adventure and humanity.

Answer 4

I read that another actor actually punched you in the face during filming. Is that true?

That is absolutely true. And Rob Kazinsky (Randy, the puncher) happens to be a big dude who knows how to fight, so... I was proud, but kind of disappointed when they took X-Rays and I learned it wasn't broken. Would've been cooler to tell my kids "Daddy broke his nose doing his own stunt". Rob and I still joke about it to this day... he felt terrible.

Answer 5

What was your favorite scene to film?

The whole sequence at the roadside bar was great... Reese and Sofia in the back of the cruiser were hilarious. And then Mosley and I got to be complete jackasses who couldn't catch them when they decide to run. We had a lot of laughs.

Answer 6

You're also on "Scandal"--one of the most addicting shows on TV right now--and you play a male prostitute. So we want to know, what was your reaction when you read the character description for Michael for the first time and found out he was a male prostitute?

Ha! That actually came in as an offer so it went something like this: My agents/managers on the phone: You have an offer for Scandal. Me: Great! What's the role? Them: They're very secretive so they're sending you the sides directly. Me: How bad could it be? Cut to: Me driving, our kids in the back, my wife reading the scene on my phone as it was emailed to me... "Hotel Bar... Night... Cyrus... Michael... Cyrus... Michael..." Me: Oh shit. My wife: What? (looks at phone) Oh!!! "Smash Cut to Hotel Room..." And the rest is history. My 100-year-old Italian grandmother has NOT been told I'm playing a prostitute. Some things are better left unsaid.

Answer 7

The wedding actually went down! Your character Michael gets in the middle of a scandal and is forced to marry Cyrus in order to save his political career. When you read the script were you shocked to discover they actually went through with it? Did you think that there was a possibility of them calling it off?

On that show, I am constantly shocked by the twists and turns they give us. You really never know where your storyline is going. I'm really grateful that they've taken a character started as this uber-confident player capable of seducing the White House Chief of Staff and turned him into a full, flesh and blood character who turns out to be a sad and lonely, broken man from a terrible background. That wedding episode was a gift as an actor. It's been really cool to have complete strangers come up to me and tell me that we told their story. To be involved with storytelling that's actually hitting people at their core is lucky and somewhat rare.

Answer 8

Throughout your career you've juggled recurring and guest roles on several television shows, including: "The Sopranos," "The West Wing," "Law & Order," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "NCIS," "Teen Wolf," "United States of Tara" -- the list goes on. Do you prefer a variety of characters or a single character for multiple seasons?

I'd love to tell you there's a method to the madness, but my career has taken on a life of its own. At times I've just needed a gig, other times I've been able to choose a little. In terms of the variety of roles, I'm very grateful. Particularly to be a part of some shows that will continue to be heralded as groundbreaking in the history of television long after I'm gone. But, if anyone's out there looking for their next Don Draper or Coach Taylor, I'm your man!

Answer 9

What's Hauser's motive for going after the girls in the movie?

Money and power. And self-preservation.

Answer 10

Was the movie actually filmed in Texas?

No, we shot in and around New Orleans. Not the worst place in the world to spend a few months.