The Covenant: How Guy Ritchie's Custom BBQ Was Integral To The Filming Process
Guy Ritchie made a name for himself with British gangster films, but he's explored plenty of other genres throughout his illustrious career, including his most recent work — the action-thriller "The Covenant." Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Sergeant John Kinley, a member of the United States Army who joins forces with an interpreter and goes to great lengths to ensure his new friend is safe from the Taliban. It's harrowing stuff that's sure to blow people away once it's released, but it sounds like Ritchie went the extra mile to ensure people had a good time when they weren't filming.
Gyllenhaal appeared on "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" to discuss his career at large, including his work on "The Covenant." While there, he took time to talk about Guy Ritchie's custom BBQ people would get down on between takes. He related, "It's called like the Cashmere Caveman, I think it's called or something. It's amazing barbecue, and it sits sort of like near set. It gets like brought out, and he f***ing barbecues." Those moments when the cameras weren't rolling also served as the perfect platform to analyze scenes and bond as a cast.
They'd talk about The Covenant scenes while eating barbecue
Guy Ritchie's passion for barbecue extends far beyond cooking for his actors between scenes. His luxury BBQ set-up actually featured in one of his movies — "The Gentlemen." There's a scene in that film where Ray (Charlie Hunnam) has Fletcher (Hugh Grant) over to his garden, and Fletcher comments on the intricate barbecue operation. He even mentions how it "heats up your knees and cooks at the same time!"
Ritchie could be forgiven for a little self-promotion, as he's treated his crew to some delicious barbecue, which actually works well for analyzing the movie they're working on. Jake Gyllenhaal went on to explain how they would talk about the movie while enjoying the food, stating, "So you eat and like talk about the scene and then you go and shoot the scene ... Like, could it get any better?"
The hosts of the podcast joke about how most people would eat barbecue in between volleyball sessions, but "The Covenant" team did it while making a war movie. It's certainly one way to motivate the cast and crew, and audiences can see the results for themselves when the film comes out in theaters on April 21.