The One Thing That Took Dennis Haysbert By Surprise While Filming No Exit - Exclusive
Dennis Haysbert has a long and illustrious career. His early work in film and television dates back to the 1970s with consistent roles in such notable projects as "A Summer to Remember," "Major League," and "Heat," to name a few. Of course, Haysbert hasn't been slacking in the 21st century, either. In addition to becoming known to audiences the world over as President David Palmer on "24," he also became the face of Allstate, appearing in commercials for the insurance brand from 2003 to 2021.
Suffice to say, the actor has been around the block a few times, and it must take quite a lot to take a professional like him by surprise. But there's always something new to learn and take in, as Haysbert learned all too well while filming Hulu's "No Exit." In an exclusive interview with Looper, Haysbert spoke at length about what took him by surprise initially after the cameras started rolling on the set of the movie.
'No Exit' was filmed in sequential order
When talking about his character's motivations in "No Exit," Dennis Haysbert mentioned how they did something rather unusual while filming the movie. As he stated, "Everything that took place in the visitor center was shot in sequence, which is a rare, rare gift to have, especially in a movie like this, and which means that it read like a play. You could keep flowing and rising to that ultimate crescendo. It was a lot of fun to do that." With most movies, he explained, the story is filmed out of sequence depending on the needs of the shoot. The first shot may be the very last scene and then you jump around to the beginning, middle, and finale until the directors have everything.
So, while shooting the bulk of the movie in sequence is rare, Haysbert was up for the new experience. In fact, he saw it as a unique opportunity to get into the character's mindset like he had never been able to before, as he shared, "[It] doesn't occupy the mind so much trying to figure out what you did in scene one, as opposed to shooting scene 18 before you shot scene one. You didn't have to worry about that. You knew that when you left work that day, [you would be] coming back the next day and picking up where you left off, which is incredibly fun and a gift." It just goes to show that even decades after breaking into the industry, there's always something new to learn and try.
"No Exit" is now available on Hulu.