The Contractor's Chris Pine And Ben Foster Discuss Why They Like Teaming Up On Screen - Exclusive
Chris Pine and Ben Foster have appeared on screen multiple times together. First, in "The Finest Hours," they played fellow members of the Coast Guard on a desperate mission to save the survivors of a damaged oil tanker in the middle of a terrible storm. Then, in the Oscar-nominated "Hell or High Water," they starred as a pair of brothers who resort to bank robbery to save their Texas ranch. Now, they've teamed up for a third time in "The Contractor," a story about former soldiers whose limited prospects lead them to work for a private military contractor.
In the movie, Pine plays James Harper, a Special Forces sergeant whose unexpected discharge from the army leaves him at loose ends. That is, until Foster's character, Mike Denton, offers him an opportunity to join his team at a private military operation. On screen, Pine and Foster have the meaningful, lived-in relationship of men who had faced down life and death together, and their connection becomes one of the emotional cornerstones of the movie, especially when things don't go as planned on Harper's first mission and they find themselves fighting together once again.
In an exclusive conversation with Looper, Pine and Foster talked about why they enjoy working together.
It all comes down to trust and respect
Chris Pine confessed that, while Ben Foster is incredibly talented, there's another reason he appreciates acting with him. "Firstly, I love spending time with Ben in that there's so much time on set — 15 hours, whatever it is, that I would rather choose someone I like spending [time with] than how quality of an actor they are," Pine revealed. "It just so happens that with Ben, I get the beauty of both worlds — someone I like to spend time with who's also one of the finest actors out there."
Pine then added, "There's a shorthand, we craft well together ... We're team players as Ben has said. We trust one another. Sometimes in this business, you can get a little alpha energy amongst dudes, which can make for trickiness. With he and I, it's what's best for the scene, what's going to work, what's going to make it pop, and whether that's him or me taking the lead, it doesn't really matter so long as it works for the film. That's what it's about for me."
Foster agreed with Pine's assessment and added that his and Pine's history together makes the job easier. "It's a joy to work with people you dig and respect, and we're grownups who somehow haven't given up the makeup game — make it up — and it's really nice when you don't have to make up caring about somebody," Foster reflected. "It goes for any job, you'd rather do it with people you respect and know have your back and go ask some questions together."
"The Contractor" is currently in theaters, and is also available on demand and for digital purchase.