Dylan Baker Is Absolutely Brilliant as a Hit Man in LaRoy, Texas

Summary

• Baker delivers a career-best performance, setting the tone with a thrilling opening scene in the black comedy LaRoy, Texas.
• Magaro’s friendship with Baker led to a perfect casting choice, with the film gaining Coen brothers comparisons for its brilliance.
• Working with Shane as director was a seamless process, with the trio of veteran actors bringing the character dynamics to life.

Dylan Baker delivers one of the best performances of his illustrious 40-year career as Harry, a seemingly unassuming but terrifying hit man in the brilliant black comedy, LaRoy, Texas. John Magaro stars as Ray, a pushover hardware store owner who’s accidentally mistaken for Harry. He decides to take Harry’s contract after being told by Skip (Steve Zahn), a goofy private investigator, that his wife (Megan Stevenson) has been having an affair. Harry’s not happy someone’s stolen his job and decides to find the impersonator.

Baker was recruited for the film by Magaro. They’d “been friends for a long time” after doing “a play on Broadway together.” Baker sets the tone in a thrilling opening scene where Harry’s revealed as being someone far more sinister and dangerous than expected, “I read that first scene. I didn’t know where the film was going, what was going to happen. But I said, ‘I’m going to do this thing,’ because I love that first scene so much.”

LaRoy, Texas marks the feature directorial debut of writer Shane Atkinson. The film has been getting glowing comparisons to the Coen brothers’ Fargo and Blood Simple. Baker jokes that he hasn’t “heard” of them, but considers it an “incredible honor” to “do a film in this sort of Coen brothers genre.” Read on for our complete interview with Dylan Baker where he also praises co-star Steve Zahn for this “lovely little film” that everyone involved “did for nothing.”

A Great Group of People and a Perfect First Scene

MovieWeb: The beginning of LaRoy, Texas, is one of the best opening scenes I’ve seen in years. It’s absolutely brilliant. It gets your attention right off the bat. Let’s dig into that scene.

Dylan Baker: When I was offered the film, I read that first scene. And in my mind, I didn’t know where the film was going, what was going to happen. But I said, “I’m going to do this thing,” because I loved that first scene so much. Thank goodness the rest of the movie was just as good. I think I would have done it anyway. Shane [Atkinson] wrote an incredible script and also directed a really funny, lovely little film, for nothing. Of course, we did it for nothing. He brought together a great group of people.

Dylan Baker: But that first scene, I’ve always loved films that kind of lead you in one way. You see somebody, and you think it’s going this way. Then, all of a sudden, it’s totally different. That’s what I embraced. When they started working on the scene with the fella that I pick up, he was so good. He had this sense that his day was just such a terrible day. And it was just getting worse and worse and worse. He was just going to take it out on me. That was fine with me. ‘Okay, let’s go.’ It was really fun, I have to say.

Finding the Characters with John Magaro

MW: I had the great pleasure of speaking to John Magaro. He said the same: super low indie budget and zero rehearsal time. How did you get that kismet? That first scene really sets the stage for the film. That’s when you know Harry is not someone to be trifled with.

Dylan Baker: There was no improvisation in terms of lines. That’s definitely Shane’s script. Other than that, we just had to find out with each other in the car what was going on, and just work on each other. I had to, as a character, feel totally in my body. There were no worries that I could handle anything that was coming at me. I was in charge. Nobody was going to be messing with me. This was my car. This was my day. I am just going to get the job done. What gets terrifying is when somebody is not responding in a way you think they should. “Wait a minute, what’s going on here?” That’s what makes it so fun.

MW: John Magaro also produced LaRoy, Texas. He brought you into the film. Please discuss that process from your point of view.

Dylan Baker: We’ve been friends for a long time. We did a play on Broadway together. I’m also just a fan. I’ve emailed or texted him about different films, including Past Lives. He’s wonderful in that movie. It’s so beautiful. When he told me about this, I got to read the script. I knew that John would be playing that role, and Steve [Zahn] would be playing the other role. I can’t imagine two other guys that were better suited to those roles, and knew they would both knock them out of the park.

Dylan Baker: It’s in the same way that my guy is just so simple and doesn’t let the passions of other things come in. The two of them can’t avoid it. They think that passion will solve everything. So they just launch themselves into what they need. That is what smacks them in the face with a shovel. And they keep coming back again. They’re both excellent actors in the way that they keep pursuing what they need. I love that about them.

Dylan Baker Plays a Terrifying Killer with Supreme Confidence

MW: Harry turns like a switch. He seems like an affable, gentle guy. Then, like that scene with the waitress at the diner being harassed, there’s a flip. The character is incredibly dangerous in a quiet way. He’s not physically imposing. It’s just really all in the face. Talk about that switch where you go from amiable to being really lethal.

Dylan Baker: What I loved about that was the young woman who played the waitress. She’s so new, fresh, and innocent. This guy [Harry] looks at her and says, “I could help you. You’ve got a problem. I can deal with it.” He knows he can take care of the situation. I can’t imagine where it would go. But I know that it would be bad for everyone involved. He had the confidence, that just supreme confidence. The important thing about that scene, and why it works, is that Harry can’t think there’s anything odd about what he’s saying. It’s just as if he said, “Oh, you have Girl Scout cookies? Good. I’ll get two boxes.”

Related: The 10 Deadliest Hitmen in Movies, Ranked

MW: Harry didn’t seem to be vindictive. He wasn’t going after them for some personal grudge. He had a job that he was supposed to be paid for. If they had given Harry the money, might things have turned out better?

Dylan Baker: Oh, I think definitely. A plus B equals C. It’s absolutely the way it goes. You see it happen. What’s the order? I can fill out that order. Now where’s my money? If he doesn’t have his money, he’s not going to stop till he gets his money. No matter what he has to do, he’s going to get that money. Now, I do think there’s a moment somewhere where you start hearing there may be a little more money. Even if it’s more, it is still rock bottom, the cost of his work, that he has to get filled. That’s why he doesn’t stop. He’s got to keep going until he finds out what’s going on, which is his payment.

Shane Atkinson and the Coen Brothers

MW: This is Shane Atkinson’s feature directorial debut. He’s working with an all-star trio of veteran actors. You, Steve, and John have been around for a long time. What was it like working with Shane on set?

Dylan Baker: Shane provided an incredible blueprint. I don’t think we had many changes at all. And in the final version of it, he found the film in what he wrote on set. If we had fundamental questions, we usually got those out of the way before the cameras started rolling. He was very definite with what he wanted, what he needed. One thing that we both agreed upon, in terms of Harry, was that he was a lunch pail, 9-to-5 guy. This was his job. It didn’t affect him as a person. I think Shane is going to be doing a lot of stuff to tell you the truth. I would be fascinated to see his next film. He’s an incredibly talented guy. He directed the film beautifully.

MW: How do you feel about the Coen brothers comparison the film has been getting. This is a new Fargo. Is that a good or a bad thing?

Dylan Baker: I haven’t heard of the Coen brothers (laughs). Yeah, I think anybody that tries to do a film in this sort of Coen brothers genre is going to get that comparison. The good thing is, it’s enough like a Coen Brothers movie. Shane’s movie, the way that he put it together, the way that he thinks, these characters, certainly the comparison is there. I think it’s an incredible honor. Joel and Ethan know how to put a film together. They know what tickles them. They know it will tickle an audience at the same time. So it’s fun to be in something that’s like that.

A Good Gun Guy and the Very Funny Steve Zahn

MW: What was the best and worst day for Dylan Baker on the set of LaRoy, Texas?

Dylan Baker: I have to say that there were not too many worst days. When it’s an indie film, you don’t get a lot of great food. The comforts aren’t great. But you do get one thing, you get to work. You don’t have to wait around. Being able to work is a fantastic thing. There was a very good gun guy on the set. When you needed a gun that fired, you knew it was going to fire. You knew no one was in jeopardy. You knew what to do with it. It makes everything easier when there’s somebody professional handling that, because we’ve all seen what can happen when that isn’t the case.

Dylan Baker: The worst day, maybe watching the sun come up, saying we’ve got to get this last shot, and it’s chilly. Your costume is sort of threadbare. You’re running back and forth to the car doing something. There was also one time, I usually wear contacts, and it was too late at night. All of a sudden, they said, “You’ve got to drive.” I was like, “Okay, I’m driving blind by the way.” That was probably the worst day, but at least the three people I hit are fine (laughs).

Related: Best Debut Movies From First-Time Filmmakers

MW: That’s hilarious. Let’s conclude by talking about Steve Zahn. He’s fantastic here. He has amazing comic timing, even when the film goes in a much darker direction. The last act is all about you, John, and Steve going to darker places.

Dylan Baker: That was when I really got to work with Steve for the first time. I’d met him just as friends, or casually on another set someplace once before. My wife had done a TV show with Steve. He was a joy to work with. He was always prepared. What I love about him in the film is that he puts off this aura of a guy who’s ready to do anything to draw down on people, but he’s terrified. It’s hilarious watching him go. He just has an affinity with these characters. That’s so funny. You can relate to it immediately.

LaRoy, Texas will have a concurrent theatrical and VOD release on April 12th from Brainstorm Media. You can rent or purchase it on platforms like Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango at Home, and through the link below on YouTube:

Watch LaRoy, Texas