Exclusive interview: Hopper Penn talk flying helicopters and working with family in ‘Devil’s Peak’

Hopper Penn was borne into a high-profile acting family. With powerhouse parents Sean Penn and Robin Wright behind him, any choices to move into that arena were not made lightly, which is why his performance in Devil’s Peak proves to be a revelation, as the star brings to life Jacob McNeeley opposite Billy Bob Thornton and his real-life mother.

In a heartfelt interview that sheds light on working with his family and those initial reasons for making that leap into acting, Hopper took time out to talk to We Got This Covered about what makes this particular project so special.

How did you first become involved in this project?

I got a call from my manager to talk to the director, Ben Young. I talked to him for 10 minutes on the phone and immediately liked him because he’s Australian. That kind of brought me in because I love Australians. He told me a little bit about the film and asked if I would mind coming in to meet in person, so I did and he told me a little bit more about the script and I was immediately interested in it.

I just asked him if I could audition, he said no you don’t need to, you have got the part if you want it. I was like, I’m in. We talked a little bit about other cast members and I was able to immediately think of my mom to play my mom in the role, he was stoked about that. Everybody’s first pick for the dad was Billy Bob but we just didn’t think we could get him, but when we got my mom on board, she called Billy and he signed on pretty much immediately.

In terms of conversations, how collaborative was the director Ben Young when it came to the character of Jacob?

When he said I didn’t have to audition I thought that was kind of a mistake on his part, but he then told me that that’s why he wanted to meet me in person. He said he saw me and thought that’s the perfect look for the character, and when he met me he said “I want you as Jacob, I want it to be you, just with a different accent in a different life.” I think he just saw something in me that I don’t see, and he liked it.

From your perspective, what were the creative benefits of working opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright to build a family unit?

With my mom it was easy to get emotional with her, because to see my mom as that character was rough. It was so easy to get to the sad parts because it’s my actual mom and she’s so not that person. But she’s also such a great actress that I believed it.

When I walked into that room and saw her I started crying, I was like oh this is going to be an easy scene, not easy emotionally, but easy for what they wanted. It was just very genuine with her, it felt very real, our connection in it is real, it’s just the characters that are different. I think both of us were able to bring our personal relationship into the movie.

With Billy, he’s amazing, he’s one of the best actors in the world and he just snaps into this role. He’s the nicest person ever, he’s exactly what you think he’s going to be, he’s charismatic, he’s Billy Bob Thornton. But then they call action and he was Charlie McNeeley, and it scared me into Jacob.

I was just like, “Woah this is something else.” I didn’t really feel like I was acting that much with him, he brought everything with him, everything he did scared me or made me nervous. Sometimes he would do improv and go out script – I would be speechless which worked for some scenes. But he was so supportive off screen and was just like a buddy and working with him was really great.

How important do you think the power of silence is in this film?

I think it works really well. Billy helped with that too, he’s like, “You don’t need words to express what’s going on in the scene, it’s all going to be here in the eyes and just in your expressions.” I was nervous about that, but I think Ben Young also played a big part in the way he shoots things. I would go to Ben and [writer] Robert Knott too, and I would just kind of be like, “Okay, well how do you see this scene playing out?”

Whether it was the scene with Caitlin, the girlfriend, or with Billy, or with my mom. It was all about this kid, who still feels like a kid even though he’s an adult. He knows what he’s doing is not right and he knows that this is not the life he should be in. Billy also said to bring your personal traumas and make them Jacob’s and I think that does show. I think silence can be scary, it can be sad, it can be funny, and it all matters in how you read the scene, especially if there’s no dialogue.

To what extent would you say Devil’s Peak is a redemption story?

I think Jacob is redeemed. I mean he starts off in the movie as what I would say is the scum of the earth, a drug dealer. Drug dealers don’t care about anybody but themselves, and Jacob’s brought into that life by his dad and there’s some underlying things where he knows it’s not right but he keeps doing it.

He wants money, and he’s just kind of grown up in a horrible family. His mom is a product of what Jacob is doing in creating these drug addicts. There’s a big thing with Caitlin, the girlfriend, where she comes from the other side of the tracks, but she sees Jacob for who he actually is and not as Jacob sees himself. I think she kind of makes him somewhat aware of that and he finally makes the decision to leave and not be part of that life anymore.

Yes it seems like a violent way, but I don’t think it’s his choice that it’s violent in the end. If there would be a sequel, which there definitely won’t be, audiences would see he has started a new life and he’s on the right path now. I don’t think Billy’s character redeems himself in any way, I don’t think almost anybody else does.

There’s a little bit of redemption for the mom role because she knows she’s not leaving, she knows what she’s done with her life and that she’s stuck. I think that she still wants her son to get out of there. She is clean in her last scene and you know there’s that little hope that maybe she could stay this way.

 I do think there’s finally that love that a mother has for their son, even though, when you’re addicted to drugs, you only care about the addiction, disconnecting you from your family at times and making you a terrible person. However, in her last scene with me I think element of redemption really comes through.

Knowing how hard the entertainment industry can be, what convinced you to get into acting?

It is a very very hard business and I did not go through all the phases that a lot of people go through. I was very fortunate in the fact that the first thing I did my dad directed. I never wanted to act, it was the last thing on my mind, the last thing I ever wanted to do. I wanted to maybe work in the business, but maybe just on the other side.

I was a personal assistant for commercials and stuff, so I asked my dad when I initially heard of this movie he was doing whether I could PA on it and he said yes. Then I came back to ask him again and he said, “No, you’re going to act in it,” and I said, “Definitely not.” He’s like, “Just read the character and you will get paid, and you’ll learn how to fly helicopters.”

I got really excited about learning how to fly, and also being able to pay rent and stuff like that. I did it and I thought it was going to be kind of a nightmare working with my dad, but it ended up being a great time and I had a lot of fun acting. So I continued, and now I kind of realize how hard it is because I’ve done a few things but you know it’s very sporadic, you never know when you’re going to get something else.

But what inspired me is helicopter’s initially, and then doing the film, my first film, with my dad directing. I just knew that if I was going to be working with someone else it would be probably even better.  It has gotten progressively better and I loved working with my dad and I’ve worked with him twice as a director now. I’m so happy and lucky that I got my mom to be in this film, it’s so great working with her.

Can you describe for me your perfect Sunday afternoon?

My perfect Sunday afternoon would probably be hanging out with my dog, listening to music, and maybe having myself a big glass of whiskey.

Devil’s Peak is now playing in select theaters and is available on digital and on-demand, and be sure to check out our review of the movie here.