Don’t ask Jack Quaid about the twisty storyline in his upcoming movie Companion because he doesn’t want to talk about it. “It’s a movie that is best enjoyed when you go in as blind as possible,” he says.
But mention his new action film Novocaine and the 32-year-old actor — son of icons Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan — could talk for probably hours about the challenges of trying to play someone who can’t feel pain.
“It was one of the hardest I’ve ever worked on, just simply with my body in that movie,” Quaid tells The Hollywood Reporter of playing Nathan Caine. “I think I’m kind of an unlikely person to be an action hero, and that’s what makes Novocaine interesting to me. I don’t think anyone expects me to be kicking ass, and I kick ass in a very specific way in that movie.”
Despite the clearly busy press tours ahead — Companion releases in January, Novocaine drops in March and he also has his new movie Heads of State coming out soon — Quaid just feels “exceptionally lucky” to have worked alongside so many talented actors and “discovered a lot about myself” throughout the process.
Below, Quaid gets candid about growing up in the industry with his famous parents, why people shouldn’t watch the next Companion trailer, how he accomplished playing a person who doesn’t feel pain in Novocaine, the fifth and final season of The Boys and more.
Having grown up with parents working in the industry, how did that help shape the actor you are today? And when did you even realize you wanted to follow in their footsteps?
A lot of people would naturally assume that I wanted to do this because both my parents did it and that didn’t play no part. The biggest benefit I have, among many, from them is that they were proof it was possible to make a living as an actor. I’ve been to drama school and talked with my friends there and most of them have the same story: they told their folks that they wanted to be an actor and their folks said, “I don’t think that that’s the right path for you” or “why don’t you have a backup plan” or any of that? With my parents, I told them I wanted to be an actor and they understood what that meant. They weren’t initially super psyched about it because they knew how tough it was for them, so they were like, “Oh jeez, of course we have another one.” But ultimately, they understood and were very supportive so that I’m super grateful for.
But the real reason I wanted to do this was… I don’t know how I would have survived mentally in the entertainment industry if I didn’t truly love what I did. If I did this just to be a famous person or to have any kind of clout, I would have been done with this a long time ago. I had to find the love of this before I did it.
To kick off your busy year ahead, you have the psychological thriller Companion coming out in January. What initially drew you to the project?
I thought it was one of the best scripts I’d ever read. [Director] Drew Hancock did such a great job crafting that and making a story that I was never sure where it was gonna go the entire time. It’s a very timely story. It’s one of those things that I read, much like The Boys, where I was like, “I have to be a part of this thing.” And I remember meeting with Drew and just being like, “If you want me, I’m yours. This is unbelievable.” And thank God I got to be a part of it because it really was one of my favorite experiences I’ve had as an actor. It has such a great cast in it that I was really lucky to work with, like Sophie Thatcher, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage, Rupert Friend. It was just kind of a murderer’s row that I got to watch work. … I’m very excited for people to check it out. I would implore them, if it is a movie that you are already going to see, try to look up as little about it as you possibly can. It’s a movie that is best enjoyed when you go in as blind as possible. So if you’re already gonna go see it, don’t even watch the next trailer that comes out. Like, please don’t. If you’re still on the fence, watch it and make that decision for yourself.
Is there a film genre you’re typically drawn to and is there one you have yet to dabble with that you would like to in the future?
I love a good thriller. Companion is definitely a thriller. Novocaine is more of an action movie, and that movie was very fun to make, but incredibly physically challenging for me. It was one of the hardest I’ve ever worked on, just simply with my body in that movie. … I think I’m kind of an unlikely person to be an action hero, and that’s what makes Novocaine interesting to me. I don’t think anyone expects me to be kicking ass and I kick ass in a very specific way in that movie. I play a man who can’t feel pain, who has a real genetic disorder called CIPA, congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. Basically, your nervous system doesn’t allow you to feel pain and it is not a great thing. You think it might be amazing, but a lot of people with this condition don’t make it past 25. They have to blend all their meals and drink it through a straw because they could bite their tongue off and not realize it. So it is a little scary. But it’s about a character who is kind of sheltered and is kind of living in a bubble for his own safety at the beginning, using that to help protect someone he loves. And to be in action scenes where I don’t feel pain and trying not to wince is a very interesting thing because naturally you would react to getting hit a million times and I just don’t in this movie. So that was a really interesting challenge.
And as far as the genre I’d love to play around in more, I’d say an all-out comedy, which we don’t really have as much these days. I wanna get back to the days where we can have just a good, silly comedy with some heart. I’m not saying they don’t exist, I’m saying I want more of them to exist and I want to be in one.
Are you ready to wrap up The Boys with the fifth and final season, and do you feel it’s the right time to end the series?
I think it’s good that we end with season five because we’re ending on our own terms. It’s not like someone canceled us and we’re trying to quickly make a season that feels final. This was always the showrunner’s intention to end with five seasons and I’ve actually known that for a little bit and tried to keep my mouth shut about it [Laughs]. But there’s something great about an ending that’s intentional, and The Boys season five is gonna be crazy. It’s gonna be very messy. I don’t know, I just keep thinking a lot of us are probably gonna die. It’s just going to be insane and I’m excited to see what that entails.
What does your perfect day off look like?
It’s the most boring answer in the world. I would love to just sit around my apartment and do absolutely nothing, like that’s it. I like to go on walks, I will say. I’m a huge walker. I’m simple like that. I live in L.A. and I still walk every day. It just helps me get out of my head. I like to go on a jog. And then other than that, I like to sit in my living room, play video games and do absolutely nothing. A little bit more productive, I do like to write. I’m working on pitching a project right now. I’m writing a screenplay right now. There are things I’m interested in in the entertainment industry besides just acting. I’m in a sketch comedy group and we perform live whenever we can. … But day off-wise, I think I’m just sleeping. I’m a simple creature in that way.
It sounds like you’re trying to make L.A. walkable.
Honestly, that’s my goal. I think I’m a pioneer and I’d like to be acknowledged for that [Laughs].
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome to help get to where you are today?
I think a lot of it is — a lot of actors face this — a certain amount of self-doubt and anxiety. There’s a lot of anxiety to begin with, “Maybe I won’t be able to do this.” And then if you start getting some success, there’s a lot of imposter syndrome. After that, we’re like, “Well, maybe I don’t deserve this.” One of the things I’ve been able to do, hopefully not in a conceded way, is kind of just acknowledge, “OK, I am at least good enough to do this.” … And you’re allowed to have a little bit of confidence, [but] you have to back that up with hard work.
If you had to describe what makes Jack Quaid, Jack Quaid, what would you say?
You know who I am at my core? You go by a used car dealership and you see that wacky, waving, inflatable arm, flailing, tube man… that is me at my core. I don’t think I’m more complicated than that [Laughs]. I’m just this dude blowing in the wind with a lot of limbs.
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