You’ve seen him in movies by the best filmmakers around: Christopher Nolan (Inception), Steve McQueen (Widows), Rian Johnson (Brick). Famed actorLukas Haashas been in the Hollywood game for decades, and now he’s starring alongside the iconic John Travolta for a new heist movie calledCash Out.It’s such a thrill ride that there may or may not be a follow-up already in the can. But more on that later.
Haas' new film hits the masses April 26, and we recently caught up with the talented character actor to learn more about what it was like teaming up with Travolta, his love for a certain history-making Oscar winner, and which renowned filmmaker he still wants to work with.
Lukas Haas on Playing John Travolta’s Brother
InCash Out,Travolta plays a career criminal named Mason, and Haas is along for the ride as younger brother Shawn, who might think he knows he’s on Mason’s level when it comes to pulling off 21st-century heists – but not exactly. We were curious if Haas ever imagined he’d be playing thePulp Fictionstar’s sibling on the big screen at any point during his career. “It never crossed my mind,” he laughed, adding:
“But when the script came, and they told me John was doing it, it’s something I’ve never done before, this kind of movie, where it’s just kind of a heist, caper, fun kind of exciting film. And so I love doing things that I haven’t done. I think that’s kind of the spice of life, as an actor, and I’m lucky that I get to do that. I’m lucky that I get to do something where I play a serial killer or play a goofball, or everywhere in between. And this type of film, I’ve never done. And obviously, John Travolta, he’s an icon. I’ve been a big fan of his forever.”
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Crypto Currency and Cash Out 2
Haas' character Shawn is hilariously trying to navigate the infamous crypto world as he and his brother Mason try to pull off a daring new bank job. “I did know a bit about cryptocurrency. I’ve heard a lot about it,” Haas told MovieWeb when thinking about any real-world expertise he might have brought to the role. “It’s a very odd sort of space, it’s hard to understand. But I have some friends who are making NFTs, which is even harder to understand. So yeah, I had some experience with that.”
And you don’t have to be a crypto user to appreciate the thrills duringCash Out. In fact, it’s such a fun little journey thatCash Out 2is, in fact, in the works. “We already made it,” Haas told us. “I’ll tell you this… the experience of making them, and what I saw as we were making them —I thinkCash Out 2is going to be twice as fun and even better movie than the first one. I think I’m pretty confident thatCash Out 2will be a step up.”
Cash Out Is Another Heist Movie – After Inception
Funnily enough, Haas didn’t make the heist movie connection until we flagged to him how another film of his,Inception, is also about a group of criminals essentially trying to pull off the ultimate theft. “That’s true. Actually, I didn’t make the connection at all,” he said. “It was really amazing to get to see Chris Nolan working, and the way they made that film was pretty insane. And we were traveling even further.” Haas elaborated on his time with Nolan onInception:
“I don’t even remember how much I was in it, but it was maybe like the first third or fourth of the film —but just for that little bit, I worked in London, I worked in Tokyo, I worked in Morocco, and LA. I think I worked in maybe four or five different locations around the world just for that little bit. They were filming all over the place as a huge production. Super cool.”
Speaking of Nolan,MovieWeb was on-hand at the Oscarsthis year to see the renowned filmmaker finally win a Best Director trophy. “He deserved it. It was time. And that movie was amazing,” said Haas aboutOppenheimer. “He’s a killer director, a special talent.”
Related:Oppenheimer Just Scored a Box Office Milestone for Christopher Nolan
Love for Scorsese and Damien Chazelle
Given that Haas has worked with many of the greats in Hollywood at this point, one has to wonder if there’s anyone left who he’s had his eye on for a possible collaboration. “I’ve never worked with Scorsese,” said Haas. “I don’t know if I ever will, you know? I don’t know how many movies he’s got left in him.”
All this talk of filmmaking star power got Haas going back to one in particular: Damien Chazelle, the youngest person ever to win a Best Director award at the Oscars. “I’m just super lucky that I’ve gotten to work with him a couple of times,” said Haas. “I think he’s incredible. I think he’s gonna make a lot of amazing movies, and I think he’s a real artist.And I hope I get to work with him again…Babylondidn’t sort of go over great, but I thought it was just such a great film… It was incredible that he was able to pull that off. And he’s just a real special talent.”
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On Brick, the Debut Film from Star Wars Director Rian Johnson
And then there’s Rian Johnson, whose debut film,Brick, was an indie neo-noir that’s certainly worth a revisit. Haas plays to perfection a quirky drug dealer who lives with his mom. It’s pure comedic indie noir bliss. “That was a really, really cool movie to make,” said Haas. “And that was a special and fun movie to talk about because I think he made it for a very small amount of money. I think it was like $100,000 or somewhere in there, maybe $300,000. It was pretty small. And we shot it in his hometown, San Clemente, so he was just using all of his high school and local areas, like his mom’s house and stuff.” He continued:
“He had a very, very clear idea of what this character should sort of feel like. So he already had the wardrobe, he already had that cape [that my character wore], and the cane, and he kind of had all this stuff. I just sort of stepped in and plugged into it, which was a pretty cool thing because it was all kind of framed out for me before I even got there.”
“But it was a very quick shoot,” added Haas. “I think we did it in like two or three weeks. And it was really beautiful too, because we were forced into certain types of shots because we didn’t have a lot of time. They made really beautiful choices, really smart choices, where we do just single shots for a whole scene.”
Decades later, from Saban Films,Cash Outwill be released in theaters, on digital and on demand starting July 14, 2025.
