Shane West Explains Why 'The Dirty South' Made Him Adamant to Work With Dermot Mulroney Again
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In the life of every actor, there’s probably one project or two that stand out. Be it the co-stars who you bonded with throughout filming, or the impact of the story being told, some projects become more memorable than others. For Shane West, that could be said about his most recent release, Western drama The Dirty South.
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“Being able to film in my home state and being able to work with people that you know from that home state was kind of a dream come true,” West tells She Knows. For those wondering, the state in question is Louisiana, where West was born and raised. “It was close to my heart in the sense,” he says.
“It didn’t feel different, it felt great,” West, who plays the role of a “Drifter” in the movie, continues of the experience. “It was very much a more relaxed environment than I’m used to.”
In a nutshell, The Dirty South follows the ever-so-charming Dion (West) as he arrives in Natchitoches, a small town in Louisiana. After arriving, he unexpectedly teams up with a bartender named Sue (played by Willa Holland) who’s prepared to do anything in her power to save her family’s bar from being sold to the richest family in town. “It becomes this almost Romeo and Juliet, Bonnie and Clyde-type offspring,” West teases.
Watch 'The Dirty South'
Playing the villain in the story is My Best Friend’s Wedding star Dermot Mulroney. For West, working alongside Mulroney, albeit for only was scene, was priceless. “The joke was that we have to do it again,” West says. “I barely did work with him. Ultimately, I spent, let’s say, four hours with him. I only have one scene towards the finale of the movie with him and Willa Holland and it was great because I’m a big fan.”
“Watching the film, it’s great to see how wonderful of a job he did,” West gushes of his co-star. “He really incapsulated the role. He really made it his own.”
Talking about Holland, who signed onto the project only a “few days” prior to the start of shooting, West was also full of praises. “I’ve known her since she was a kid,” West says. “And she’s really grown into an amazing person and she’s a fantastic actress. I knew once they were interested in her, and she was interested in the project that this could be great.”
As for their chemistry, however, the two didn’t have much time to work through their dynamic before the cameras started rolling. “We didn’t have a lot of time,” he says. “We had two days to go over the script, go over our characters and our relationship and then we started shooting.” Luckily for them, their chemistry was natural.
The Dirty South is currently available in theaters or available for rent on Prime Video.
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