Paul Walter Hauser is ready to report for duty in the reboot of “The Naked Gun,” with a badge in one hand and nachos in the other.
Speaking with NBC Sports’ Adriana Ferrari, Hauser shared his excitement about joining the latest take on the beloved slapstick franchise. “I was really excited that the movie was getting made at all,” he said. “And then when I found out it was Akiva Schaffer, I was like, Dude, the ‘Hot Rod,’ ‘The Lonely Island,’ like the guy ‘Popstar.’ He’s just amazing. So, yeah, I just put a lot of faith and trust into the project and was happy to be a part of it.”
The project also gave Hauser the chance to share the screen with some legendary names. “Our movie has a couple of great wrestlers in it,” he said, before later adding that the comedic tone of the film fits his sensibilities. While he didn’t name-drop his co-stars directly in this exchange, he is part of the ensemble alongside Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson, two icons who help anchor the film’s hilariously offbeat world.
Hauser, who brings both acting chops and wrestling experience to the screen, opened up about how his time in the ring helped shape his comedic performance.
“In wrestling, you are giving your own performance, but you’re also very conscious of the other performer and keeping them safe and staying on track with them,” he explained. “So I think it just makes me even more aware when I’m in a scene with somebody else, that what am I doing to support the overall goal here?”
He added with a laugh, “As any actor will probably not tell you, but I’ll tell you, it’s very easy to just be swept up in what you’re doing. It’s the old joke of like you ask someone, what is ‘Hamlet’ about? And they play the guard in ‘Hamlet’ and they go, ‘Well, it’s about a guard who knows this guy named …’ It’s very easy to be self-centered, but being a supporting actor, you just want to be hyper aware. And that’s been sharpened with pro wrestling.”
When asked which fellow wrestler would make the best cop in the zany world of “The Naked Gun,” Hauser didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, my gosh. Our movie has a couple of great wrestlers in it,” he teased, before revealing his top pick. “But I think someone who would have been a great cop in ‘Naked Gun’ would probably be somebody like Chris Jericho. He’s a funny guy and he’s the kind who could insert himself and probably play like a goofy, cocky police officer.”
And since no “Naked Gun” interview would be complete without talking about chili dogs, Hauser had his own stadium snack loyalty.
“I think I’m always going to try to find a good nacho,” he said. “Like a sporting event, it’s really nice to find, like, a pulled pork nacho or like a chorizo and cheese type of thing. That’s always nice.”
With a cast full of comedians, athletes and nacho enthusiasts, “The Naked Gun” reboot has proved itself to be a wild ride.
