The Driver star Mark Dacascos talks his wildly different zombie movie

The Driver showcases Mark Dacascos in a different light, and the actor told Hidden Remote why it’s nothing like your average zombie film.

Mark Dacascos is one of the entertainment world’s true badasses—he’s both a talented actor and martial artist who could actually save the day. So it makes sense that he’s our best hope against a zombie apocalypse in his latest film The Driver.

In The Driver, Mark portrays a reformed hitman enjoying a peaceful life with his wife and daughter until the undead mess everything up. Now it’s up to him to keep his family alive as they fight their way to freedom.

But this is more than another horror movie. It’s also a character-driven film and has a personal connection for the actor, who connected with Hidden Remote to tell us everything you need to know about this hidden gem of a film.

Learn more about The Driver in our interview with Mark Dacascos below, then see it for yourself on digital, on-demand and DVD now.

Hidden Remote: What set The Driver apart for you when you originally read the script?

Mark Dacascos: I love zombie films. And the hook was this was a different take, from what I’ve seen, on a zombie film that was personal and intimate. Family story, coming of age, father/daughter—all inside the world of a zombie apocalypse.

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HR: Your character was a hitman, so he had stories to tell before the zombies. Does his history come up significantly during the film?

MD: I would love to do something where you showed the backstory. My character’s life, you can surmise has been very complicated and there’s a lot of different colors to him, as to all of us humans. But of course it’s much more difficult [for him] with the circumstances and then the zombies. I hope there’s a possibility that we get to see that.

HR: The Driver has you starring opposite your wife Julia Condra and your daughter Noelani Dacascos. How does that help your work, when your family is played by your real family?

MD: To be quite honest, to be able to play with my daughter and wife in a movie where the characters are my daughter and wife, it felt like I was cheating. (laughs) It was so much fun. It made it so easy because I really didn’t have to do too much imagining. Just say the words, look in the eyes of my daughter or my wife, and I felt like for the most part, my character was there.

Of course, there are certain aspects of my character that are different from me. But in terms of the relationship with the daughter and the wife, it was so easy and so much fun. It was a blast and this movie’s really special because we got to play together.

HR: How much did it mean to you to share the screen with your family?

MD: [The Driver] was the first time that my wife went back to acting after a couple of decades and I think she did a bang-up job. I was so happy with what she did and so honored to have worked with her when she was just coming back.

I’m so proud of our daughter because there was a lot of pressure. The Driver is only her second movie, her first movie being an art film she did with Josh Harnett. She played Josh’s daughter in that movie and now she’s lead in this.

Respect and huge thanks to Wych Kaosayananda, our director, because he trusted me when I said that our daughter could do this role. She went in and she was focused and disciplined, and all those tears you see her dropping in the movie, there was no water added. That was all of her heart, and I’m so proud of her and my wife.

HR: You’re no stranger to action-heavy roles in projects like Hawaii Five-0 and John Wick 3. Did any of your past experience help you in filming The Driver?

MD: It was really different in the respect that I got to not just play a father, but also a husband. That part was different. What was actually beneficial from all the other action movies was that I got to bring that life experience from all those other films and got to use that as a backstory, in a way, for the character. He’s very complex because you see him in a certain way, but we also allude to the fact that he did some not so positive things in his past.

HR: Which movie roles has Mark Dacascos enjoyed the most?

MD: Only the Strong; that has had a life of its own and if things go my way, I would be happy and honored to do a sequel to that. Drive with Steve Wang, Steve Hardison and Brittany Murphy; I love the action and sensibility of that film.

Crying Freeman was a huge one, because that’s where I met my wife. We did that movie back in 1995, and we hadn’t worked together until The Driver.

Of course, John Wick 3 was just a whirlwind of joy and energy and challenges and fun. [Working with] Keanu Reeves was just joyous. In one way exciting but in another frightening—because man, I’m looking across the room getting ready for our scene and there’s John Wick!

The Driver is now available digitally, on-demand, and on DVD.