Michael Madsen, Larry Bishop, and Eric Balfour in Hell Ride Courtesy of Dimension Films

What was it about The Gent that made you think this is a good part for you?
Well, I am primarily known for playing a lot of nefarious characters, and a lot of very dangerous, violent people. So any character that is named The Gent — which is obviously short for gentleman — gets my interest. Because he is called The Gent, maybe there are a few decent aspects to his personality that I can play. It was my idea to wear the tuxedo while everybody else has his leather on. I like Larry's writing and I love motorcycles and being able to ride around on Harleys behind a camera truck for 25 days was pretty cool.

When you have a huge ensemble cast like this, is it difficult getting everyone together as a bonded group?
Everybody kind of came in and did their thing. We weren't always all there at the same time. I wasn't lucky enough to be around when David Carradine was doing his part but I got to shoot some scenes with Dennis [Hopper] and I got to shoot stuff with Eric [Balfour] and I did stuff with Larry, naturally. It was one of those things where everybody I wanted to work with, I got to work with, and I think we made some really memorable scenes and some really great moments.

Michael Madsen and Asia Argento in Boarding Gate Courtesy of Magnet Releasing

Do you enjoy doing the Tarantino projects that have a similar approach or do you get more into a film like Boarding Gate, which premiered at Cannes last year?
I like to diversify. And I am all about longevity. I want to be doing this for as long as I can. I have made, I think, 72 pictures now. And I have made a lot of studio stuff and I have made a lot of low-budget stuff. The fun of making independent films is that they are a lot more open and it is a lot easier to ad lib and create a character and collaborate with the director. With a studio picture, you are a lot more controlled and your whole environment and your whole presentation is a lot more monitored. So it is two different kinds of experiences, but to me Boarding Gate is a great film. I hardly ever get to work with a girl. I am always killing men or beating someone up. I am always in all this male-oriented stuff and I don't get to be the guy who has a woman. And [co-star] Asia [Argento] is such a wonderful girl. Not only is she a great girl, she is a good actress. My experience with her was tremendous. It was a gift. I liked that picture because I played a part that people don't usually think of me playing. I was a stockbroker with a dominatrix for a girlfriend. That is pretty cool with a pretty wide range to grab ahold of. If you look at the guy in Boarding Gate and you look at the guy in Hell Ride, these are two completely different human beings. I like the idea that you can, in different circumstances, present [your character] in a different way. It gets you out of bed in the morning.

Have there been any further developments on Inglorious Bastards or Sin City 2?
Well, I know that Quentin is busy writing Inglorious Bastards. I am not sure when he is going to start. I hope he gets around to it pretty soon. Seeing him and spending time with him here [at Sundance] has been a great pleasure. He cut Hell Ride and I think it added a lot of cachet to it. I'm ready when he is. It's his world, I'm just living in it.