Jackpot's Awkwafina on Simu Liu as a baddie: "Shang-Chi, what happened to you?"
The pair go up against each other in the new action-comedy – and Awkwafina found that to be a little surreal.
The last time Awkwafina and Simu Liu were on screen together, it was in the 2021 MCU flick Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – when they were very much friends and allies.
But in the new action-comedy Jackpot! – which has just arrived on Prime Video – the pair have a somewhat different relationship, with Liu playing a villain desperate to murder her after she wins a rather dystopian version of the lottery in near-future LA.
And speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the film, Awkwafina revealed that she had a few surreal moments on set while she was getting used to Liu as the bad guy.
"I mean... I love Simu, and I feel like, for this one, it's obviously a different story [to Shang-Chi]" she said. "And, you know he's a great actor, so it makes sense.
"But I did get some bizarre flashback sometimes, when we were doing scenes where he was like, especially very evil, where I was like, 'Shang-Chi, what happened to you, dude?' But, you know, I think that he does a great villain."
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Another of Awkwafina's big-name co-stars in the film is John Cena, and she said she learned a lot from the WWE star in what is the most action-heavy role of her career to date.
"One thing I did learn from John is, is, like the seriousness dedicated towards safety" she explained. "It is very important in his line of work to be safe and to make sure that everyone is kind of on their game, and nothing is off – because if one piece is missing, someone can get hurt in those sequences.
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"So he definitely taught me the importance of that, as this is probably the most physical role I've done. I've been in action movies, obviously, but I didn't have to like train for that. For this, you know, I did take it seriously, and it was a lot of action."
Jackpot! is directed by Bridesmaids and A Simple Favour filmmaker Paul Feig and the synopsis reads: "Katie, a struggling actress, wins the lottery in California in 2030. The law allows anyone with a losing ticket to murder her before sundown and legally claim her winnings.
"Noel, an amateur lottery protection agent, helps to keep her alive until sunset in exchange for a share of her winnings."
Jackpot! is now streaming on Prime Video.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
