David Gordon Green makes a significant departure from his recent string of studio comedies with his latest film, Prince Avalanche.
Starring Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, the film follows two road workers who spend the summer in Texas repaving roads after a devastating forest fire.
Green, whose past films include The Sitter, Your Highness and Pineapple Express, says that he went from conceiving the idea for Prince Avalanche to soundmixing the final product in five months.
“In most of my projects, I haven’t finished the first draft of the script in that amount of time,” says Green, whose diverse career also includes helming George Washington and All the Real Girls.
The project was shot in just 16 days in Texas, without the media knowing the production was going on.
“When you’re making a movie about two dudes walking around in the woods, you don’t need that burden. And so I thought it would be a good idea to keep this production on the down low,” he says.
VIDEO: ‘Prince Avalanche’ Trailer: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch Get Testy in the Texas Heat
Hirsch, who plays Rudd’s character’s brother-in-law who would rather be partying in nightclubs than working the road, says the fast-paced shooting schedule was an advantage.
“Sometimes actors will have too much time to over-think something to the point where it just becomes counterproductive to them,” he tells THR, adding that he and Rudd had to completely follow their instincts on the film.
Hirsch and Green say that Rudd, known primarily for his comedy work in films like This Is 40 and Our Idiot Brother, has a more serious side to him, which may surprise some people.
“I think the thing that would probably be most surprising about Paul is if people know what an edgy badass Paul kind of is,” says Hirsch. “Paul can be really funny and sweet. But he’s also, when he wants to be, a really serious, intense dude.”
Adds Green: “He’s quite handy. He can fix your car, and build you a house too. Emile can’t, but Emile is a better dancer.”
Prince Avalanche opens in theaters on Aug. 9 via Magnolia Pictures.
E-mail: Rebecca.Ford@thr.com
Twitter: @Beccamford
