Movies & TV / Columns

AC Larkin On His Role in Instant Karma, Upcoming Projects

September 29, 2021 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz

The 411 Interview: AC Larkin

AC Larkin is an actor who, according to his imdb page, is making his big screen acting debut as the menacing “Clint” in the fantasy drama Instant Karma, directed by Mitesh Kumar Patel. In this interview, Larkin talks with this writer about making Instant Karma, working with fellow co-stars Stu Jetson and Samantha Belle, what he hopes audiences get out of the movie, and more.

Bryan Kristopowitz: How did you get involved with Instant Karma?

A.C. Larkin: When I got the audition notice, I sent my agent a message that said, “I want to be a homeless guy!” I originally wanted to play Harry the Hobo, however, when the casting director saw my headshot, she decided Clint was a better fit. I would have had a hell of a fun time being Harry. I love wearing old ratty clothing and not shaving, along with the fact that I absolutely hate wearing suits. Being homeless, as they say, was not in the cards, and I couldn’t be happier! In hindsight, Clint was a much better fit, and the right decision was made.

BK: How did you approach your character Clint? Who came up with Clint’s look?

ACL: I had about four days between getting the audition notice and the actual audition, so I was playing around with different ideas. I know I was chosen to audition because I look like a street thug, which was the original intent with Clint, but something about the character spoke to me and I decided to go with a more refined character. I turned Clint into a Russian/Eastern European mobster three days before the audition. I wore a suit with no tie and started imitating the character Niko from Grand Theft Auto 4. It drove my family crazy talking like that for three days, and even though we didn’t use the accent, it really helped me get into the Clint state of mind. He really came to life. During the audition I could tell that Mitesh didn’t like the accent, so I did what I call a “Superman change” where, in 30 seconds, I became a completely new character. I ditched the suit coat, button up shirt, and Russian accent and turned myself into a biker. Being able to give casting both my vision and their vision on the film made all the difference in landing the role.

BK: What was it like working with director Mitesh Kumar Patel?

ACL: Mitesh is wonderful! He puts the creativity into his talent’s hands and lets them run with how they feel the character should be played. Even though he vetoed Clint’s accent, he still allowed me to take Clint from being a street thug and make him a higher-level player in the local crime scene. That was how he treated all of the cast. He let us do the character development on our own and, once we came together, we all talked about what their character is experiencing, why they are acting the way they are, and how it fits with everyone else’s emotions and attitudes in the scene.

BK: What was it like working with Stew Jetson, who plays Jeff?

ACL: Man, Stew was wonderful to work with! The first time we shot together, we went through our lines on the walk to the set. I remember seeing how professional and prepared he was and he drove me to kick it up a notch. I could tell he was going to make the scene better than it was on paper, and I wanted to make sure Clint was not going to drag down the scene.

BK: What was it like working with Samantha Belle, who plays Samantha?

ACL: Something I walked away from Instant Karma with is my friendship with Samantha. We have characters in our respective arsenals that are natural compliments. She can really bring out the bitchiness in her character that tends to get that character into trouble. That trouble comes in the form of a giant, scary looking dude… me. I’ve now done two movies with Samantha, and in both of them, I have her in a choke hold at one point! That might be our thing. If we continue to get cast together, I will have to have her in a choke hold, even if we are on the same side!

BK: What was it like working with Keegan Luther, who plays Emilio?

ACL: While our characters didn’t actually talk to each other, he was in the entire warehouse scene, it’s just that I had him tied to a chair with duct tape on his mouth!
Keegan, however, was a blast to talk to. We are both fans of Vince Gilligan, so I think we talked about Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad for an hour-and-a-half the first night we met.
It was quite fun watching him act. He had to sit in a chair with duct tape on his mouth for more than four hours. He was a trooper!!!

BK: What was the hardest part of making Instant Karma for you as an actor? What was the easiest?

ACL: The hardest part was definitely the weather. Stew, Samantha, and Keegan will attest that it was ridiculously hot. There was a scene in an unconditioned warehouse in Tempe, Arizona during August. Man, I don’t care that it was in the middle of the night, it was nasty! My suit was gray, and I was sweating through it. During our lunch break I had to strip and let the suit dry, otherwise the sweat would have shown up on film.

BK: How would you describe Instant Karma: is it a drama or is it more of a fantasy?

ACL: Just watch the trailer. At first, it seems like a feel-good, family movie. It’s definitely a fantasy. I mean, who doesn’t dream of their life changing because luck happens to swing their way? Jeff and Sam are on this unbelievable streak of good luck, or really, good karma, and it makes us all wonder what that would look like for us. Would I stop at a million dollars? Eight million? One billion? And what would I do with it? Then Clint shows up and the drama starts. Compliments to Samantha for bringing all the drama prior to my arrival, but once Jeff and Clint meet, it shifts to a drama.

BK: Any moviemaking heroes?

ACL: Moviemaking, not really. I love a good dramatic series though. I’ve already mentioned Vince Gilligan, but Kurt Sutter, Jeff Lindsay, and David Chase have to be in the conversation. These guys have created worlds where we, as viewers, care about the villain, and he/she is our (the viewer’s) protagonist while inside the story, they are the antagonist. As an actor that loves to play the bad guy, watching a series like Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, or The Sopranos is such a treat! As much as I love the Breaking Bad universe, I really can’t wait until It’s over. I cannot wait to see what Vince has created in his brilliant head that he will finally have time to explore once the Better Call Saul timeline meets the Breaking Bad timeline.

BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

ACL: I mentioned that I just did my second movie with Samantha Belle, called Chosen. Including Chosen and Instant Karma, I have a total of five movies that have yet to be released. 2022 is going to be a big year for my film career! I’m also using my time to take more acting classes. Right now, I’m doing improv classes, and soon I will take on Scene Study. You really can never have too much training. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to hang out with other actors.

BK: What do you hope audiences get out of Instant Karma?

ACL: I love the idea of doing nice things for people. I also love the idea of doing them for no reason and expecting to get nothing out of it. While Instant Karma features Jeff doing nice things for people, it also shows Sam being very greedy and making Jeff do it for nefarious reasons. I hope the audience starts to think about doing nice things for no reason. I also hope they realize the movie is a fantasy and that getting something in return is not realistic, but my hope is that they start to do nice things anyway. It really is a beautiful thing when humans are kind to each other for no other reason than simply being kind.

BK: Just how often do you think a guy like Clint has a million dollars in a bag/briefcase?

ACL: Well, Clint is a businessman, so I would say he has a large amount of money quite often, probably a few times a month. It is my opinion (it doesn’t actually say any of this in the script) that when he first meets Jeff, he’s making a drop to the guy who launders his money. If you watch, he’s so casual about it. Makes Jeff put the bag in the car, makes Jeff open the door for him. He’s done this before. If someone had a million bucks in a bag for the first time, they wouldn’t let it out of their sight. It would be in the back seat with him, and he would be holding it tight. Clint has obviously done this before, and I would argue that he’s routinely taken more than a million to his “cleaning” guy.

BK: Is Clint a bad guy or is he just misunderstood?

ACL: Make no mistake, Clint is a bad guy. The only misunderstanding was on his part, but he doesn’t care. Better safe than dead. If anyone does something to him, he immediately thinks they are making a move on him, and in the world of mobsters and organized crime, if you make a move on someone with Clint’s power and influence, you go down. Simple as that.

BK: Where do you think Clint is now?

ACL: Well, the name of the movie is Instant Karma. Clint just had three people tied to chairs, threatening to kill them. If I had my guess, Clint has some pretty bad karma coming his way. I would imagine that Clint is somewhere, probably homeless and unrecognizable. Make no mistake, he is biding his time… getting ready to make his return.