The Big Picture Collider's Steve Weintraub sits down with The Luckiest Man in America 's director Samir Oliveros and co-star Shamier Anderson at TIFF. The Luckiest Man in America tells the true story of Michael Larson, a man who discovered a way to exploit a popular game show. During their interview, Oliveros and Anderson discuss the ensemble cast, recreating an identical game show set, and their whirlwind schedule from scrip to TIFF.
In the 1980s, one man turned the game show Press Your Luck on its head. In Samir Oliveros' (Bad Lucky Goat) sophomore feature, The Luckiest Man in America, Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell) steps into the cheap khaki suit of Michael Larson, the everyman who found "alternative ways to accomplish his dreams."
Larson is an Ohio ice cream truck driver down on his luck when he decides to take a chance on a popular game show, Press Your Luck. Like the other contestants, he's looking for a chance at the American Dream -- unlike the other contestants, Michael's found a loophole. In the words of co-star Shamier Anderson (John Wick: Chapter 4), Michael Larson "just studied a little harder, he focused a little deeper, and he realized something that was a flaw in the system, and he exploited it."
Both Oliveros and Anderson, who plays the perplexed casting director in the film, stopped by Collider's studio at the Cinema Center at MARBL for their Toronto International Film Festival world premiere. The duo sat down with Steve Weintraub to talk about bringing Press Your Luck's most infamous episode to life again on a budget and a "tight and ambitious" shooting schedule. They also discuss how they landed this "Super Saiyan cast" -- Anderson, Hauser, Walton Goggins, Maisie Williams, Johnny Knoxville, and more -- and what's up next from Oliveros. You can watch the full conversation in the video above, or read the transcript below.
Paul Walter Hauser Presses His Luck in 'The Luckiest Man in America'
COLLIDER: This is a crazy, crazy true story. I remember growing up and hearing about this, but there's gonna be a lot of people who don't know. What do you want to tell people about the movie?
SAMIR OLIVEROS: It's inspired by the true story of Michael Larson who went onto the game show Press Your Luck in 1984 and won a lot of money because he memorized the patterns on a game board.
What's amazing about the story is that this really happened, and it was a real controversy behind the scenes. Do you think he cheated, or do you think he just figured something out?
SHAMIER ANDERSON: Definitely a controversial question, but I think he just found a loophole. He just studied a little harder, he focused a little deeper, and he realized something that was a flaw in the system and he exploited it. So, the short answer is: fair game.
OLIVEROS: Exactly. I believe that he was just finding alternative ways to accomplish his dreams, and he thought about something that nobody else had and he just pushed through with it and he succeeded.
I also don't think he cheated. If you find a loophole in the system and you exploit it, that's not "cheating," that's you figuring out something that no one else saw.
OLIVEROS: Exactly.
ANDERSON: Correct.
What was it about this story and this material that said, "I need to make this?" And for you, what was it about the script and story that said, "I wanna be a part of it?"
OLIVEROS: I think it was the fact that we knew the 42 minutes of the clip that you can find online, and when you watch that, you see that there's such a complex character behind him. I thought it was worth delving deep into it and exploring what was really behind this guy's intentions and what it took him to get to the show. I thought it was worthy of a movie.
ANDERSON: I echo a lot of what Samir just said, but I got introduced to the part. I got sent a script, a deck, and an offer to meet with Samir. Candidly, I wasn't too familiar with the material, so I sat with Samir, and what really excited me about working with him beyond the story was that Samir's vision was very, very clear. He knew what he wanted to accomplish, and now he wanted to tell this story, which was really great because, as you can see, this is a very contained, pressure cooker movie -- most of it takes place in one location, pretty much. And I was just so excited to see Paul Walter Hauser dive into this guy's brain. Yeah, there's a game show element, there's him exploiting a loophole element, but it really is about a man in America trying to make it, and he found a way to make it. It really is a human story on the backdrop of a game show.
The character that I played, who I found was really the audience's POV, he's the guy that sees a smoking gun, and he's able to figure out what is going on and try to let his colleagues and peers know, "No, this guy, Michael Larson, he's up to something." He knew it right away in the audition. So, I think those elements were exciting. I got to go to Columbia, I got to do a period piece, and I got to work with Walton Goggins -- it was definitely an actor's dream for me to be paired with this Super Saiyan cast.
The 2023 Strikes Actually Helped Land a "Super Saiyan Cast"
One of the things that people won't realize is you were able to film this during the strike. You got the waiver, and you assembled a murderer's row of people. Talk a little bit about putting together this great cast.
OLIVEROS: It was like the perfect storm because we were one of the indie projects that got the SAG waiver to shoot. We had some fans in the agencies because we had just started to cast, and we had Paul attached already, but when the strike hit, all of those agents who had read the script said, "Here you go. Who do you wanna go with? They're all out of work, and they wanna work." So, that's when it became a perfect storm, and we just went for all our top choices, and every single one said yes. It was really just a dream come true. I felt like the luckiest man in America.
The thing is, it is true. There's a lot of stuff out there for people to watch, and having a lot of actors that people recognize really helps get people to watch something when there are choices between a few things.
OLIVEROS: Exactly.
You obviously made this on a budget, so what were you most concerned about pulling off with the schedule and budget you had?
OLIVEROS: Good question. I think it really was just about recreating the set as faithfully as possible.
ANDERSON: Which was an amazing set. I was blown away. It was so good.
OLIVEROS: You can see the source material, you can find it online, and there's a lot of people who grew up watching the show, so if we pull that off, we know that people are gonna get into the story. So, we really spent a lot of time discussing how the set was gonna look, making sure that the board was working, making sure that the podiums were working, making sure that they worked around the cameras, and we could fit our plan for the cinematography around those fixed sets. I think that was the biggest challenge, just making sure that we could pull it off so that then we could have it as our playground and make our movie.
Before this all happened, the board worked. There are five patterns, and then, obviously, they changed it. Did you purposely do the five patterns when you were programming? And how many people wanted to play the game when they were not filming and just see what they could do with it?
OLIVEROS: Yes, it is five patterns. We programmed the five patterns, and we made sure that Paul was looking. He kind of memorized the five patterns when we were shooting, so it was easy for him to land with his eyes when we were shooting at him on the correct one so that then it could match. But yeah, we did program the five patterns. I don't know, did you feel like playing with the board?
ANDERSON: [Laughs] Personally, I'm just bad at games, period, so no. I would have embarrassed myself. But I was just fascinated with the fact of how identical it looked. When you walk into the studio, I felt like I was actually on Press Your Luck. The audience was actually there. They actually had the signs that said, "Applause Now," "Laugh Now." They had everything. I've been on a lot of sets and this one, it could have probably turned into a game show the next morning if you guys wanted to.
I swear, if I had been on set I would have been like, "Everyone needs to leave. I need like 30 minutes to actually play."
ANDERSON: With no cash prizes, obviously.
No, I just want to push the button and see what I could actually do.
ANDERSON; And the thing actually turned around, which was really cool.
Again, I would have lost my mind.
Paul Walter Hauser, Are You Free for a Wrestling Movie? Shamier Anderson is casting.
So, you see the shooting schedule in front of you. What day did you have circled in terms of, "I can't wait to film this," and what day was circled in terms of, "How the F are we gonna film this?"
OLIVEROS: Good question. Day one is always an awkward one because everyone's just warming up to their characters and getting ready for the movie for the month ahead. So we again had in-depth conversations with the team, and we realized that showing up to a game show as a contestant is also kind of nerve-wracking, so we decided to start with the very first introduction of the game show on day one, which made a lot of sense. So Paul, day one, was introduced as Michael Larson, and it was his first day on set so that awkwardness was really working for us on camera. Same with all of the other characters. We took advantage of the fact that it was gonna be a weird moment for everyone on stage on a fake game show. That was a fun day, and it worked in our advantage. What about you? What was your favorite?
ANDERSON: The shooting schedule was very tight and very ambitious, so every day for me was a fun day. Any day I got to do scenes with Paul. He's a funny guy on and off camera.
Did you talk about wrestling?
ANDERSON: We talked about wrestling, and I'm Canadian, and one of our favorite wrestlers is Edge -- Adam Copeland! Shoutout Adam Copeland, who's one of Paul's favorite wrestlers. We have the same manager, Daniel, and so I met Adam Copeland, who's a big Canadian wrestler. He's an icon. And Trish Stratus. But yes, we spoke about all the wrestling, and that's what we talked about. That guy is an avid wrestling fan. No, I don't think avid is the right word.
No, I don't think "avid" is the right word.
ANDERSON: What's the word?
Obsessive.
ANDERSON: Obsessive. This man is an obsessive. So, I would do a wrestling movie with Paul Walter Hauser tomorrow. Trish Stratus, Adam Copeland, if you're watching, you wanna make a movie? Samir's gonna direct it. I just offered you up, Samir. Daniel, make it happen. He manages Trish and Adam.
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I'm fascinated by the editing process because it's where it all comes together. How did this film possibly change in the editing room in ways you didn't expect?
OLIVEROS: We are very rigorous with our focus groups, so once we had a first cut of the movie, we started screening it. Then we had a month in which we were editing from Monday to Friday to screen it on Saturday, and get feedback on Saturday. We had people fill out surveys, and then go back to the editing room again from Monday to Friday.
ANDERSON: I didn't know all this. That's amazing.
OLIVEROS: We did it in LA, and that really ended up polishing the movie. That's how we got it to 90 minutes, and that's when we tested it, and we realized, "Okay, it's landing. The beats are landing. We have a movie. We have a crowd-pleaser."
Did you have a much longer cut originally?
OLIVEROS: Yeah, it was two hours and 20 minutes, the very first version of it.
Were there certain storylines or certain things that you had to cut?
ANDERSON: All my bad scenes are what got cut out of the movie. He wants to spare the world all my shitty acting.
[Laughs] I don't think that's true.
OLIVEROS: We started getting the same note on the fact that people were just there for the game show part of the movie. We had two scenes before that started that we realized were not necessary, and we got rid of them so that we could keep the main character more of a mystery as he got into the game show -- Paul. But really, it just became about rhythm. Those two hours and 20 minutes were the very first version of the movie, and then we just started polishing and polishing, and it became very rhythmic. We ended up chopping and making things very dynamic.
I say this all the time: all that matters is the finished film. You could have a four-hour cut that gets down to 90 minutes -- if that's the best version of the film, then that's the best version.
OLIVEROS: Totally.
'John Wick: Chapter 4' Didn't Change Shamier Anderson (In His Family's Eyes) "Wash the dishes."
Shamier, you are also a producer. You do a lot of stuff. What exactly is it like for you now, in terms of what you're working on behind the scenes besides this project?
ANDERSON: Besides this project, I got a lot of cool things happening, just creating with other creatives. I DJ right now, which is a lot of fun.
Thanks for the invite.
ANDERSON: Oh, you're always invited, first and foremost. You're just unavailable because you're so busy.
That is not true. I would fly up. I'm joking.
ANDERSON: [Laughs] I'm doing that stuff, which is fun. It's exciting. I'm back home premiering The Luckiest Man in America in my hometown with this guy and other cast members, and it's just fun.
I love the John Wick movies. What was it like after [ John Wick: Chapter 4 ] came out for you in terms of friends and family being like, "Get the F out of here?"
ANDERSON: My family is Jamaican as they come, which means they just see me for me -- just Shamier -- so actually, there's been no change, to be honest. [Laughs] It's just like, "Oh, it's another movie that Sham's in. Clean your room." You know what I mean? "Wash the dishes." But it's love, it's love. But I will say, if you do a movie with Keanu Reeves, that's really the moment, and so people have responded really well. I'm really the luckiest kid in Canada to be a part of a cast like that.
Listen, I have to bring up John Wick anytime I talk to anyone.
ANDERSON: Of course!
It's a constant thing, also. Keanu is the best. Literally, just the nicest, nicest guy.
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Talk a little bit about how tough was it to get the financing and to get this project off the ground, or was it one of these things because of the luck and the notoriety and people knowing the story a little bit, was it a little easier?
OLIVEROS: Definitely having something it was inspired by helped financing, but it really started working in our favor when we got Paul. Once he joined as the lead, things started to fall into place, which makes sense. You need somebody that big.
ANDERSON: Also talented, though. Talent is so important. I think his stature is one thing, but as creatives, there's the supernova esoteric element of being actors. When it comes down to it, I think Samir assembled great actors. Yeah, we have resumes and cool things that we've done, but Paul shows his taste. Also, Samir's taste, because if Samir has taste enough to hire Paul, who I think is just the perfect casting for Michael Larson, he's kind of a draw. And I think when you get a guy like Paul, then you got a guy like Walton, and then it just kind of keeps funneling in. But he's the actor's actor, in my opinion.
Oh, yeah. Also, I am a huge fan of Walton.
ANDERSON: He's great.
He's having a little bit of a moment with Fallout and everything he does.
OLIVEROS: Amazing guy. It was a pleasure to have him on set.
Samir Oliveros on His All-Star Cast: "I'm There to Make It Run As a Team" "They know how to act."
Talking about this all-star cast, what is it like for you? You haven't directed that many movies. What is it like when you're giving direction to really talented actors and helping craft the performance?
OLIVEROS: I'm a big fan of soccer, so when José Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid, and he had all the stars on his team, he said, "I'm not gonna teach Cristiano Ronaldo how to kick a ball. I'm just gonna teach him how to play as a team with everyone else." That's pretty much the approach that I took when directing these guys. They know how to act. I'm not there to teach them how to do it, but I'm there to make it run as a team. That was my job, making sure that everyone was listening to each other and they were doing it together as a team.
I couldn't do what you do. So, we're at the Toronto International Film Festival. I believe you were shooting this movie like a year ago or less. At any point during the shoot, were you like, "We're going to TIFF?" This is my favorite film festival, and being here is a privilege and an honor. What does it mean to you?
OLIVEROS: It's amazing. Yeah, exactly a year ago, we were finishing the third week of principal photography, so we had not even finished shooting the movie. I always tell this guy if I had known that I would be premiering a year later at TIFF, I wouldn't have believed it. It's really just a dream come true. And everything ended up pointing to Toronto -- this guy, some of the investors are from Toronto, my producers from Toronto. It was TIFF.
Obviously, you're gonna be making another movie. Are you looking at other scripts? Are you writing? What are you thinking about?
OLIVEROS: I'm writing a lot. We have the next one pretty far into development.
You wanna tease what it's called?
ANDERSON: Tease us, tease us!
OLIVEROS: It's a single-location pressure cooker but in the hotel industry world. It's about a reggaeton artist who decides to overstay his welcome for a weekend and then just starts to cause a lot of trouble.
ANDERSON: Geez, it's like Phone Booth meets something else.
OLIVEROS: Meets The Luckiest Man in America.
ANDERSON: The Luckiest Man in America.
On that note, I really want to say congratulations on the film. I know it will get released because of the performances and the film. Is it for sale here?
OLIVEROS: It is.
Yeah, I'm not worried about the movie. Thank you so much for coming into our studio. I wish you nothing the best.
Special thanks to this year's partners of the Cinema Center x Collider Studio at TIFF 2024 including presenting Sponsor Range Rover Sport as well as supporting sponsors Peoples Group financial services, poppi soda, Don Julio Tequila, Legend Water and our venue host partner Marbl Toronto. And also Roxstar Entertainment, our event producing partner and Photagonist Canada for the photo and video services.
The Luckiest Man in America Thriller
May 1984. An unemployed ice cream truck driver steps onto the game show Press Your Luck harboring a secret: the key to endless money. But his winning streak is threatened when the bewildered executives uncover his real motivations.
Director Samir Oliveros Cast Walton Goggins , Haley Bennett , Paul Walter Hauser , Maisie Williams , Lilli Kay , David Strathairn , Brian Geraghty , David Rysdahl , Patti Harrison , Johnny Knoxville , Shaunette Renée Wilson , James Wolk , Shamier Anderson , Ricky Russert , Tatiana Ronderos Runtime 90 Minutes Writers Maggie Briggs , Samir Oliveros Expand