We know Columbus Short has the moves from Stomp the Yard. Now he’s going to have to use them to save the day. Armored stars Short as the new guy in a crew of armored truck security guards. When the gang decides to pull an inside job, only the new guy can stop them. We saw Short and his costars filming scenes around the crashed truck on the Sony Pictures lot while they were still in production.

Columbus Short Armored Set Visit Interview

You play kind of a newbie in the film.
Columbus Short: "I’m the newbie.

They coerce me. The guys – Laurence Fishburne, Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Skeet [Ulrich] and Amaury [Nolasco] – they coerce me into joining them on this heist, to get $42 million, and it goes awry. It’s kind of like Public Enemy #1. It’s hilarious."

Matt [Dillon] was saying that we’d be the most sympathetic with your character. Why is that?

Columbus Short: "He’s the hero. He’s the guy who’s going to foil the bad guys’ plan and wait for the cops."

It’s been kind of a boys’ club on the set, hasn’t it?

Columbus Short: "Yeah, it is. Look, you’ve got the big alpha dogs. [Barking] 'Woof-woof!' You’ve got Jean Reno. He’s a little 'Oui-oui' French, but he’s a big man."

He’s played some bad-asses in his time.

Columbus Short: "He’s a badass in this movie. It’s been great, though, because I’ve been learning so much about the craft. Everyone’s been so open with sharing their pearls and wanting the movie to be good. It’s a blessing, and it’s humbling. I can’t believe I’m doing a scene with Laurence Fishburne, and he has his arm around me.

It’s cool. [Laughing] Our second day of working – and this is when I knew he was going to be my man – he comes up behind me while I’m just sitting there chillin’ and goes, 'This is going to feel a little weird.' And I was like, 'Oh, sh-t. That’s Morpheus!'"

They’re setting Matt on fire today. What are they doing to you?

Columbus Short: "I’m the one who sets him on fire. I’m the one behind it."

You’re the one who rigs the truck?

Columbus Short: "I’m the one who rigs the truck."

Why do you rig the truck?

Columbus Short: "I spend the second half of the movie in the back of the truck trying to MacGyver my way to…ending the situation. Matt’s character, Cochrane, is my godfather in the movie, so it’s this story of betrayal between the two of us. This man I’ve looked up to my whole life, who’s taken me and my brother in, he turns his back and he’s doing something reckless. That starts the divide halfway through the movie. Then I’m in the back of the armored truck, and I’ve got to figure this out. But I’m an ex-Marine, so that comes in handy. My quick thinking and ingenuity."

What sorts of stunts are you doing?

Columbus Short: "I’m doing everything. They’ve let me do all my stunts, which is great. I’m parkour-ing, I’m climbing up buildings, I’m jumping off trucks, I’m freaking crashing trucks into buildings. It’s like all your childhood dreams coming true."

You had to do parkour training?

Columbus Short: "I did. I mean, I’m kind of agile, but I had to do a little. It’s awesome. [Laughing] Now I’m going to go free running in the Promenade and show off my skills."

After District B13, it’s been sort of the thing to do in action movies.

Columbus Short: "What I’m doing in this movie is not necessarily parkour as much as it’s just this guy who knows how to maneuver through bars and obstacle courses, and he does it kind of stealthy so it looks Marine-like. I am neither one of those things, but I’m acting like I am."

Did you have to go through training for that?

Columbus Short: "I’ve been working with these stunt guys for about four months now, so we just talk it through and rehearse it. I can do most of the stuff without cables, but they have to put the cables on so you can be safe. But it’s great to challenge yourself to do things you’ve never done. My body’s beat up worse than it’s been beat up in my life, but it’s fantastic. It’s worth it."

Were you looking for an action movie to do?

Columbus Short: "I was looking for an action drama. I was looking for something that was high stakes and set in the realm in reality – not Justice League and not Passenger 57. I wanted something that was real. You’ve seen a little bit of it - it’s going to blow people away. There hasn’t been a movie like this in years, and it’s refreshing. Well, maybe last year…No Country for Old Men. It has that anxiety. It has that, 'Oh, my God!' To see Matt Dillon playing a bad guy… it’s an interesting journey."

It seems like there’s a little bit of Reservoir Dogs in there.

Columbus Short: "Absolutely. Same DP. But Nimrod Antal is doing a fantastic job. He’s a genius. Honestly, he’s a genius. He’s prepared. He’s over-prepared. And he’s just knocking it out. 'Boom, boom, boom.' He knows what he wants, he knows what his vision is, and to see it come to fruition is friggin’ amazing."

It’s not often you see a director walking around that worked up.

Columbus Short: "You know when you’re making magic. It’s not every movie. It’s far and few between, actually. But sometimes you know when you’re doing a movie where it feels special and it feels right. You feel the magic. You know you’re doing something right, that’s going to contribute to the film industry instead of being another piece of 'blah'."

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More Armored Set Visit Interviews - Matt Dillon / Milo Ventimiglia