With an on-screen career that dates back to 1970, Don Johnson has had a long career full of diverse roles, but he is arguably known best for playing heroic police officers. Audiences have spent hours and hours watching his adventures as Detective James Crockett in Miami Vice and Inspector Nash Bridges in the character’s eponymous series, and that has given him a certain image in pop culture. As such, it has been notable to see him play antagonistic lawmen in recent years, including the HBO series Watchmen and the new Jeremy Saulnier movie Rebel Ridge , and it’s not only been surprising for audiences, but for the filmmakers who cast him as well.
I interviewed Don Johnson late last month during the virtual press day for Rebel Ridge (now available to stream with a Netflix subscription ), and I opened the conversation noting the contrast between his most famous TV roles and the character Chief Sandy Burnne. Given his long established reputation as a performer, he recognizes that filmmakers want to work with him, but simultaneously, he has found that they are shocked when he accepts the roles they present. Said Johnson, I think that a lot of filmmakers just want to work with me.
And they're surprised usually when I accept taking these parts that I'm not generally associated with. They're always surprised. Every one of these directors has said to me, ‘I would've put money that you wouldn't do this.
’ I Watched Rebel Ridge, And I Really Like How The Ending Defies Action Movie.