Jack Quaid is back in theaters with another film to prove himself as one of Hollywood’s most charismatic and versatile actors, once again using his talent to blend action, comedy, and emotion to provide a performance that packs an emotional punch. Rising into the public eye thanks to his performance as Hughie Campbell in The Boys in 2019, Quaid has demonstrated his versatility across several genres in recent years. From donning the Ghostface mask in 2022’s Scream revival, to voicing Clark Kent in the animated My Adventures With Superman series, to showing his grasp on complex characters in Companion, Quaid has earned a reputation for providing consistently layered characters.

In his latest film, Novocaine, Quaid takes on the role of Nate Caine, a man who cannot feel pain, leading to a unique and physically demanding performance. Speaking with Collider’s Joe Schmidt, Quaid opened up about his experience working on Novocaine alongside Amber Midthunder (Prey), his love for action movies, and how he approached playing a character with such an unusual condition.

Beyond the action-packed thrills, Quaid dives into his admiration for the John Wick franchise, the careful physicality required to bring Nate to life on the big screen, and the fun challenges of performing stunts for Novocaine—some of which involved hanging upside down and navigating booby-trapped fight sequences. He also shares behind-the-scenes details on learning to use a tattoo machine for the film and teases ideas for a potential sequel to the film.

Jack Quaid’s Versatility Is Displayed in ‘Novocaine’

“…it’s about how much my ass can get kicked, and my character keeps getting back up.”

COLLIDER: You have such great chemistry with Erin Moriarty in The Boys, you have great chemistry with Maya Erskine in Plus One, and now you have amazing chemistry with Amber Midthunder in Novocaine. What is your secret? How do you do this everyman stuff where you’re just the most charming, lovable person?

JACK QUAID: Thank you! All those actresses you just named are just incredible. It’s easy when you’re doing a scene with somebody like that. I think all chemistry really is is two actors who are willing to listen to each other, and I feel like I try to be the best listener I can possibly be, and all of them are incredible listeners as well, and also just so talented in so many ways. I got really lucky being paired with Amber, who’s such a badass in her own right. I was a fan before she was even cast, and I remember the directors texting me being like, “WE GOT AMBER MIDTHUNDER!!!” In all caps, all the exclamation points. I just want to keep working with her forever. She’s amazing.

She is great. What drew you to this role? It’s a little bit of a blend of romance, which you’re familiar with, and also action that you’re familiar with, but this is a unique approach to it.

QUAID: The action stuff is what really drew me to the role just because I had done rom-coms in the past, and I had kind of an awakening watching John Wick 4. I remember seeing it in theaters, and it was this noticeable step up in every single department of that franchise. I love that franchise already, but the stunts were incredible. I think Keanu Reeves deserves an Oscar for his stunt work. The fact that he’s able to do all of that in character…he has a certain physicality that is specific to John Wick, and not the rest of his roles. I just think it was so impressive to watch. So, I’ve been an action movie fan for a very long time, and I like that the goal of this movie is to try to harken back to those character-based action movies of the ‘80s and ‘90s where, yes, the action is impressive, but you care about these characters, and you care about these people. All of that drew me in.

I wouldn’t say anyone thinks of me as a Keanu Reeves, but I really wanted to get into the action space, and this was the perfect project where it’s not about how much I can kick ass, it’s about how much my ass can get kicked, and my character keeps getting back up. I wanted to contrast how absolutely gnarly the movie is with a sweetness to the character of Nate. I think he’s the sweetest character I’ve ever played. He’s a total sweetie, and I love that about him.

My son’s name is Nate.

QUAID: Oh, amazing! Nates are always good. Nates are always good people, I’ve found.

Hanging Out (Upside Down) for ‘Novocaine’s Stunts

“I love getting physical with a character, and this movie just gave me every opportunity to do that.”

What was your favorite stunt from this movie? What was the most fun for you to pull off in this one?

QUAID: First, I have to give my stunt double, Hristo [Dimitrov], a lot of credit, as well. He took some of those bigger hits that were so impressive and cool. But in terms of the fights, there were two fights that I loved doing so much. There’s a fight in the kitchen that’s kind of my first fight in the movie, and we get to have a lot of fun with just being in the kitchen and all the little things that happen within an active kitchen with Nate’s condition. That was unbelievable. That was the first fight scene we really shot, so it’s kind of our first, “Okay, let’s see if we can pull this off.” Discovering little bits as we went was so rewarding and so fun. I love getting physical with a character, and this movie just gave me every opportunity to do that.

There’s a rundown house sequence, and there are some booby traps, and all of those were very fun to do. Getting to hang upside down for a very long time was very interesting. I can do that for longer than I thought I could. It was insane. But, yeah, it was all very, very fun.

That’s a very fun sequence. The Home Alone traps…

QUAID: Oh, yeah. Very Home Alone. What I love about Nate at that point in the movie is that he’s just a little bit mad that this is all happening to him anymore. The shock has worn off, and he’s just a little pissed, and I love that so much.

He’s just annoyed.

QUAID: Yeah, just like, “Ugh! Another one.”

Portraying a Man Without Pain in ‘Novocaine’

“He has to keep himself at an arm’s distance from the world because just because he doesn’t feel pain doesn’t mean that he can’t get hurt.”

That brings me to my next question, because I think one of the most interesting things about the character Nate Caine is that, of course, he doesn’t experience pain. How does that change your approach, not just to the stunts and the violence and the action, but also your physicality? Because the beginning of the movie begins with a montage of you going through your morning routine, and then also, there are the parts where you get intimate with Amber Midthunder’s character, and I just want to know how you approach that as an actor when you know, “I don’t sense these things the way other people do.” How do you physically embody that?

QUAID: Absolutely. That character goes through a really big arc in the movie. He has to keep himself at an arm’s distance from the world, because just because he doesn’t feel pain doesn’t mean that he can’t get hurt. He has a very regimented, scheduled, very safe life intentionally, and he’s living alone. He’s a guy that usually spends most of his time in his apartment or going to work and being at the bank, and that’s it. So, in the beginning of the movie, I’m sitting very straightforward, very upright, very careful of all of my surroundings, checking visually, because I wouldn’t be able to know if I stepped on a nail or anything. Then I try to get looser in my physicality as the movie goes because, yes, it’s this guy who can’t feel pain. It’s an action movie, and it’s wild and crazy, but he’s really like a new person in the world.

He’s kind of discovering the world for the first time. He doesn’t really leave his apartment ever. So, that’s kind of the journey I was going on with him. He’s just like a new being in the real world. He’s never really been out to a restaurant all that much in his life, or definitely not to a tattoo parlor or any of the crazy places he goes. It’s a journey of really coming into himself, which I tried as best as I could to display with my physicality.

Interesting. Would you try to give yourself a tattoo in real life?

QUAID: No. Dear God, no. I did have to learn how to use a tattoo machine for this movie, which was insane. There’s a tattoo artist who ran me through the ropes of doing it. They gave me these — it sounds gross — but these sheets to practice with. They’re sheets of fake skin that I tattooed little smiley faces on and stuff like that. So, if you wanted a tattoo of a smiley face, I could provide it. I’m just gonna set up a booth outside.

There’s a Gleam of Sequel Potential in Quaid’s Eye

“I think what I want to do with a potential second one is embrace San Diego a bit more.”

Perfect. This can obviously turn into a franchise of sequels, all things considered. I’m sure you guys have been cooking up some crazy scenarios. Is there a stunt, maybe, that you wanted to do in this one, or a sequence that was cut, or something that you’re looking forward to doing in a future film?

QUAID: Oh, man. We would love that. I hope people like it enough for us to be able to do that one day. That’d be amazing. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. It’d be very cool. I think what I want to do with a potential second one is embrace San Diego a bit more. I want there to be maybe a sequence in the Gaslamp District, or maybe have a run through Comic-Con or something and have to weave through cosplayers.

In terms of the stunts or the injuries or anything like that, I think Dan [Berk] and Bobby [Olsen] and the team come up with such good injuries and stunts, and they’re all kind of riding that line of believability. If we kept going, I’d like to keep that alive, where it’s like, “Okay, he’d get hurt from this, but he wouldn’t necessarily die.” Save those for the more dire situations.

The San Diego Comic-Con Convention Center.

QUAID: Exactly. You can have a fun chase sequence in that intersection. I’m sure you’ve been there a lot where it’s all the different people mixing on the train tracks, and just having something set there would be so cool.

Pedal cabs in the street.

QUAID: Exactly! Oh my God, a pedal cab chase? We have to have it. That would be amazing.

Novocaine premieres in theaters on March 14.