PrintDean Cain plays smooth-talking con man in Hallmark Channel movie
Dean Cain saunters through The Gambler, The Girl and The Gunslinger (premiering Saturday, July 11, and encoring July 12, 17 and 18, on The Hallmark Channel) with all the smooth-talking sass of a natural-born con man, and the cheeky self-assurance of someone who's already read the last page of the script.
He's perfectly cast in the seriocomic Western as Shea McCall, a purposefully charming rogue who wins half-ownership of a thriving ranch during a poker game in 1860s Texas. His good fortune is bad news for semi-retired sharpshooter B.J. Stoker (James Tupper), the ranch's other half-owner. Stoker doesn't think kindly of the slick interloper. And his trigger finger gets even itchier when McCall aims to please a beautiful widowed neighbor (Allison Hossack) who's been a-hankerin' to lasso Stoker. It takes an imminent threat by Mexican army irregulars — led by a renegade French commander — to turn the wary rivals into reluctant allies.
Cain, the erstwhile super hero of TV's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, admits it was tough moving faster than a speeding bullet through the accelerated shooting schedule common to made-for-cable movies. But the 42-year-old actor is proud of the finished product, and says he would gladly get back in the saddle “in a heartbeat” for a sequel.
Q: Dean, you're at the top of your game in The Gambler, The Girl and The Gunslinger. But I have to ask: Is this rainiest Western ever made?
A: [Laughs] Well, we shot it in British Columbia, and I think we got there just in time for the monsoon season. I mean, it was crazy — we were just getting constantly rained upon. But we had to make do with what we had, and that was the weather we were given. And as they would do in the Old West, we powered right through. Fortunately, it was somewhat consistent. We didn't have to worry about matching shots because it was always raining.
Q: This is your first Western, isn't it?
A: Yes, and I must say it was quite enjoyable. It was one of my favorite things to shoot, ever. I mean, look — you get to ride horses, you get to shoot guns, you get to chase pretty ladies. And I was in a hat all day, which was perfect. I would take a shower when I got home from work, go to bed, wake up in the morning, throw a hat on — and go right back to work.
Q: How much experience on horseback did you have prior to filming?
A: Well, my dad [filmmaker Christopher Cain] is a cowboy. And he's also a director of things like Young Guns and Pure Country. And we have a beautiful ranch in Colorado. So I'm used to being around horses, and on horseback. Now, I admit, I hadn't been on horseback for a while. But I have had a lot of experience. And Danny Virtue, who was our stunt coordinator, is a good, hard-nosed teacher. And I responded well to that.
Q: Was it difficult working at such a brisk pace, on such a short schedule?
A: It's difficult when you have to blow things up, because you want to be very safe doing stunts and stuff like that. But James Tupper is just a very good actor, and we immediately hit it off, so were able to develop a rapport in no time at all. We both enjoyed our characters, and had a lot of fun playing them, and goofing off with them off-camera. So developing the relationship between the characters wasn't something that was forced or difficult to do.
Q: The Gambler, The Girl and The Gunslinger was directed by Anne Wheeler, a veteran Canadian filmmaker. Now tell the truth: Did you ever worry about making a Western directed by — well, you know, a girl?
A: [Laughs] Nah, I never had a moment of that. Let me tell you: God didn't make them much tougher than Anne Wheeler. Anywhere. Male or female. She is one tough nut. And she knows exactly what she's doing. There was no b.s., no confusion, no questions — she had all the answers. And she took the reins from the moment we got there.
