Daniel Bernhardt Reflects On Why ‘Deathstalker’ Was A Total “No-Brainer”

Actor Daniel Bernhardt’s thirty year plus career has yielded such credits as Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Atomic Blonde, John Wick, and The Matrix Reloaded. Now he is front and center in director Steven Kostanski’s sword and sorcery tale Deathstalker. The Shout! Studios/Radial Entertainment feature is now playing in select theaters, and Bernhardt talked to Deepest Dream why starring in the film was a “no-brainer.”

Daniel Bernhardt was familiar with the original 1983 feature and the subsequent installments. “I’m a big fan of the old franchise, seen all the movies, and I love those kind of movies,” said Bernhardt, who added that Deathstalker gets the chance to wield a sword and fight monsters. “I mean, come on. It’s a no-brainer, right?”

All three of us at CinemAddicts highly recommend Deathstalker. Check out our review:

 

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Bernhardt had close friend Bob Odenkirk read the first 15 pages of the script, and Odenkirk delivered sound advice. “Don’t fall into the trap and try to make this funny,” said Bernhardt. “Play it real. Be real in the moment. That’s what I did. So I’m not trying to be funny –  it is just based on a reaction to what’s happening. And (director) Steven Kostanski is so open with his directing where he goes like, ‘Well, that was really funny, but let’s try this.'”

The movie co-stars Laurie Field as Deathstalker’s sidekick Doodad (voiced by Patton Oswalt), and Bernhardt also discussed how Field impacted his performance. Check out our full interview with Bernhardt:

Deathstalker is now playing in theaters. Share your thoughts on the film in the comments!