No vampires were spotted at the Day Shift premiere — just Jamie Foxx and the cast slaying the bloody red carpet. The movie, out Friday, stars Foxx as a Los Angeles vampire hunter who accidentally finds himself dodging the most dangerous blood sucker in Southern California.
And while the baddie vamp Audrey (Karla Souza) has some fearsome kills under her belt, Foxx’s Bud Jablonski has some moves of his own. His family might think he’s a San Fernando Valley pool cleaner, but that’s a front for his work hunting vampires. “He’s the badass in the film,” confirmed star Natasha Liu Bordizzo on the red carpet at the movie’s premiere in downtown Los Angeles.
There’s plenty of badassery in the movie thanks to director J.J. Perry’s background as a stunt coordinator and also thanks to the gruesome, contortionist vampires that creep their way throughout the film. Perry and co-writers Tyler Tice and Shay Hatten wanted to create their own style of vampire but were also inspired by other on-screen undead.
“My biggest influences were The Lost Boys, of course,” Tice told Tudum from the red carpet, “and the first season of True Blood, which I think is one of the greatest seasons of television ever.”
Meagan Good, who stars as Bud’s ex-wife Jocelyn, said her favorite on-screen vampire, Blade, combines the best parts of all vampire lore: “He's a vampire and a vampire slayer. He also kicks a lot of ass, and I would love to be the female version of Blade!”
It wouldn’t be a movie set in LA without Snoop Dogg, a cultural icon and the embodiment of the City of Angels. The rapper stars as Big John, Bud’s vampire-hunting pal. The duo also collaborated on a song together for the film. “It was amazing working with Snoop. Snoop is the greatest,” Foxx said of his co-star and friend. “He is the ambassador of fun, entertainment and the ultimate coolness. So we had a great time watching him kick ass.”
Sharpen those fangs, because Day Shift premieres Aug. 12 on Netflix.
