On January 28, 2012, GamerFitNation’s Antwand “BlackBible” Pearman got a chance to sit down with the talented Director, Daniel Espinosa, along with other press to ask questions about his upcoming movie, Safe House, starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Espinosa made the 2010 film “Easy Money” a film originally known as “Snabba Cash“.

GFN: What inspired you to become a Director?

Daniel Espinosa: I met Johan Hallstrom, the son of director, Lasse Hallstorm, who made the 1993 film “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”. This was the inspiration for me to become a film director.

GFN: Did you feel your soul in this movie?

Daniel Espinosa: Yes, I did. When making this film I had to either see or experience an event that relates to me. One of the characters, Carlos, a friend of Frost is a representation of my father. I knew my “soul” was in the movie when I enjoy watching it.

GFN: How did it feel to work with Washington?

Daniel Espinosa: He is one of the best actors to work with. Denzel captured the character Tobin Frost perfectly. When shooting this I was going for fearful and mesmerizing, and he delivered. He also did most of his own stunts. In fact, there is a scene where he actually allowed himself to be “WaterBoarded.”

GFN: Did you shoot on location?

Daniel Espinosa: Yes I did, we were in Cape Town, South Africa.

GFN: We noticed that some scenes had tight viewpoints giving the feel that we as the viewer were in the film. What was your direction in shooting the film?

Daniel Espinosa: I used a documentary style of shooting, using a camera with a wide lens and stayed close to the actors. I wanted the audience to feel that they were a part of the film and not just watching it.

GFN: How did you come up with the action scenes?

Daniel Espinosa: I am all about realism and using the environment around you. Therefore, I got Olivier Schneider who choreographed the fight scenes in the 2008 film “Taken”. He is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and really helped bring the films fight scenes together.

GFN: What kind of music did you choose?

Daniel Espinosa: I chose classical music because I wanted the music to have a conflict with the action scenes, especially in the case of shoot-outs. I wanted both the music and gun effects to make you feel like were a part of the movie.

Daniel Espinosa is a very down to earth man who truly cares about his art form. Espinosa’s movie Safe House is in theaters on Feb 10, 2012, and I highly recommend you watch it. I look forward to seeing him in future films as I expect great things from this very real and skilled Director.