“No pain, no gain” takes on a whole literal meaning with the wild, wildly violent “Novocaine,” opening in theaters nationwide this week.
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine (hence the extra E in the title), a mild-mannered assistant bank manager in sunny San Diego whose carefully ordered life goes Splat! Bang! Big Pop! when two things happen.
First, he falls in love with bank cashier Sherry (Amber Midthunder) who has broken down his reserve with unreserved flirting.
Then, the bank is robbed, the manager murdered and Sherry kidnapped as a hostage.
Jack now has a mission: To save Sherry.
Only one major hurdle however: Jack has a rare genetic disorder that means he can feel no physical pain. He can’t eat solid food because he might bite off his tongue and never know it.
That also means that as he wildly chases the robbers and Sherry, he isn’t bothered by bullets, boiling oil, crashing cars.
“There actually are genetic disorders that exist where people cannot feel physical pain. Obviously, we take it to a very hyperreal place,” Quaid, 32, explained in a phone interview.
“Ours is not an exact interpretation of what that is, but it is real. Where I started from, I did research into the disorder but really tried to approach him from an emotional place.
“What does a disorder like that do to a person — in terms of how they relate to the world? I think he grew up very sheltered in a very safe environment.
“But just because he can’t feel pain doesn’t mean he can’t get hurt. So he has to essentially ‘baby proof’ his apartment. We say in the movie, he was bullied at school because people would try to test out that condition. So he was homeschooled after that.
“He has to live, by necessity for his own safety, a very sheltered, scheduled, regimented life.
“We meet him when he’s starting to long for more out of life — and that’s where Sherry comes in, getting him to come out of his shell. Take risks! Live his life.
“Yes,” Quaid acknowledged, “this is an insane action movie that’s just so gnarly, gory and intense. But to me, the emotional core of it is a guy coming into the world for the first time, taking risks, living his life. At its core, it’s a romance.”
A second generation actor following super successful parents, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, Quaid’s big break came with Amazon’s violently satirical superhero series “The Boys.” He’s now filming the series’ fifth and final season.
“I still audition for roles, but I’m incredibly lucky. To be given these opportunities is an absolute privilege. That’s very, very cool.”