Working tirelessly for over 25 years as an actor, Frank Grillo didn’t catch his stride in Hollywood until his turn as Brenden Conlon’s (Joel Edgerton) no-nonsense trainer, Frank Campana, in 2011’s “Warrior.” A flurry of substantive roles followed in noteworthy films such as “The Grey,” “End of Watch,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “The Purge: Anarchy,” “The Purge: Election Year,”and ‘Wolf Warrior 2,” China’s highest-grossing film and the biggest in history outside of Hollywood. Grillo’s latest films, “Point Blank” and “Into the Ashes,” have back-to-back releases this month, with “Point Blank” hitting Netflix on July 12 and “Into the Ashes” hitting select theaters and VOD platforms on July 19.

“Into the Ashes” depicts a haunting, bleak, albeit poetic, world of crime, redemption, and the subjectivity of “right” and “wrong” in rural Alabama. A captivating revenge thriller, the film stars Grillo as a seemingly ruthless gang leader hellbent on getting his crime family back. “Point Blank,” director Joe Lynch‘s remake of Fred Cavayé‘s “À bout portant,” produced under Grillo and frequent collaborator Joe Carnahan‘s production company, Warparty, reunites Grillo with his MCU costar Anthony Mackie. Contrasting “Into the Ashes’” meticulous pacing, Lynch’s crime-comedy provides viewers with mile-a-minute action and dialogue.

Approaching the release of “Into the Ashes,” I had the opportunity to speak with Grillo about what he liked about writer and director Aaron Harvey‘s script, the false connotation of the term “bad guy,” how MMA has shaped his acting career, aligning his work with his passion with his work with Carnahan, working with Mackie again in “Point Blank,” returning to “The Purge,” franchise, and more.

What initially drew you to “Into the Ashes?”

It really reminded me, when I read the script, which was sparse, of “No Country for Old Men.” And then I spoke to Aaron [Harvey], the director and writer, and he actually brought the film up as well. So, that’s kind of my template. And James Badge Dale is a guy who I love working with, and he’s one of the finest actors out there. And it all really came together quickly. And we executed it exactly the way we talked about it. In the terms of a true independent little film that is hard to make – it’s a thriller/drama – it’s the fuel that lights my fire, as far as being an actor. It’s a great little movie, and it’s unapologetic, and it really does exactly what it should be doing.

Read the rest of the interview at The Playlist.