Jeff Bridges: Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson Helped with ‘Hell or High Water’ Role

Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham sat down with BackstageOL’s Dave Morales to chat about playing Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton and deputy Alberto, respectively, in the upcoming heist crime film Hell or High Water.

To play Texas Rangers, Bridges and Birmingham had assistance from a true Texas Ranger, Joaquin Jackson, who served as a Texas Ranger for nearly thirty years and even had a small acting career, appearing in films such as 1995’s The Good Old Boys with Tommy Lee Jones and 2015’s Wild Horses with Robert Duvall.

“We had Joaquin Jackson on the set,” Bridges revealed. “He’s no longer with us unfortunately…[he] passed away a couple of weeks ago. But he was just so, so helpful to have on the set. [He’d] keep us on track. Even more than what he said, just the vibe that you kind of got from him…you kind of soaked that up.”

Birmingham added that Jackson would give them a thumbs-up after shooting scenes. “It just encouraged and supported you to just be stronger with whatever those characters were,” he said.

Check out the official synopsis for Hell or High Water from CBS Films:

A story about the collision of the Old and New West, two brothers — Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger — come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet. Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest law man and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide.

Watch the interview with Bridges and Birmingham below:

Hell or High Water hits theaters Friday, August 12.