That made Saulnier reach out to him for the role.
“I’ve been a fan of his for as long as I can remember, and I’ve tracked him for decades. With the character of Chief Sandy Burnne, there was an opportunity to let Don have a little fun and chew on some dialogue but hold close his ability to come off dead serious and almost reptilian,” Saulnier told us.
He continued, “We’d get quiet, keep it subtle, almost create live theater between him and Aaron Pierre. The core of the movie is the charge between those two — not only the potential for violence, but that contrasting idea of sort of gentlemanly respect. Game recognizes game.”