“They let me improvise,” Derek Hamilton reflects on playing Razor in NFS Most Wanted and how EA didn’t invite him to the launch party

Need for Speed: Most Wanted took street racing to a whole new level with its open-world city and police chases. The heat system and pursuit mechanics were new for the series, but what really stuck with everyone were those cutscenes – real actors, green screens, and that gritty, comic-book-meets–music-video vibe. It was flashy, over the top, and totally early 2000s – like Fast & Furious crossed with Sin City, just on a lower budget. And the main antagonist, Razor, fits perfectly into the game’s exaggerated tone. Well, it turns out, a lot of his lines weren’t even scripted, the actor came up with them on the spot.

The making of Razor in NFS: Most Wanted

Szymon “Rusnar” Rusnarczyk from TVGRY YouTube channel made a video about NFS: Most Wanted, as the game turned 20 this year, and had a chat with Derek Hamilton, the actor who played Razor Callahan. The interview starts at 12:32.

Derek explained that his audition was mostly improvised, the character wasn’t even called Razor at the time, and he only had a few dialogue notes and a short description to work with. EA was keeping things pretty secret, so he didn’t really know what the project was about. He ended up making up his own things to say, played the part, and eventually found out he got the role.

Related:Fan Recreates Need for Speed: Most Wanted in Real Life

He based the character’s persona on local wrestlers he watched as a kid and on people he grew up around. As a result, a lot of Razor’s personality came from his own experiences and spontaneous performance rather than a set script. So, many of Razor’s most memorable quotes actually came straight from Derek himself. When asked which ones were his favorites, he said:

Source: NFS: Most Wanted; Developer: Electronic Arts

Behind the scenes of NFS: Most Wanted – and who really spilled the oil?

While filming NFS: Most Wanted, Derek and the cast weren’t actually sitting in real cars, they used apple boxes and held hula hoops as steering wheels. Most of the time, tiny Hot Wheels cars stood in for the real vehicles. The set was carefully planned, with everything choreographed for movement and timing, but it was still a fun, trusting environment. Since then, Derek has done some TV, movie, and stunt work, but he doesn’t see acting as a full-time career, he just takes whatever opportunities come his way.

And of course, Derek was asked who he thinks was really behind the sabotage in the game – who spilled that oil under player’s car:

Source: NFS: Most Wanted; Developer: Electronic Arts

Around 41:11 in the video, Derek was asked if working on the game had influenced his life. He said it allowed him to meet more people, but it didn’t really change his life. He shared that EA didn’t even invite him to a huge NFS: Most Wanted launch party in Los Angeles.

But it looks like Derek doesn’t hold a grudge against EA, and now he just looks back on it and laughs. Razor would probably give them something to think about in the most exaggerated way possible.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)

November 15, 2005

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