The Direct sat down with The Luckiest Man in America star Paul Walter Hauser where the actor spoke about how his latest film balances fiction with the true story.
The movie follows a down-on-his-luck man, driving an ice cream truck, with thrifted clothes, who manages to be picked as the next contestant on the once famous CBS game show Press Your Luck. Little does everyone know that he's actually harboring a secret that will lead to him making a record-breaking amount of money.
The Luckiest Man In America is actually based on the true story of Michael Larson, who unexpectedly won $110,237 in 1984 thanks to secretly memorizing the five "random" patterns of the game's lottery board.
Paul Walter Hauser on How the Film Uses the True Story and Adds Fiction
Some of the Film Is True, But There Are Certainly Fabrications Within.
- The Direct: "This is obviously based on a true story. What were some of the key, you know, dramatizations of the film compared to its real-life counterpart?"
Paul Walter Hauser: I think we very much were trying to vote in favor of Michael and make him more of an anti-hero and an underdog, as it were. I think we want to show that this guy means well, but he's doing it in this deceptive, surreptitious manner. I think that the lengths we go to for the CBS studio heads to fight back in war against his tactics, that's obviously more fabricated for the sake of a film narrative, but everything else is pretty darn close.
I mean, this is what the guy did. This is how folks reacted. It was almost a lawsuit. There was almost this big attack back on him to retrieve the funds or not give it to him in the first place. But in reality, he hadn't cheated. He had gained the system by way of genuine, ulterior strategies, just like the movie 'Moneyball,' nobody cheated in the 'Moneyball' scenerio. They just figured out a better way to do it.
- The Direct: "This movie tries really hard to make it feel like to audiences that Michael Larson is not a good dude. He's sketchy. Can you clarify in your own words and your perspective, is Michael a good man?"
Paul Walter Hauser: Oh, man. It depends on what the criteria for a good man is, which is subjective, I'm sure, with most folks. I think I used to think a good man had a lot more to do with classical masculinity and what I've learned through the years being a husband and father now, with the third kid on the way, it's like being a good man is all about honesty and accountability and being able to show favor and kindness when you don't always feel like it. I think that's real masculinity and what makes a good man.
By the same token, Michael Larson, I think he wanted to be a good father, but I think he was actually usurping a lot of his duties of fatherhood in the name of providing. He was claiming to be this benefactor, doing these things for his family. But you know, if you really cared about your family, it wouldn't come at this cost. You would be content working a nine-to-five job and being around more, not chasing game shows or Ponzi schemes.
- The Direct: "It's so crazy, you keep everything so intense, yet a lot of the film, you're in the same spot, spinning and just pressing the same button. What was it like keeping that engaging?"
Paul Walter Hauser: It makes it more intense. It makes it a pressure cooker... you might be a half a second away from losing $40,000, you know. The consequences, albeit in a silly environment, the stakes themselves are actually quite high for Michael and the others.
The full video interview can be found here:
The Luckiest Man in America hits theaters on April 4, 2025.
