Dimitri Vegas Deep Dives Into the Making of his Debut Film [Interview]

Exron Music had the pleasure of catching up with Dimitri Vegas to discuss his latest movie, ‘HAZARD,’ and his exciting future in the film industry.

Dimitri Vegas is one of the biggest names in dance music and has a career that spans nearly two decades. A staple DJ during the early 2010s, the soundtrack to many pregames, a resident artist in Ibiza, and electric B2Bs with Like Mike; Vegas truly is a pioneer of a well-rounded artist.

During his career outside of music, he has created his clothing brand, POP CULTR, and now has begun acting. With a Netflix debut already under his belt, Vegas now can add actor and producer to his resume. His movie ‘HAZARD’ was released a few weeks back; Dimitri connected with Exron Music in between film promotion, preparing for Tomorrowland and his Ushuaia residency.

HAZARD is a pivot for the artist. The film focuses on a driver, Noah (played by Dimitri Vegas) involved in utter chaos on the streets. There are plot twists, illegal u-turns, and unsettling characters to round out the film.

Exron Music: Dimitri Vegas is a staple name in the dance music world with your prior summer residencies in Ibiza, award-winning duo with Like Mike, Tomorrowland performances, millions of streams on your releases, and more – how and why did you decide to enter the world of acting from DJing?

Dimitri Vegas: Well, music came first for me, I was drawn to music from a super early age and actually began collecting vinyl’s back in my teenage years. Back then, and still now, two of my biggest interests were comics and music. I always dreamt of submerging my life in the creative arts, whether that’s in a music studio, performing on stage or being on screen. It’s just something I naturally gravitated towards. I went from picking up DJing as a teenager to leaving home to pursue it as a career full time, playing holiday destinations around Europe, later landing in Ibiza. Acting came later in life, but it was also rooted in my goals.

EM: Hazard is an action movie, where your character, Noah, is pushed into a world of chaos where his family is in danger’s way. What was the most exciting part of filming? Are there any scenes you are most excited for viewers to watch?

DV: My character Noah had many crazy scenes in the film, especially alongside Carlos (Jeroen Perceval). There’s one scene in the movie where the two of us are going at it inside the car, whilst its moving I should add, and it’s a pretty insane moment! I think viewers will find that something fun to watch. It’s funny because Jeroen is actually a pretty chilled guy but he played the role of Carlos, who is the complete opposite of chilled, brilliantly! Being in a car for 95% of the time is definitely a wild way to film a movie.

EM: As an actor and director, what first caught your eye about this film? Which character in the movie do you relate to most personally and why? 

DV: Jonas (director) and I were going back and forth on things for a while, and he eventually sent me the script. What really drew me in was the fact that the film is centered around this lead character who never leaves the car. It felt such an original take and just grabbed me curiosity from the start. At first, I wasn’t expecting to be offered the lead role, but when Jonas put the idea on the table of me playing Noah, I jumped in with both feet and gave it my all.

EM: How was preparing for your scenes different or similar to preparing to play a show? Were there any tricks you learned from DJing that helped you get into and stay character?

The biggest difference between acting and DJing is the number of hours on set between scenes etc. It’s a very different pace to DJing, where everything sort of happens in the moment and in many respects is over a lot quicker, because DJ sets can typically range from 1-3 hours. Whilst a day on set is usually an entire day, and these run back-to-back. But as a touring DJ you get used to switching into ‘go’ mode once a show starts, and this is a skill that really helps with acting, because once that clapperboard goes, you’re able to turn it on for the camera and fall into your role.

DV: EDM is mentioned in the trailer for HAZARD and played throughout the movie to set the high-paced mood. Did you produce any of the songs that will be featured on the soundtrack? Did you have any say in the soundtrack? 

Adam Wiltzie was behind the music of the movie, but I had a hand also in the soundtrack for the movie. We wanted something that would reflect the high-octane energy of the movie, so we went for a string of classic dance track, some we reworked for the film. These included hits like Tïësto – Adagio For Strings, Energy 52 by Café Del Mar and Push by Universal Nation, which was what we used to conclude the film. You will notice that movie also features a lot of Belgian classic tracks.

EM: After having your first leading role, what do you think your next step is?  Do you see it being in acting, music, or a hybrid?

DV: 100% hybrid! Music has been my life for as long as I can remember, and I don’t ever see that changing, and movies/acting has always been something I’ve been drawn towards. For me, the two complement each other and give me different ways to express my creative side. When it comes to acting, I feel like this is just the beginning.