Steven Williams is the hardest-working man in show business, and he’ll be the first to tell you. Actually, he’ll be the second person to tell you, because I just told you. To this day he says “I have no idea what this movie was about, but you seemed to like what I was doing!” Well, clearly he does know – you don’t give a nuanced, funny, soulful performance like that if you aren’t a genius actor.

When I wrote the part of Carlos, I wanted someone who carried the spiky energy of early-1980’s electro funk, like the Gap Band or the Dazz Band (whose song “Let It Whip” is featured). The idea was that Carlos was ejected from his band “Gas Station” after losing his arms in a slot-machine accident, and wants revenge on drummers (other than the great Rick Allen of Def Leppard) forevermore. Steven was far more committed and funny than I could have imagined, and I suggested that he could be the first character in film history with an afro… that he parts on the side.

We recently talked about Taoism and the secret truth of Power, which Carlos embodies. What is the sound of no hands drumming? You know, Steven, you know.