Kix Brooks Stays Humble With Acting Debut at ‘Ambush at Dark Canyon’ Premiere
Kix Brooks spent Wednesday night (Jan. 29) doing something he's been waiting a long time to do. He made his acting debut with the premiere of 'Ambush at Dark Canyon' at the Country Music Hall of Fame's theater in Nashville.
Brooks admits that acting is something he's always wanted to do and even studied film while in college. The timing was never quite right, but the now-solo artist finally found time to flex his acting muscle.
“It was something that I always thought I’d get to do along the way and I had this 30 year hole in my resume riding a tour bus so it just never worked out," he shares.
In the film, which was directed by Dustin Rikert, Brooks plays U.S. Marshall Duke Donovan who is imprisoned after he's accused of being an aide to a bank robbery. While locked up, Donovan gets word that his wife's life is in jeopardy, and he knows he must not only save her, but also try and clear his name. Brooks co-stars alongside Ernie Hudson.
When he was approached about the movie, he says he laughed and told them, “‘Guys, I don’t wanna screw your movie up. You might want to get a real actor. This is a good script.’”
“They convinced me that I was the guy so I really I dug in, did my homework and it was so refreshing doing something totally away from touring and being on stage," he explains.
About halfway through the filming, Brooks became so immersed in what he was doing that he asked if he could work on the music score, which includes a duet with Randy Houser. With some help, Brooks sat down and started writing songs that were unlike anything he had done before. “We wrote a bunch of songs that had nothing to do with country radio. It’s just outlaws and redemption and stuff that was fun to write about," he shares.
The country star is quite a busy man these days. He's also one of the owners of a Nashville vineyard, has started a production company with William Shockley, is a solo recording artist and is the host of American Country Countdown. On the morning of the movie premiere, Brooks got word that his radio show had been nominated for a 2014 ACM award, and he was both humbled and grateful.
“It’s exciting and honestly you would expect me to say this but it’s really exciting for my staff because to put together a produced show like American Country Countdown takes a whole lot of work and expertise beyond me liking to hear myself talk," he says, laughing. “It’s really a lot of work behind the scenes and for them, they haven’t gotten to go to all the award shows and do all the fun things that I’ve been blessed with and it’s a huge deal. I know they were waiting up until the minute it came out and I certainly don’t take it for granted. It’s very exciting."
The 'Ambush at Dark Canyon' DVD and soundtrack are available now at both Walmart and Sam’s Club and will be released elsewhere on March 11.