On ‘Greedy People’ with Himesh Patel

Himesh Patel began his career in BBC’s well-known soap opera, The EastEnders, and now has established himself to work alongside the biggest names in the industry on films and TV shows such as Yesterday (2019), Don’t Look Up (2021) and Station Eleven (2021). In Patel’s latest dark crime-comedy feature, Greedy People (2024), he stars alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lily James, where a quiet town has turned upside down after a murder goes terribly wrong. Patel plays Will, a not-so-competent cop who becomes one of the sources of a bigger problem. The film has the audience guessing about the characters’ true intentions until the very end, as storylines intertwine in the most unexpected ways.

We sat down with Patel to talk about how greed affects our relationships, the relief that some police departments remain fictional, the goal for actors to find the truth within characters, and what wealth or the lack of it does to our community.

What attracted you to join Potsy Ponciroli’s feature, Greedy People?

For most films, as soon as I read the script and can connect with it or imagine it, I’m interested. I felt that with Greedy People and wanted to be a part of it immediately. There was the pull of working with Lily James again, with whom I had a great time working together on Yesterday. I have also been a long-time admirer of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Before I committed to the project, I chatted with our director, Potsy Ponciroli, and he was wonderful and had a great vision for the movie.

The only greedy person who also cares for others is your character, Will. He first thinks of his unborn child and not himself, which is why he becomes a somewhat more likeable character than the others. Everyone has different reasons for wanting money, but how do you think this is justified for Will?

For him, it was justified by trying to protect his family. It’s his first day in his new job in this new town. Paige (Lily James) is about to give birth, Will thinks everything will be fine, and on day 1 everything goes haywire. I had to get into his head and explore how he justified his decisions. It makes complete sense that if he doesn’t do this, he will lose his job. What I also loved about the script was that you couldn’t ever predict what everyone was going to do. It’s the decision he makes when he comes home, and he has to tell Paige what’s happened. He chooses to lie and say that Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) killed Virginia (Traci Lords). That always piques my interest because I realised he is not completely clean. Will also has an ego and questions the dynamic of their marriage. Is he scared or thinks that his wife wouldn’t understand? That’s another element of his character that made me lean in.

It’s also a comment on modern relationships and how some are based on lies. Will lies about who killed Virginia, and Paige gets Will into trouble by taking the money. Do you think this is an accurate representation of relationships nowadays, that it’s becoming more acceptable to lie to each other?

Maybe. I am unsure if our writer, Mike Vukadinovich had a broader idea on the subject, but it’s interesting. Lily and I chose to figure out some character history beforehand. We wanted to understand who they are and why they might find themselves in such a situation.

I’m sure some couples will see themselves in this dilemma.

HIMESH PATEL: Right, what would you do in such a situation where you have got to tell your wife that on day one of a new job, you put everything at risk? It’s not an easy decision.

The film is a dark crime comedy, but touches on important subjects such as violence and [the nature of] dishonesty. It’s a perfect way of showing the audience how wealth-driven people have become and the lengths we go to succeed over others. When you think about the film’s bigger picture, it’s quite sad. What do you think caused society to take this dark turn?

What’s fun about this genre is that you have to find the truth. On paper, it’s a fun. They find the money, but what are they going to do? We as actors, along with the writers, and directors have to find the truth. We must make sure that we are not just making things fit into a plot. The script was so well written already that we just had to dig into that bit. Also, when you get great actors such as Lily James and Joseph Gordon-Levitt you find that truth. When I watched the finished film, there was a climaxing scene between Joseph and me, and it was heartbreaking. It’s a tragic scene. In his overall character, there’s an element of tragedy. There are not many actors who can find that humanity within a character and bring it out.

You had quite the cast around you and all the characters are unique in their roles and give the story an extra layer. Who would you say, was your favourite character that you enjoyed seeing evolve throughout the story?

HIMESH PATEL: Everyone. It was such a joy working with Joe. His character, Terry is just such a force of nature. I am unsure if I have seen Joe do anything quite like that before. To witness that every day and the kind of fun he was having playing that character was amazing. As I said, he was finding this truth, and it’s not easy to have a character that big but also so truthful. It was wonderful to see him at work. I learned a lot from him.

You haven’t worked together before?

HIMESH PATEL: No, but I hope we will again.

The film doesn’t hide from putting cops in a bad light. Was this intentional for the film to show, that, as a society we are not necessarily in safe hands just because the police exist? You know… when Will accidentally fires a gun at an innocent woman…

Interesting. Yes. I don’t know if that was necessarily intentional. Of course, there are so many stories like that, and it’s a whole other matter. Certainly, there are quite a few question marks over their police department in the story. We should be very thankful that Providence is not a real place because I would be worried for everyone’s safety if that’s how the police department is run.

The audience also discovers how not everyone is like what they seem. It’s so easy to misjudge one another. I made the same mistake while watching the film and had the wrong readings of some characters when I only had access to part of the information. What do you think the film aims to shed light on about trust?

We would think, why anyone would do that. Why does it make sense to someone to lie? As we discussed in Will’s case, what does he gain, but also why does Paige take it up on herself to put his life at risk? There are a lot of elements that you have to figure out as an actor so that it makes sense to you. You are getting to know these people and what drives them to do what they are doing. That’s what is quite fun about this genre, you never know what anyone’s intentions are. Where will those intentions lead them? It’s fun to navigate in that world.

The audience will certainly not expect the ending.

HIMESH PATEL: It’s not pleasant.

It achieves what it needs to.

HIMESH PATEL: It’s quite realistic.

What’s next for you?

HIMESH PATEL: I am lucky, that I can work all over the place. I shot a TV show in the UK that’s coming out later this year and a movie in Europe that is premiering at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). I haven’t shot anything in the US since Greedy People. I’d love to work there again soon, but it has to be the right thing. Hopefully, the right thing will come along shortly. I hope this bit of my career lasts so I can see part of the world that I otherwise wouldn’t see.