This movie is so gnarly and violent - I had to make Nate a cupcake of a man

STARS JACK QUAID, JACOB BATALON, RAY NICHOLSON AND AMBER MIDTHUNDER TALK TO YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI ABOUT NEW ACTION-PACKED DARK COMEDY NOVOCAINE

- YOLANTHE FAWEHINMI

BEFORE actor Jack Quaid started working on new action comedy Novocaine, he did a lot of research on his character's unusual health condition.

The 32-year-old stars as assistant bank manager Nathan Caine - nicknamed Nate - who cannot feel pain, a real-life condition called congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA).

"I mean, obviously this is not a direct or accurate representation of what that disorder really is. We definitely take it to a hyper-real place," explains Jack, son of American acting stars Meg Ryan, 63, and Dennis Quaid, 70.

"I think I did as much research as I could, and then I also tried to approach it from an emotional perspective. I think Nate, when we meet him, by necessity, for his own safety, he has to live a very controlled, safe life, in a bubble.

"He has to keep himself at a distance from the world. Just because he can't feel pain doesn't mean he can't get hurt, and if he were to get hurt, he wouldn't know it for a little bit. So that's a very scary condition to live with."

Novocaine is set in sunny San Diego, California, during the holiday season, where Nate spends the night with his colleague and long-term crush Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder, 27.

But when their bank is robbed on Christmas Eve and Sherry is taken as a hostage, Nate uses his inability to feel pain to his advantage and goes on a mission to save the girl of his dreams.