On the concept of the film, Van Patten said, “It is based on a poker game that I had for 20 years in Los Angeles that grew. I ran this game and I played in it. I got to the point where big celebrities were playing in it, and things kept going up and up. I eliminated the famous people in the movie. I changed their names to protect them. I wrote it with my writing partner, Steve Alper, and there is a lot of fiction in there as well.”
“It was important to me to have a great twist and a great ending to it,” he added.
He noted that a few years ago, his wife, Emmy award-winning actress Eileen Davidson (who co-stars with him as KC in 7 Days to Vegas), got him excited to do this indie film. “I based it on my experiences, changed names, and I fabricated a lot of it, and that’s how it came about,” he said. “Eileen is such a great actress, and she is a great wife.”
Regarding his plans for the future, he shared, “We are trying to do 7 Days to Vegas as a TV series. We are in talks now to get that jump-started. Writing-wise, I am adapting the screenplay into a series.”
On being an actor in the digital age, Van Patten said, “The digital age is such a huge thing out there. I learned a lot. People can stream shows on Amazon Prime. It’s a great world since you can see any film these days.”
He considers 7 Days to Vegas as a career-defining moment for himself. “Honestly, I wanted to be in a great movie, and I thought that this film is top-notch and it hit that mark,” he said. ‘I was very proud to be in that and it has defined my work.”
Van Patten is also a commentator for the World Poker Tour. “I still do the World Poker Tour. I have been the host for 19 years now,” he said. “Recently, I’ve also done streaming chats in poker. It’s a lot of fun.”
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Observe people. Do characters, do stand-up, do it all so that you can be prepared. Write your own content, create it, and film it. My son, Duke Van Patten, who is 26 years old is an aspiring actor and he is doing wonderful. He is getting certain jobs here in Los Angeles.”
He listed directors Quentin Tarantino and Alexander Payne as the two directors that he would love to someday work with. “I think Quentin is the best director and writer of the century. He is so brilliant,” he said. “Alexander Payne is a brilliant director as well. They are both geniuses.”
Van Patten shared that he is a fan of such actors as Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, both of which ironically enough, starred in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was directed, written, and co-produced by Quentin Tarantino. “That film was so great,” he said.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Gratitude.” “I have appreciation more than ever,” he said. “Life gets better and better.”
While in quarantine, he revealed that he learned how to make a vodka martini.
Van Patten defined the word success as “a great accomplishment” and “going after his dreams and endeavors.”
7 Days to Vegas is available on Amazon Prime. “It’s great escapism and although it’s in the hustling, conman, gambling genre, anybody cat watch it. I love this type of movie and I hope that the people enjoy it,” he concluded.
