Doubling Down
with 21’s Aaron Yoo
& Liza Lapira

words by Elizabeth Johnson
photo by Robert Todd Williamson

After seeing the film 21 on a warm spring morning in Los Angeles, I relate to co-star Aaron Yoo’s description of his personal experiences in Las Vegas, “You never really see the sunlight. You might wander out of a casino for a few minutes, and stumble into the sun, but you feel like a mole. In Vegas, it’s like you get frozen in a Dali painting.” 21, which opens March 28, is based on the popular book from 2002, “Bringing Down The House”, which tells the true story of six MIT students in the 90’s who pulled off elaborate card-counting schemes at the blackjack tables in Vegas, taking millions of dollars away with them.
Written by Ben Mezrich, the book beat the odds too, and stayed on the bestseller list for 59 weeks, moving 1.5 million copies. The book has been translated into 12 languages and still flies off the shelves. Directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde), the film has an ensemble cast that includes MIT students portrayed by Liza Lapira and Aaron Yoo, along with leads Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, and fellow math geek Jacob Pitts. Rounding out the cast is Kevin Spacey, who plays their unorthodox math professor and protégé (Micky Rosa) and Laurence Fishburne (Cole Williams), who plays the casino security guard determined to take them down.

Liza and Aaron became friends during shooting and since that experience they now share an ability to count cards, a love for large suites with air hockey tables in Vegas hotels, and a conservative appreciation for gambling. Aaron, who broke out in the film Distrubia last year, plays the colorful MIT math guru Choi. Liza, who first caught the attention of Hollywood as Oliver Platt’s put upon assistant in Showtime’s Huff, plays the feisty student Kianna. They both agree the chemistry of the cast, juxtaposition of shooting in Vegas and Boston, along with the high stakes of the story make for a hell of a movie, and one hell of a ride.
They got the chance to do their fair share of “rehearsing” together by gambling their way through a myriad of casinos. Shooting in Vegas definitely had its more surreal and challenging moments. Liza explains, “Yeah it was definitely a challenge for the people in charge. We couldn’t take over a whole casino because you can’t stop people from gambling, so we’d literally be shooting at one table or a couple of tables, and it was like, people, get out of the way!”

Aaron shares one if his more surreal moments: “The first night there, we had dinner at Wynn Casino and there was this 25-foot animatronic frog singing Louis Armstrong’s 'It’s A Wonderful World'. It’s like someone gave a person a tab of acid and a billion dollars and said, ‘go make a casino.’”

The two actors weren’t well-versed in gambling prior to the film, so they learned from the best in Vegas. “I knew the basics of blackjack,” says Liza, “But for the shoot we really got into it. There were books, blackjack experts teaching us basic strategy, and we gambled for 'research'. I learned how to count cards which is actually not that hard. It’s the whole doing it under the radar and signaling people and how basic strategy changes, but card counting itself (if you do it slowly) isn’t that hard.”
“Yeah,” agrees Aaron, “We learned all this for real and it’s amazing how simple it is.”

But it seems it is in the deflection that it becomes really challenging. “Yeah, do you realize how much work these guys do? It’s the ultimate pat your head while rubbing your tummy routine. And to keep the count the way Vegas dealers deal, you have to count the cards immediately because if you wait until all the cards are dealt, it’s too late. The dealer has to clear the table so fast, he’s in and out. I realized my mouth would move it was so fast, so I’d be counting under my breath and moving my lips. I got asked to leave a table for my moving lips!”

 I wonder if they feel like what these MIT students did (even though it wasn’t illegal) held any moral dilemmas for them. “No,” says Aaron. “I could easily see myself doing something like this. It’s not illegal, and I don’t have any objections to this sort of thing. It’s a competitive day. They got a base salary and a bonus, and that’s how they got paid out, like investment bankers in Vegas." “It’s very much the tone of the book and the movie,” adds Liza. “We identify with the main character, Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), because he’s the very smart and gifted everyman. He takes on the system and comes away with knowledge, an exciting story, life experience, and some money. And the house has the advantage, that’s built into gambling. There’s something to be said for nerds using their minds to take on their system.”

As far as their new gambling habits go, Liza would rather spend her money at the shops in Vegas as opposed to the casinos. Although she now has a new-found appreciation for Vegas and, like Aaron, can’t wait to get back. Aaron has developed a new rule that he won’t drink and gamble. He also reflects on what it is that grabs him about Vegas which definitely comes though in the film. “You get a really good perspective on it when you spend some serious time there. People who spend a short amount of time don’t really get inside if it. Vegas is to cities what Hunter S. Thompson is to novelists. It’s beautiful, but a gross beauty. In order to see all of that, you need to get past the Cirque du Soleil and wow factor. I keep telling people I’m afraid of Vegas, but I love it!”

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styled by Vanessa Thomson
hair and make-up by Jennifer Hanching
seamstress Helen Hiatt

On Aaron: Blazer and shirt by Kosmetique Label, cashmere hoodie by True Love False Idols, jeans by FINN - Freedom Is Natural Nirvana, shoes by Kenneth Cole

On LIza: dress by Tadashi Shoji, jewelry by Erica Courtney