Clark Duke’s new film, “Arkansas,” is definitely not an ode to his home.
The “Hot Tub Time Machine” actor’s feature directorial debut, now streaming on digital platforms, is about two drug runners, played by Duke and Liam Hemsworth, who work for a kingpin in the titular state.
“I don’t figure the tourism board or the chamber of commerce will be showing the movie anytime soon,” Duke, an Arkansas native, tells The Post.
But it’s partly rooted in reality, nonetheless. The 35-year-old actor, who made his name in comedies such as “Kick-Ass” and TV’s “The Office,” grew up near the town of Hot Springs, and says that his grandfather was a “Dixie Mafia” character, referring to an organized crime syndicate.
“I always wanted to write something about him and that world,” he says.
But instead of a biopic, Duke homed in on the 2009 novel “Arkansas” by John Brandon. “I read [it] and bought the rights to it 10 years ago, because I just loved it,” he says. “I could never quite find a hook or a way into the stuff about my grandpa.”
Swapping hook for book, Duke began the long road to getting his complex movie made, a logistical obstacle course typical of indie films, and took on a new leadership role in the process.
“It wasn’t like I just decided a few months ago, ‘I’m gonna be a director now!’ ” he says. “I’ve been working on this movie for close to a third of my life.”
Being top dog has been Duke’s ambition from age 12. He studied filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University, and his director thesis film was the pilot episode of a show called “Clark and Michael,” co-starring Michael Cera, that became a 2007 web series for CBS.
For his first go-around as a feature film director, Duke has put together a starry cast, including Vince Vaughn, Vivica A. Fox and Oscar nominee John Malkovich as a ranger with an illegal side-gig.
What was it like being John Malkovich’s boss?
“I’ve done movies with Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, a lot of big stars,” Duke says. “But I was a little intimidated when I first met Malkovich, because he’s so good.”
Once Duke relaxed, discussed the character — named Bright — with the actor and saw what he brought to the table, Malkovich “blew my mind,” he says.
Duke’s takeaway: “When you have people this talented and this good, let ‘em do their thing.”
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