PopHorror Let's Get Scared
After dabbling in various film genres and appearing in an episode of HBO’s hit series Entourage, Matt Dallas caught his big break portraying Kyle on ABC Family’s sci-fi series, Kyle XY. More recently, Matt took on the role of Pastor John in Jason DeVan’s newly released exorcism film, Along Came the Devil (you can read my review here). PopHorror had the pleasure of speaking with Matt in regards to the horror genre, his latest film, upcoming projects and more!
PopHorror: Hi, Matt! Thank you for speaking with me!
Matt Dallas: My pleasure!
PopHorror: You have been in several horror and horror related films, as well as making an appearance in the hit HBO series, Entourage. You also found major success in the ABC sci-fi series, Kyle XY. I think it’s safe to say that you have dabbled in several genres. Would you say that horror is your preferred genre?
Matt Dallas: Not necessarily! (laughs) I did do horror early on in my career. Not a lot, but I did do some. And I think some time went by, and I felt like I had tapped out on my horror experience. But with the screenplay for Along Came the Devil, I was actually excited to come back to horror, because it felt like a throwback to the exorcism stories of the ’70s like The Exorcist and all the earlier horror in general. It felt really exciting and fresh to me. It wasn’t just about all about the slasher horror stuff. So, it was an exciting return to the genre for me. I play a pastor, which is a very different role for me. But I do enjoy watching horror films.
PopHorror: How did you become involved with Along Came the Devil?
Matt Dallas: Honestly, the casting director hit me up, and said she had a role for me that was different than anything that I’ve been able to play before. I happened to read the script, and I ended up really liking it. I had a call with the film’s director, Jason DeVan. I really hit it off with Jason. He’s great!
PopHorror: I’m glad it worked out! I saw the film the other night, and I felt like you really stood out in your role as Pastor John.
Matt Dallas: Well, thank you.
PopHorror: Along Came the Devil was inspired by true events. Are you aware as to how much of the film is true?
Matt Dallas: A little, yes. Jason hasn’t let me in on all the details, but he did share the backstory with me. I know that this is something a family has really gone through, and they were sort of hesitant at first. But after speaking with Jason and getting his perspective on the story, they not only agreed to allow him to use it, but they would speak publicly about it for the first time. So, I think, it was a way for them to share their story and put it in the hands of someone whom they trust.
PopHorror: That is true. Something like this shouldn’t be taken lightly, and I could see why the family might be hesitant. In this film, you co-starred with other great names in the industry such as Sydney Sweeney, Jessica Barth and Bruce Davison. What was it like working with these actors?
Matt Dallas: Honestly, we had so much fun on this project. Sydney is such a sweetheart. Jessica is just so much fun. There would be so many times where we would just be sitting in the trailer cracking up and dying laughing, and then find ourselves five minutes later standing on the film set. Tears running down her face while I’m trying to perform an exorcism! (laughs) And Bruce Davison was great! It was a really cool career moment for me to get to work with an Academy Award nominee. To hear his stories and his journey was pretty spectacular.
PopHorror: I could imagine that would be a great experience! What was your favorite part of production?
Matt Dallas: I would say that would probably be the exorcism scenes. I mean, getting to shoot the stuff with Sydney when she’s completely possessed was so much fun! For one, she is such a fearless actor. Just to see the way that she commits and how beautifully scary she can be was really cool. Also, just to be in a scene that intense with so many other fearless actors was really a lot of fun. And on top of that, everyone was just so passionate on this film. Everyone wanted to bring their all and make something very special. It was very cool to work on such a project with everybody.
PopHorror: Oh, absolutely! Everyone was great in the film, and Sydney absolutely nailed the part of being possessed! What would you say was the biggest challenge of production?
Matt Dallas: I would say the biggest challenge for me was getting in the mindset of a pastor. I don’t come from a hugely religious family, so I really had to throw myself into that world by doing a lot of research and memorizing all of the prayers. It was just a challenge, for me, to get a world so foreign into my bones in such a short amount of time. Because when you shoot an independent film like this, you don’t have a whole lot of rehearsal time and prep time. So you just cram and get is much in as possible.
PopHorror: I could see that being a challenge, for sure! Are you personally a believer in the paranormal?
Matt Dallas: I have never had any first hand experience. But there have been some people close to me who have very chilling tales of ghosts and the paranormal. So, I’m not a non-believer. I’ve just never had any personal experience with it. I think that it is very possible that there could be ghosts among us.
PopHorror: That is very true. Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to mention?
Matt Dallas: I have a project that will be coming out soon called Alaska Is A Drag. It’s about a drag queen boxer in rural Alaska, and is a pretty special film. I don’t play the drag queen boxer, but I’m excited for that one to come out and share it with the world. I’m also getting ready to shoot a film in New York City that’s a thriller called Stepdaughter, which will hopefully come out shortly after.
PopHorror: Very cool! What would be your dream role to play that you haven’t done yet in your career?
Matt Dallas: I would love to play a villain. I got to play one once before, but I would love to be the bad guy again so I can get all of the best lines. (laughs) I also think there’s a lot of fun to be had when you can sort of create anything. So, maybe a bad guy in a period piece? (laughs) A Peter Jackson movie would be fun, too. So, maybe an evil elf or wizard? (laughs)
PopHorror: (laughs) Those would be some fun roles! Thank you, Matt, for taking the time to speak with me.
Matt Dallas: Thank you!
As Matt continues to see success with his career in film, we hope to see him return to horror yet again. Should this happen, you can bet we will be covering it right here on PopHorror! Be sure to check out Along Came the Devil now available on iTunes and playing in select theaters.
