Exclusive Interview: Devon Sawa Talks Who Are You People and Stepping Out of His Comfort Zone

Devon Sawa needs no introduction. The actor, director, producer, and writer has been a staple in the entertainment industry for over three decades. He’s brought conversation-starting narratives to life in projects including Final Destination, Nikita, Hunter Hunter, and Chucky. His latest film, Who Are You People, is no different.

Starring opposite Alyssa Milano and Ema Horvath, Who Are You People tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl who runs away from boarding school to seek out the biological father her mother always kept hidden and learns the dark secret of her roots.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Devon about Who Are You People and how he stepped outside his comfort zone for the project.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. What was it about Ben Epstein’s script and this character that stood out to you?
Devon: It’s how uncomfortable it made me feel. Out of all the scripts that I read in the past thirty years, this is the script that made me feel the most uncomfortable. I didn’t know if I wanted to do it at first because of the subject matter, what my character does, and because of how uncomfortable it made me. But then I realized that I thought about it so much afterwards. I thought about what’s next? Where does this guy go? What does his daughter do? I realized that this project was something important to do. Maybe this will start some conversations for people, which is important. I decided to do it. I stepped out of my comfort zone and I tackled it. There were some days on set that were uncomfortable and hard.

When Alyssa Milano got there, we didn’t want to hang out. We didn’t want to interact. We wanted to discover each other for the first time on set. It was the scene where everything happens, and she stayed in character and looked at me like that guy. I felt it. It gave me chills. Then we yelled wrap for the last time and I was like, “Okay, that guy’s done. He’s done. I don’t want to think about him for a while.”

PC: There’s so much weight to this character. He goes through this journey that ebbs and flows. How did you create the space for yourself to go to those darker places?
Devon: It was a lot of isolation for me. I stayed in my room. I read some books and didn’t interact with the rest of the cast. I always wanted to be thinking. I always wanted to be discovering, especially with Ema [Horvath] because our characters hadn’t seen each other in so long. Whenever we came to set and started the scene, I always wanted the audience to see the wheels turning. It was about that discovery. What is he thinking about? What’s going through his mind? That was the process. We relied on Ben a lot to talk about things. He was our director. It was a lot of isolation, a lot of quiet time, and a lot of thinking. It was such a deep subject matter. It was an interesting journey.

PC: Karl has that complex dynamic with his daughter and she may be the one thing that he needs in his life. But at the same time, it forces him to come to terms with his past. As an actor, how did you prepare to tackle that juxtaposition? What was it like collaborating with Ema?
Devon: Ema’s a rockstar. It does not surprise me at all that she’s off shooting The Lord of the Rings right now. She’s very talented, very focused, and gifted. I see big things ahead for her. There was a lot of talking with the director. It’s really hard to talk about things without spoiling anything, but Karl has a lot of good qualities. He did something that’s inexcusable and unforgivable, but he does also have a lot of good qualities. That’s why it’s going to create so many conversations after the reveal. What do we do now? What’s next? What’s next for everybody? It’s really hard. I didn’t realize until my first interview that it is really hard to talk about without revealing what happened.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Devon: I love the passion of young filmmakers, especially Ben Epstein on this one. Shawn Linden on Hunter Hunter. These are young filmmakers, but they’ve taken all the right steps to get to where they are now. Whatever those steps are, they’re where they’re supposed to be and they’re young and they’re fresh. They’ve got great ideas and they’re phenomenal to collaborate with. I love doing the big projects too. You do something like Chucky where it was a huge budget and you have the best of the best around you. It’s the creme de la creme of different departments, and that’s fun too. But I guess with independent projects you’ve got a lot of people working with a small amount and they’re putting their heart and their soul into it.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, the film challenges audiences to put themselves into the shoes of these characters and see whether or not they can reconcile with the actions of the people closest to them. What was your take on second chances heading into this film and did it change as a result of being a part of this project?
Devon: Second chances are important. The question is “What things are unforgivable and shouldn’t have a second chance?” That’s why this is such a powerful reveal. What he did was inexcusable, and what now? That’s where we are.

PC: This film tackles so many timely and relevant themes. Was there one in particular that hit home for you?
Devon: I think one of the big themes that you think the film is about is forgiveness, but there’s so much going on. That’s what made it so appealing to me. It’s not typical. There’s a lot that goes on.

PC: This is a darker, more gritty role than we’ve seen you do in the past. Is there a scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see? What was the biggest takeaway being a part of this project?
Devon: This is definitely a different role than I’ve ever played. That’s why I was going to pass on it at first. It made me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t know if I wanted to be this guy. I didn’t know if I wanted to step into this guy’s shoes. But being an actor, it’s important to step out of your comfort zone. In a lot of the scenes with Ema, where we’re just discovering each other for the first time. He’s very sweet and nice. There are a couple of scenes where me and Ema are like, “You really like Karl. Karl’s a great guy.” But then you know as an actor what is to come. It’s really tricky. Because you don’t want that to bleed in. You want them to be sweet and nice so there is an impact when it does hit.

PC: It definitely does that in the film. You talked about going back and forth about taking this project. What was that deciding factor that made you sign on board?
Devon: It was weird because I passed on it with my agents and management team. I read it, and it was very well written. Ben is a very good writer, but in the end, it was the way it made me uncomfortable that made me initially pass. Ben hunted me down on social media. [laughs] Please don’t do this, people, but Ben slid into my DMs, as they say. He said, “Man, just have a Zoom conversation with me and let’s talk about this guy for a second.” When the Zoom conversation was done, he convinced me that it was important that I needed to step out of my comfort zone and go for it and do it. I had a couple of conversations with people that I have a lot of trust in, including my wife, about what they thought and what their opinion was. Ben really sold me.

To keep up with Devon, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.