Exclusive Interview: Drew Van Acker, Jaco Bouwer & Andrew McCarthy on Truth, Language & the Power of Sci-Fi in ‘Orion’

Cinema has the rare power to transport us to worlds beyond our imagination while holding up a mirror to the deepest parts of ourselves. Orion thrives in that space — a gripping, thought-provoking sci-fi experience that entertains as much as it invites reflection. Rooted in intimate character dynamics and escalating tension, the film turns language into its most powerful device — guiding trust, blurring perception, and challenging our sense of what’s real.

At the center of the narrative is NASA interrogator Jim (Andrew McCarthy), assigned to help amnesiac astronaut Apollo (Drew Van Acker) recover his memories after a mission ends in catastrophe. With the rest of the crew dead and no clear explanation why, Jim must uncover the truth before the wrong answer sets an even more devastating chain of events into motion. What begins as a standard debrief spirals into a psychological chess match — where memory becomes unreliable, trust becomes dangerous, and every word matters.

Guided by director Jaco Bouwer, Andrew McCarthy and Drew Van Acker deliver performances rooted in tension, vulnerability, and discovery — playing off one another in ways that keep audiences questioning every motive and every moment. Their dynamic turns this intimate sci-fi story into a gripping character study about trust, perspective, and the power of language.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Drew Van Acker, Andrew McCarthy, and Jaco Bouwer to chat about Orion, crafting truth through performance, and the conversations they hope the film will inspire.

PC: Drew, Orion examines both the beauty and complexity of communication—and how language can be manipulated or weaponized. It’s a film that sparks conversation and challenges audiences, all through a sci-fi lens. What is it about the genre that made it the right vehicle for the story you wanted to tell?
Drew: That’s a great question. Sci-fi is my favorite genre—it has been since I was a kid watching Star Wars. I’ve seen a lot of films in this space.

When we were thinking about the idea of truth—whether it’s fundamental, subjective, or objective—we started wondering what it would mean if you could give every person on Earth the same question and see how different their answers would be. That widened the scope of how we could explore the concept and what kind of scale the story would need.

Truth is so important to what’s happening in the world around us. Then you add the space aspect—the science fiction aspect—and you have this powder keg. It was important for us to understand where this narrative lies and what truth really is.

PC: Sci-fi also allows audiences to let their guard down so they can truly absorb the message you’re communicating with this film. Jaco, what you’ve achieved so beautifully here is that it not only examines manipulation, but it immerses audiences in it as well. We begin trusting everything we hear from these two characters, and as the layers peel back, we start questioning what’s real and what isn’t. How did you approach directing that shift cinematically—through what’s said and what isn’t—and creating that immersive experience for audiences?
Jaco: I’d like to add something to your previous question: we’re living in a day and age where there is no absolute truth. The film gets to touch upon that in an interesting way without rubbing your nose in it.

For me, it’s always about the performance. There was an interview earlier today where we were talking about the camera movement, but for me, it’s about making the actors feel confident in their movement. That’s my first layer of blocking or structure. The camera needs to move with them and capture their emotions and all those small nuances.

If you look at my track record, a lot of my films take place in one or two locations. That might have to do with my theater background, but I’ve always found it interesting to set strict rules or confinements and see how things develop within them.

It was great that we were able to shoot in chronological order, starting with the main Madeline room section—especially for the actors and their arcs. Drew and I talked early on, Andrew as well, about how you can’t play all the layers at once. You can’t be thinking, “This is what I’m doing now, but I’m also suffering from amnesia, and I’m also trying to figure out what’s going on.” As Andrew said earlier, you can only play the truth of the moment. Otherwise you start muddying the water—and your performance gets muddied.

It really became about exploring when we begin revealing those other layers of the narrative. Playing the truth in the moment, even though we know there are all these other truths underneath.

PC: In a lot of ways, this film feels like a theater production. Andrew, your recent work—from your documentary to your book—has been about reframing narratives and reclaiming the power of language. This film continues that exploration in a different medium, examining how words can manipulate and be redefined. Did working on this project offer you a new lens or deeper understanding that might influence your approach as a storyteller across your many different pursuits?
Andrew: That’s an interesting question — I’m not sure. For me, it always starts with finding the motivation of my character and the story we’re trying to tell. Everything is in service of that motivation — whether he’s telling Drew’s character about a child he doesn’t have or claiming the world outside has been destroyed when it hasn’t. Those aspects were easy to inhabit and “lie,” if you will, as long as you never lose sight of your character’s main objective.

Drew and I never discussed this specifically, but I feel like our characters wanted the same thing — yet because of my job, I wasn’t allowed to want that. So I was trying not to get caught doing what he wanted, which was to let this thing go free. Everything I was doing was in service of that goal, whether it meant manipulating him one way or another to get him to do it — because I couldn’t, even though I believed it was the right thing to do. Everything was in service of the thing that we never talked about.

PC: I’ve always loved films that unfold in a single location but still manage to feel expansive and cinematic — which this film does so beautifully. There’s such intimacy in these performances. For you all as creatives, what are the challenges and freedoms of working within that framework, whether technically or collaboratively?
Drew: Jaco and I discussed this beforehand and that’s exactly one of the challenges that we knew we were going to have to overcome and push through. It was super beneficial having someone like Jaco who understands that and knows how things can easily fall flat when you’re confined to one space. We talked about this day in and day out about how the performances have to carry us through otherwise it’s going to be flat.

Andrew: I agree — Jaco did that really well. At the end of the day, we’re in one room, and you have to keep it interesting, which he did beautifully. He let the performances inform how he moved the camera. It was like, “Because they’re giving this, that means I need to pull back and do a sweeping move.” He was reacting to what we were doing in the moment, but also always keeping in mind where we were in the story overall.

Jaco: To add to that, there were certain parts of the film — like the flashbacks and some of the more contained scenes — that I had carefully envisioned. But for the Madeline room, I never had a specific shot list. That’s generally how I work. It’s very intuitive — knowing the material, working with the actors, and suggesting what feels natural for them. Things evolve through those conversations, and then it becomes about collaborating with our DP to honor that energy. That’s my approach.

PC: Andrew and Drew, there’s something really compelling about your characters’ push-and-pull relationship. As the layers peel back, we see the masks we all wear — and it feels like a mirror to real life. As actors, how did you each create space to explore that vulnerability and authenticity? And how did your performances evolve in response to one another?
Drew: It was very important to Jaco and me that we built that trust and communication early on. We talked so many times about not giving anything away too soon — not “playing the layers” of the onion as it’s constantly being peeled back. It can become convoluted in your head when you start playing into each individual lie.

For me, it was easier to focus on the single objective my character was pursuing in that moment. I’d check in with Jaco to make sure we were aligned, because there are so many individual stories being told — what my character wants versus what Andrew’s character wants — and on the surface, they seem so different. But deep down, at the core of that onion, they’re actually very similar. Having those open conversations was extremely helpful because it can get slippery at times.

Jaco: Before Andrew answers, I’ll add that we rehearsed a bit on Zoom — the three of us — but Andrew didn’t want to rehearse too much. That was interesting because it kept things fresh. He would come in with a very clear intention, which then forced or inspired something new from Drew. It created authentic reactions. And that’s really what’s important — every actor has their own approach, and you build the process around that.

Andrew: That’s super interesting. I don’t like to talk too much about the performance. I like to know where we’re going — and then go. I didn’t know Drew at all before this, but suddenly we were trapped in a room together, every day, with this mountain of dialogue.

We wouldn’t talk about the work in detail. Sure, we’d discuss logistics — blocking, rotation, technical stuff — but never the specifics of intention. And that was great. I’d look at him and think, “What’s he doing? Oh, that’s interesting. How do I respond?”

I loved our working relationship because we never sat down and planned, “When you do this, I’ll do that.” There was a comfort with each other from day one. You know very quickly with another actor whether the chemistry is there — and for us, it just was.

PC: As audience members, you can feel that you’re elevating one another’s performances. Jaco, one of the most inspiring things about independent filmmaking is that while you may not have massive budgets, it often pushes the team to think more creatively. You’ve been celebrated for your unwavering commitment to never compromising the story. Was there a moment or scene in this film that best captures that spirit — or one that you can’t wait for audiences to experience?
Jaco: You should have seen the week before we started shooting. [laughs] Coming from South Africa, we’re used to working with low budgets. It forces you to be creative and to figure out how to make the world feel bigger with just two locations. I feel like we succeeded in making this feel like more than a chamber piece. Toward the end of the film, we got creative with the Earth and the visuals to help expand that sense of scale.

PC: We touched on this earlier, but there’s a moment in the film where the characters discuss the Madeline room and how objects can evoke comfort and familiarity through the senses. For each of you, what’s one object that brings a sense of home or grounding wherever you are in the world?
Drew: I have a bunch. I bring a little notepad/journal — it goes everywhere with me. It’s a sketchbook with word-vomit, drawings, colors, thoughts… all sorts of stuff. It’s wherever I can get my thoughts out, and it never leaves my side.

Jaco: I just have my iPad with millions of notes and thousands of resources. It helps me feel prepared. There’s a moment when all of that goes out the window, but subliminally the imagery stays with you. It fuses into the world in an unconscious way.

Andrew: That’s really sad. But my answer is sadder. I don’t have anything. [laughs] I’m in the process of moving and my wife keeps asking if I want to keep certain things, and I’m like, “No.” [laughs]

Make sure to follow Drew (X/Instagram), Jaco (Instagram), and Andrew (Instagram).

Photo Credit: Jesse Dittmar (Andrew) // Brad Everett Young (Drew)