Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Every Last One of Them’s Taryn Manning

Taryn Manning is an award-winning actress, singer-songwriter, DJ, and entrepreneur who has captivated audiences in all facets of her career. For close to three decades, she’s brought dynamic characters to life in acclaimed projects including 8 Mile, Sons of Anarchy, Orange Is the New Black, and dozens more.

This October, she stars opposite Paul Sloan, Jake Weber, and Richard Dreyfuss in the gritty-thriller Every Last One of Them.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Taryn about the film.

PC: Tell us about Every Last One of Them and your character in the film.
Taryn: I play Maggie. She’s a twisted Suzy Homemaker who would do anything for her brother, which I can relate to. She’ll basically do anything for him to keep the peace. With that, she can come off a little savage, but she has his back. They own a security firm and they’re a little bit knee-deep in some stuff. There are a lot of secrets going on and backhanded deals. I loved the film. I loved Paul Sloan’s role and his fight for their daughter. I love the nobleness of that. I really loved the script, and I adore Christian Sesma. He’s an amazing, amazing director and friend.

PC: How did you and Jake approach that sibling dynamic?
Taryn: Jake came in a little later. They were having a hard time casting that role. He came in two days before. I had never met Jake before, but I knew of his work. He’s such a lovely true artist. When I say that, I mean he doesn’t have any social media. [laughs] He’s a thespian through and through. I loved being around that, as well as Richard Dreyfuss. Even during the pandemic, Christian put together quite a cast. I felt so privileged to be amongst these gentlemen and to be a part of it.

PC: Maggie is very much a character that lives in the gray area. How did you build this character and approach that juxtaposition?
Taryn: I have an older brother who’s six years older. We’re very close. I was his pesky younger sister. I would do anything for my brother and whatever my brother did was gold to me, so I related to that part of it. I loved that these characters owned a security firm and loved that they were good guys and bad guys in a way. It’s such a good depiction of life. Sometimes the people we trust are the ones we shouldn’t.

I loved that these characters appear one way but they all have skeletons in their closets. There’s always that tension when you’re trying to hide something. You could feel that in this film and it has a lot of heart.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. Is there a particular scene that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Taryn: I loved all the action in this. I’ve always loved action films. I’m pretty small, so a lot of the time people are like, “Can she do action?” I’m like, “Have you seen Bruce Lee? Can I do action?” [laughs] I love doing it. I love doing my own stunts. I grew up doing dance, martial arts, and gymnastics, so I love doing all those things. She’s in the mix. She’s not a girly girl. She’s one of them, so that’s always fun.

PC: You all filmed this during the pandemic. How challenging was that?
Taryn: It’s always challenging. So long as everyone’s tested (which we were constantly), I felt pretty safe. This is new to all of us. It’s a lot of testing. It was interesting to be at the forefront of that. You’re putting your mask on in between every take. There are a lot fewer people on set. A lot of precautions are taken in every single way. It’s a little less personal and intimate, but at the end of the day, I’m glad I can still make movies, so no complaints here.

PC: Christian is known for the action films that he’s brought to life on this screen. What was it like collaborating with him?
Taryn: Christian’s a great guy. I wasn’t familiar with Christian until I got to work with him. He’s a professional. He really is. He’s a pro. He knows what he’s doing. He knows his shots. He’s invested in his actors. He’s invested in his scripts. He knows his script inside and out. He has the shots planned but not too planned where there’s no flexibility. But you’re just working with a very prepared director that knows exactly what he wants, and that’s always nice.

I work with a lot of first-time directors. I do a lot of independent films. He has a natural ability. I also love when people have an authoritative way about them, and he has that. I like that. I look up to Christian. He’s a powerful visionary. He’s worked closely with a lot of his friends. They all get along and know exactly what they’re all doing. I love that too. I love their comradery and synergy. It’s really special.

PC: What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative?
Taryn: Wow. It takes a lot to make a movie. The filming portion is just one aspect. It’s one piece of the puzzle. With independent filmmaking, you know that this person has been at this for a long time. Their heart is into it. Quite often they wrote it. They’re so grateful to be there and they know it inside and out. They’ve lived, breathed, and thought through these characters. It’s a privilege.

It’s a privilege to collaborate. This is their dream and they chose you. There are a lot of actors out there. There are a lot of people they could choose, so I love independent filmmaking. There’s a lot more freedom. It’s really special and a lot of fun.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after they see the film?
Taryn: There are so many things that you can take away. There’s a lot more heart that ended up coming off the page. I love that. It was on the page, but the way the actors encompassed it brought it to another level. It’s lovely to see a noble father trying to save his daughter. He’s in the thick of it. Paul is an incredible actor and human being. There are always so many sides to every story. Nothing is exactly what it appears because you’ll see it twist and turn throughout this film.

PC: What’s next for you?
Taryn: I have another movie called Sanctioning Evil that’ll come out in the next couple of months. I play an FBI agent. I’ve been trying to play different roles from those people are used to me playing.

To keep up with Taryn, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Every Last One of Them is in theaters, on demand, and digital now.

Photo Credit: Saban Films