Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Phobias’ Leonardo Nam

Leonardo Nam has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. For two-plus decades, he’s captivated audiences with the dynamic characters he’s brought to life in projects such as Westworld, MacGyver, Swamp Thing, Room 104, and dozens more.

His latest film, Phobias, marks the gifted actor’s first venture into horror.

We caught up with Leonardo to chat about this exciting milestone, the thrill of independent filmmaking, and how he’s choosing to focus on positivity during these trying times.

PC: Tell us about Phobias and your character in the film.
Leonardo: Phobias is about five dangerous patients who are suffering from extreme phobias. They’re in a government testing facility and are put to the ultimate test under the supervision of a crazy doctor whose quest is to weaponize fear. The film is very timely, especially with the year we’ve had and the coronavirus. Fear is like a virus that’s perpetuating people to do really strange and uncharacteristic things.

The film centers around five different phobias. One is robophobia, which is from the Czech word robota, which means drudgery. It’s the fear of robots, A.I., or robot-like mechanics. That’s the main storyline that I’m in. Then, there’s vehophobia—that’s the fear of driving. There’s ephebiphobia, which is the fear of youth or teenagers. Then, hoplophobia, which is the fear of guns or firearms. Finally, there’s atelophobia, which is the fear of imperfection. These five phobias are highlighted in this really interesting collaboration between five different directors.

It was a really fun and exciting experience to be a part of. It was awesome. The people who produced it were the executive producers behind Radio Silence, Ready or Not, and now, the upcoming Scream franchise, so they’re very well versed in the horror-thriller world. It was fun to work on a movie like this.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you?
Leonardo: I love the closeness you feel in the collaboration—even though you experience that in any creative environment that you’re in—but when you’re working on an indie film, you really feel that. Maybe it’s because the budgets aren’t as big or that people wear and share many different hats. I love the culture of independent filmmaking. Everyone is striving to create blood out of stone. It’s fantastic to be part of that. I’m so, so lucky.

PC: At the start of the film, we see that your character is the victim of a racial attack, which unfortunately has become increasingly relevant with everything that’s unfolding in real life and on the news, especially for the Asian community. As an actor, how do you deal with portraying such a painful experience, and is there an added sense of responsibility to show these experiences in mainstream media?
Leonardo: That’s a really wonderful question. I appreciate you asking that and bringing light to the situation that’s happening in our community, and by our, I mean our global community. It’s a very sad and disappointing facet of our society that we have to face.

However, at the same time, I do think it’s warm and has touched my heart to see how cross-culturally people have stood up and stood together as allies. I can’t tell you the number of people that have reached out to me in all industries, not just entertainment. People have said, “I want to do something. How can I do this? What can I do?” It’s a testament to society.

Personally, I want to focus on the positive that’s happening with that. We know that these violent attacks have been around since the beginning of time. What I think we can do and must focus on is the positive aspects of it. I congratulate everyone that has formed interesting bridges and conversations between communities and people. It also has fostered a sense of reaching out to your friends and family to check in on them.

The combination of the attacks that have been in the news cycle recently have galvanized the Asian, Asian-American community, their allies, and people of color to say, “Hey, that’s not okay. We have to do something about it.” I’m so, so grateful for that.

PC: This is your first major venture into the horror genre. Did anything surprise you about the overall experience? What was the biggest takeaway for you as an artist?
Leonardo: I’ve got to say one of the biggest takeaways is how bloody fun it is. It’s so much bloody fun—just that experience of being able to really go there. What I love about being an artist and actor in this industry is that I get to play out these imaginative scenes and scenarios. In a way, if I choose to, I’m able to right the wrongs or write my own narrative about a particular moment that may have happened in my past or in an imagined experience.

In this film, my character has robophobia: the fear of robots, artificial intelligence, and that feeling that Big Brother is always watching. It was really fun to go to the dark depths and play those out because do I think that’s really happening in the world? There’s a possibility. Do I think it’s as far as it is in the film? No. But that’s what I love about the experience of being involved in films and working in the horror-thriller genre: it provides an elevated experience to the imagination of the creator. I love that.

PC: What do you hope audiences take away after seeing the film?
Leonardo: I’m really excited for people to be shocked and scared sh-tless. I love the idea that people in this day and age are able to watch this film together and think about these concepts that are so deep within us. We all have phobias. We all have phobias to a certain degree. This is a really interesting way to take that lens and look at ourselves and society. Why do we have these phobias? What can we do about them?

I hope that people take a moment to, at the end of the day, know that this is entertainment. I hope they can move forward and find some positivity from this and get a release. We all need some release, especially with everything that’s been going on this past year.

It’s a wonderful experience. I feel like this film is a rollercoaster. One of my favorite things growing up was going to these theme parks and screaming my guts out. You get off. You have a slushie. You go on with your day. I hope people are able to experience that with this film.

To keep up with Leonardo, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Phobias is out On Demand and on Digital.

Photo Credit: The Riker Brothers